Month: December 2008

The decision of Barack Obama to invite the Reverend Rick Warren to give a prayer at the inauguration on January 20 is a big mistake on his part and should be reversed if at all possible.

Reverend Warren worked actively to defeat the amendment allowing gay marriage in California and has long been an active critic of gay rights.  He has been an activist against giving gays and lesbians any civil rights and should not, therefore, be rewarded with a leading role in the inauguration.  Obama’s purpose has been to unite the American people and promote tolerance, but instead he is giving respect to someone who has demonstrated narrow mindedness and intolerance.

Organized Christianity, including the Catholic Church, the Mormon Church, and evangelical Christians all failed to speak out against violations of human rights for African Americans for the long period of slavery and segregation, and were very late in final acceptance of their human rights.  Now gay and lesbian Americans have replaced them as the victims of discrimination regarding their human rights.  No one who believes in justice and human dignity can sit by and accept the concept of our first African American President allowing a minister who promotes bigotry to speak at the inauguration without a major protest of that action!

Thank goodness Vice President Dick Cheney will be leaving office in a little over a month! He will carry with him the reputation of being the most powerful Vice President in American history, but also one who was lawless and a disgrace to the office, and he should face prosecution for his crimes in office, unless we are going to allow him to claim that in office whatever the Vice President does is lawful, similar to what Richard Nixon said about his actions in the Presidency.

Cheney admits that the US government would have decided to go to war against Saddam Hussein even if there was no evidence and no intelligence about Weapons of Mass Destruction.  He also admits that water boarding was done against suspects and he fully endorses the use of what John McCain and many others have said is torture, an unacceptable tactic under international law.

Cheney has no shame or sense of guilt, and continues to be arrogant and unrepentant about any of the actions taken during the Bush administration, which has led to the death of more than 4,000 US soldiers, the serious wounding of more than 15,000 young men and women, and the enormous expense of the war, which is nearing one trillion dollars, and will be untold trillions more when one adds in the long term costs of medical care for the severely wounded over the next fifty years or more.  Also, the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians is on his hands, as well as the hands of George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and other administration figures.

Dick Cheney has contributed mightily to the economic mess that faces us and the horrible international image that Barack Obama must now work to rehabilitate.  He will always stand out as a Vice President who was allowed to run amuck, and Joe Biden is conscious of the need to return the Vice Presidency to the important but lawful role it had been known for in the past half century since the office started to grow in significance.

Dick Cheney needs to be prosecuted for his crimes, and the foreign policy of preemption adopted by the Bush administration after the 9-11 attacks needs to be repudiated by the Obama administration!

Senator John McCain finally came out and told us on THIS WEEK with George Stephanopoulos that he would not be supportive of Governor Sarah Palin if she ran for President in 2012, as there are many young governors across the country who are very talented and should be considered for the next election cycle for President.

What a commentary that McCain is therefore indirectly admitting that he flubbed in picking Palin to be his running mate, and in the process, put the nation under tremendous risk had he won the Presidency and become incapacitated or died in office.  Anyone in their right mind except the evangelical right could easily see that Palin was the least qualified VP candidate in history and was simply put on the ticket as a ploy to gain women who were Hillary Clinton supporters to come over to the GOP.  But of course, any Hillary supporter who would have used Palin’s gender as the reason, with the reality that Palin was the ultimate anti-Hillary candidate, would indicate that such individuals were people the Democratic party did not need, as they would totally lack judgment and common sense.

It is likely that McCain’s back handed rejection of Sarah Palin will have the effect of minimizing her chances for 2012, and will undermine the support she still retains among conservative talk show hosts, including Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Michael Reagan.  If anyone could say that these talk show hosts have any legitimacy, their continued support of Sarah Palin eliminates that thought for anyone with a sane mind!

Retired General Colin Powell has always been a figure to admire, and his upcoming interview this Sunday on CNN with Fareed Zakaria is indeed another indication of how great a person he is.  This is a man who can grow and change by his experiences and he makes two points that I can wholeheartedly agree with.

First, Powell makes clear that Sarah Palin polarized the Republican party in the fall campaign and that her rhetoric and that of Joe the Plumber made the Republican party a party directed toward a narrow base, unwilling to promote unity but rather division.  Powell pointed out that the country over the next generation and more will become a nation in which minorities become the majority, and that the GOP cannot have a future if it fails to address the issues that affect African Americans,  Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans.  The party is doomed unless it adjusts to reality and starts to appeal to those groups who were part of the Obama coalition. 

Also, Powell, a long time opponent of gays in the military and a supporter of "don’t ask, don’t tell", now feels there is a need to readdress the issue, and that is a tremendous boost toward the end of discrimination, which has harmed recruitment and caused the loss of talented soldiers who were forced out because of their sexual orientation.  A number of European nations and Israel have managed to adjust to reality and have benefited by ending the bias against gays, and they have had no problems of discipline and order, as many critics have alleged would happen.  This is a great step forward toward ending barriers to acceptance of gay rights, and I applaud Powell for his growth and increased tolerance.  He is indeed a great man who has earned the respect of the American people and can assist in the upcoming changes in the military.

I was literally taken aback when I learned earlier this week of the attempt of Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois to disgrace the former Senate seat of Barack Obama by offering it to the highest bidder, rather than taking seriously his responsibility to replace the President Elect with a distinguished person who could dignify that office and serve his Illinois constituents.  It is also tragic that the Republican opposition and the conservative talk show hosts are attempting to make this an issue to interfere with the important work that Barack Obama is engaged in as he plans for the inauguration on January 20, 2009.

It is clear that Governor Blagojevich needs to do the right thing and resign, or face impeachment or judicial removal which would prolong the agony and further disgrace the state of Illinois, at a time when Illinois, the sixth largest state in population, needs full representation in the US Senate.  The Lieutenant Governor, Pat Quinn has an excellent reputation and should become governor and select who is best, in his opinion, for that Senate seat, and then the voters will decide in 2010 if that person should retain the seat or someone else should take over the seat in the Senate.

Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. being  "Candidate No.5" who supposedly had offered to pay a bribe to get the appointment does great harm to Jackson’s chances of gaining that Senate appointment.  Jackson has been a hard working Congressman and has a great reputation among his colleagues and has made clear that he had done no such thing, but under the present circumstances, it would seem to me that the best choice, at least to 2010, when everyone who is interested can compete in the primary and election process, is Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of Chicago, who also has a solid reputation for hard work and principle.  I hope this whole controversy will be resolved rapidly for the benefit of the voters of Illinois.

The governor of Delaware has picked a long time aide to Senator Joseph Biden, Ted Kaufman,  to replace him when he becomes Vice President of the United States, after 36 years of Senate service. 

Kaufman has made clear he is willing to step aside in 2010 to allow Attorney General Beau Biden, the older son of the future Vice President, to replace him after service in the National Guard in Iraq and Afghanistan over the next year or so.  Beau Biden would be running for the remaining four years of the term his father was just elected to in November. 

Again, having a famous name can help, but it must be pointed out that Beau Biden has already been voted into office by the citizenry of Delaware and has been serving successfully as Attorney General.  The fact that he is now serving his country in the war zone certainly adds to his appeal to voters, and ultimately, it is the voters who will decide his future.  Based on the exceptional record his father forged over his six terms from 1972 to now, it can be expected Beau Biden will win in 2010 and justify succeeding his famous father in the Senate!

Speculation is rife in Illinois, where Barack Obama has given up his Senate seat, that Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr, son of the famous civil rights preacher and 13 year member of the US House of Representatives, will be selected to replace him in the Senate, to guarantee that one African American will remain in the Senate.

Certainly, Mayor Richard M Daley, a political rival of the Congressman, would like to see him removed as an opponent in Chicago politics.  It must be pointed out  that Jackson, Jr has been close to Obama and that he has been a constructive member of the House and has even openly criticized statements and actions of his famous father over the years. 

As in New York, there are other well qualified candidates but it seems to me the likelihood is that the governor of Illinois will select Jackson, Jr and that he will turn out to be an excellent appointment, and face running for a full term in 2010.  As has been true in the past, having a famous political name helps greatly, but also the qualities of the person matter, and Jackson, Jr cannot be seen as simply being picked because of his race, but also his qualifications and experience.

NY Governor David Paterson has a real quandary in choosing an appointed successor to Senator Hillary Clinton, once she is confirmed as Secretary of State in the Obama Administration.

He has two individuals from famous political families to consider, as well as other less well known congressmen and congresswomen and local officials who are interested in the plum appointment.  It is almost a certainty that he will decide between Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, son of former Governor Mario Cuomo, and Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President John F. Kennedy, who has been involved in promoting the welfare of public education in New York City and was a leader of the committee apppoined by Barack Obama to choose his ultimate running mate for Vice President,  Joe Biden. 

It is very appealing to pick Caroline Kennedy, who could revive the image of Camelot, continuing the Kennedy role in American politics, and insuring a continuation of at least one Senator Kennedy for the foreseeable future.  For 54 of the past 56 years, there has been at least one Senator Kennedy and for the time being, there would be two Senators Kennedy, something that aging Senator Ted Kennedy apparently wants to occur.  Caroline Kennedy has spoken with Governor Paterson about the position, now at a time when her children are grown up and she is starting to become more active in public life after avoiding it for many years.  Her endorsement of Senator Obama was crucial to his campaign, and it would indeed be very appealing to choose her, and would certainly insure an easier race for Governor Paterson as he seeks the Governorship by election in 2010. 

On the other hand, Andrew Cuomo has been outstanding as Attorney General in the past two years and was a cabinet member under President Clinton, and has a proven track record and would also be an outstanding person to add to the Senate.  Besides that, Cuomo, if not chosen to fill the Senate vacancy, is likely to challenge Governor Paterson for the gubernatorial nomination in 2010, so that would make it seem likely that Paterson would, for his own political survival, choose Cuomo.

But if I had to bet on what is more likely to happen, despite rational thoughts, my bet would be on Caroline Kennedy getting the nod for the Senate, because how does someone back away from the idea of another Kennedy in political life, particularly one as popular and non controversial as Caroline Kennedy?

And imagine this:  Caroline Kennedy in the Senate by appointment in 2009, winning the remaining two years of the seat in 2010, and then winning a full term in 2012, meaning she would not face a Senate election in the presidential year of 2016.  And also imagine she makes an outstanding record and becomes considered a possible Presidential candidate in 2016 or 2020.  Is this too much imagination or is it possibly a reality? 

President Elect Barack Obama has just nominated retired General Eric Shinseki, former Army Chief of Staff and decorated Vietnam War veteran, to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs in his cabinet.  Shinseki, the highest ranked Asian American in the military in American history, is a sensational choice to deal with the long ignored and much underappreciated veterans which have been the backbone of our defense in our many foreign wars, as well as peacekeeping operations around the world over many years. 

General Shinskeki was forced to retire in 2003 by the Bush Administration when he publicly made it clear that an invasion of Iraq would require several hundreds of thousands of troops, a statement which proved to be true but was ignored by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and led to the disastrous, drawn out intervention in Iraq which is now finishing its sixth year in March 2009, and has led to the total repudiation of the Bush Presidency as he is about to leave office.

General Shinseki will be a strong advocate for proper treatment of the multiple problems faced by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, as well as those of earlier conflicts.  It has been a disgrace what has occurred under so called "patriotism" Presidents , including Ronald Reagan and both Bushes, only too willing to send soldiers off to war and then ignore their needs upon return.  It is long overdue to return dignity to our military and show respect and appreciation for their sacrifices, and President Elect Obama is certainly headed in the right direction with his latest appointment!

Can you imagine that even before the inauguration of President Elect Barack Obama on January 20, 2009, there is already a poll on the present standing of various Republicans in the race to become the GOP nominee for President in 2012?  Can we NOT have a respite from polls at least until the first Hundred Days of the Obama Presidency has occurred? 

In any case, the poll is very revealing of the power of celebrity, without being evidence that one can rely on and believe will be followed through on three years from now when the race is in full swing.  Former Governor Mike Huckabee, Governor Sarah Palin, and former Governor Mitt Romney are the top three candidates, but all three have major weaknesses and shortcomings and are extremely unlikely to be the choice of the GOP voters in the primaries and caucuses.  Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former NYC Mayor Rudy Guiliani follow behind, and to believe that either of them will win is really stretching reality!  LOL  So the top five candidates in the poll are all extremely unlikely to be the nominee and to have a realistic chance to win the White House against President Obama.

The other two Republicans in the poll, although numbers six and seven on the list, should, on the other hand, be seriously paid attention to, as both are newer faces and have a more moderate image–Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Governor Charlie Crist of Florida. They have much more credibility and at least on paper, electability.  Of course, this is all subject to future unknown events, but IF the GOP chooses any of the top five on the list, I believe they are doomed in 2012 and beyond.  New, fresh blood and a moderate image are essential to have a long term future for the revival of the Republican party nationally.