new sheriff in town Archives - Where Is The Outrage?

What's Going On – Thursday Night News Roundup

Thursday Night News Roundup

Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi has decided that the world needs to hear from him. He wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times this morning. (Who knew he could write?) He has given us the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He proposes a one-state solution. We thought he was crazy before. I still think he’s crazy. There’s a reason that Israel has never accepted a one-state solution. Israelis are outnumbered in the region significantly; therefore, they would lose every vote down party lines. In this case, that means religious lines.
A former Guantánamo Bay detainee was released into the custody of Saudi Arabia back in 2007. He supposedly went through some sort of rehabilitation (think of the movie A Clockwork Orange). According to an Al Qaeda website, he, Said Ali al-Shihri, is now head of the Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda. In my opinion, this is further evidence of the fact that the Bush administration really had no idea what they were doing. Finally, if we’re winning the war on terror, would Al Qaeda have branch offices? I find the timing of this announcement interesting. It’s coming out right after Obama has taken office, right after he has signed an executive order. Now this dude pops up out of nowhere.
Barack Obama signed an executive order today stating that he was going to close Guantánamo Bay within one year. Outstanding. He has named former Senator George Mitchell as a special envoy to the Middle East and Richard Holbrooke as a special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan. The message is clear. No Torture. There is clearly a new sheriff in town.
Republicans are not happy with the economic stimulus plan, which is not surprising for a number of reasons. First of all, Republicans have never liked the government to give out money to anything or anyone other than large corporations in the form of tax cuts. Therefore, money for roads and schools and alternative energies is not going to sit well with them. Secondly, because of nearly 30 years of partisanship, there are no more moderate Republicans. They were all elected out of office or pushed up by Karl Rove. Senators like Jon Kyl and Mitch McConnell will be difficult to deal with because of their extremist views. Reasoning with them will be a challenge. BTW, Microsoft is laying off 5,000 employees. This is the first time for layoffs in Microsoft’s history. The country is falling apart and the Republicans want to argue for more tax cuts.

Now take this with a grain of salt. Talking Points Memo is reporting that New York Governor David Paterson will appoint Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to fill Hillary Clinton‘s Senate seat. I’m not sure what happened to Caroline Kennedy. First she wanted the job and then it seemed as if she really wasn’t campaigning for the job. There was this backlash against her, really for no other reason than she was a Kennedy. On the other hand, she has been a most reclusive Kennedy. As a senator, especially a senator filling Hillary Clinton’s seat, you can not be reclusive. You have to be the exact opposite. Yesterday, it was widely reported that she has asked to have her name withdrawn. I am sure that there is somewhere in an Obama administration where Caroline Kennedy’s talents can be used. I just don’t think Senator was the right spot.
Al Franken had his first major legal setback today. He had asked the court to throw out Norm Coleman’s case and the court said no. (My grandson will be running for Senate before this case is completed. He is 5.)
Yesterday, Glenn Beck lost his mind on the air when he saw a clip of Barack Obama re-taking the oath of office without putting his hand on the Bible. Why is this guy in front of a microphone?
Why does former Republican Congressman Mark Foley have a Facebook page? Doesn’t Facebook cater to the young? I’m just askin’. I have a facebook page but, then again, I haven’t solicited young pages.

Iraq Spokeman Asserts U.S. Should Vacate by Late 2010

The Iraqi’s have buckled under the pressure of the U.S. before. But now, with the Bush administration beginning to pack their bags, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki maybe growing a backbone. Iraqis maybe willing to stand up to the Bush administration because they know that there is going to be a ‘new sheriff in town’ (McCain or Obama). They may be looking at this time as an opportunity to take their country back.

From New York Times: Maliki spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, told reporters in Baghdad, “We cannot give any timetables or dates, but the Iraqi government believes the end of 2010 is the appropriate time for the withdrawal.”

But then there is Senator Barack Obama. Obama looks like he knows some foreign policy and that there isn’t a Iraqi-Pakistani border. There haven’t been any slip ups or gaffs. Instead, there has been a clear message that Barack Obama knows what he is doing.

Senator John McCain, however, seems to be trying to do anything for attention. Today, while golfing with the former President Bush, McCain stood firm on his stance regarding Iraq. He believes that Obama is wrong on Iraq now and has been wrong all along. Then McCain came up with a zinger: “When you win wars, troops come home.” McCain, in my humble opinion, continues to believe that you can ignore the will of the American people even when you are running for an election. I wonder how much he would pay attention after he was elected?

McCain has really run his campaign on the notion that he knows how to win wars. He knows what is going on in Iraq. He believes that staying the course is working and will continue to work. So, when the Iraqis basically agree with Obama, where does that leave McCain? Out in the cold looking for some new theme to his campaign?