Please note that you can leave a comment on any of our posts at our Facebook page.  Subscribers can also comment at length at our Angel's Corner Forum.

AUGUST 24,  2011

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:35 P.M.ET:

AN ERA ENDS – Steve Jobs has resigned as CEO of Apple Computer.  Although he did not say so specifically in his letter of resignation, it was apparent from the tone that deteriorating health is the reason.  Jobs was diagnosed with cancer in 2004.  His resignation brings to a close one of the most remarkable comeback stories in American corporate history.  Ousted from Apple, the company he co-founded, by a group of, you know, "hard-headed businessmen," he was brought back when Apple was dying, and the butt of jokes.  He and the remarkable team he hired transformed Apple into the most valuable company in the world, giving us the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad and the sleek, much wanted Mac computers.  Oh, and also the Apple Store, now a cultural phenomenon.  Jobs understood what many corporate leaders don't – that great companies begin with great products.  This resignation is an American loss.

PERRY ROMPS – Rick Perry now has an impressive lead in popular polling for the GOP presidential nomination, according to Gallup.  Perry leads with 29%, Romney trails badly with 17%, and then there are the others.  If anything, the result shows Romney's weakness.  He just doesn't catch on with the base.  However, Perry's 29% is tentative, and getting to a majority may not be that easy.  He has many enemies within the party, and many who feel that his uncompromising Texas conservatism will play poorly among independents, who hold the balance of political power.  In addition, the national press loathes him.  He's outside their frame of reference.  This race has just begun.

STILL NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME – Our cell phone industry, that is.  It was quickly noticed during yesterday's earthquake, which barely did any damage, that many cell phone circuits were overwhelmed and largely useless.  In any disaster, whether it be natural or an act of terror, cell phones will provide a critical means of communication.  And yet, we seem to have not corrected the flaws in the system discovered ten years ago, on September 11, 2001.  The wireless companies are of course shrugging off yesterday's failures, but their failure to deliver will cost lives in a real disaster.  There are serious suggestions to develop a separate network for public safety personnel, but the idea has never been acted upon.  Maybe now.

JUST A SECOND – A Columbia University study has concluded that changes in climate can exacerbate civil conflict in many parts of the world.  In other words, weather is a factor in war.  Well, there's a headline for you.  I never would have known, and I wonder how many federal dollars went into this revolutionary finding.  It reminds me of a team of anthropologists, some decades ago who, after a year of study, concluded that children were interested in parents and parents were interested in children.  I will search for the exciting paper.

August 24, 2011        Permalink

THE GROWING CONCERN – AT 11:47 A.M. ET:   Concerns have been raised in the last few days about the control of the Libyan military arsenal.  There's a lot there that some very bad guys could use to devastating effect.  Now that concern is spreading to Syria, another country that spared no expense to acquire sophisticated killing machines.   From Foreign Policy:

The continued unrest in Syria, coupled with President Barack Obama's call for President Bashar al-Assad to leave power, has thrown the future of the country into flux. Among the most troubling uncertainties is the fate of Syria's chemical weapons arsenal, which, if not protected properly, could fall into the wrong hands, with catastrophic results.

Syria is one of a handful of states that the U.S. government believes possess large stocks of chemical agents in militarized form -- that is, ready for use in artillery shells and bombs. The arsenal is thought to be massive, involving thousands of munitions and many tons of chemical agents, which range, according to CIA annual reports to Congress, from the blister gases of World War I -- such as mustard gas -- to advanced nerve agents such as sarin and possibly persistent nerve agents, such as VX gas.

In the hands of Assad -- and his father Hafez before him -- these weapons have been an ace-in-the-hole deterrent against Israel's nuclear capability. The Assad regime, however, has never openly brandished this capability: It did not employ chemical weapons in the 1982 Lebanon War against Israel, even after Israeli warplanes decimated the Syrian Air Force. Nor have they been deployed, or their use threatened, in attempting to bring Assad's current domestic antagonists to heel. And although Syria is accused of providing powerful missiles to Hezbollah, including some of a type that carried chemical warfare agents in the Soviet arsenal, Assad has not reportedly transferred lethal chemical capabilities to the Lebanon-based Shiite organization.

So despite their many faults and deplorable record on human rights, the Assads have treated their chemical arsenal with considerable care. But as the country potentially descends into chaos, will that hold true?

COMMENT:  And, of course, that is the question.  The Assads, for all their monstrous ways, always kept the agreements they made with other countries including Israel, and were very cautious in dispensing weapons.  But the younger Assad's grip on power is weakening.  Once again, we know too little about the people fighting him.  We hope they will establish something resembling a modern democracy.  But if they go theocratic, and enhance Syria's already strong alliance with Iran, the Syrian stockpile, like the Libyan arsenal, could take a frightening trip. 

We note that all this is coming at a time when Democrats, and, sadly, some isolationist Republicans, salivate over the prospect of cutting our military budget substantially.  Unwise.  Possibly catastrophic.

August 24, 2011        Permalink

SNIPPET OF THE DAY – AT 11:03 A.M. ET:

From AP:  It took an undercover operation, but Greek police have blown a hole in a ring of alleged crooks who had cornered the doughnut market in a beach resort.  It started with complaints that two Bulgarian men and a former Greek wrestling champion were using violence to choke off the trade by other doughnut vendors on Paliouri beach in the Halkidiki peninsula near Thessaloniki.  So an undercover officer posed as a doughnut seller, police said Tuesday, and he was attacked, leading to the arrest of the three aggressive doughnut sellers.

Now you can rest a little easier.

ANOTHER DISGRACE TO JOURNALISM – AT 9:05 A.M. ET:  Is there really an audience for this?  From Reuters:

After weeks of speculation, MSNBC has made it official -- Al Sharpton will be its new host at 6 p.m.

The well-known civil rights activist and minister has been filling in at the time slot for much of the summer, leading most pundits to assume he would become the full-time host. The rumors have finally been verified, as MSNBC Phil Griffin made the announcement that Sharpton will host “Politics Nation” starting Aug. 29.

"I am very happy and honored to join the MSNBC team as we collectively try to get America to ’Lean Forward,’" Sharpton said in a statement. "It is a natural extension of my life work and growth. We all learn from our pain and stand up from our stumbling and one must either learn to lean forward or fall backwards. I'm glad they have given me the opportunity to continue my forward lean."

The sheer intellect just overwhelms us.  I, too, will now work hard to continue my forward lean.

The show, which will lead-in to MSNBC shows like "Hardball with Chris Matthews" and "The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell," will feature a disucssion of the major headlines. Sharpton's longstanding relationship with Griffin and the network was a factor in the decision.

COMMENT:  I'd say this man is a clown, but at least a clown is intentionally funny.  In truth, he's an old-time race baiter and bigot, who's been responsible for some of the most inflammatory moments in New York in the last 30 years.  I cannot see any contribution he's made, except to himself.

Fortunately, MSNBC has an audience of about 12 people, so Sharpton can't do that much damage.  And the new gig does keep him off the streets and away from megaphones.   But is this what NBC has come to?

August 24, 2011       Permalink

LIBYA UPDATE – AT 8:49 A.M. ET:  As many in the West worry that Libya's impressive arsenal might fall into the wrong international hands, fighting continues in the country.  Although the regime is pretty much washed up, its loyalists have not given up.  And we wonder:  Where is the colonel?

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Despite dramatic rebel strides and momentum, pro-Moammar Gadhafi forces toughed it out on Wednesday, striking back at Libyan rebels in several volatile pockets across Tripoli.

Gadhafi forces shot at least seven mortars into Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound, a day after rebel fighters captured the symbolic heart of the Libyan ruler's regime.

Fresh clashes between rebels and loyalists broke out Wednesday outside the Rixos hotel, where about 35 international journalists were trapped.

Several rockets landed near the Tripoli International Airport and rebel Commander Mukhtar Al-Akhbar said four rebel fighters were found bound and executed nearby.

And...

Rebels control the hotly contested airport but were struggling to control an area east of it. The resistance caused them to speculate that loyalists could be protecting a high-profile figure in the vicinity.

COMMENT:  Despite earlier speculation, there is no direct evidence that Gadhafi has left the country.  The brochures from Martha's Vineyard were apparently not that convincing.  But he has become irrelevant, and I suspect he'll either be captured, or found dead. 

But what's next in Libya?  No one actually knows.

August 24, 2011     Permalink

GOOD QUESTION, SIR – AT 8:19 A.M. ET:  It is no secret, as the Soviet diplomats used to put it, that there is widespread discontent in the Republican Party, and for good reason.  Many conservatives feel that the Republican presidential field is weak, in some cases eccentric, and in all cases of questionable electability. 

Conventional wisdom has it that the race is now a battle between Mitt Romney and Rick Perry.  Neither rouses much excitement.  Romney's the old car in the garage, functional but hardly fit for a great date.  Perry is the dashing new candidate, dynamic and engaging, but carries more baggage than American Airlines.  His quotes are the stuff of Democratic dreams.  He's actually written that Social Security is unconstitutional.  There goes Florida.

Many Republicans believe that the party must skip a generation to get the right candidate.  They'd hoped Paul Ryan would take the plunge.  He didn't.

But there is someone else, as The Politico reports:

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. – Freshman Sen. Marco Rubio came to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Tuesday night to make the case for smaller government. Many of the 1,000 guests attending the sold-out address came here to see a man who they hope one day will be president.

Just eight months into his first Senate term, the Florida Republican has repeatedly denied he’s eyeing higher office. But that’s done little to quell speculation – and excitement among supporters – that Rubio could be the GOP nominee’s vice presidential pick in 2012 or that he could mount a run for the White House himself four years later.

“My question is: Why isn’t he running now?” Thousand Oaks resident Bobbi Andersen said after Rubio’s address. “I understand it’s a lack of experience, but I can’t wait until he’s the next president.”

Yup, that's the question.  Why not now?  I think Rubio would electrify this field as none other. 

Moderator Gerald Parksy’s first question to Rubio was this: “If your mother asked you to accept the VP spot, what would you say?”

Rubio, a favorite of the tea party movement, deflected the question with humor.

“It’s a great honor to be thought of that way,” he replied. “I have no interest in serving AS vice president for anyone who could possibly live all eight years of the presidency.”

During his remarks – interrupted numerous times by applause – Rubio expounded on what he called the “proper role of government” in America, a vision shared by Reagan that balances free enterprise with compassion for those who can’t fend for themselves.

Some cite Rubio's lack of experience, but he's far more experienced than Obama was when Obama ran, so the Dems couldn't exactly use that issue.  Rubio was speaker of the Florida State House.  He actually works at being a U.S. senator, as opposed to Obama, who occasionally showed up when not dreaming of another office. 

I'm one of those unhappy with the field.  I'd be very happy if Rubio, who clearly is getting to like all the attention, would allow himself to be "considered," the first step on the way to a run.

We can dream, can't we?  Maybe there'll be some surprises ahead.

August 24, 2011     Permalink

AUGUST 23,  2011

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE - AT 9:58 P.M. ET:

DOWN, DOWN, DOWN – Obama might try to blame George W. Bush for the earthquake, but nothing seems to be working for him these day.  Gallup now reports his approval rating at 38%, the lowest Gallup has ever recorded for this president.  His disapproval stands at 54%.   And Rasmussen reports that Obama has reached -26 in Ras's presidential approval index, also the lowest ever recorded for the president.  However, Rasmussen also is reporting that Obama retains 44% support among independents.  Despite overall dismal numbers, he cannot be counted out.  We still don't know who the Republican nominee will be, or how he or she will perform.

GADDAFI SINKING – The colonel's compound in Tripoli has been taken by the rebels.  At the same time, Gaddafi, speaking by radio from somewhere, promised victory or death.  The rebels are claiming they control 90% of the country, but claims by either side should be taken with caution.  At the same time, there is growing concern in the West about Libya's stockpiles of weapons, which include deadly chemicals, raw nuclear materials, and an estimated 30,000 shoulder-fired rockets.  Terrorism experts fear that some of these items can fall into the hands of terror groups, local or foreign.  The situation in Libya is still fluid.  We don't know exactly what, or who, will emerge from all this.

VERY CLOSE IN NY –  The Republican National Committee has taken a sudden interest in the September 13th special election in New York City to replace disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner.  The district has been considered safe for the Democrats, but polling shows an unusually close race.   Republican challenger Bob Turner has the support of former Democratic Mayor Ed Koch.  The reason for the closeness is President Obama's unpopularity, which is dragging the Democratic candidate, David Weprin.  It's now reported that the national GOP will start spending money on the race, especially for get-out-the-vote efforts.  But it will not be much.  The smart money still has to be on the Democrat, and the district will probably be eliminated in redistricting anyway. 

SHOW OFF – Jon Huntsman, appearing on CNN, has announced that he's going to be president...in Chinese.  This has the dandies in absolute ecstasy, as no one else running for president can speak Chinese.  This apparently is now a major qualification.  Heck, I grew up in New York and have been reading Chinese menus all my life, and I'm especially good on the lunchtime combination specials.  Would someone please place my name in nomination at the convention?   I'll find out the Chinese equivalent.  We have a rally planned with gongs.

August 23, 2011       Permalink 

THE GREAT PANIC OF 2011 – AT 8:56 P.M. ET:  We had an earthquake on the East coast today, and it was a fine old affair.  Great shaking, TV programs interrupted.  The epicenter was in Virginia, and was the largest shake Virginia has had since 1897, or maybe since the day former Senator John Warner married Elizabeth Taylor.

We felt it in New York.  In fact, I was standing next to a floor lamp in our bunker in White Plains when there was slight shaking.  I heard the globes on the lamp rattling, and, recalling how difficult it was to find those glass globes, heroically grabbed them and placed them on a couch, thereby doing my bit for national preservation.  Compliments and tributes will be accepted.

It is reported that the president of the United States, on the links in Martha's Vineyard, was not affected by the quake.  No golf balls moved inappropriately on the greens, we were relieved to learn.

The reaction in New York City was, as usual, a bit theatrical.  There was some minor shaking in some places, so a small number of buildings in Manhattan were evacuated.  Naturally, reporters rushed into the streets with microphones to get the expected "it was just like 9-11" reactions.  As they say, there's no business like show business.  We await TV appearances by "mental health professionals" who will warn of post-shake nightmares, bad thoughts and insurance claims.

Nonsense.

Easterners do not know what a proper earthquake is like.  Having inconveniently been in two Los Angeles area quakes, I can attest.  I was working on The Tonight Show in 1971, during the first episode.   The show was still based in New York, but we flew out to L.A. every eight weeks for three weeks.  I was sleeping soundly in the Sheraton-Universal Hotel – you may recall that Carson referred to it as the Sheraton Impossible – when, at 6:01 A.M. on February 9th, I was abruptly awakened by major shaking and the grinding sound of the Earth moving.  The first thing I saw were drawers flying out of a bureau.  I only hoped that my underwear was not seriously injured.  I jumped out of bed, went to the window (not a good idea, as glass could be flying) and watched the lights in the San Fernando Valley go out, block by block.  (You're actually supposed to go to a doorframe and stand beneath it.  It should hold up if things around start crumbling.)  After throwing on some clothes, I rushed into the corridor to see members of the Tonight Show staff running from rooms they shouldn't have been in.   The potential for blackmail immediately occurred to me.

We all went downstairs to the lobby.  Ed McMahon stayed with the staff in the hotel, but Carson was in his home in Bel Air.  Ed, a terrific guy, was a calming influence.  He took none of this seriously.  We were fortunate that no one in the hotel was injured.  But there were injuries and deaths elsewhere.  The quake took 65 lives. 

We did the show as usual that night, but, during the taping, there was a serious aftershock, almost causing panic in the audience.  This time it was Carson who calmed the crowd.

I also happened to be in L.A. for the 1994 Northridge quake, which also occurred a bit before dawn, and which cost more than 60 lives and did major damage.  I was staying with friends, whose house was filled with glass after the quake.  One thing you learn in California quake country is to sleep with a pair of shoes, placed upside down, and a flashlight next to your bed.  The first thing you do if you're awakened by a quake is to switch on the light and get into your shoes.  If placed upside down they shouldn't have glass in them.  Then you can walk around safely. 

I did drive down Ventura Boulevard that day, and it was like a war zone.  Parts of buildings, signs and marquees were lying all over the place.  There were cracks in sidewalks.  The quake even closed production companies, which actually surprised me since industry neuroses usually send the insecure to their offices, even in a disaster.

Those were serious quakes.  We got off easy today.  My Virginian daughter reported major shaking, but no serious damage where she was, in central Virginia.  However, Al Gore was spotted taking local temperatures.

August 23, 2011      Permalink 

HISPANIC-AMERICANS COOLING ON OBAMA – AT 10:26 A.M. ET:  A new Gallup Poll shows President Obama running into serious trouble among the nation's Hispanic-American voters, despite a recent change in immigration rules clearly designed to attract Hispanic votes: 

In the same week that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that her department was going to review the cases of 300,000 illegal aliens in deportation proceedings and allow “low priority” cases to stay in the country and receive work permits—a move House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith called a “back door amnesty”—President Barack Obama’s approval dropped to an all-time low of 44 percent among Hispanics, according to Gallup polling data released today.

That is a drop of 41 points from the spring of 2009, when Obama’s approval among Hispanic Americans peaked at 85 percent (in the weeks that ended April 26, 2009 and May 17, 2009).

Obama’s approval among Hispanics dropped 5 points last week alone, falling from 49 percent in the week that ended Aug. 14 to its new low of 44 percent in the week that ended Aug. 21.

COMMENT:  It is hard to see how President Obama can win next year if he continues at that level among Hispanic voters.  Hispanic-Americans are the fastest-growing voting bloc in America. 

We should caution, of course, that the Hispanic community is very diverse.  The Mexican-American may have very different views from the Cuban-American.  Here in New York, we don't even think of the Puerto Rican community as being similar to immigrant communities from, say, Ecuador.  It's critical for observers, and those running campaigns, to go beyond ethnic clichés, and to listen to what individual voters are saying.

August 23, 2011       Permalink   

SNIPPET OF THE DAY – AT 9:58 A.M. ET:

(Reuters) - General Motors Co (GM.N) is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit over a suspension problem on more than 400,000 Chevrolet Impalas from the 2007 and 2008 model years, saying it should not be responsible for repairs because the flaw predated its bankruptcy.

Now there's a way to win new customers from the likes of Honda and Toyota.  Just keep the buyers as angry as possible.  But, ah, it does remind us of the good old days, doesn't it?  The rattles, the failures, the car windows that wouldn't go up.  At least GM is true to tradition.

NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME – AT 9:17 A.M. ET:  I'm afraid that's the judgment we have to make about former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, now running for the GOP presidential nomination, after serving a stint as Obama's ambassador to China. 

Huntsman hardly registers in current polls.  His graph is about the same as that of a guy who's just been pronounced dead at a better hospital.  He tried to shake things up over the weekend with an outlandish, over-the-top attack on his Republican competitors, something that created high consternation in the Republican Party and much buzz around the internet.  Pollster Frank Luntz predicted that the attack would be vigorously rejected within the party, and it has been.

Now Huntsman comes out with this, from Fox:

WASHINGTON – Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman says he'd be open to running as vice president if rival and tea party favorite Michele Bachmann wins the nomination.

The former Utah governor, who was appointed ambassador to China by President Barack Obama, says that every time he's been asked to serve his country he's answered "yes." He resigned his China ambassadorial post earlier this year.

Huntsman told CNN interviewer Piers Morgan on Monday that if asked by the Minnesota congresswoman to run as her vice president he'd "be the first person to sign up, absolutely."

COMMENT:  Geez.  Now, of course, Huntsman tried to backtrack, saying he expected to win the nomination.  But saying you'd agree to serve as Michele's v.p. isn't exactly a winning statement.

Okay, Jon, you've introduced yourself.  Now please return to the private sector and live to fight another day.  Just don't say you'd agree to serve as Sarah Palin's social secretary. 

August 23, 2011        Permalink

WHAT WE OWE – AT 8:42 A.M. ET:  Andrew Malcolm at the L.A. Times's Top of the Ticket blog, has a stunning report on our national debt, and its history during the Obama administration.  How did we let things get this far? 

Swallow all liquids in your mouth before reading any further.

Updated numbers for the national debt are just out: It's now $14,639,000,000,000.

When Barack Obama took the oath of office twice on Jan. 20, 2009, CBS' amazing number cruncher Mark Knoller reports, the national debt was $10,626,000,000,000.

A gentle correction.  Obama didn't take the oath twice on January 20th.  He took the oath the second time on the evening of January 21st. 

That means the debt that our federal government owes a whole lot of somebodies including China has increased $4,247,000,000,000 in just 945 days. That's the fastest increase under any president ever.

Remember the day the Democrat promised to close the embarrassing Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility within one year? That day the national debt increased $4,247,000,000. And each day since that the facility hasn't been closed.

Same for the day in 2009 when Obama flew all the way out to Denver to sign the $787 billion stimulus bill that was going to hold national unemployment beneath 8% instead of the 9.1% we got today anyway? Another $4,247,000,000 that day. And every day since, even Obama golfing and vacation days.

Same sum for the day Obama flew Air Force One nearly four hours roundtrip to Columbus, Ohio for a 10-minute speech about how well the stimulus was working in the politically crucial Buckeye state. Ohio's unemployment rate just jumped to 9% from 8.8% anyway.

COMMENT:  And imagine, our children will have the honor of paying for this.  I hope they thank our political leaders and pay appropriate homage.  Perhaps a statue of Obama, eating an ice cream cone, outside the Treasury Department.

August 23, 2011       Permalink

SHADES OF THE BUNKER, 1945 – AT 8:17 A.M. ET:  We learned in the last 24 hours how careful we have to be about reports from Libya.  One commentator said that, in Libya, lying is the national pastime. 

Claims that Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, who heads the army, was captured, turned out to be false.  Also false were reports that Gaddafi was in Algeria.  We actually don't know where he is, but we do know for certain that the international airport near Tripoli is now in rebel hands, making a Gaddafi escape by air highly problematical.

At the same time, all reports this morning speak of fighting in Tripoli, with indications that the final victory of the rebels might be delayed.  Some rebel units were pushed back yesterday.  But today the rebels are fighting to break into Gaddafi's personal compound, the seat of his power for years:

(Reuters) - Libyan rebels battled on Tuesday around Muammar Gaddafi's headquarters, where a son of the veteran leader had emerged overnight to confound reports of his capture and to rally cheering loyalists for a rearguard fightback.

NATO jets flew in support of the rebels, who said they were trying to break into Gaddafi's fortified Bab al-Aziziya compound. His son and presumed heir Saif al-Islam had earlier told a crowd that his father was well and still in Tripoli.

Heavy smoke drifted across the city center and a Reuters correspondent at a government-controlled hotel near the sprawling compound heard heavy gunfire and explosions. NATO declined comment on whether it had struck Bab al-Aziziya.

COMMENT:  This reminds us of the Red Army's assault on Hitler's bunker in the spring of '45.  The reporting is hour by hour, minute by minute.  One key question, of course, is whether Gaddafi is in the bunker.  (If he is, I doubt if he's with Eva Braun.)   If he's there, will he fight to the end, allow himself to be captured, or do an Adolf. 

But the other key question, and much more consequential, is what comes next.  We really don't know that much about many of the rebel factions.  The front men seem okay, but the front men in the Egyptian revolution seemed like decent chaps as well.  Americans are haunted by the specter of another Iran. 

Stay tuned. 

August 23, 2011     Permalink