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JUNE 2,  2011

MORE EXCITING PERSONNEL NEWS – AT 9:41 P.M. ET:  NBC News, striving for greatness, has put a new person on the payroll.  Can you stand the excitement?  From WaPo:

NEW YORK — NBC News is hiring former National Public Radio chief Vivian Schiller, who left this year in the midst of a political controversy, to run its digital operation.

Schiller resigned under pressure as NPR president and CEO earlier this year after a conservative activist caught a former NPR fundraiser calling the tea party movement racist. NPR’s management was also criticized last year for how it handled commentator Juan Williams’s firing.

I guess she's being hired for her judgment.

What a little world the mainstream media has become.  You'd think NBC News, with all the potential employees available to it, would avoid someone who could not deal with news bias at her former home.  One must assume that news bias does not much bother those who made this historic personnel decision.

At least now we have the internet, and we are not dependent on the intimate club within mainstream journalism.

June 2, 2011       Permalink

CHANGING OF THE GOD – AT 9:08 P.M. ET:  Bill Keller has stepped down from his deified perch as executive editor of The New York Times, the highest news position.  He will be replaced by Jill Abramson, a longtime Times news executive whose main claim to fame is having co-written "Strange Justice," a vicious hit job on Justice Clarence Thomas.  That's the way they like 'em at The Times.  Prove you're one of us.

Ms. Abramson's view of the world was expressed rather openly in The Times's story of her elevation:

Ms. Abramson, 57, said being named executive editor was “the honor of my life” and like “ascending to Valhalla” for someone who read The Times as a young girl growing up in New York. “We are held together by our passion for our work, our friendship and our deep belief in the mission and indispensability of The Times,” she said.

She also said:

"In my house growing up, The Times substituted for religion."

Yuch.  Double yuch.  Triple yuch, going for quadruple.  I also worked at The Times, decades ago, and I never confused the Travel Section with the Book of Exodus.

Abramson attended the Ethical Culture School, which is several blocks from where we lived in Manhattan.  It's one of those pretentious places where people who believe in its "philosophy" walk around acting very superior.  I mean, just what does "ethical culture" mean?  They also seemed to have a lot of money.  Abramson then attended Harvard, about which nothing need be said.

Abramson will no doubt be interviewed on TV about her new adventure.  She speaks in that maddening pseudo-intellectual way, where words are elongated, and you can't wait for the sentence to end. 

But we wish her luck.  She is part of The Times's culture, so don't expect any great changes for the better.  It's sad because there's a great deal of talent at The Times, but it's too often misused in the service of a pretty clear agenda. 

June 2, 2011      Permalink

AND NOW SOME FACTS – AT 9:58 A.M. ET:  Although facts aren't particularly respected in the political precincts of the left, many of us find them useful, even necessary.  We're so old-fashioned.

Former Director of Central Intelligence Michael Hayden tries to introduce the concept of factual evidence into the debate over whether enhanced interrogation techniques yielded useful information.  Very well argued.  From The Wall Street Journal:

So that there is no ambiguity, let me be doubly clear: It is nearly impossible for me to imagine any operation like the May 2 assault on bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, that would not have made substantial use of the trove of information derived from CIA detainees, including those on whom enhanced techniques had been used.

And...

...those who are prone to condemn the actions of those who have gone before (while harvesting the fruits of their efforts) might take pause. I've been personally asked about the appropriateness of waterboarding and—recognizing the immense challenge of balancing harsh treatment with saving innocent lives—usually respond: "I thank God that I did not have to make that decision." At the same time, I thank those who preceded me, made such decisions and thereby spared me the worst of the dilemma. Those who deny the usefulness of enhanced interrogation techniques might consider similar caution.

But if they cannot or will not, shouldn't they be true to their faith? If they truly believe that these interrogations did not and could not yield useful intelligence, they should demand that the CIA identify all the information derived directly or indirectly from enhanced interrogation. And then they should insist the agency destroy it. They should also insist that significant portions of the 9/11 Commission Report be rescinded, as it too was based on this data. This would be perfectly consistent with the interrogation deniers' transcendental faith that nothing of use could have come from enhanced interrogations after 9/11.

Strange that we have not heard such calls, even from the most ardent interrogation deniers. Perhaps they are not really like "birthers" and "truthers" after all. Perhaps, when all the public ideological posturing is done, and they are through attacking both their opponents' arguments and their character, they quietly concede to themselves that facts really do matter.

COMMENT:  Well said.  Director Hayden's arguments parallel those of Richard Miniter, the distinguished journalist and researcher I heard several nights ago, who made it clear that enhanced interrogation techniques produced more than half the information we have about Al Qaeda. 

June 2, 2011       Permalink

ANOTHER ECONOMIC BLOW – AT 9:05 P.M. ET:  We reported last night that assessments of the economy across the media had turned decidedly pessismistic.  Now, this morning, comes another indication that we're in the soup again.  From Bloomberg:

More Americans than forecast filled applications for unemployment benefits last week, signaling the labor market is struggling to pick up.

Jobless claims fell by 6,000 to 422,000 in the week ended May 28, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News projected a drop in claims to 417,000, according to the median forecast. The number of people on unemployment benefit rolls and those receiving extended payments decreased.

Some employers may be paring their workforce to rein in labor costs at a time energy prices remain elevated, adding to concern that job creation is slowing. Economists in a Bloomberg News survey project a report tomorrow may show payroll gains weakened in May, raising the risk that consumers curb spending, the biggest part of the economy.

“The labor market is a little less robust than it was,” said Michael Feroli, chief U.S. economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York. “This is the eighth consecutive week of claims above 400,000, so it doesn’t look like the move up was an aberration.”

COMMENT:  We have not found a way out of this.  And, having been battered by hard times for three years, our resources for fighting unemployment are restricted.  The housing market, which many Americans looked to as their nest egg, struggles as it sinks further. 

Some economists believe that we may have years of this ahead of us.  Economic doldrums may, for millions, become the new reality.  And what does the president say?  He must've turned off the microphone when he outlined his economic plan.

June 2, 2011      Permalink

YEMEN FALLING APART – AT 8:50 A.M. ET:  The near civil war in Yemen is getting worse.  Why shold we care?  Because Yemen is one of the most important Al Qaeda bases in the world.  There is a frightening chance that Al Qaeda can actually wind up controlling Yemen.  From The New York Times:

SANA, Yemen — Heavy shelling north of Yemen’s capital threatened to close the main international airport Thursday as government troops and opposition tribesmen appeared to escalate bloody street battles that have pushed the country to the edge of civil war.

The airport, which lies roughly six miles north of the city, was open on Thursday and flights operated normally, the airport director, Naji Quddam, said in a statement, denying earlier news reports that it had closed.

But the main road to the airport from Sana remained dangerous to navigate because of government checkpoints, sporadic shelling and heavy fighting in the north of the city...

...The forces arrayed against the government have diverse and sometimes conflicting agendas, but the rising chaos appears to have emboldened them all, including the Yemen-based group that calls itself Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which has become a major concern for the United States.

COMMENT:  But the U.S. isn't standing idly by.  President Obama has unleashed John O. Brennan, his chief counterterrorism adviser, who is rushing to the Mideast to consult on the situation.  You may know the illustrious Brennan as the guy who always says the wrong thing at a press conference following some major terror incident or counterterror action. 

We are probably helpless in this situation, as Obama seems to have lost any influence in the Mideast that he might have had.  So much for change we can believe in.

Like Syria, Yemen is a frightening situation in which the brutality of the regime might well be matched by the plans and ideologies of the regime's opponents.

June 2, 2011      Permalink

ROMNEY TAKES THE PLUNGE TODAY – AT 8:39 A.M. ET:  Mitt Romney officially enters the presidential race today.  I have had some real doubts about Romney, describing him as someone who looks like the guy in the Brooks Brothers underwear ad.  He failed to catch fire, or even make it to room temperature, his last time out in 2008.

But Romney is a serious man with a serious record as a businessman and governor of Massachusetts.  We'll certainly hear him out.  His speech today, part of which is reprinted in advance at The Politico, is well crafted:

Government under President Obama has grown to consume almost 40% of our economy. We are only inches away from ceasing to be a free market economy. I will cap federal spending at 20% or less of the GDP and finally, finally balance the budget.

My generation will pass the torch to the next generation, not a bill.

I will insist that Washington learns to respect the constitution, including the 10th amendment. We will return responsibility and authority to the states for dozens of government programs – and that begins with a complete repeal of Obamacare.

From my first day in office my number one job will be to see that America once again is number one in job creation.

Okay, that's good.  Now let's see the rest of the campaign.  Right now Romney is ahead of the pack in most polls, but not by much.  However, he still doesn't beat Obama in most matchups.  It's early.  There may be others, like Governor Rick Perry of Texas, jumping in and changing the race.

I want the GOP race for the nomination to be exciting and newsworthy, taking attention from the Obama campaign, which will be expertly run, and a hall of mirrors.

June 2, 2011     Permalink

JUNE 1,  2011

A PSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGE – AT 11:36 P.M. ET:   I don't think I've seen a day in recent months when the psychological mood across the internet changed as rapidly.   By afternoon there was an avalanche of comment and analysis about the economy. 

Things are not good, and this morning's report on how few jobs we're creating, and the recent and devasting news that we're probably in a double dip recession in housing, are concentrating minds.  By afternoon there was serious talk of a new recession, and even a depression.  Now, as before, it's the economy and the economy.

The effect of this cannot be good for the president.  And if today's buzz is continues, and grows, the psychological impact can be devastating.  Economic downturns depend to some degree on the psychology of the moment - the consumer who will not spend because he fears losing his job, the employer who will not hire because she fears a downturn in business. 

There is, about this administration, a lack of urgency about the economy.  "No drama Obama" sounds at times like "no interest Obama."  The president's poll numbers have recently been up, but, if there is another economic slide, that advance will be stopped and reversed.

The Republican nomination for president next year is worth a great deal.  We have to purchase carefully.

The next U.S. Government jobs report is tomorrow.

June 1, 2011      Permalink

ISN'T THIS A BIT PREMATURE? – AT 11:25 P.M. ET:  I've heard of presidential fever, but this is a case that requires an emergency vaccine.  From The Politico:

Chicago mayor and former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel isn’t turning his back on a possible run for the White House in 2016.

“I got a job to do here, and that’s all I’m focused on,” he told ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos, who said to Emanuel that a lot of Democrats might be talking about him making a presidential bid in five years, in an interview that aired Wednesday morning.

Oh please.  The man just got into the mayor's chair.

Stephanopoulos asked again — “never think about it?” With a big smile on his face, Emanuel responded: “You know my wife, no,” as both men broke out in laughter.

But Emauel’s answer wasn’t an absolute “no” and might have moved him a little closer to considering a bid than he was a few weeks ago.

When asked by POLITICO just days before he was sworn in as mayor if he’d run for president, his response was a bit different: the extension of his middle finger and a flat-out dismissal: “That’s the dumbest thing in the world.”

Emanuel tried to steer much of the conversation in the interview toward Chicago, but Stephanopoulos was persistent in tapping into the old Emanuel - the behind-the-scenes strategist for President Barack Obama.

COMMENT:  I'ver never thought of the mayoralty of Chicago as a launching pad for anything legitimate.  Of course, Emanuel could always use the slogan, "He knows where the bodies are buried," and, given Chicago politics, it would literally be true. 

Considering that Emanuel is known for using hand gestures that signal significant disapproval, and language that would make the U.S. Navy blush, I don't think the Oval Office is in Rahm's future.  I'm probably wrong.

June 1, 2011         Permalink

GOOD SIGNS – AT 9:12 A.M. ET:  The term is "generational change."  Sometimes it's good and sometimes, as in the 1960s, it isn't good at all.  But one sign of good generational change these days is that ROTC is being welcomed back on "elite" campuses, in part because the young generation – the 9-11 generation – appreciates what the military is doing.  From the L.A. Times:

Reporting from Palo Alto -- On an early May morning 43 years ago, fire swept through Stanford University's Navy ROTC building, destroying a structure that had been damaged in another suspicious blaze just two months earlier.

No arrests were ever made in the two arson fires, but they came at a time of angry, sometimes violent demonstrations against the Vietnam War on college campuses nationwide. Those protests often targeted the closest symbol of the U.S. military, the Reserve Officers Training Corps — with more than 200 campus ROTC units reporting vandalism during that war.

Flash forward to a much different time.

On a recent afternoon, Stanford senior Ann Thompson wore her Army ROTC uniform with pride as she helped staff a recruiting table for the military training program at a campus activities fair. She chatted with visitors about the ROTC's scholarships as a few dozen students marched nearby to protest the program's likely expansion at Stanford.

"There definitely are people not supportive of ROTC, but we still have respectful conversations," said Thompson, 22, of Paso Robles. "I can't fathom anyone burning a building down."

Helped by the recession, more active recruiting and a sea change in student perceptions of the military, enrollment in ROTC programs on college campuses is booming.

It's the sea change in the perception of the military that's the critical point here.

Even with ongoing U.S. involvement in conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and now Libya, participation in the program has surged 27% over the last four years — to 56,757 men and women, according to the Defense Department. The military boosted the number of ROTC scholarships to help expand the wartime officer corps, and the recession made the offers attractive to students.

Today's college students, who never faced a military draft and whose childhood memories include the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, are more receptive than their parents' generation to seeing fellow students in uniform.

COMMENT:  Also encouraging is the fact that faculties at "elite" schools seem to be coming around to an acceptance of ROTC.  This may be, in part, because younger faculty members are reportedly less ideological than the sixties contingent that they're replacing. 

Our side occasionally wins a few.

June 1, 2011      Permalink

EMPLOYMENT PICTURE STAYS GRIM – AT 8:57 A.M. ET:  Where is this recovery the administration is talking about?  Have you seen it?  Has it passed by your house?   Do they send trucks out with loudspeakers to announce it?

A new employment report is utterly grim.  It is hard to see how this will turn around in time for the presidential election.  From Bloomberg:

Companies in the U.S. added fewer workers than forecast in May, a sign that job growth is struggling to gain momentum, data from a private report based on payrolls showed today.

Employment increased by 38,000 last month, the smallest increase since September, from a revised 177,000 in April, according to figures from ADP Employer Services. The median estimate in the Bloomberg News survey called for a 175,000 advance for May.

Such gains in employment are insufficient to help the world’s largest economy accelerate after a surge in food and fuel costs earlier this year. Businesses added 207,000 jobs last month after a 268,000 gain in April and the jobless rate dipped to 8.9 percent from 9 percent, economists project a Labor Department report to show in two days.

“It is a warning shot across the bow that job growth is also weakening along with the other high frequency numbers,” Eric Green, chief market economist at TD Securities Inc. in New York, said in an e-mailed note to clients. “The weakness reflects a general slowdown and turn in sentiment that set in with the sharp rise in energy prices, disruptions from Japan, and to a lesser extent risk aversion stemming from the Greek fiasco.”

COMMENT:  What record does Barack Obama intend to run on?  The economy is a wreck, our foreign policy is an embarrassment.  What, precisely, is his argument for reelection? 

Apparently, he doesn't need one.  A devoted press will help him, and a built-in base that will never abandon him will aid in launching his bid for a second term.  As we've said here, the GOP must respond with a terrific candidate and a coherent program that people will understand and embrace. 

The election is 17 months away.

June 1, 2011       Permalink

BUT ANOTHER "NO" FROM A CHAMP – AT 8:31 A.M. ET:  Just as Rick Perry of Texas contemplates the presidency, the dynamic governor of New Jersey says no to Iowa.  From Fox:

Usually, it's political candidates that court Iowans.

On Tuesday, it was New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie who was courted as a group of top Iowa Republican campaign contributors tried to persuade him to change his mind and run against President Barack Obama in 2012.

But after trekking all the way to New Jersey, the donors and party loyalists heard the same response fromChristie that countless others have heard: Thanks for asking, but no thanks.

Christie, his wife and top political advisers, met with the group for more than two hours on Tuesday at the governor's mansion in Princeton.

After dining on beef, chicken and, as an homage to the visitors, corn, Iowa energy company executive Bruce Rastetter -- the force behind the meeting -- told Christie that the group thinks the 2012 field so far has not captivated activists they way the tough talking first-term governor has and that it was Christie's duty to reconsider.

COMMENT:  Thus far, no dice.  But I'm intrigued by the fact that Christie met with this delegation and spent more than two hours with them.  He may be sincere in his rejection, but he may also be looking for something like a draft.  That's a risky gambit, because no one has actually ever been drafted for the presidency in modern times.  It's one of those political fantasies. 

I wouldn't count Christie out if support starts to build as he's still saying no.  But new people are getting into the GOP race, and the man who says no may just be bypassed.

June 1, 2011       Permalink

STRAW IN THE WIND – AT 8:13 A.M. ET:  There are some signs that Texas Governor Rick Perry may jump into the GOP presidential race.  Clearly, that could be a game changer, since the sheer power of Texas in GOP politics must be respected.  Is this a straw in the wind?  From The Politico:

Gov. Rick Perry will be the replacement speaker for Donald Trump at a Manhattan GOP dinner next month, officials said Tuesday – a move that comes as the Texas governor has left the door open a crack on a 2012 campaign.

“The feeling of excitement that Governor Perry will join us at the dinner and address the attendees is palpable,” said Manhattan County GOP chairman Dan Isaacs in a statement. “Governor Perry is the perfect example that we in New York should be looking to. At a time when New York ranks at or near the bottom among states in every important metric, Texas is leading the way. By focusing on keeping taxes low and fostering a fair legal and regulatory environment, Governor Perry has helped Texas attract business and residents at a time when New York has been hemorrhaging both. As a result, Texas will gain four seats during next year’s congressional reapportionment, when New York will lose two.”

COMMENT:  That's an important quote.  If Rick Perry can be linked with the word "success," especially on economic issues, he gets an immediate leg up. 

Perry has never lost an election.  On the other hand, he's never run outside Texas.  And – I'm doing this from recollection – he has a history of making extreme statements.  I'd like to see a good piece of reporting, from a reliable news outlet, going over his whole history. 

He's the buzz of the moment, joining Sarah Palin in that regard.  The buzz might shift to someone else next week.  One thing we've learned in this election cycle – people expect reasonably quick decisions on whether to run from potential candidates.  In or out.  The Hamlet act grows thin.

June 1, 2011     Permalink