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NOVEMBER 5,  2011

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:56 P.M. ET:

U.S. DISPARAGES IRAN ATTACK TALK – Washington is urging other nations to look toward sanctions, which have never worked, to stop the Iranian nuclear program, after a week of serious rumors of an impending attack, either Western or Israeli, on Iranian nuclear facilities.  Apparently, this talk was too much for the Obamans, and for the members of the Washington intelligence establishment who think the Iranian threat is exaggerated.  We would have been better off leaving the attack talk on the table, and rattling the mullahs a bit.  The Obaman attitude toward Iran has been to speak loudly and carry a little stick.  Iranian behavior has not changed at all.

THE DOUBLE STANDARD – Kathleen Willey, a former White House staff member who charged President Bill Clinton with inappropriate sexual behavior, has endorsed Herman Cain for president.  Willey's charge was largely ignored, or even ridiculed, by the in-the-tank media, whereas the vague charges against Cain are being treated with great gravity.  Willey says she finds Cain refreshing and spontaneous, terms not usually applied to the current GOP field.  Willey's case reminds us of the tremendous double standard in journalism – one standard for liberals, another for conservatives.  This double standard will come fully into play in the runup to the 2012 election.  I still don't think Republicans fully understand the impact of a biased press. 

SCANDALOUS – Bloomberg is reporting that the development program for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, expected to be a mainstay of our armed forces, and those of Western allies, for years to come, is now five years behind schedule and 64% over cost estimates.  This site is passionately pro defense, as readers know, but the F-35 program deserves a full congressional investigation.  We simply cannot go on like this.  Every dollar over budget is taken from the American taxpayer, and from other military programs.  For too many years, despite the efforts of pro-defense figures like the late Barry Goldwater, our military development efforts have gotten fat and slow.  We have to do better, for the lives of Americans depend on planes like the F-35. 

November 5, 2011       Permalink

CAIN IN IOWA – AT 11:52 A.M. ET:  Herman Cain's campaign in Iowa is picking up more steam.   While many, even in the GOP, believe Cain has handled the sexual harassment charges against him poorly, others believe Cain has been treated unfairly and are rushing to support him.  From The Washington Examiner:

IOWA CITY — New accusations and a week of scrutiny surrounding allegations of sexual harassment against retired Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain have bolstered his supporters in Iowa.

The general mood during a church luncheon Thursday in Ottumwa was "disgust that this has been this big of an issue," not concern about his credibility, Wapello County Republican Chairwoman Trudy Caviness told IowaPolitics.com.

Caviness said Cain built a firm base of support when he toured the Iowa counties before the Ames Straw Poll, practicing retail politics and touting his business background. Despite Cain's absence from the state — he has only returned twice since the Aug. 13 — his supporters remain committed.

Cedar Falls tea party activist Judd Saul said Iowans see pressure on Cain as "the establishment" doing everything they can to bring down the "non-establishment" candidate.

Ironically, part of Reagan's strength is that he was seen as a Washington outsider, which seems hard to believe now.

Instead of crumbling since Politico broke the story that two former employees of Cain accused him of sexual harassment when he was CEO of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s, the Iowa campaign has been flooded with renewed support, said State Communications Director Lisa Lockwood.

"The phone is ringing more," she said. "We've got more walk-ins and volunteers. There are people wandering in and wanting to help. I think we had about 15 or 20 volunteers in this morning, during work hours."

Lockwood said on Thursday afternoon that Facebook "likes" of Cain's campaign page have increased 103.8 percent during the past 48 hours.

COMMENT:  Iowa votes in less than two months, followed quickly by New Hampshire.  So we'll soon see how well Herman actually survives this ordeal.

Oh, by the way, there's some new buzz on the internet about the possibility of a Mitt Romney/Condi Rice ticket, probably stimulated by all the TV appearances Rice has made on behalf of her new book, and how well she comes off. 

However, I'm skeptical.  First, I don't think she'd take a spot on the ticket.  Second, despite her obvious qualities, I'm not sure she adds all that much.  Third, she allows the Dems to link Romney with the Bush administration, which is still not all that popular.  But it's an interesting thought.

November 5, 2011       Permalink

WHERE OBAMA STANDS – AT 11:31 A.M. ET:  It is difficult to say, as some are saying, that President Obama is improving his standing with the electorate.  Polls vary from week to week.

But we can say that the president's slippage has apparently stopped, and that his numbers are firming up at about the level they were at six months ago.  For example, the latest Rasmussen daily tracker says this:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Saturday shows that 21% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Forty percent (40%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -19.

That's far from wonderful.  About 13% of the population is African American, so the "strongly approve" number isn't really much more than that.  The 40% "strongly disapprove" shows real passion by a large chunk of the electorate against this president.

But then there's this:

Overall, 46% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president's job performance. Fifty-three percent (53%) at least somewhat disapprove.

That's a less "passionate" set of numbers, but they're really not that bad.  A president should have over 50% approval to be reelected, and Mr. Obama isn't far from that point.  Much will depend on who the Republicans choose and whether that candidate can make his case. 

The severe infighting in the Republican Party isn't helping our side.  But remember:  The infighting was worse in 1980, when Ronald Reagan was nominated, against the will of the party's lazy establishment.  The challenge to Reagan was so great, the image of him so mixed ("cowboy," "warmonger," "dumb actor hired by the rich") that party elders seriously suggested that Reagan put former President Gerald Ford on the ticket to give respectability.  The term "co-presidency" was, even discussed in sober tones. 

Fortunately, Reagan rejected the advice and went on to win impressively in November, starting a new conservative era and a remarkably successful tenure as president. 

However, Reagan was up against Jimmy Carter, a petty and often obnoxious man who really believed that, if he wanted to cross the Atlantic, he could walk it.  By contrast, Obama, while an incompetent leader, is personally popular, and knows how to work that popularity.  This will be a tough election.

November 5, 2011       Permalink

POLITICO DILEMMA – AT 11:15 A.M. ET:  We've received a number of e-mails from readers asking why we continue to quote from The Politico, which is clearly becoming an establishment website of political liberals.

It's the same reason we quote from The New York Times or the Washington Post, both liberal stalwarts.  If a story is good, well reported, and reasonably balanced, it may have value, even if it appears in a problematical publication. 

The Politico is deteriorating.  It has always tilted left, but I think more of an effort was made, before recent changes, to be somewhat fair.  I'm afraid some of the checks seem to have fallen out of place.  The site is now being compromised by the increasing tilt.  We'll continue to quote from it, but with a bit more caution than before.

It was The Politico that broke the Herman Cain story earlier this week.  It has run some 90 stories, including brief posts, on the controversy swirling about Cain.  But I've seen very little attempt to add detail to the original report that Cain had been charged with sexual harassment when CEO of the National Restaurant Association.  At the same time, Politico is maintaining the hypocritical, and, from a justice standpoint, dangerous practice of protecting the anonymity of women who make these charges.

I don't take sexual harassment lightly.  There have been vicious cases, one brought by women at a leading financial services firm, involving vulgar, disgusting and discriminatory behavior.  Punish the jerks who did it!  But other cases really do fall into vague categories, and the he said, she said issue is prominent.  Maintaining the anonymity of accusers in these lesser, and possibly false cases is unfair to the accused, and encourages exaggerated charges and even extortion.  While I can well understand anonymity in sexual assault cases, where criminal activity is alleged, it's time to recognize the traditional right of the accused to face his (or her) accuser in lesser cases, treating women as adults, not as children, which itself is a subtle form of discrimination.

November 5, 2011     Permalink

NOVEMBER 4,  2011

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:52 P.M. ET:

DISGRACEFUL – A high American official is quoted as saying the United States would be "satisfied" by an election victory of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.  This is sick.  The Muslim Brotherhood, despite some occasionally slick P.R., is radical organization that is fundamentally at odds with the modern world.  It is also, of course, fanatically anti-Israel.  So once again an American ally is thrown under the bus so the Obama administration can appease the rise of Islam in the Mideast.  If Obama is doing this now, can you imagine what a second term will be like, when he is free of the need to run again?

FRAUDULENT – Just as one American official was groveling before the Muslim Brotherhood, another was saying, anonymously of course, that the administration is concerned about reports that Israel may strike Iran to wipe out its nuclear program.  Imagine where we are.  We appease our enemies and express concern about our friends.  Recently, the U.S. learned of an Iranian plot to murder the Saudi ambassador to Washington on our soil, in a bombing that could have killed hundreds of Americans.  The Obamans asked for tough new sanctions on Iran, but I learned today that they're backing off from that, fearful of damaging the international economy by targeting Iranian banks.  Hey, what's a little bombing?

CAIN WEATHERING THE STORM – Is the worst over for Herman Cain?  It may be.  Today the lawyer for one of the women who accused Cain of "unwanted" advances in the 1990s said, in a statement through her lawyer, that the charges were true, but that she didn't wish to pursue the subject any longer, and wanted to remain anonymous.  There were no specifics about the allegedly offensive behavior.  So, after a week we still don't know what this is about, although The Politico has run 90 stories about it.  And I think most fair-minded people will recoil at the fact that the accuser can retain her anonymity, but that Cain cannot, and must take these arrows from unnamed people, without a single specific attached.  I would hope that even the media, with its pathetic standards, would recognize the unfairness in this.  We'll see in the next few days if the story peters out, or if the usual suspects try to keep it going.  Cain did not handle this well, but I sense he's getting a sympathy backlash.

YEAH, RIGHT – President Obama said today that the least of his concerns is the presidential election of 2012.  The president and his staff then joined together for responsive readings from "Pinocchio."

November 4, 2011    Permalink

ECONOMIC DANGER SIGN – AT 8:49 A.M. ET:  The rule of thumb is that this country must create 150,000 jobs each month just to keep up with population growth.

We ain't doin' it.  The latest figures were just released.  From Fox:

Hiring slowed in October as employers faced more uncertainty over future economic growth.

The Labor Department says the economy added 80,000 jobs last month, the fewest in four months and below September's revised total of 158,000. The unemployment rate dipped to 9 percent.

Businesses added 104,000 jobs, below September's total. Government shed 24,000 jobs.

The report included some positive signs. The government revised August and September's figures upward by 102,000. Average hourly earnings rose. And the unemployment rate fell for the first time since July, because a separate survey of households showed more people found work.

The report suggests that President Obama will likely face the voters with the highest unemployment rate of any postwar president.

COMMENT:  Any recovery we're experiencing is at best anemic, and very fragile.  And if Obama does manage to get re-elected, does anyone doubt his administration will go right back to the kind of over-regulation that is helping to frustrate American business and entrepreneurship?

Politically, the question is whether the Republicans, who work hard to insure their own defeat, can get their act together and present a campaign that the American people can buy into.  That hasn't happened so far, but we have to remain optimistic that the better forces will converge once a nominee is selected.  The future of the country depends on it.

November 4, 2011     Permalink

THE DEAL UNRAVELS – AT 8:20 A.M. ET:  Earlier this week the Arab League announced with great fanfare that Syria had agreed to stop its crackdown on protesters.  There was the hope that the brutality of the Assad regime would be curtailed. 

Some hope.  Apparently, nothing has actually changed:

(Reuters) - Syrian tank fire killed at least three people in the city of Homs early on Friday as security forces pursued a violent crackdown on protesters despite a government agreement with the Arab League to stop shooting and talk to its opponents.

The latest deaths followed a bloody day in Homs, where activists said at least 22 people were killed as tanks shelled the Bab Amro district and troops and snipers fired elsewhere in the city, a hotbed of protests and an emerging insurgency.

One witness, who asked not to be named, said he had seen dozens of bodies of civilian men with bullet wounds at the city's National Hospital, controlled by the security forces.

COMMENT:  Once again we were asked to believe that a brutal dictator would become less brutal beause of a deal made with a group like the Arab League.  Assad of Syria shows no sign that he is relinquishing any power.  Thus far, the Western nations have not taken any direct action, as they did, effectively, in Libya.

At the same time, we caution that we're not exactly sure who the "opposition" is.  In Libya there are disturbing reports of Al Qaeda flags now flying over the city of Benghazi.  In Egypt, the wonderful guys at the Muslim Brotherhood appear to be gaining power.  And remember that Jimmy ("I'm the best ex-president ever") Carter welcomed the fall of the Shah of Iran and the coming of the Ayatollah Khomeini in the Iranian "revolution" of the late 1970s.

It's the Mideast.  It's not like we're dealing with real people.

November 4, 2011       Permalink 

THEY FINALLY DISCOVERED THIS? – AT 8:04 A.M. ET:  Well, there goes the support of the Young Communist League.  Cuba, in an utterly outrageous betrayal of all the college students who trekked down there to cut sugar cane for the revolution while trying to achieve the maturity of 12-year-olds, has legalized, must I say it, some forms of private property.  What will Occupy Wall Street say?

HAVANA (AP) -- For the first time in a half-century, Cubans will be allowed to buy and sell real estate openly, bequeath property to relatives without restriction and avoid forfeiting their homes if they abandon the country.

The highly anticipated new rules instantly transform islanders' cramped, dilapidated homes into potential liquid assets in the most significant reform yet adopted by President Raul Castro since he took over the communist country from his brother in 2008.

But plenty of restrictions remain.

Cuban exiles continue to be barred from owning property on the island, though they can presumably help relatives make purchases by sending money. And foreigners can also hold off on dreams of acquiring a pied-a-terre under the Caribbean sun, since only citizens and permanent residents are eligible.

COMMENT:  You know, you just can't get pure revolutions any longer.  I hope that Michael Moore, Jane Fonda, and Harry Belafonte go down there and really give Raul Castro an equitably distributed piece of their minds. 

I wonder what Fidel is thinking.  I'd imagine he and his nurses have gone back into the hills to plan the overthrow of the brother.  (Never give a business to the brother.  You know what they do to it.)

And with Hugo Chavez sick, what's a young dissenter to do?

Look to Libya, I say.  They may need volunteers to seal the oil barrels.  It's for the people.

November 4, 2011       Permalink

CAIN HOLDS STEADY DESPITE CHARGES – AT 7:43 A.M. ET:  A new Washington Post/ABC News poll shows Herman Cain holding steady and doing well, despite sexual harassment charges against him.

Businessman Herman Cain and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney are running nearly even atop the field of 2012 GOP presidential hopefuls, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows, with most Republicans dismissing the harassment allegations that over the past week have roiled Cain’s campaign.

Seven in 10 Republicans say reports that Cain made unwanted advances toward two employees when he was head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s--allegations which have been stiffly rebutted by Cain’s campaign--do not matter when it comes to picking a candidate.

But the potential threat to his burgeoning campaign is evident as well, with Cain slipping to third place among those who see the charges as serious, and Republican women significantly more likely than men to say the scandal makes them less apt to support Cain.

The poll was conducted Oct. 31 through Nov. 3, starting the evening after Politico first reported the harassment allegations. Support for Cain was basically steady over the four nights of interviewing, even as new charges against him surfaced.

COMMENT:  The results are not surprising.  First, Republicans, being less trendy than Dems, are, I think, less likely to accept harassment claims at face value, demanding more evidence.  Second, we have not seen the faces of accusers, and Americans, being fair-minded, believe that a citizen has a right to face his or her accuser, not face written statements by lawyers.  Third, there is a sympathy backlash.  And fourth, many people do recall the similar assault on Clarence Thomas and resent it.

Those factors do not, of course, make Herman Cain innocent.  Only a presentation of facts will demonstrate that.  So let's have them.

November 4, 2011     Permalink