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APRIL 6,  2012

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:04 P.M. ET: 

OFFER TO IRAN? – David Ignatius, in the Washington Post, reports that President Obama has made an offer to Iran.  Iran can have a peaceful nuclear program, the offer goes, if it can prove it doesn't intend to make nuclear weapons.  The offer was, according to Ignatius, passed through Turkey's rabidly Islamist president, Recip Erdogan, who has said that he doesn't doubt that Iran is telling the truth about its nuclear program.  Obama's stand appears to echo Washington's oft-stated policy on Iran's nuclear program.  However, it leaves the door open for Obama to make judgments on Iran's intent, should it accept the offer.  How would we know if they're lying?  We probably wouldn't know, and that's why this offer is so risky.

HIGH VOLTAGE, LOW SAVINGS – Calculations just published by The New York Times show that it would take a Chevy Volt owner about 27 years to break even on the car, as compared with the cost of a comparative gasoline-powered vehicle.  You would do better with the Nissan leaf, where the break-even point occurs in about nine years.   Toyota's Prius, by comparison, pays off in less than two years, although few are in love with its styling.  Do you wonder why the Volt is such a flop?  Did GM really think customers were that stupid?   

SAMSUNG'S ROAD TO THE TOP – I remember, and it wasn't too many years ago, when Samsung was a discount-store item, the bottom of the barrel in electronics.  Today, it is one of the most prestigious and successful companies in its field.  It had a quarterly operating profit of $5.1-billion, with a B.  Its flat-screen television sets are at the top.  It's now going head-to-head against Apple with Samsung smartphones.  And why?  Innovation, and a constant quest for quality.  Amazing how that always works, isn't it?  It took American car companies about 30 years to figure out that's why customers bought Hondas.   (Disclaimer:  This is just a news report on a successful company.  I have no connection whatever with Samsung, a South Korean firm.)

COMING SOON TO A TAX AUTHORITY NEAR YOU – The Germany government will soon propose a tax on the young to pay for the increasing cost of taking care of those in retirement.  Sound familiar?  As more aging Germans retire, there are fewer and fewer young workers to replace them as taxpayers.  Germany is particularly concerned about the period after 2030, only 18 years away, when the sixties generation retires.  We are facing the same crisis here, but not many Americans want to listen.

April 6, 2012       Permalink

SYRIAN AGONY CONTINUES – AT 9:52 A.M. ET:  Syria has been out of the headlines, in part because of a vague "deal" reached between the Syrian regime and former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to end the horrible violence against Syrian protesters. 

Like everything else Annan has ever announced, you have to take any "deal" with many grains of salt.  The man's track record should have sent him back to a diplomatic farm team years ago. 

(Reuters) - Syrian troops and tanks battled rebels on Friday, opposition activists said, only four days before the deadline for a troop pullback agreed to by President Bashar al-Assad as part of peace envoy Kofi Annan's plan to end a year of bloodshed.

The violence was unrelenting despite assurances from Syria that troops had begun withdrawing under the plan.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday said the conflict was worsening and attacks on civilian areas persisting.

In a letter to the United Nations released on Friday Syria said rebel forces, whom it refers to as terrorists, had stepped up their attacks on state security forces since Damascus agreed to Annan's peace plan nearly two weeks ago.

"In recent days terrorist acts committed by armed groups in Syria have escalated, especially since reaching an understanding on Kofi Annan's plan," the letter said.

The United States and other Western governments who doubt Assad's commitment to withdrawal say they are concerned that his forces are using the pre-ceasefire period to intensify attacks.

COMMENT:  We've noted here intelligence reports that Iran and Hezbollah have stepped up their aid to Assad.

It is not likely that the Annan plan will succeed because, at Syria's insistence, it contains no mechanism for Assad to be replaced.  Some 9,000 Syrians have died in the revolt.  It's unlikely, after that, that the opposition will simply lay down its arms and allow Assad to remain in power. 

This is a continuing tragedy, but it can affect us.  Syria is Iran's closest ally in the Arab world.  If the Assad regime can be brought down, it will be a severe blow to Iranian aspirations.  But if Assad survives, with Tehran's help, Iranian prestige will only grow.  In the Middle East, as the saying goes, it is the strong horse that people follow.

April 6, 2012       Permalink

PORTMAN FOR V.P.? – AT 9:22 A.M. ET:  In all vice-presidential sweepstakes there is a flavor of the week, or even the day.  Yesterday there was much talk about Nikki Haley, the very ambitious Republican governor of South Carolina, who would add gender, race and the South to a Romney ticket.

Today there is much talk, and I believe it is serious, about Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, who has been campaigning for Romney.  This is a man who could slip into the presidency if the need arose.  From The Atlantic:

Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee, Wisconsin sealed the deal, and he will pick Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio as his running mate.

Write it down. And harangue me mercilessly this summer if I am wrong.

Column writing, I have learned, is part provocation and part explanation.

There is nothing provocative about declaring that Portman will be Romney's running mate, except that it hasn't happened and I don't know it an as absolute fact.

But everything tells me it will be so.

I'm not suggesting Portman, nor am I advocating for him. I don't know if he will be a good pick or a bad pick. What Romney and Portman make of the ticket is between them and the voters.

The writer, Major Garrett, formerly of Fox News, gives his reasons why Portman will be on the ballot, starting with the fact that Portman and Romney have real rapport, and that Portman wants the job.  In addition:

Portman is vetted, more so than any other potential pick. He's been confirmed not once but twice to cabinet posts -- U.S. trade representative in 2005 and Office of Management and Budget director in 2006. The files are ready and, by Washington standards, spotless. Romney knows his pick must get off to a good start and any "surprises" after the rollout will deprive his campaign of precious time, energy, and momentum...

...Portman is ready for the job and, more importantly, primed for the obligations that will fall upon Romney if he's elected. In the transition, Romney will need skilled and quicksilver advice and guidance on the magilla lame-duck session that's coming....

...Portman is to Romney what Al Gore was to Bill Clinton. He amplifies the central message and the skills set the "alternative" ticket brings. The choice is about President Obama and another term. It's a firing choice more than a hiring choice. In this context, the alternative needs to be acceptable, not exciting.

Garrett understands that there are downsides:

Portman's a bore, and their ticket would be boredom squared, or squares squared; he offers nothing to women voters or Latino voters; he carries the taint of Bush-Cheney policies; and he's not conservative enough for the Tea Party. To one degree or another, these are all valid complaints.

COMMENTS:  This is a serious article by a serious reporter, and I recommend it.  Portman is solid.  Dull, but solid.  I'm not sure, though, that Romney will be able to overcome the feeling that he needs some excitement on the ticket.

I'm reminded of the old Hollywood line about why the team of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers worked so well.  A Hollywood observer said, "She gives him sex, and he gives her class."  Romney has class, and he needs, in a political sense, some sex. 

And yet, as Garrett points out, Romney, not the prince of excitement, is handily winning the Republican nomination.  He may go with what he may perceive as the winning image – one of competence, not pizzaz.  Hey, you never know.  Romney/Portman may yawn toward an electoral victory in November. 

April 6, 2012       Permalink

HERE IT COMES – AT 9:06 A.M. ET:  Driven by the amen corner in the American media, the "narrative" for recent months has been that the economy is improving, that prosperity is just around the corner, and that everyone would soon own their dream, a Chevy Volt.

But some economists have been warning that important economic indicators are not showing recovery, but further retrenchment.  This morning's labor report supports that view.  It is a severe jolt.  From Bloomberg:

Employers in the U.S. added fewer jobs than forecast in March, underscoring Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke’s concern that recent gains may not be sustained without a pickup in growth.

The 120,000 increase in payrolls, the fewest in five months, followed a revised 240,000 gain in February that was bigger than first estimated, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The March increase was less than the most pessimistic forecast in a Bloomberg News survey in which the median estimate called for a 205,000 rise. Unemployment fell to 8.2 percent, the lowest since January 2009, from 8.3 percent.

Faster employment growth that leads to bigger wage gains is necessary to propel consumer spending that accounts for about 70 percent of the economy. Today’s data also showed Americans worked fewer hours and earned less on average per week, helping explain why Fed policy makers say interest rates may need to stay low at least through late 2014.

COMMENT:  Most Americans now realize that the unemployment rate is a function of many factors, and may not always give the best picture of what is happening.  But job growth is a good indicator of what's happening, and this month's figure is crushing. 

It will take a few more months to determine a trend.  But if this month's results are repeated several times, we may be seeing the start of a double-dip recession.  No one can be pleased with today's report.

April 6, 2012       Permalink

COMMON SENSE – AT 8:35 A.M. ET:  We reported yesterday on the school in Massachusetts that wanted to remove the word "God" from Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA," for a concert.  The removal produced a local uproar.

We're glad to report that common sense has prevailed. 

God may once again bless the USA at Stall Brook Elementary.

The Bellingham, Mass., school, under fire for changing the lyrics of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” to “We Love the USA” for an upcoming fourth-grade concert, reversed course Thursday after drawing a backlash from parents and hints of legal threats from Mr. Greenwood, who penned the 1984 tune.

District Superintendent Edward L. Fleury acknowledged in a statement that “political correctness” was the motivation behind a proposed change, but the school ultimately decided against booting “God” from the song.

“Students will be allowed to sing or not sing ‘God Bless the USA.’ … No other words will be substituted,” he said. “We believe the use of the word ‘God’ is acceptable in patriotic songs. The district has no intent to censor any patriotic songs. We are certainly sorry if this approach was perhaps considered as disrespectful. That was never the intent.”

The incident, while seemingly minor, touched a nerve in the debate over the place of religion and references to God in public schools.

Advocates for the separation of church and state blasted Stall Brook Elementary for using the song at all. Others, including many parents who flooded Facebook and other social media with criticism of the school, saw the move as another act of censorship designed to wipe away all traces of God from the public arena.

Mr. Greenwood even weighed in, telling Fox News on Thursday that he wouldn’t allow the school to use his song if they planned to remove “God” from the lyrics.

COMMENT:  The First Amendment prohibits the favoring of one religion over another by public authorities.  It does not require a total banning of religious mention.  Each case must be decided on its merits.  The school authorities finally decided this case wisely.  I don't think the Constitution will collapse.

April 6,  2012     Permalink

APRIL 5,  2012

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 9:35 P.M. ET:

ANOTHER BRILLIANT IDEA – Once-famous Rev. Jesse Jackson, back for 15 minutes of fame due to the Trayvon Martin case, is now suggesting that African-Americans wear hoodies when they go to vote.  This apparently is a profound symbolic gesture.  With advice as deeply thought-out as this, how can we expect young African Americans to move ahead in American society?

WHOOPS – Germany's defense minister is proposing a veterans' day for Germany, honoring former German soldiers, living and dead.  The proposal got a decidedly mixed response within Germany itself, considering the unpleasantness of 1939-45.  Proposals like this come up all the time in Germany, and they invariably lead to soul-searching and embarrassment.   It's better to forget them, and for Germany to do its part in international military operations, setting a good modern example. 

HALEY'S COMET? – Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina, who has never been accused of lack of ambition, is moving front-and-center in the veepstakes within the Republican Party. She just released a memoir, "Can't is Not an Option."  She endorsed Mitt Romney early in a state where Romney was not popular.  She is making more public appearances, talking up the need for Romney to engage on "women's issues."  And who better for that than a woman?  She is now reported to be on Romney's short list.  Her problem?  No experience at the national level, and mediocre approval ratings in her state.  But she cuts a striking and attractive public image.

IRAN WON'T STOP – Western intelligence sources report that Iran, and its subsidiary, Hezbollah, have significantly stepped up their support for the brutal Syrian regime of Bashar Assad.  In addition, the expected "nuclear talks" with Iran, expected to begin soon, have run into a snag, as Iranian politicians are objected to their taking place in Turkey.  No matter what is done, including severe sanctions, Iran never changes its basic policies.  Will we learn in time?  I have my doubts that this administration can learn anything.

April 5, 2012       Permalink

OH, BROTHERHOOD! – AT 9:46 A.M. ET:   One of the more sickening spectacles we're forced to endure is the sight of the Obama administration cozying up to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is rapidly taking over Egypt.

This is one of the most radical religious groups in the world, with no love for America, democracy, or women.   A group of the "brothers" visited the White House just yesterday.  It won't be long, I'm sure, before some leader of our "intelligence community" goes before a congressional committee to declare the Brotherhood "moderate and secular."  That's the line these days.

Oh, but some brothers just haven't gotten the message.  They actually tell the truth about what they're up to:

CAIRO (Reuters) - The Muslim Brotherhood's candidate for the Egyptian presidency, Khairat al-Shater, declared that introducing sharia law would be his "first and final" objective if he wins elections in May and June.

Making his first reported statements since the Brotherhood's surprise decision to field him in the elections, Shater also promised to reform the Interior Ministry which long played a leading role in suppressing dissent.

However, he denied he had struck a deal with the military on his candidacy, announced last Saturday, even though it may help candidates close to the old order of ousted President Hosni Mubarak by splintering the Islamist vote.

"Sharia was and will always be my first and final project and objective," Shater was quoted on Wednesday as telling a meeting of the Religious Association for Rights and Reform - a group of which he is a member, along with figures who belong to the hard-line Salafi school of Islam.

In comments reported in a statement issued by the Association, Shater told the meeting held on Tuesday night that he would establish a special entity to help parliament achieve this objective.

The Brotherhood's reversal of its promise not to contest the elections has drawn criticism from inside and outside the group, whose party controls the biggest bloc in parliament and which dominates an assembly that is drawing up the constitution.

And...

The rise of Islamists is being closely watched in the West, long wary of their influence in Egypt, the first Arab state to make peace with Israel and recipient of $1.3 billion in annual U.S. military aid. But U.S. and other officials have lined up to meet Brotherhood officials, including Shater.

COMMENT:  It's the age of Obama, the age of illusion.   Obama was very quick to push the pro-American Hosni Mubarak out of Egypt's presidency, but never contemplated who would replace him.  That is the mark of an international amateur. 

The new Egypt will be Islamist, and already there are serious rumblings that it wants to move closer to Iran and away from the U.S.  The White House will no doubt spin this as a victory for us.  They use their own dictionary.

April 5, 2012       Permalink 

ANOTHER GREAT MOMENT IN EDUCATION – AT 9:11 A.M. ET:  One of my gripes with conservatives is that they've never tried to counter the impact of either the media or the educational system in shaping the political views of the next generation.   They gripe, and do nothing.

Consider this magnificent example from the People's Republic of Massachusetts, via Fox: 

Parents at a Massachusetts elementary school are furious after educators first removed the word ‘God’ from the popular Lee Greenwood song, “God Bless the U.S.A.” and then pulled the song all together from an upcoming concert.

Fox 25 in Boston is reporting that children at Stall Brook Elementary School in Bellingham were told to sing, “We love the U.S.A.” instead of “God Bless the U.S.A.”

After parents started complaining, school officials removed the song from the school assembly concert. The school’s principal released a statement to Fox 25 stating they hope to ”maintain the focus on the original objective of sharing students’ knowledge of the U.S. States, and because of logistics, will not include any songs.”

Greenwood released a statement to Fox News condemning the school’s actions.

“The most important word in the whole piece of music is the word God, which is also in the title ‘God Bless The USA,” Greenwood said. “Maybe the school should have asked the parents their thoughts before changing the lyrics to the song. They could have even asked the writer of the song, which I of course, would have said you can’t change the lyrics at all or any part of the song.”

COMMENT:  Remember:  Those "educators" learned their stuff at some university  And while I respect their desire to be sensitive, they carry it to absurd extremes.  I doubt if the First Amendment would collapse with the singing of "God Bless the U.S.A."

What comes next?  I can see "God Bless America" becoming "May the UN Respect our Nation."  The Battle Hymn of the Republic could begin, "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the EPA."  And our great World War II song might be changed to "Praise the Deity of Your Choice and Pass the Ammunition."

Yikes.

April 5, 2012       Permalink

UNION BOSS BLASTS OBAMA ADMINISTRATION – AT 8:52 A.M. ET:  It's been a long time since the Democratic Party actually represented "the little man." 

It may talk the talk, but walking the walk is different.  It means actually associating with, and listening to, the "flyover people" who aren't based in Manhattan or Beverly Hills.  That is a burden too difficult to bear.  Earlier this year, unions watched in dismay as President Obama refused to approve the Keystone Pipeline, which would have created thousands of jobs.  Now, new regulations proposed by the faculty-lounge administration may destroy an entire industry.  Workers are not pleased.

The coal industry will suffer the same fate as Osama bin Laden under new climate regulations proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency, the head of the United Mine Workers of America said this week.

“The Navy SEALs shot Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan and Lisa Jackson shot us in Washington,” Cecil Roberts, president of the powerful union, said during an interview Tuesday on the West Virginia radio show MetroNews Talkline.

Apparently, not very powerful at all.

Roberts blasted Jackson, the EPA administrator, over the proposed regulations, which would limit greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants. Opponents of the regulations, including Roberts, say the new rules would be the death knell of the coal industry.

New coal-fired power plants would have to install technology to capture carbon dioxide emissions in order to comply with the rules. The technology, known as carbon capture and storage (CCS), “is not commercially available,” Roberts said.

“This rule is an all-out, in my opinion, decision by the EPA that we’re never going to have another coal-fired facility in the United States that’s constructed,” Roberts said.

And...

While the United Mine Workers of America likely won’t actively oppose President Obama’s reelection bid, Roberts said the new EPA regulation could prevent the union from endorsing the president.

And...

Environmental groups have cheered the regulations, with Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune noting that they will “make it nearly impossible to build a new coal plant.”

COMMENT:  I doubt if Mr. Brune has any relatives in the coal industry.  Or that he even knows anyone who does.

Look, coal does present environmental issues that are legitimate, but surely some mechanism could have been worked out instead of just handing down edicts.  Wrecking an entire industry, which is still important to energy production, is not a way to move the nation forward.  This is another example of the arrogance of this administration.  Maybe its own supporters are starting to notice.

April 5, 2012        Permalink

RICK'S END? – AT 8:35 A.M. ET:  It's only one poll, and one often considered a "Democratic" poll, but a new survey shows Mitt Romney taking the lead in Rick Santorum's home state of Pennsylvania.   From The Hill:

Mitt Romney has overtaken Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania, and nearly wiped out the former two-term senator’s advantage among key voting blocs within the Republican Party’s conservative base, a new poll finds.

Romney leads with 42 percent support in the state, followed by Santorum at 37 percent, Ron Paul at 9 percent, and Newt Gingrich at 6 percent, according to a survey from Public Policy Polling released on Thursday.

In the same poll taken one month ago, Santorum led Romney 43 percent to 25 percent.
Romney logged massive gains among demographic groups that have been a stronghold for Santorum throughout the primary season – evangelicals, Tea Party supporters, and those voters that describe themselves as “very conservative.”

Santorum once held seemingly insurmountable leads with these groups in Pennsylvania, and turnout from these voters has propelled him to some surprising victories in the West, Deep South and Plains states.

COMMENT:  The Pennsylvania primary is April 24th, less than three weeks away.  If Santorum can't carry his own home state, he is gone.  Indeed, one astute observer said on Fox News last night that Santorum will probably drop out before April 24th if the polls in Pennsylvania turn against him.  The humiliation of a loss would probably end his political career and make him an object of ridicule.

We stress again:  This is one poll.  But it does seem to show that Republicans want to unite around one candidate, a perfectly logical wish at this point in the campaign.

April 5,  2012     Permalink