President Obama has surprised me again, totally breaking pattern on another national security challenge that he had previously not come up with solutions for.
The President effectively erased all hope for those in Washington that wanted to see the initialization of President Bush's aim to create Ronald Reagan's dream of a missile defense network to guard against nuclear attacks aimed at the United States. Hawks lovingly referred to the proposed program as "Star Wars" in honor of President Reagan, but the technical term is the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI).
The SDI Program's technology combines the use of satellites with x-ray lasers, aerial reconnaissance, tactical missiles, and a whole host of other toys to shoot down Inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) armed with nuclear warheads or even biological agents.
Upon first taking office, President Obama was proposing putting a missile defense shield in the areas around Poland, and the Czech Republic, nudging up dangerously close to the Russian border with Eastern Europe.
Not so, anymore, though, as President Obama yesterday gave a very encouraging speech that drew approval from Russia's biggest power-wielder. The U.S. will scrap the original plans for the missile shield and instead focus on having medium and short-range antimissiles that can reach Iran to protect Israel. The Russians would also take down a proposed defense base on their border in Kaliningrad.
To me this is a giant step forward in normal diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation. I don't doubt that if the program had continued on its original course, the United States and Russia would have been in a (Cold) War of not defense buildups but words and oneupsmanship. President Reagan always called the Soviet Union the "Evil Empire," but there's so much more information available about Russian politics during the 1980s and 1990s that it just makes them look like a nation trying to find its place in the world and to define their nation itself.
Bravo, Mr. President.
Showing posts with label President Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label President Obama. Show all posts
18 September 2009
07 April 2009
The Kind of Politics We Voted For
The last week or so of President Obama's activities has been amazing. He gave speeches on missile defense in collaboration with the Russians, nuclear disarmament, and conservative government in Turkey. Today, perusing through my US News & World Report Political Bulletin, I came across the following, detailing the unveiling of his military budget that Secy. of Defense Robert M. Gates has been working on:
Gates Proposes Weapons Programs Cuts Defense Secretary Robert Gates unveiled his Pentagon budget plan yesterday to generally sympathetic coverage. News accounts cast the proposed cuts not as a fiscal step, but rather as an overhaul designed to put in the military in sync with current threats faced by the US. ABC World News calls it "the most sweeping change in military thinking in generations." The CBS Evening News likewise reported Gates "is out to remake the US military." The Los Angeles Times says, "Programs primarily used to fight conventional foes...would get less money." The Hill notes Gates "plans to boost the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance budget by $2 billion and grow the Special Operations forces by 5 percent." The Washington Post says the budget "highlights Gates's long-stated desire to increase spending on surveillance systems and other relatively low-tech weapons that are best suited for guerrilla or irregular war." The Washington Post also reports that "Gates sees this year as a rare opportunity to pursue politically controversial ideas."
CNBC's Hampton Pearson described the budget as "a $534 billion blueprint full of new priorities and a fundamental change in how the Pentagon plans to do business. For example, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon could gain from plans to buy 50 more of those Predator drones. The 2010 budget for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is nearly doubled from $6.8 to $11.2 billion to buy 16 more planes. But Lockheed Martin will also see an end to F-22 production. ... The army's Future Combat Systems program will be restructured. National missile defense is also getting a makeover. Both were profitable Boeing contracts." CNBC's Larry Kudlow noted that the budget "led to a big, almost 4% gain in defense stocks. Northrop Grumman up 9%., Lockheed Martin up 9%, Raytheon 8% and General Dynamics 7%." The Financial Times reports that "analysts said investors saw the news as positive because it had put an end to months of uncertainty." The Wall Street Journal reports, "Gates's plans have clear international implications. His decision to increase spending on the F-35, which involves European nations and defense companies...secures the program's future and will help keep costs in check for such allies as the UK and the Netherlands."
The Financial Times, however, notes that "within hours" of Gates' press conference, "politicians raised questions about his proposed cuts and reform plans. ... In a YouTube video recorded in Afghanistan, James Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican senator, lambasted President Barack Obama for 'disarming America' and vowed to fight the cuts." The AP reports Rep. John Murtha, chairman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, called the plan "important and overdue." The Hill reports Sen. Joe Lieberman "panned the Obama administration's proposal to cut the nation's missile defense shield."
NBC Nightly News notes Gates "would also scrap plans to build a new fleet of helicopters for the President -- as the President himself has suggested." The Hill reports Gates "acknowledged that there needs to be a new presidential helicopter, but said that the current Marine One still has some life in it."
The chief reason I voted for the President is because of his approach to international relations. I may not agree with his economic policies -- aside from his tough talk on General Motors (for more info google my big brother's NYT articles from the last week) -- or his decision to stand by his bloated 2010 budget, and I don't think he did that well at the G20 Summit because he didn't win consensus on spending money to get out of the financial crisis...but I have been really captured by his foreign policy and some of his ideas on how to engage both Europe and the Middle East. Yesterday he gave a speech in Ankara, Turkey that is summarized thusly:
"I also want to be clear that America's relationship with the Muslim community, the Muslim world, cannot, and will not, just be based upon opposition to terrorism. We seek broader engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect. We will listen carefully, we will bridge misunderstandings, and we will seek common ground. We will be respectful, even when we do not agree. We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world - including in my own country. The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country - I know, because I am one of them."
For a Muslim country to want to join the EU, amidst a struggle with another religious minority, the Armenians, and to get backing from an American President that has to simultaneously stand between Israel and the rest of the Middle East, this is remarkable.
Currently, I am reading Thomas Friedman's first book, "From Beirut to Jerusalem," and the most striking thing about the Middle East, is that underneath all the fighting and protest, is clamoring for secular government that doesn't have to answer to anybody, and Obama wants to give it to them by putting out his hand to anyone that asks.
Gates Proposes Weapons Programs Cuts Defense Secretary Robert Gates unveiled his Pentagon budget plan yesterday to generally sympathetic coverage. News accounts cast the proposed cuts not as a fiscal step, but rather as an overhaul designed to put in the military in sync with current threats faced by the US. ABC World News calls it "the most sweeping change in military thinking in generations." The CBS Evening News likewise reported Gates "is out to remake the US military." The Los Angeles Times says, "Programs primarily used to fight conventional foes...would get less money." The Hill notes Gates "plans to boost the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance budget by $2 billion and grow the Special Operations forces by 5 percent." The Washington Post says the budget "highlights Gates's long-stated desire to increase spending on surveillance systems and other relatively low-tech weapons that are best suited for guerrilla or irregular war." The Washington Post also reports that "Gates sees this year as a rare opportunity to pursue politically controversial ideas."
CNBC's Hampton Pearson described the budget as "a $534 billion blueprint full of new priorities and a fundamental change in how the Pentagon plans to do business. For example, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon could gain from plans to buy 50 more of those Predator drones. The 2010 budget for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is nearly doubled from $6.8 to $11.2 billion to buy 16 more planes. But Lockheed Martin will also see an end to F-22 production. ... The army's Future Combat Systems program will be restructured. National missile defense is also getting a makeover. Both were profitable Boeing contracts." CNBC's Larry Kudlow noted that the budget "led to a big, almost 4% gain in defense stocks. Northrop Grumman up 9%., Lockheed Martin up 9%, Raytheon 8% and General Dynamics 7%." The Financial Times reports that "analysts said investors saw the news as positive because it had put an end to months of uncertainty." The Wall Street Journal reports, "Gates's plans have clear international implications. His decision to increase spending on the F-35, which involves European nations and defense companies...secures the program's future and will help keep costs in check for such allies as the UK and the Netherlands."
The Financial Times, however, notes that "within hours" of Gates' press conference, "politicians raised questions about his proposed cuts and reform plans. ... In a YouTube video recorded in Afghanistan, James Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican senator, lambasted President Barack Obama for 'disarming America' and vowed to fight the cuts." The AP reports Rep. John Murtha, chairman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, called the plan "important and overdue." The Hill reports Sen. Joe Lieberman "panned the Obama administration's proposal to cut the nation's missile defense shield."
NBC Nightly News notes Gates "would also scrap plans to build a new fleet of helicopters for the President -- as the President himself has suggested." The Hill reports Gates "acknowledged that there needs to be a new presidential helicopter, but said that the current Marine One still has some life in it."
The chief reason I voted for the President is because of his approach to international relations. I may not agree with his economic policies -- aside from his tough talk on General Motors (for more info google my big brother's NYT articles from the last week) -- or his decision to stand by his bloated 2010 budget, and I don't think he did that well at the G20 Summit because he didn't win consensus on spending money to get out of the financial crisis...but I have been really captured by his foreign policy and some of his ideas on how to engage both Europe and the Middle East. Yesterday he gave a speech in Ankara, Turkey that is summarized thusly:
"I also want to be clear that America's relationship with the Muslim community, the Muslim world, cannot, and will not, just be based upon opposition to terrorism. We seek broader engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect. We will listen carefully, we will bridge misunderstandings, and we will seek common ground. We will be respectful, even when we do not agree. We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world - including in my own country. The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country - I know, because I am one of them."
For a Muslim country to want to join the EU, amidst a struggle with another religious minority, the Armenians, and to get backing from an American President that has to simultaneously stand between Israel and the rest of the Middle East, this is remarkable.
Currently, I am reading Thomas Friedman's first book, "From Beirut to Jerusalem," and the most striking thing about the Middle East, is that underneath all the fighting and protest, is clamoring for secular government that doesn't have to answer to anybody, and Obama wants to give it to them by putting out his hand to anyone that asks.
12 February 2009
Abe's 200 !
I'll be brief: how appropriate that Obama got to celebrate the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial as President of the United States.
NYT has a great little historical analogy for Abe and Barack
And it made me remember a fantastic piece about where President Obama gets some of his influences for his great speeches and oratory manner.
A while back before Obama was sworn in, I began to think critically about a question: was Obama more of a Lincoln-type persona, or an authoritative FDR-type persona. The easy answer would be Lincoln, since Obama reads more about him and comes from the same state, but a lot of his decision-making in his early days has mirrored that of Franklin Roosevelt. And I don't mean that the country is in a quasi-depression and Obama has to rescue all of us. Those were far different times, and a lot more extraordinary, to me at least. I'm talking about the similar context in which Obama is operating, and the decisions he has to stay true to. The principle of FDR's presidency was that he had to spend money America didn't have in order to get people back to work. As it stands now, Obama is committing $789 billion to invest back into America's infrastructure and programs to have a ripple effect and cause people to apply for credit, buy mortgages, and pay bills.
I can't accurately answer that larger question, but it seems to me that what we are witnessing is a President that has people around him that will come to him and say, "look, this is what was done in the past, and it will work now." The whole reason for celebrating the 200th birthday of a dead President is not to paint the current office-holder as a second-coming, but to acknowledge that a lot of what was done in the past can still be, and will be, applied to our current struggle as a country to dig itself out of a very, very, large hole.
Arthur Schlesinger wrote in his personal journal upon returning from the Soviet Union in 1982, about how different the two societies were when it came to how they viewed their predecessors. He said, "We must respect the dignity of the past, as we must hope that our descendants will respect our own dignity. That Trotsky was subsequently considered an enemy of the state is no reason to deny the reality of his role in the Revolution. History is not a myth to be manipulated in the interests of one or another ruling class. History is a debt of honor we owe to the past."
Both Lincoln and FDR had very dark moments as President. Lincoln suspended Habeus Corpus in the interest of healing the wounds of the War Between the States. Roosevelt made the single biggest government budget (for the times), and it was so big, it was close to Socialism. And his New York brethren hated him for it.
It is through that even-handed humility that the successes, and errors, of Obama's predecessors must be appropriately applied to the present, not out of obligation but out of honor and respect.
NYT has a great little historical analogy for Abe and Barack
And it made me remember a fantastic piece about where President Obama gets some of his influences for his great speeches and oratory manner.
A while back before Obama was sworn in, I began to think critically about a question: was Obama more of a Lincoln-type persona, or an authoritative FDR-type persona. The easy answer would be Lincoln, since Obama reads more about him and comes from the same state, but a lot of his decision-making in his early days has mirrored that of Franklin Roosevelt. And I don't mean that the country is in a quasi-depression and Obama has to rescue all of us. Those were far different times, and a lot more extraordinary, to me at least. I'm talking about the similar context in which Obama is operating, and the decisions he has to stay true to. The principle of FDR's presidency was that he had to spend money America didn't have in order to get people back to work. As it stands now, Obama is committing $789 billion to invest back into America's infrastructure and programs to have a ripple effect and cause people to apply for credit, buy mortgages, and pay bills.
I can't accurately answer that larger question, but it seems to me that what we are witnessing is a President that has people around him that will come to him and say, "look, this is what was done in the past, and it will work now." The whole reason for celebrating the 200th birthday of a dead President is not to paint the current office-holder as a second-coming, but to acknowledge that a lot of what was done in the past can still be, and will be, applied to our current struggle as a country to dig itself out of a very, very, large hole.
Arthur Schlesinger wrote in his personal journal upon returning from the Soviet Union in 1982, about how different the two societies were when it came to how they viewed their predecessors. He said, "We must respect the dignity of the past, as we must hope that our descendants will respect our own dignity. That Trotsky was subsequently considered an enemy of the state is no reason to deny the reality of his role in the Revolution. History is not a myth to be manipulated in the interests of one or another ruling class. History is a debt of honor we owe to the past."
Both Lincoln and FDR had very dark moments as President. Lincoln suspended Habeus Corpus in the interest of healing the wounds of the War Between the States. Roosevelt made the single biggest government budget (for the times), and it was so big, it was close to Socialism. And his New York brethren hated him for it.
It is through that even-handed humility that the successes, and errors, of Obama's predecessors must be appropriately applied to the present, not out of obligation but out of honor and respect.
21 January 2009
Obama Becomes President...Again!
Is the Obama presidency already in reruns?
No.
He took the Oath of Office a second time, tonight !
So, story: A lot of media are reporting that this whole thing was brought on by the White House Counsel Greg Craig (best name ever) and Joe Biden's stupidity. At the ceremony to swear in Obama's White House staff, Biden said the following, according to Politico:
“My memory is not as good as Justice Roberts,” Biden said at the swearing in of White House staffers Wednesday afternoon.
The staffers in the room laughed, but Obama stood stone faced and visibly annoyed:
Last night on the air, this happened:
And Fox News anchor Chris Wallace said: "We're wondering here whether or not Barack Obama in fact is the president of the United States. They had a kind of garbled oath. It's just conceivable that this will end up going to the courts."
The White House then issued a statement saying that they had decided, out of thoroughness, to have Justice Roberts come to the White House to administer the Oath once more. Apparently a lot of people, including "professional" Chris Wallace, think that Obama is not officially the President, and that since yesterday, Joe Biden has actually been the President, since the Oath of Office for the President was not properly administered, and was somehow in violation of the 22nd Amendment.
Wrong. The 22nd Amendment was put in place strictly for the two-term limit rule...good 'ol George Washington and Thomas Jefferson didn't want young America turning into a Monarchy.
Additionally, the 20th Amendment was called into question, since some thought that at noon yesterday our country was leaderless, because the Oath had not been given. Article 2 of the Constitution, that lays out the oath, was effectively superseded by the 20th Amendment, which states that the President and Vice President relinquish power at precisely noon on the 20th day in January...regardless of whether the President-elect has taken the Oath.
There's some tricky language, but the 20th Amendment makes distinction between "entering upon the execution of the office" and "term of office shall start at noon." Meaning, that President Obama's term started at noon yesterday, but didn't enter into the execution of his duties until after he was sworn in.
Rest easy, America, Obama is actually our President !
I'm really glad Obama stuck up for Chief Justice Roberts, too...give the guy a break, it was his first inauguration, and he didn't plan on looking like a douche, he wanted to go without notes and look impressive.
Sidenote: I watched the National Prayer Service that the President attended, and...wow.
20 January 2009
A New Day Has Come...
Well, I'm sitting here parked on the couch, Krispy Kreme donuts and milk in front of me, awaiting the start of the Inaugural ceremonies, and I thought I'd post some thoughts as I see things on my television screen. I plan on trying to get a peek at each news channel, mainly because eventually each one of them makes me angry and forces me to flip to another one. Look for pull-quotes of stupid things news reporters say, stupid things people in the crowd say, counts of how many times I hear overused words or cliches, and many more random bits of Inaugural-ness. Barack my world, bitches !
- 9:30 am: Merideth Viera on "Today" on NBC keeps saying "There he is!!" when Obama appears on the camera, and said something about history that didn't make sense. One thing to note though, they showed the President-Elect leaving St. John's Church on those screens on the National Mall, and the crowd exploded already...I've been reading that Washington, D.C. is just bursting at the seams with people trying to see this event. The subways started running people at 4 AM, and there's an estimated 2 million people on the Mall to watch...
**After seeing Dubya and Obama and their wives on the steps of the North Poritco at the White House...I wonder what George is thinking. Maybe, "Hmm, you aren't John [McCain]..." ?
10:40 AM: Spike Lee is interviewed on ABC, and along with wearing a ridiculous white fur hat, he appeared to be high...because he couldn't think of where he was. I'll chalk it up to nerves, though. Some chick who was interviewed said she'd been sending blogs to her family every second on her cellphone...something each cellphone carrier explicitly asked customers to NOT do...so we'll see how long the cellular network around D.C. lasts before imploding.
- Over on NBC Governor David Patterson made some awful joke about Michelle Obama being a woman, and no one laughed, including me. Maybe someone forgot to read him the punchline...
Oh, and Ted Kennedy has an ultimate hat on. He looks like Churchill, only the kooky version.
Another important note: I refuse to flip over to CNN at all today, in order to keep my sanity...and to boycott their ridiculous Facebook collaboration to have people instantly update their status so all their friends can see what they are thinking each and every second. I choose to get information from a real news channel, not a gimmicky broadcast aimed at young people who have nothing better to do with their lives...
More to come
P.S. the motorcade is GINORMOUS
11:20 AM: ABC's anchors will not shut the hell up and just let us watch the event. Charlie Gibson is like Biden: long-winded, and tells the stupidest anecdotes and tries to be poignant when it just comes off as arrogant. NBC oozes professionalism right now, as Brian Williams actually apologizes for their microphones picking up some of the chatter on the stage, and someone who is clapping excitedly right next to the microphone. Every channel could learn something from Brian Williams' class.
11:28 AM: Laura Bush says "Hey Everybody" as she comes down the steps. Haha.
*How awesome would it be to have Marine Corp guards around you all the time, a Marine Corp band that basically follows you everywhere, your own Cadillac limo, and an infinite number of Secret Service agents blanketing you at all times. When I watched Obama's train rally in Delaware the other day, I was amazed at the number of agents forming a half circle around him.
I can't get over the image of Obama's two daughters, and Michelle Obama, walking down those stairs, just that image of this new American family that has arrived...I'm not going to say Kennedy-esque like all the media does, but you know our politics have changed for good when you look at that image.
11:37 AM: George W. walks onto the stage, to a very very ligth applause, and no reaction from the enormous crowd whatsoever. I think he's just glad to be done with this job so he can let Obama deal with everything now. And I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but it's somewhat fitting that Cheney is in a wheelchair after some kind of moving injury yesterday...
More later
11:39 AM: Joe !! I'm sorry, but if I hear one more mention of how Joe Biden loves freakin' Amtrak, I am going to punch something. Biden is a good man, but he's a two-faced politician. A year ago he didn't even like Obama, and now look where he is. I don't know whether it's a testament to Obama's grace or Biden's ability to swallow his pride in order to advance his own career...
11:45 AM: Obama is introduced, and oddly, the announcer says "Barack H. Obama" Was this intentional??
12:08 PM: The Chosen One is sworn in...and look what I found...the words to Hail to the Chief! Sing it with me !
Hail to the Chief we have chos-en for the na - tion,
Hail to the Chief! We sa-lute him, one and all._______
Hail to the Chief, as we pledge co-op - er -a- tion_____
In proud ful-fill-ment of a great, no-ble call.____
Yours is the aim to make this grand coun-try grand-er,
This you will do, That's our strong, firm be-lief.__
Hail to the one we se-lect-ed as com-mand-er,
Hail to the Pres-i-dent! Hail to the Chief!
12:12 PM: Holy crap, President Bush #41 wins the prize for most ultimate hat!!
And NBC loses points for showing Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans two times in the last hour
12:45 PM: OK, I caved...I flip to CNN, and immediately flipped back. Their reporter compared this inauguration to Nelson Mandela's...and Campbell Brown says that the crowd is "A Yes We Can kinda Crowd" ... and then on CBS they interviewed some douche who said that humanity's and America's struggle has been going on for "thousands of years," and that he had no idea how many people were here but that he witnessed history. Good god.
12:50 PM: Bush gets on Marine One...I don't know why but he looked grumpy during Obama's speech...almost like "dang, this Barack guy is pretty good. I need a taco." And as he's walking to the helicopter...he just looks like he's pissed that he's a regular citizen again. BUT then he made a joke and he and Barack laughed. Haha good work George.
3:10 PM: And journalists now are clamoring over the fact that Senator Kennedy had a seizure...CNN is in full freak out mode, and trying to question any politicians within earshot. CNN, go fuck yourselves.
Meanwhile:
3:26 PM: An interesting comparison that I have been thinking about. A presidential inauguration is about as ceremonial as it gets in America, but think about how taxing it must be. I remember how exhausted I was after Michigan's commencement...and I am sure that's what it "feels" like...just like it's a college commencement ceremony, just about 10000000 times more intense and fancy. It followed a very similar program that a university commencement does...only Obama's graduating to the Oval Office!
NBC gets bonus points for making a joke about Obama needing nicotine once he got into the limo...which by the way is HUGE. If I were in that crowd I'd be like, "Hey Mr. President! What's your gas mileage! (limo is a Cadillac...NBC had fancy graphics about its run-flat tires)"
Just an incredibly dignified event that makes America look darn good :)
More soon
4:07 PM: He's outta the limo ! Woooo Chosen One
Text of Obama's amazing speech goes here. I'm going to have to replay it several times, but WOW, he is just such an eloquent man...and the fact that he wrote his own speech, and didn't tinker with it...he's a writer and an academic, and he's our President now. I found this great NYT article the other day...and I believe it now more than ever after hearing that speech. Obama the Harvard Man is in the White House now instead of George the Legacy Son.
*My remote stopped working so no more quips about the other news channels failing at covering this thing...but I'm going to dig around for interesting insight from my favorite journalists.
4:30 PM: Bahahaha, Al Roker completed Brian Williams' challenge to get Obama to wave to him. "Mr President! Mr. President! he shouted" and Obama pointed to him and said "It's warm!"
+10000 points to NBC
4:46 PM: The Presidential Viewing Box is quite a sight...the fanciest skybox/luxury suite in the country, that's for sure.
- The Atlantic's endorsement of Abraham Lincoln in 1860
- Chicago Trib's thoughts on the oath of office goof
- Historical perspective on the Inauguration
- ABC News found the cost of the ceremonies
I don't forsee anything else spectacular occurring, so I'm going to sit back and watch the parade.
What a country. Tim Russert said that...don't forget it.
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