Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Morning copy 01.10.2006

Samuel Alito

The hearings kick off now, but here's the link to his openning statement yesterday, Houston Chronicle.

By the way, Arlen Specter just hit the big question, Griswold vs. Connecticut. Alito does not seem like one that would overturn the underlying logic of the abortion ruling.

Jill Zuckman, of the Chicago Tribune, clears the dust off the newspeg that the Democrats need to show their special interests that the lesser party has some teeth. The GOP would find itself in the same position where the anti-Roberts proposed by an anti-Bush. The journalists would be dusting off the newspeg in that logically possible world as well.

China

The Washington Times reports on China's increasing influence:
BEIJING -- Bolivian President-elect Evo Morales yesterday met with Chinese President Hu Jintao and called China an "ideological ally," a day after he invited the communist country to develop Bolivia's vast gas reserves.
The A.P. reports on China's efforts to modernize its military:
SHANGHAI -- China has cut the size of its military, the world's biggest, by 200,000 soldiers in an effort to create a stronger, more high-tech fighting force, the military said yesterday.
Iran's nuclear program

Iran is set to begin research at its nuclear facitlity, BBC News.

The Guardian has news analysis on Iran's recent activity:
Dr Ali Ansari, a lecturer in modern Iranian history at the University of Saint Andrews, takes an even bleaker view. "In light of what Iran has been saying over the last six weeks, the whole situation is made much more difficult."

Dr Ansari believes that Iran will not stop until it has the means to produce nuclear power.

He feels that for the last two years Tehran has been "accommodating" towards inspections but that "it has got them nowhere. Now they have decided to be bullish."
GOP leadership

Bloomberg News on the specter of Jack Abramoff with the race for majority leader in the Congress:
Representative Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican, said concerns that the two men are too close to Washington's K Street lobbying corridor may encourage a dark-horse candidate to run against them. ``We have three weeks until this election, and a lot can happen between now and then,'' Flake said.
Iraq

Reuters reports on an upcoming speech today from President Bush:
In a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Bush will talk about building democracy, the importance of strengthening Iraqi security forces and reconstruction efforts, McClellan said.
Sago mine tragedy

Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports on the investigation into the disaster:
Yesterday, West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin III appointed J. Davitt McAteer, who was assistant secretary for MSHA during the Clinton administration, to lead the state's investigation. He currently is a vice president at Wheeling Jesuit University.
Bird Flu

The Times of London reports on HSBC's bird flu contingency plans:
HSBC, one of the world's biggest banks, has drawn up contingency plans to cope with the absence of up to half of its 253,000 staff in a bird flu pandemic, as fears grow of the virus spreading westward across Europe.

8 Comments:

Blogger Ezzie said...

Out of curiousity, what do you think about Alito?

Could you think of a cogent argument why he wouldn't be fit to be a justice, however you may disagree with his views? [Serious Q - want to hear level-headed Dems on this]

1:05 PM  
Blogger Bravo 2-1 said...

Thanks.

I am actually home sick (sore throat, head cold) so I have watched a great deal of the Senate today... My, was Biden a trainwreck: stream of consciousness "this is how I think".

Anywho, what I don't like about Alito is that he may have a proclivity to side with executive power in excess. That is a tendancy of the past four administrations -- maybe more -- and I think it's reduced Congress a tad too much. But our political history is a back-and-forth between week and strong executives.

I guess I don't have much against him. Bush won and this is his pick. I'm more pissed off at John Kerry and Howard Dean (Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi... on and on goes the list).

1:11 PM  
Blogger zen said...

Just curious...what is it about the Dems that has you pissed. Please don't read this as a defense of the party, I am dipleased and disappointed with them as well. Just wondering what you see.

1:31 PM  
Blogger Bravo 2-1 said...

zen, I can't really answer ezzie's question as much as I'd like, nor can I answer yours to that degree.

I am disappointed that they seem to be so reactionary and lead into such narrow comments. They are far too negative, and far too much of the unconstructive minority.

I do not think Howard Dean realizes it, but every time he is mentioned in the same sentence as Ted Kennedy, he is painted in starker colors as a Northeastern Liberal.

7:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Herb Kohl D-Wisc did a great job in his questioning. He was very respectful and dug beyond the planned response.

Alito had a chance to really shine and show off his intelligence but didn't really grab the spot at the end of Kohl's time. By sandbagging he got to run into a 10 minute hug from Mike Dewine R-Ohio.

12:36 AM  
Blogger zen said...

Thanks for your insights. Though you didn't ask mine, I will touch on them in response.
I too find it hard to accept reactionaries (of any stripe for that matter). But especially those that lean in the same direction as I, and those that 'represent' me (and I use that term loosely). I expect more of the Democrats, and honestly I do not from Republicans.
I do understand the Dems frustrations however. We have a power hungry executive that is usurping the Constitutional powers, amassing a majority in the judicial, and propping up majority party in Congress that is complaisant.
The minority party seems more interested in shaming those in power than in winning and good government. This comes across as desperate no matter of it's good intentions. The path to hell is paved with good intentions.
The losers are the American public. We have less rights and less say about our future. Big business is dominating political policy making and people are being marginalized, unless they have enough money to buy influence.
I think it would be wise for Dems to hone a winning message based on common sense, good government principles. And it's not as if what Dems stand for is wrong, out of fashion, or unpopular—it's the manner in which it's being presented that distract from it being heard and embraced. There is still a way to fight power without playing into the applied stereotype.

"When you see your way to obtain a rival advantage, but are powerless to inflict a real defeat, refrain from attacking, for fear of overtaxing your strength"

Just my 2¢

10:50 AM  
Blogger Bravo 2-1 said...

zen, thanks for your comments. I meant to ask, but I forgot. I was a little under the weather yesterday.

11:00 AM  
Blogger zen said...

Sending you thoughts of healing.

1:51 PM  

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