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If Obama Really Was Behind The Oil Spill Disaster

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Obama obviously is not behind the Gulf catastrophe. If he were, he would have made a heavily publicized speech emphasizing zero tolerance for corporate incompetence/malfeasance. He would summon Americans to unite in non-partisan cooperation to combat oil spills in their communities, workplaces and churches. New regulations would ensure the disaster will never, ever, ever occur again. Now imagine Obama concludes by invoking the majesty of his office, promising the bad company will pay the full costs of making the people whole.


Events then meander in and out of focus for months. Media chase frantically the meaning of furtive glances exchanged among Senators Snowe, Collins or even Graham. Entire news cycles are devoted to whether any of them uttered a kind word about Obama’s initiative. The president’s political destiny we are told hangs in the balance. Oddly, although they are in the majority, Reid, Boxer (Environmental Committee) and others are minor players, shuffling awkwardly outside the Republican Caucus like high schoolers smitten with their first crushes. Day after day, month after month.

Finally, when Everyone knows Obama is doomed, Rahm cobbles together the absolute lowest common denominator vehicle and christens it ‘real reform’. In this case, the White House then pokes their wandering Democratic congressional majority to charge vigorously the microphone stand (Schumer needing no encouragement) Their excitement? An initiative which actually *pays* the bad actor — BP — for any inconvenience. In the hopes of winning Corker’s vote, Obama agrees to federalize efforts to regulate cooperation at the community level, in workplaces and at churches. In fact, every suggestion made by Snowe, Collins, Voinovich, Graham, Corker (and all the rest) are adopted in ‘bi-partisanship’.

All still vote against Obama. The Word Doctors provide them talking points, emphasizing Obama refused fair compensation to industry workforce for sleepless nights and trauma. Across talk radio Obama is blasted for his Leftist intransigence against additional tax credits. Rush trumpets the reasonableness of DeMint’s position that Obama must behead a mannequin of Hugo Chavez in primetime.

Faced with such a resounding ‘triumph’ Democrats do the talk show rounds cheerfully explaining that once the American people understood this accomplishment, everyone’s approval ratings will rise. Most write farewell cards to Harry Reid. Olbermann provides the sorbet with at least *2* ‘Special Comments’ celebrating Obama’s firm and unwaivering leadership. He makes the point that his family vacationed at a beach once. With voice quivering in outage recalling these treasured memories, Olbermann defiantly asks of McConnell, ‘How dare you, sir? How dare you?’

Republicans just continue their totalitarianism two-step in public while privately drawing grim satisfaction that their government-by-the-minority bluff remains intact. Again.

Dear Reader, that’s how we know Obama wasn’t involved.

We Are Going To Pay The Bill, Mr. President

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Hope and change apparently don’t alter a White House script responding to national calamities. The Boy King’s slightly tardy speech on the almost incomprehensible environmental catastrophe had the slight whiff of 2005 about it. True, he didn’t goof with a guitar player beforehand seemingly oblivious. And he wisely avoided bestowing accolades on Napolitano’s performance.

But neither is he willing to confront the consequences of his own venal catering to the ‘Drill Baby, Drill’ contingent. He and he alone exposes a major slice of the Atlantic seaboard to a similar catastrophe. None of his surrogates would touch that decision today on the gab-fests with a ten foot pole. Or the even more unthinkable – what their ‘Build Baby, Build’ enthusiasm might mean – a nuclear meltdown like Chernobyl.

Obama lacks the will to do the sane and responsible thing: inform the American people that we all must consume less energy and change our very lifestyles, not empower industrial interests to feed the bloated American addict with dubious techniques. Sure, we can’t keep shipping a billion a day to the Middle East (in addition to our military boondoggle). But outsourcing to China is of equal lethality. Unpleasant realities. Obama is clearly mindful of the Peanut Farmer’s crash and burn with truth telling. So we get from the Speechmaker In Chief ‘BP will pay’. Just like the Administration surely spanked Wall Street.

It’s no surprise the Administration’s priority now is immigration reform rather than energy policy. Arizona is a political Godsend notwithstanding the federal government’s failure to enforce border security under any president. Obama’s been in office long enough that we can see who he is. We wonder if it’s not time to think about giving the Boy King a primary challenge. From someone who knows the difference between Bush Lite and real change.

From Katyn To Raoul Wallenberg (Error Corrected In Comments 5/2011)

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Putin’s government surprisingly is at least partially open to historical truths over Soviet lies recently. His presence at the Katyn massacre memorial and then again for the plane crash memorial well covered. Another facet is a seemingly small but hugely significant gesture: releasing more files on the fate of Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, arrested by the Soviets in Budapest after he worked desperately to save hundreds of thousands of Jews. Amy Knight, who has written several good books on Soviet intelligence, sums it up in NYR.

When the Soviet Union fell, the KGB was sundered into two: the SVR (the old First Chief Directorate for foreign intelligence) and the FSB (the old Second Chief Directorate for domestic matters). It’s the FSB which on its own this year provided information undercutting Soviet and Russian official lies about Wallenberg’s fate. As Knight notes, we still do not yet have the full truth or any measure of confidence as to how Wallenberg died in Soviet hands.

Many former Soviet-related colleagues and now fresh young faces unknown to the Stiftung are speculating on why these terribly belated now. Naturally, the Poles like Z-Not-Zo-Great attribute it to Polish resurgence and Russia’s need to reconcile with Poland to get a fair hearing in Europe. Warsaw as Europe’s arbiter. Right. Others put Europe first and see normalizing consensual history the first step towards deeper social and economic connectivity. The Stiftung also sees a domestic imperative as well. The Russians have their virulently anti-American ‘Fox Nation’/tea bag demographic, naturally. But the broader sociology and demographics have changed – more education, younger people getting news from around the world, etc. Their Stalin-Brezhnev cohorts are dwindling away. Even Putinism as a social and political force benefits from carefully measured and controlled truth telling.

Regardless, one can only hope that all of us learn the truth about Raoul Wallenberg, Russians and the world both.

The Politico Once Again Breaks News

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The Movement has been waging total war against Poppy-Bush-type ‘conservatives’ since 2001. Savage revenge for being forced out in Reagan’s second term and put in the ice box during Poppy’s unhappy reign.

Rightist attack machines denounced McCain as Satan incarnate for 3 years after 2001. He quelled the *overt* loathing by selling his soul in 2004 and embracing the Warlord. But everything reported as new now. Why? Because the Movement’s SA street fighters provide fresh B Roll tape?

This story is old. Remember Tom Davis? Bang, bang. And so on. We say this having sat in DeLay’s office as they schemed how to screw Davis as a RINO. Same arguments today against Crist. The Virginia Republican Party castrated Davis finally by blocking his Senate bid to succeed John Warner. Crist? Effectively the same.

We’ve all talked about it together, you know — the GOP as mere depleted host for the Movement parasite. A thousand times. Didn’t we all here predict years ago the RNC would be irrelevant once its utility gone?

So The Politco titans discover now in late April 2010 — stop the presses — the Crist mau mau in Florida might signal intramural purging of deviationists by the masses. What was their 140 character Tweet? They know what they are doing. Boldly declare the decade old self evident political reality as breaking news for the self congratulatory Morning Joe nation. Then they can do a round table with Grover, Cheney stooge Cesar Conda and two or three other Movement agitators to offer ‘balanced commentary.’

The Politico offers bromides that Crist is an ‘insider’ and anti-Washington populism is his problem. They also cite Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Bob Bennett as proof ‘conservatives’ are unpopular. Yet consider how Rick Perry ran – clearly an insider. It was hate that made the real difference. Hutchinson, despite her penchant for allegedly abusing staff, is also willing to retain independent higher brain functions. Bennett may be conservative but he is extremely civil and willing to listen. He’s not leading Fascist Obama Oppression chants. And Crist, well the poor bastard gave Obama a slap on the back. None of them are really Movement in these militant times.

But just to recap: The Politico breaks the news that the conservative base is angry.