Desperado’s Outpost

January 31, 2010

Department of Justice "Reviewing Request" to Investigate BCS

Filed under: Justice Department, Obama, torture — Craig @ 3:06 pm
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It’s nice to see that the Obama Department of Obstruction of Justice has its priorities straight. Investigate Bush administration officials for violations of the Geneva Conventions and the Convention Against Torture? Nah, gotta look forward, not back. How about at least going after the authors of the torture memos in the Bush DOJ? Nope, they just used “poor judgment,” nothing worth pursuing there. How about allegations that detainees at Guantanamo may have been murdered, which was then allegedly covered-up by those in charge who reported it as suicide? Nothing to see there either, move along.

But investigate the Bowl Championship Series? Yeah, buddy. Now we’ve got something of substance that we can sink our teeth into, something REALLY important:

“The Obama administration is considering several steps that would review the legality of the controversial Bowl Championship Series, the Justice Department said in a letter Friday to a senator who had asked for an antitrust review.

In the letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch, obtained by The Associated Press, Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich wrote that the Justice Department is reviewing Hatch’s request and other materials to determine whether to open an investigation into whether the BCS violates antitrust laws.

…Weich made note of the fact that President Barack Obama, before he was sworn in, had stated his preference for a playoff system. In 2008, Obama said he was going to “to throw my weight around a little bit” to nudge college football toward a playoff system, a point that Hatch stressed when he urged Obama last fall to ask the department to investigate the BCS.”

Well, that would bring the number of campaign promises kept to…….one.

Karzai: Another 10 to 15 Years Should Do It

Filed under: Afghanistan — Craig @ 1:28 pm
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Speaking of a state of perpetual war:

“LONDON – Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned yesterday that foreign troops must stay in his country for another decade, as world powers agreed on an exit map including a plan to persuade Taliban fighters to disarm in exchange for jobs and homes…

…The conference was called to help the United States and its allies find a way out of the grinding Afghan war amid rising U.S. and NATO casualties and falling public support. NATO has agreed to accelerate the training of Afghan security forces and gradually transfer more combat responsibility to them.

“With regard to training and equipping the Afghan security forces, five to 10 years will be enough,” Karzai said. “With regard to sustaining them until Afghanistan is financially able to provide for our forces, the time will be extended to 10 to 15 years.”

Actually, Karzai is being very optimistic. The real time frame as to when “Afghanistan is financially able to provide” for their own forces is a bit longer. Like NEVER. The cost of maintaining the Afghan security forces at the levels being proposed by General McChrystal and the Obama administration is approximately $2 to $3 billion a year. This in a country whose entire annual budget is $600 million, and where the gross national product is the size of Boise Idaho’s.

In other words, it’s never gonna happen.

A Simple Solution to the Army's Suicide Epidemic

Filed under: Afghanistan, Iraq, war on terror — Craig @ 11:32 am
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McClatchy has the account today (January 31) of Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Samuel Rhodes and his battle with thoughts of suicide as an example of this ever-increasing problem among active duty soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan:

“It’s been roughly five years since Rhodes came home from his third tour in Iraq, and despite a highly-decorated 29-year career in the Army, a new book, more than a hundred speaking engagements and praise from the likes of Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, for his efforts in suicide prevention, Rhodes still wrestles with his own demons.

…Rhodes is among a small cadre of senior non-commissioned officers and officers who’re opening up about their journeys back from the brink of suicide — efforts that top military commanders applaud as they battle a suicide epidemic.

…This month, the Defense Department reported that there were 160 reported active-duty Army suicides in 2009, up from 140 in 2008. Of these, 114 have been confirmed, while the cause of death in the remaining 46 remains to be determined. The increase in military suicides includes men between the ages of 18-30, mid-career officers and, increasingly, women.

Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other military leaders have said the increase is likely related to repeated deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan and to the stigma long associated with seeking treatment for mental health problems.

…In response, the Pentagon has poured millions of dollars into new suicide prevention programs and thousands of hours on helping soldiers suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.”

If I may, the people at the Pentagon are treating the symptoms but not the disease. I can save them those millions of dollars and thousands of hours spent on seeking a solution to this problem with one simple prescription. It’s a great, big dose of  ‘Get the hell out of Iraq and Afghanistan and put an end to this perpetual state of war.’

A Little Night Music: The Temptations

Filed under: Music — Craig @ 3:26 am
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From 1966, Ain’t Too Proud To Beg. Featuring The Voice, the great David Ruffin.

Obama as "The Candidate"

Filed under: Obama, Politics — Craig @ 2:35 am
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When I read Paul Krugman today, it brought to mind something that I’ve been thinking about off and on  for the last few months:

“…this is about the president. After Massachusetts, Democrats were looking for leadership; they didn’t get it. Ten days later, nobody is sure what Obama intends to do, and his aides are giving conflicting readings. It’s as if Obama checked out.

Look, Obama is a terrific speaker and a very smart guy. He really showed up the Republicans in the now-famous give-and-take. But we knew that. What’s now in question isn’t his ability to talk, it’s his ability to lead.”

More and more I have the sneaking suspicion that this conversation took place sometime on the night of November 4, 2008, with Barack Obama in the role of Bill McKay, the character portrayed by Robert Redford in the movie The Candidate. “What do we do now?” seems to be the operative phrase in the Obama administration.

Life imitates art.

January 30, 2010

Reduce the Deficit in a Recession? Hello 1937

Filed under: Obama, economy — Craig @ 2:55 pm
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From Bloomberg:

“President Barack Obama said reducing the federal budget deficit is “critical” to ensuring future growth as the U.S. economy recovers from the recession...Obama in his address today highlighted some of the measures he proposed in his Jan. 27 State of the Union address, including a three-year freeze on spending (see Deficit Peacocks) for some domestic programs (but certainly not the sacred cow MIC) and creation of bipartisan commission to draft deficit-reduction recommendations for Congress to consider.”

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Ah yes, the old bi-partisan deficit-reduction commission. The place of refuge for the gutless politician who doesn’t want to go on the record with a controversial vote. D.C. CYA at it’s best.

Also President Obama, the old adage is that those who do not learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. 1937 for example.

That was the year FDR listened to the fiscal hawks of his day and decided to cut spending and balance the federal budget, assuming that the worst of the Great Depression was over. The result? Unemployment rose again, the economic growth of the previous 3 years was reversed, and the country slid back into what became known as the “Roosevelt Recession.” The dreaded double-dip.

Lucy Holds the Football……Again

Filed under: Congress, Democrats, Republicans, health care — Craig @ 2:16 pm
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Some people never learn:

“Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) said Friday that she has been in conversation with Democrats and Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus about a way forward on health care reform.

“I have talked with several of my Democratic colleagues, including the chairman of the Finance Committee, just sorting through these issues, and the process, and what will unfold,” Snowe told Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC Friday afternoon.

…But Snowe made it very clear she could not support any form of a bill that came through the reconciliation process—a legislative move she called “wrong and untenable.”

Instead, Snowe believes Congress could pass a scaled-back version of insurance reform based on measures that would aid small business, a policy stance she has held since the summer with she voted in favor of the bill that came through the Finance Committee.”

Einstein was right.

Never Underestimate the Ignorance of the American Public

Filed under: Politics — Craig @ 1:25 pm
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“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” –Thomas Jefferson 1816.

It’s a good thing TJ isn’t around to see the results of this January 18 Pew poll on political knowledge.

“The news quiz, conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press Jan. 14-17 among 1,003 adults reached on cell phones and landlines, asked 12 multiple choice questions on subjects ranging from economics and foreign affairs to prominent people in the news. Americans answered an average of 5.3 questions correctly.”

A few of the discouraging results:

* Only 26% knew that it takes 60 votes to break a filibuster in the Senate.

* 39% knew that Harry Reid is the Majority Leader in the Senate.

* 32% knew that the Senate version of health care reform passed without a single Republican vote.

* 32% could identify Michael Steele as the chairman of the Republican National Committee.

* 50% named Yemen as the country where the Christmas Day bomber received training.

* 43% knew that more Americans were killed in Afghanistan than Iraq in 2009.

* 36% could estimate the current level of the Dow Jones Industrial Average at about 10,000 points.

* 59% could name China as the country holding the most U.S. government debt.

I would like to see the poll results if the same group were asked who replaced Paula Abdul on American Idol, or the names of the cast members of Lost, or what is the location of this season’s Survivor. I’ll bet a week’s pay the numbers would be higher.

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Contingency Plan

Filed under: Obama, Politics, health care — Craig @ 12:18 pm
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The danger of ass-u-me-ing, from TPMDC:

“The White House had no contingency plan for health care reform if Democrat Martha Coakley lost the special election in Massachusetts, and officials did not discuss the possibility a Democratic loss would dramatically imperil their legislative efforts, a top adviser said today.

President Obama’s senior advisor David Axelrod said there “wasn’t much discussion” about an alternative path to passing health care with just 59 Democrats in the Senate because there was “widespread assumption was that that seat was safe.”

…”There wasn’t much discussion about the implications if the thing went the other way,” he said.

Apparently, there are no former Boy Scouts in the president’s inner circle.

Whatever It Is, They're Against It

Filed under: Congress, Republicans — Craig @ 11:52 am
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In response to President Obama’s call for bi-partisanship in his Wednesday night State of the Union address, the Republican reply on Thursday was this:

“The Senate took a vote on extending the federal debt ceiling — without which the United States would go into default. All 40 Republicans voted no.

The Senate took a vote on requiring Congress not to pass legislation that it can’t pay for. All 40 Republicans voted no.

The Senate took a final vote on passing the overall plan. Thirty-nine Republicans voted no. The 40th, Sen.Mike Enzi (R-Wyo) skipped the vote.”

Groucho, you’re on:

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