Tom Oliphant, Peter Galbraith and the Restoration of Hope
Saturday, September 30, 2006
As the races accross the country hit warp speed, the mud is being slung with ferocity. Such is the business, I suppose. But it leaves me disillusioned, though not to the point at which I'll fail to participate or pay any attention. The week started with Clinton's anger and further destruction of George Allen's character. I'm not for a second asserting that either was necessarily unjustified. In my opinion, Clinton's outburst was inspiring and the Allen stories are an unfortunate necessity. But what a drag politics in the new century have become!
I'm a liberal right now because the war in Iraq frightens me -- if i'm not totally in denial about it's existence. The state of our environment is depressing. I believe in helping people. My challenge is to figure out if I can do that in the political arena while at the same time maintaining sanity and emotional balance. I want to give it a shot right now by writing about something I heard this week from Tom Oliphant about Iraq on the Al Franken show.
Oliphant was talking about Peter Galbraith's plan for Iraq. The plan involves helping the Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis partition the country and calls for each group to elect their own government. The country would become a loose federation. The plan isn't perfect. The issues of foreign jihadists and how to police Baghdad are tricky, but Oliphant was studying them and talking about them.
But it wasn't the plan that impressed me, I'd read about it before. What impressed me is what Oliphant said about the nature of the discussion regarding Iraq. He said, and I'm paraphrasing -- that we need to stop thinking about Iraq in terms of winning and losing. We need, instead, to think about doing the right thing. Wow.
Now I'm not saying I know what the right thing is. I don't even think Oliphant claims to know. I was simply impressed by the humility with which the words were spoken. I like Oliphant because he studies issues carefully and speaks humbly. There's not alot of that kind of stuff in politics right now. If this blog can bring those qualities to the table, then I'll be proud to be a part of it.
posted by The Angry Progressives @ 11:44 AM,
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Bush, Iran, & Terror -- Reading Between the Lines
Friday, September 22, 2006
Every time the President reads a speech written for him by a smart person, the irony is delicious. Here are my five favorite lines from his performance at the U.N. this past Tuesday:
- "The world can be ours, if we seek it..." -- Was this meant to sound imperialistic? Because if so, job well done.
- "Imagine what it's like to be a young person living in a country that is not moving toward reform...you are powerless to change the course of your government...you have been fed propaganda and conspiracy theories that blame others for your country's shortcomings." -- Why am I finding it extremely easy to imagine this 'hypothetical' scenario?
- "My country desires peace." -- We just have a very funny way of showing it.
- "To the people of Iran, the United States respects you." -- We just have a very funny way of showing it.
- "Freedom, by its nature, cannot be imposed." -- Ummm...hellooo???
--Jay B.
posted by The Angry Progressives @ 9:46 AM,
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Rumsfeld = Gay Marriage = Flag Burning
Saturday, September 09, 2006
- A series of new polls (subscriber link) indicate that most workers believe they are worse off in many ways than their counterparts a generation ago. Pessimism is high. And does anyone wonder why the president's drive to privatize social security failed?
- I listen to the Al Franken show. I like the host, but I really love guests like Tom Oliphant. He makes me feel better about self-identifying as a progressive. Someone once told me that political affiliation boils down to instinct and trust. I trust smart, thoughtful, humble people like Tom Oliphant.
- Keith Olbermann has my dream job, or shall I say dream career. He gets to riff on politics and sports. A few weeks back he did a superb job of calling out the administration for their shameless, anti free-speech, fear monguring. I'm with you, Keith!
- The Democrats finally have their own wedge issue: Rumsfeld. I hope they keep pounding. All the new books on Iraq, like Fiasco, make it really clear how poor a job he's done. I've read the first 250 pages or so and I think it's impossible for anyone to read the book and vote for anyone NOT having called for the man's resignation.
- The only differences between the D's wedge issue (Rummy) and the ones put out in recent years by R's is (a) it matters, (b) it's the business of the federal government and (c) people care. Other than those minor matters, it's exactly the same thing!
posted by The Angry Progressives @ 3:07 PM,
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Ford vs. Corker -- A Family Case Study
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
I spent the weekend in my hometown of Memphis, attending a friend's wedding and trying to get a feel for the Senate race there. Based on my conversation with my Uncle, I don't feel great about the D's chances to pick up Bill Frist's seat.
My Uncle is a retired small business owner. He says emphatically that he's a Democrat. He voted for Kerry, Gore, and Clinton once. But he likes Corker over Ford, Jr. because Corker is running as a self made man who knows how to run a business. He distrusts Ford, Jr., considers him tainted as a career politician. I pointed out to my Uncle that Tom Delay is also self made and knew how to run a business. I also argue that, in a sense, Ford, Jr. is self made because he's elevated his political career well beyond anyone else in his family due to his intellect and charisma. Perhaps my Uncle will read this and be moved to vote for the Dem.
"So," you're saying, "what does one guy's vote have to say about the outcome of the Senate race in Tennessee?" Well, hopefully nothing. But it re-emphasized to me the importance of Howard Dean's 50 State Plan. Dem's have done a much better job in this cycle of finding and running quality candidates. I believe Harold Ford, Jr. is one of them. And it must continue. Reasonable people in all districts will vote for quality candidates.
On a positive note, My Aunt says she and my Uncle might as well not go to the polls because their votes for TN-Senate are going to cancel each other out. She said, "I wouldn't vote for God if he were running as a Republican." Let's hope there's more like her out there on Nov. 7.
posted by The Angry Progressives @ 8:40 AM,
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