That's Capital

I keep listening to media pundits and Republican commentators bemoan the nature of this stimulus plan, and the way it's being formulated. I keep waiting for someone to actually articulate - with specificity - what's actually so wasteful. Outside of Lou Dobb's branded sell-the-anger nightly rant last night (at least his hit an actual target - in that case the 660 million going to further the push of analog to digital television adoption), I've yet to hear anything except boilerplate. The sound and fury is all about the principles. "We're going socialist," kind of rallying cries. Or Jeffrey Sach's worried... Read more →

Listen to Tom Ricks interviewed by another Tom on Onpoint today. I wasn't a big fan of Ricks when listening to him on news shows a few years ago. But that was because he seemed stridently critical of Israel. I'm no strident supporter of Israel, but his smile was smug as he described Israeli generals consciously creating civilian focused havoc in the 2006 Lebanon War. I simply didn't believe him. In retrospect, the Winograd Commission seemed to paint a portrait of another stunningly bad government going blindly into a war that was brutal, and worse, for all the brutality left... Read more →

Though I've felt uncomfortable with his choice of Tim Geitner (head of the IRS not paying taxes - just on symbolism it's a stain at a time when symbolism matters), but listening to Obama handle questions generates a confidence and... relief... that's the only word that captures it, that I haven't felt for years about those in power. In fact, looking back over my lifetime, this is the first time I have listened to any president who seems to actually answer questions directly, clearly, and with magnanimity. He's a genuine leader, the best at the level I've ever seen. To... Read more →