With the insurgent groups meeting in Turkey this Sunday to organize themselves into a cohesive force, and the Friends of Syria joining them in a show of support and to gather information about what they can do to help the insurgents, the al-Assad regime jumped on the bandwagon today with a startling announcement: “The rebel movement has been broken.” The humanitarian watchdog groups keeping up with events in Syria say that 10,000 people have been killed in the year-long insurrection, and that it is not clear that the regime has as yet won anything.
The rebel commander Salim al-Kordi, spokesman for the Syrian Army faction that has left al-Assad and joined the insurgents, said that the rebels will not stop until “the tanks are withdrawn from all cities.”
The Friends of Syria includes some 70 nations, but it does not include Russia, China or Iran - three stalwart friends of al-Assad and his large contracts for military equipment, and his making available ports on the Mediterranean for Russian naval vessels…ain’t love grand???
Notwithstanding, the Syrian army continues to bomb pockets of resistance in major cities, and the rebels themselves are calling on the international community to arm them for the battle ahead.
In fact, the Arab world seems to be awakening to the fact that al-Assad and his cronies will only be driven out with force (something the US seems to be sadly unaware of), and so Saudi Arabia and Qatar are calling for arms to be provided to the newly organizing cohesive force.
That the Saudi chief diplomat, Saoud Al-Faisal, called for arming the rebels while standing next to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is surely a telling move to embarrass America into coming to terms with the need for arms to save the Syrian people.
Again Saturday, 32 Syrians died, 24 of them civilian, as the al-Assad regime took advantage of splits still in the opposition leadership and in the indecision in the international community to attack.
While Secretary Clinton did not agree to provide arms, she stated that she is sceptical that the Anna plan to have a daily ceasefire to evacuate and treat the wounded will have any impact on al-Assad’s regime, saying, “Until today, regime forces continue to pillage and set siege to cities an rebel enclaves, and to use as shields those who are at prayer.”
Hillary Clinton seems to be making the case against her own position.
Belgium announced Saturday that it is favorable to using military-protected humanitarian aid if that will deliver the assistance needed to Syrian civilians.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Vice President Candidates Everywhere
Now that Mitt Romney has the nomination almost sewn up, the wannabes for Vice President are popping up all over the place.
It started with Rick Santorum saying he'd be open to a VP call - suggesting that it could even come from his arch rival, Romney. Not much chance of that happening. Santorum has burnt more bridges than he has in trying to better Romney in various GOP primaries, and Romney would probably select him only if he were the last Republican in America left standing...in which case, it wouldn't matter very much anyway.
Of course, diplomatic Newt Gingrich long ago said that he'd serve in whatever capacity he was called upon to accept. That always sounds good, but the truth is that his GOP voter index is just about -0- and Romney will want somebody with more vote-getting potential.
To cut to the chase, Marco Rubio, the young and very popular Senator from Florida, is the perpetual name on the VP list. His answer is always the same...no thanks. But, turning down the vice presidency is not likely, even for the Rubios of this world. The VP spot is a stepping stone to national prominence, to being a presidential candidate himself, and to getting to the top of the GOP power player list very rapidly. So, don't count Marco Rubio out.
But, maybe the media could back off just a little and let Romney think things over carefully before they anoint Rubio.
It started with Rick Santorum saying he'd be open to a VP call - suggesting that it could even come from his arch rival, Romney. Not much chance of that happening. Santorum has burnt more bridges than he has in trying to better Romney in various GOP primaries, and Romney would probably select him only if he were the last Republican in America left standing...in which case, it wouldn't matter very much anyway.
Of course, diplomatic Newt Gingrich long ago said that he'd serve in whatever capacity he was called upon to accept. That always sounds good, but the truth is that his GOP voter index is just about -0- and Romney will want somebody with more vote-getting potential.
To cut to the chase, Marco Rubio, the young and very popular Senator from Florida, is the perpetual name on the VP list. His answer is always the same...no thanks. But, turning down the vice presidency is not likely, even for the Rubios of this world. The VP spot is a stepping stone to national prominence, to being a presidential candidate himself, and to getting to the top of the GOP power player list very rapidly. So, don't count Marco Rubio out.
But, maybe the media could back off just a little and let Romney think things over carefully before they anoint Rubio.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Dominique Strauss-Kahn in Trouble Again, this Time in France
Dominique Strauss-Kahn is again in the news, and not as a candidate for the French presidency, something he was on his way to becoming before the world of prostitution fell down on his head.
The civil suit against DSK, calling for him to pay damages and costs, is underway in New York City, where the hotel maid, Nafissatou Diallo, who was unable to sustain a criminal charge against him for sexual aggression, is now pursuing her civil rights.
The lawyers of DSK are arguing today that he is immune from prosecution because of his diplomatic passport issued by the UN while he was head of the International Monetary Fund. Immunity for high grade diplomats and other high-ranking international bureaucrats, is covered by the 1947 UN International Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of Special Agencies.
According to DSK’s lawyers, he did not argue for immunity successfully during his criminal trial in NYC because he wanted to defend himself against the false allegations.
The judge in the civil trial seemed today to take the position, a common one in law, that the immunity existed only for activities carried out during the course of his functions for the IMF and would not apply to personal activities.
In addition, the United States has never ratified the Convention, placing the question of immunity for acts carried out in the US even more problematic.
Diallo has contended that she was forced to offer a fellation to DSK in his Sofitel hotel room in NYC, and he has admitted that there was a brief “inappropriate” sexual encounter but that it was consensual.
The NCY civil case judge has said that he will make a decision about the immunity question rapidly. If DSK is found to have immunity from prosecution, the Diallo affair will be over.
BUT, meanwhile, in France, DSK has been preliminarily indicted for “aggravated pimping in an organized band” by a French judge in relation to a prostitution call-girl ring that was run out of a Carlton Hotel in Lille in northern France. This has come to be known in France as “the Carlton Affair.”
Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers have said that DSK is innocent of all the charges levied against him in the Carlton Affair and they plan to appeal his being indicted. They are arguing that the Affair is a simple case of loose morals (alleged to have occurred in Paris and Washington) and has nothing to do with pimping or organizing a call girl ring. His lawyers are also saying that DSK is being hounded because of his notoriety in the Diallo NYC case, as well as for political reasons.
DSK is free on a 100,000 Euro bail (US$ 135,000). He is also under judicial control and may not talk to any of the other accused in the Carlton Affair, the civil parties, witnesses, or the media. His is, however, free to travel and may leave France.
Because he has been preliminarily indicted, DSK’s lawyers will now have access to the full judicial file and will be better able to prepare his defense. The negative side of the preliminary indictment is that DSK will once again be under extreme media scrutiny.
The examination by the French judge of the DSK role in the Carlton Affair will now get underway and may take as much a one year. The real indictment, under French law, will occur at the end of the judge’s examination of the case, and will either release DSK or accuse him formally of the charges being brought against him.
A renowned French newspaper, Le Monde, has gained possession of some of the testimony that DSK gave to the judge before his preliminary indictment. In the parts printed by Le Monde, DSK refers to the women as “girls,” “friends,” the little ones,” and also as the “material” (e.g., gifts).
Most were recognized as prostitutes, in text messages between two other suspects in the Carlton Affair. DSK’s lawyers said he used such words because it was easier than listing the women’s names each time he referred to them.
The women participated, according to the Le Monde transcript, in exchange and other sexual parties in Paris, Washington and Belgium, parties which were carefully organized by text messages that implicate DSK. Some of the women were also interviewed by the judge and, according to Le Monde, talked about bestial and violent encounters that were not usual in the world of escorting and call girls.
One thing the judge must now establish is that DSK knew the women were paid, i.e., prostitutes. That would make his indictment probable. According to Le Monde, DSK told the judge that in retrospect, he was “naive.”
DSK’s lawyers have not denied that they consider DSK a libertine, someone with loose morals, but they add that this is not a crime under the French penal code.
So, dear readers, as this affair progresses, you will have the background needed to understand its nuances.
The civil suit against DSK, calling for him to pay damages and costs, is underway in New York City, where the hotel maid, Nafissatou Diallo, who was unable to sustain a criminal charge against him for sexual aggression, is now pursuing her civil rights.
The lawyers of DSK are arguing today that he is immune from prosecution because of his diplomatic passport issued by the UN while he was head of the International Monetary Fund. Immunity for high grade diplomats and other high-ranking international bureaucrats, is covered by the 1947 UN International Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of Special Agencies.
According to DSK’s lawyers, he did not argue for immunity successfully during his criminal trial in NYC because he wanted to defend himself against the false allegations.
The judge in the civil trial seemed today to take the position, a common one in law, that the immunity existed only for activities carried out during the course of his functions for the IMF and would not apply to personal activities.
In addition, the United States has never ratified the Convention, placing the question of immunity for acts carried out in the US even more problematic.
Diallo has contended that she was forced to offer a fellation to DSK in his Sofitel hotel room in NYC, and he has admitted that there was a brief “inappropriate” sexual encounter but that it was consensual.
The NCY civil case judge has said that he will make a decision about the immunity question rapidly. If DSK is found to have immunity from prosecution, the Diallo affair will be over.
BUT, meanwhile, in France, DSK has been preliminarily indicted for “aggravated pimping in an organized band” by a French judge in relation to a prostitution call-girl ring that was run out of a Carlton Hotel in Lille in northern France. This has come to be known in France as “the Carlton Affair.”
Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers have said that DSK is innocent of all the charges levied against him in the Carlton Affair and they plan to appeal his being indicted. They are arguing that the Affair is a simple case of loose morals (alleged to have occurred in Paris and Washington) and has nothing to do with pimping or organizing a call girl ring. His lawyers are also saying that DSK is being hounded because of his notoriety in the Diallo NYC case, as well as for political reasons.
DSK is free on a 100,000 Euro bail (US$ 135,000). He is also under judicial control and may not talk to any of the other accused in the Carlton Affair, the civil parties, witnesses, or the media. His is, however, free to travel and may leave France.
Because he has been preliminarily indicted, DSK’s lawyers will now have access to the full judicial file and will be better able to prepare his defense. The negative side of the preliminary indictment is that DSK will once again be under extreme media scrutiny.
The examination by the French judge of the DSK role in the Carlton Affair will now get underway and may take as much a one year. The real indictment, under French law, will occur at the end of the judge’s examination of the case, and will either release DSK or accuse him formally of the charges being brought against him.
A renowned French newspaper, Le Monde, has gained possession of some of the testimony that DSK gave to the judge before his preliminary indictment. In the parts printed by Le Monde, DSK refers to the women as “girls,” “friends,” the little ones,” and also as the “material” (e.g., gifts).
Most were recognized as prostitutes, in text messages between two other suspects in the Carlton Affair. DSK’s lawyers said he used such words because it was easier than listing the women’s names each time he referred to them.
The women participated, according to the Le Monde transcript, in exchange and other sexual parties in Paris, Washington and Belgium, parties which were carefully organized by text messages that implicate DSK. Some of the women were also interviewed by the judge and, according to Le Monde, talked about bestial and violent encounters that were not usual in the world of escorting and call girls.
One thing the judge must now establish is that DSK knew the women were paid, i.e., prostitutes. That would make his indictment probable. According to Le Monde, DSK told the judge that in retrospect, he was “naive.”
DSK’s lawyers have not denied that they consider DSK a libertine, someone with loose morals, but they add that this is not a crime under the French penal code.
So, dear readers, as this affair progresses, you will have the background needed to understand its nuances.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Romney and the GOP Religious Conservatives
In the Washington Post today, Chris Cizzilla asked an interesting question: is Mitt Romney underrated?
His answer is “yes” and I’d like to explain why he came to that conclusion and give a little of my own commentary.
First, Cizzilla says that, no matter what anyone says, Romney’s Mormon religion is a negative with Republican evangelical voters. In any state where they make up more than 50% of the GOP vote, Romney has lost.
Second, Romney is a “moderate” compared to the other candidates, and this is a non-starter with the GOP’s base, especially when Romney refuses to play to the crowd by launching attacks on President Obama by calling him a “socialist,” something all other GOP candidates have done.
Third, Romney’s natural base is in the northeast, in a party where the natural base is the south. Fourth, Romney’s largest success while governor of Massachusetts was his health care law that made health scare universal in the commonwealth and has earned him animosity in the GOP, where Obamacare is despised because of its infringement on personal liberties.
Cizzilla is right about all these items. And, if one considers them carefully, there is no reason why Mitt Romney should be leading the pack and seem set to be the 2012 GOP nominee. Cizzilla goes on to explain that it is the Romney organization and money-collecting machine that has made the difference. He tosses in the idea that finally, GOP voters are beginning to ask what the others have done compared to Romney’s long list of achievements in the private and public sectors, and the answer - nothing - is making them tend toward Romney, even though they don’t really like him very much, because they want very badly to get rid of Obama in November.
So far, so good. But, I think there is more to explain in the relationship that has developed between Mitt Romney and the GOP.
If we consider the consequences of the four items above, it would be hard to imagine that Romney could win any delegate votes, let alone be the leading candidate with more than half the votes needed to be nominated.
I think there is something much deeper happening.
It is the return of the GOP to politics.
The notion that somehow elections are won because of social or religious preferences morally binding voters to candidates is a myth, foisted on the Republican Party by groups that want to co-opt the GOP for non-political purposes. They want to bring back a society that no longer exists…with its dogmas of religious conservatism, non-abortion, i.e., sexual abstinence outside marriage, refusal of sexual preferences outside heterosexual marriage, and refusal of the rights of the minorities when they disagree with these dogmas.
The only truly political policy these social conservatives support is fiscal conservatism. Their demand for a balanced budget, paying off the national debt and refusing to expand the tax base are the symptoms of this. And these are honorable political goals. But, the tactics used o achieve these goals are far from the political tradition of the United States and its Constitution.
Demanding signatures on a “No New Taxes” pledge, asking every congressperson to vote in knee-jerk fashion against even the smallest compromise, often those that would benefit their cause by lowering taxes or reducing spending somewhat, is not a political program. It is a quasi-religious crusade meant to divide the country into two camps - the neo-Christian conservatives and everyone else.
Mitt Romney has surely seen this and is fighting against it. His moderation, his refusal to be drawn into debates on issues that are personal rather than political, his calm in the face of the attacks from the religious right demanding that he explain again and again his position on abortion and gay rights, bear the markings of a religious crusade.
And because of his tactics, Mr. Romney, despite the media’s wrong-headed analysis that he is outside the GOP base and cannot ever win them over, is going to win them over, despite themselves.
He represents the voice of political reason, of political tradition, of political leadership. His goals are not religious. They are political, and finally, the social and religious conservatives will agree with him. They will agree, even while they go on talking about religious issues as a cover for their visceral need to defeat President Obama, because Romney’s approach has a chance of beating Obama, while they have seen in this primary season that their approach will lead to national division and defeat.
Perhaps Mitt Romney has known all along that catering to the religious right is a fool’s game. Perhaps he has known all along that they will buckle under and vote for him because the alternative is abhorrent to them.
So, I say, do not underestimate Mitt Romney. He may understand the Republican Party much better than most of us.
His answer is “yes” and I’d like to explain why he came to that conclusion and give a little of my own commentary.
First, Cizzilla says that, no matter what anyone says, Romney’s Mormon religion is a negative with Republican evangelical voters. In any state where they make up more than 50% of the GOP vote, Romney has lost.
Second, Romney is a “moderate” compared to the other candidates, and this is a non-starter with the GOP’s base, especially when Romney refuses to play to the crowd by launching attacks on President Obama by calling him a “socialist,” something all other GOP candidates have done.
Third, Romney’s natural base is in the northeast, in a party where the natural base is the south. Fourth, Romney’s largest success while governor of Massachusetts was his health care law that made health scare universal in the commonwealth and has earned him animosity in the GOP, where Obamacare is despised because of its infringement on personal liberties.
Cizzilla is right about all these items. And, if one considers them carefully, there is no reason why Mitt Romney should be leading the pack and seem set to be the 2012 GOP nominee. Cizzilla goes on to explain that it is the Romney organization and money-collecting machine that has made the difference. He tosses in the idea that finally, GOP voters are beginning to ask what the others have done compared to Romney’s long list of achievements in the private and public sectors, and the answer - nothing - is making them tend toward Romney, even though they don’t really like him very much, because they want very badly to get rid of Obama in November.
So far, so good. But, I think there is more to explain in the relationship that has developed between Mitt Romney and the GOP.
If we consider the consequences of the four items above, it would be hard to imagine that Romney could win any delegate votes, let alone be the leading candidate with more than half the votes needed to be nominated.
I think there is something much deeper happening.
It is the return of the GOP to politics.
The notion that somehow elections are won because of social or religious preferences morally binding voters to candidates is a myth, foisted on the Republican Party by groups that want to co-opt the GOP for non-political purposes. They want to bring back a society that no longer exists…with its dogmas of religious conservatism, non-abortion, i.e., sexual abstinence outside marriage, refusal of sexual preferences outside heterosexual marriage, and refusal of the rights of the minorities when they disagree with these dogmas.
The only truly political policy these social conservatives support is fiscal conservatism. Their demand for a balanced budget, paying off the national debt and refusing to expand the tax base are the symptoms of this. And these are honorable political goals. But, the tactics used o achieve these goals are far from the political tradition of the United States and its Constitution.
Demanding signatures on a “No New Taxes” pledge, asking every congressperson to vote in knee-jerk fashion against even the smallest compromise, often those that would benefit their cause by lowering taxes or reducing spending somewhat, is not a political program. It is a quasi-religious crusade meant to divide the country into two camps - the neo-Christian conservatives and everyone else.
Mitt Romney has surely seen this and is fighting against it. His moderation, his refusal to be drawn into debates on issues that are personal rather than political, his calm in the face of the attacks from the religious right demanding that he explain again and again his position on abortion and gay rights, bear the markings of a religious crusade.
And because of his tactics, Mr. Romney, despite the media’s wrong-headed analysis that he is outside the GOP base and cannot ever win them over, is going to win them over, despite themselves.
He represents the voice of political reason, of political tradition, of political leadership. His goals are not religious. They are political, and finally, the social and religious conservatives will agree with him. They will agree, even while they go on talking about religious issues as a cover for their visceral need to defeat President Obama, because Romney’s approach has a chance of beating Obama, while they have seen in this primary season that their approach will lead to national division and defeat.
Perhaps Mitt Romney has known all along that catering to the religious right is a fool’s game. Perhaps he has known all along that they will buckle under and vote for him because the alternative is abhorrent to them.
So, I say, do not underestimate Mitt Romney. He may understand the Republican Party much better than most of us.
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