April 2003 Archives
Hart's speech impressed me, and I expect I'll hand him my vote in the D.C. primary next year. (Which, if it is held in January, seems to be shaping up as a Sharpton vs. Moseley Braun affair. Ecch.) But the speech confirmed my view that Hart is the best qualified and the least likely future president. There have been candidates unserved by soundbite coverage, but Hart's entire monologue -- 45 minutes, mind you -- was just a survey of his platform. And it takes that long to understand what is essentially a Grand Unified Theory of geopolitics and the American polity today. So while there is an important and original message there, it will be very hard for the public, however interested, to hear it
While Lysander certainly has a point - it takes some work to realize the breadth of Senator Hart's vision - I don't think this makes him the 'least likely'. It just means there's got to be some work put into boiling his ideas down to those points that might resonate with the latent patriot in the undecided and/or non-voting electorate.
The music service Jobs unveiled is a delight. Called the iTunes Music Store, the service -- it's available only on Apple machines for now but will be ready for Windows "by the end of the year" -- is fully integrated into the company's jukebox software. Users can search for songs to purchase in the same way they'd look for songs they already have on their machines. The system is foolproof: You type in a name, a song comes up, and you press a button to buy it. That's it. You're in the hole for 99 cents for each song you download ($10 for each album), but you see none of the transaction details; all the purchases are "one-click." And here's the stunning thing: Once you've bought a song, you own it. You can do (pretty much) whatever you want to do with the songs you download, including burning them to CDs, transferring them to iPods, or sending them to other Macs.
$0.99 a song, and you can do pretty much whatever you want with it when you're done - legally! The system uses AAC rather than the popular MP3 format - and at the same event, Jobs announced new ipods (and upgrades for existing ones) to handle the new format. AAC allegedly provides higher quality in less space than MP3. Itunes 4 (with Quicktime 6.2) can encode to it for those wanting to take advantage. I've put off the purchase of an MP3 player, since I haven't been happy with the sound quality, but the combination of better quality, and cheap music may push me over the edge. The new ipod's come out Friday.
Senator Hart will be attending the Denver Gary Hart Meetup this Thursday. If you're in Denver and at all interested in what the Senator has to say, stop by: Sweet Rockin' Coffee, 414 E. 20th Ave at 8pm (note that this is a change from the original planned Meetup at the Englewood Public Library.) Bring a friend!
Zakaria is a serious enough thinker and has produced a serious enough book to require serious attention. Either one-dimensional "democracy" or a more nuanced constitutional liberalism with institutional instruments underwriting individual liberty are the choices he offers for the 21st century. He sees no alternatives, though a lively debate stimulated by his book might produce some.
I happened to pick up this book last week and here comes a review of it by Senator Hart in Washington Monthly.
This document explains how Trackback will work in UserLand content management software.
Yay! Dave is working on Trackback for Radio. I'll probably continue switching, because Perl calls to me, but this is still good to hear.
Bottom line: We can get rid of the sculptures of Saddam with one tug, but our job is to build a regime in Iraq that won't produce any more battered human skulls. That will be a huge task, which will need many helpers. The challenge for the Arabs, France and Russia is to get over the fact that Mr. Bush did something good, and roll up their sleeves to help make it last. And the challenge for Mr. Bush is to not take the good thing he has done and cast it in an ideological framework that will make people resent it — at home and abroad.
Tom touches on WMD and the moral irrelevance of a lack thereof, fears for the future, and why the world isn't celebrating.
"The images [of looting] you are seeing on television, you are seeing over and over and over, and it’s the same picture of some person walking out of some building with a vase. And you see it twenty times. And you think, 'My goodness, were there that many vases? Is it possible that there were that many vases in the whole country?' "
—Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, April 11
"A handful of ancient objects stolen from Iraq’s national museum were returned today. AU.S. soldier at the museum said local residents handed over bags containing twenty vases and other antiquities. Thousands of objects disappeared [from Baghdad museums] last week."
—"The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," April 18
It is hard to imagine a more precarious — or more promising — time in the Middle East. Will Iraq become a secular democracy or a new theocracy? Will the change in the Palestinian leadership usher in needed reform and a chance for statehood and peace with Israel, or will the revolving door of violence and enmity continue to spin? The region hangs in the balance. The direction in which it tips will depend on the choices made now by the Arab world, Israel and the United States. All have responsibilities they must assume.It is becoming clear that the Arab world needs to take the initiative in making its political and economic systems more democratic. The frustrations Arabs feel today — prompted by the slow pace of democratic reform, stagnant economies and political instability: all threaten the region's future. The moment has come for the Arab world to engage in a homegrown, evolutionary and orderly process of democratization — one that will respect Arab culture while at the same time giving citizens the power to be part of the political process.
There are encouraging noises coming from the Arab establishment in the Middle East. Amongst them is this Times op-ed by the Foreign Minister of Jordan calling on Arab countries to get their acts together and get democratizing.
As for running a Green Party candidate for president in 2004, Robinson admits that "Bush has certainly given me pause; in fact I think Greens everywhere are thinking about it." But in the end, she says, it's more important to build the party than to defeat Bush -- and to do that, the Greens need to run a national campaign. "If we didn't run a presidential candidate, our organizing efforts would be set back years," says Robinson, who divides her time between the Green Party and law school at the University of Michigan. "Under state election laws, you need to field a candidate to maintain your line on the ballot. Running a national race also gives you invaluable exposure. If we didn't run a candidate next year, it would just confirm in voters' minds their suspicion that we're simply a different shade of Democrat."
We were just discussing Nader in some comments yesterday, and today Salon publishes an article on Nader, the Green Party and their plans to screw the country and themselves again in 2004.
"Legitimate" and "justice" seem to be the keywords differentiating Mr Hart from the Bush doctrine.[...]
From an Italian perspective, a Gary Hart America would be a lot more reassuring than a Bush America. Who knows, it might even make it easier for us here at the periphery to get rid of our own "B" guy.
Flavio likes the Senator. While they can't vote, I'd certainly be curious to get more European (and the rest of the world) views on the field of candidates given the concern amongst Democrats (and reasonable folk everywhere) about how the US is currently perceived by the world. I suspect, given the opportunity, "Unnamed Democrat" (thats a good name for a blog ... hmm) might win the European vote at this point.
Federal prosecutors said Benjamin James Johnson, 27, an engineer for Fox News Channel, was charged in a criminal complaint with smuggling 12 Iraqi paintings and 40 Iraqi monetary bonds into the United States. The articles were impounded by Customs agents at Dulles International Airport near Washington.
No comment, just thought I'd share.
Any thought that Democratic candidates or spokespersons can now successfully redirect public attention to the precarious domestic economy misses important new 21st century realities--globalization is erasing the distinction between U.S. economics and the world economy; the world economy cannot be separated from U.S. foreign policy; and our foreign policy also involves our military and security forces.
In his latest blog entry, Senator Hart points out that the Democratic Party can't just change the subject and hope to win. The point the Senator makes should be completely obvious, and yet - as proven by the abject failure of the Democrats in this past November's elections - it's evidently not. I've been convinced for a while, but Hart continues to surprise me at every turn.
As 2004 approaches, Hart is still thinking big thoughts. That makes his voice especially valuable in an election campaign that is bound to be uphill for any Democrat. Hart's party again needs a change of direction. He should run for president because he can help make it happen.
I suppose it's a bit early to be considered an endorsement. Perhaps it's more of an enticement. In any cases, the Concord Monitor wants Senator Hart to run - a sign that his time was well spent the last few weeks.
I don't actually live in Denver - I'm an Aurorite - but I work downtown, and obviously have some interest in who will be running the city. As such, I thought I'd mention here that John Hickenlooper looks to be the man for the job. A former geologist, turned beer-brewer/developer, Hickenlooper is largely responsible for the resurrection of Denver's Lodo district. He's garnered the endorsements of both the Rocky Mountain News the Denver Post (allegedly) and 5280 Magazine. He was also the highest scorer amongst the candidates (and reporters) in a recent metro-matters pop-quiz given by the Rocky Mountain News. Plus, his ads rule ;). For those looking for more details, his issues page is here. The election is May 6th and you can lookup your district information and polling places here.
Millions of Americans have hit the streets since last fall to protest George Bush's push for preemptive war against Iraq. But Mr. Bush wouldn't listen. He dismissed protestors and their concerns.Would he listen any better if everyone who has attended a march pledged to vote in 2004? Or if, in addition, everyone who carried a sign, made a speech, sent an email, wrote a letter or lit a candle for peace committed to register one new American voter every month between now and the next presidential election? Would he get the message if a groundswell of new peace voters went to the polls in 2004 and showed how regime change can happen peacefully?
A good call by Tompaine.com. While I tend to believe that in the end we had no choice but to fight this war - thank you France - I think Bush shares a good percentage of the blame for setting the tone in an effort to discredit the UN. If protesters really care about what goes on in our government - and as I've stated before I think most of the protesters are protesting Bush rather than the war - perhaps they should commit themselves to becoming involved in the process.
[via TAPPED]
Losing a tough first-round series is not unprecedented -- the Wings did it two years ago to the Los Angeles Kings. But losing four straight to a No. 7 seed when you have a Hall of Fame roster and a gaggle of young talent is not only historic, it's inexplicable.
That riddle will now consume our spring and summer hours, previously set aside for hockey. Instead of going indoors in early May, you can mow the lawn and say, "I can't believe the Wings lost like that." Instead of finding a sports bar in early June, you can hit the beach and say, "I still can't believe the Wings lost that way."
And while you're doing that, you can most likely say good-bye to familiar faces: Luc Robitaille, Igor Larionov, maybe even Fedorov and McCarty, all free agents who seem less essential after a goose egg in the playoffs.
But mostly what we say good-bye to is anticipation, adulation and exultation. They are replaced by frustration now, ours and theirs. For 18 months, Detroit has been a happy place for hockey, a sort of magic Puckville in which the best players played and the best fans watched.
All gone now. The best laid plans of mice and men just got hammered by Ducks. The team got dressed. The plane took off. There is no joy in Puckville; the mighty Red Wings have struck out.
An informed Political Wire reader writes to say Gary Hart "is definitely running, and it's just a matter of time until he formally declares." This news concurs with a report made earlier by another reader.
The suspense is killing me.
[via Political Wire]
Such encounters made clear to me that America was not just at war with Saddam, but with Saddamism: an entrenched Arab mind-set, born of years of colonialism and humiliation, that insists that upholding Arab dignity and nationalism by defying the West is more important than freedom, democracy and modernization.
Thomas Friedman lays down the path we must take to break down the attitudes that have made the Middle East a global flash-point for so long. If we don't actually follow through with the promise of liberation and democracy - no excuses - we're going to find ourselves in a much worse place than we were before 9/11 and will live up to the worst caricatures painted by the ANSWER'S, NION's and France's of the world. All the folks on the right who are already declaring victory had better take this seriously to heart.
While executives at those labels wail about the industry's imminent collapse, indie labels and artists are singing a much happier tune. Profits are up - in some cases by 50 to 100 percent. That's in contrast to overall album sales, which dropped about 11 percent in 2002.
A good article in the Christian Science Monitor on the flourishing of indie labels while the mainstream recording industry blames their troubles on their customers. Maybe the problem isn't the customers, eh?
Late on Thursday, April 10, 2003, the Senate and House the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act (formerly known as the RAVE Act) as an attachment to the Amber Alert Bill (a child abduction bill). The bill is likely to be signed into law by the President in the next few weeks. Fax Attorney General Ashcroft right now! Urge him and President Bush to make clear and careful enforcement decisions that uphold our freedom of speech, right to peacefully assemble, and our right to dance! We thank our supporters for their faxes and encouragement. We will continue to work in coalition to fix this dangerous law.
Oh well. At least go tell Ashcroft to watch how he uses it.
Murdoch's success has been described in many ways, but for my shilling, it comes down to this: He has always had a keen insight into liberalism's greatest psychological vulnerability--that liberals, above almost any other virtue, want to be seen as fair-minded and reasonable. He exploits that condition daily, but he's never exploited it quite like he did in the summer of 1993.
An interesting article in The American Prospect on Rupert Murdoch's rise to power, culminating this week with his acquisition of DirectTV. I'm not sure I agree with their end conclusion, that liberals need to stop being so reasonable - I'd prefer to leave the unreasonable shrillness to the far edges of both sides of the political spectrum - but it does paint an interesting picture of Murdoch's shrewd manipulation of that trait.
A Political Wire reader writes to say Gary Hart spoke at Loyola University Chicago today. When answering a question about whether he knew if he would run for president, Hart said:"No, I don't. When I do, I'll announce it. I think now we're going to wait a little. People say its getting late, all the activists are signing up for other candidates, but I'm reminded that Clinton didn't announce until September of '91 when he ran. So, it's possible to wait a while. And, second, right now Bush is very very popular, and no one wants to rain on his parade. But I'll continue to speak. I don't think we have to make a decision right now."
Oops, never mind.
[via Political Wire]
Former U.S. Sen. Gary Hart said Tuesday a decision on joining the race for the Democratic presidential nomination is only days away, maintaining the feedback he's received so far is very encouraging.
[via Political Wire]
One of the upshots of having no military or economic rival to speak of is that you can afford to be magnanimous in victory. The president has shown he can wage war like a superpower. Here's hoping he can learn to wage peace like one.
Another warning from Economist countries editor and TNR columnist Robert Lane Greene
Can the Bush administration follow its brilliant military campaign in Iraq with a smart political and diplomatic campaign after the war? It can if it avoids some dangerous temptations.
An important warning from Robert Kagan, Washington Post columnist, and co-founder of the Project for the New American Century - the folks behind the Pagano Doctrine.
Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind.
Leonardo da Vinci arranged those words sometime during his life that lasted 67 peerless years. Da Vinci was a stud. The REAL Leo. Smart, handsome, musically gifted, innovative, and as the above quote suggests, a mental warrior. The Italian was a vegetarian, yet he had a carnivorous appetite for life.
Da Vinci's quote blares STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS in broad, colorful strokes. Obstacles, resolve and mind -- the three most important words in the quote and the three most important words in describing the Stanley Cup playoffs. Yes, a talented team will raise the 35-pound Stanley Cup, but the winner will be determined by who overcomes obstacles, displays an almost inhumane resolve, and whose mind is maniacally driven to reach his star. His Stanley Cup.
EMERGENCY: In an attempt to sneak the RAVE Act through the Senate, Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) has just introduced the legislation into conference committee as an add-on to the otherwise unrelated National AMBER Alert Network Act of 2003 (S151). S151 has passed the Senate and House and is now in Conference! If Biden is successful, the RAVE Act is likely to become law without ever having a public hearing, debate or a vote. Don't allow overzealous prosecutors to send innocent people to jail for the crimes of others.
This is bad. The AMBER Alert Act is VERY popular, and its being used by Joe Biden to push through some very stupid crap. If you aren't familiar with the RAVE Act, here's a brief blurb:
If enacted, the RAVE Act would make it easier for the federal government to punish property owners for any drug offense that their customers commit - even if they work hard to stop such offenses. If enacted, nightclub and stadium owners would likely stop holding events - such as rock or Hip Hop concerts - in which even one person might use drugs. Because of its broad language, the proposed law would even potentially subject people to twenty years in federal prison if one or more of their guests smoked marijuana at their party or barbecue.
...is here for those that care about such things.
Senator Hart responded to three reader comments over on his blog. There's been some doubt expressed in the blogosphere over how "real" this endeavor is - suggesting that the blog will be used as just another medium for polished campaign tidbits and not the give and take the blogosphere expects. I think this is a good demonstration that Gary Hart is willing to use this medium to not only get his message out but more importantly hear what people think. This bit in particular gets me excited about the possibilities:
I welcome a dialogue with Chuck and others on this, since it needs to be further thought through. I understand the complexity of the proposal and can think of a number of questions myself, but let me know a better alternative.
He's not talking at us, he's talking with us. How many politicians can that honestly be said about? I've said it before, and I imagine I'll be saying it a lot more in the future - This man gets it.
I knew him as most people did, through what he wrote. I'd met him and admired him easily, but the Michael I read I loved. And so today, without a particular right to, I feel heartbroken. When the news broke, Mencken biographer Terry Teachout expressed with concision what I felt and had not been able to articulate: "This is horrible, horrible news--[Michael] had evolved into a great force for journalistic good, not just as regards this war but in general, and his death will leave a black hole in the sky."
Peggy pays tribute to Michael Kelly's independence and inimitable style. I feel much the same.
This program is a revealing one-hour interview with former U.S. Senator Gary Hart. Hart discusses the War in Iraq in detail, as well as hitting difficult domestic issues such as Social Security. Hart also talks about the 2004 Presidential Race.
Some of the questions on the show include, "What is your take on the war in Iraq?" "What do you really think Bush’s main motivation is with the war?" "Why don’t we have U.N. backing in this war?" "Has the US hurt itself internationally?" "How do we mend these relationships?" "With a war in Iraq underway, are we more vulnerable to a terrorist attack?" "What is the present value of all accrued Social Security liabilities?" "What would you do as President?"
For those in Denver that might be interested, Senator Hart will be on the Aaron Harber Show (a good local politics show for those not familiar with it) tonight at 9pm (repeats Sunday at 2pm) on KBDI - Channel 12. Thanks to Katy for pointing it out to me!
Michael Kelly, the Atlantic Monthly editor-at-large and Washington Post columnist who abandoned the safety of editorial offices to cover the war in Iraq, has been killed in a Humvee accident while traveling with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division.
I didn't always agree with him, but I always enjoyed his writing, his Atlantic Monthly column "What Now?" and the direction he took the magazine. His recent writings helped sway my thoughts on this war:
Hard and dangerous and damned courageous and self-sacrificing and so very lonely and really scary and rather repetitious, especially for the global Conscience of Our Culture. "War is always the worst of solutions," declared French President Jacques Chirac in late January, asserting once again a philosophical stance toward tyranny that French governments have applied with admirable consistency since the days when the wind blew from Vichy. "We have adopted a strategy of using inspectors," Chirac said, in the days before Colin Powell was to make the case for war before the United Nations Security Council. And we have still got a strategy and it is still inspections, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin declared, after Powell had conclusively demonstrated that Iraq was continuing to defy and cheat the inspection regime, in what was clearly defined as a "material breach" of Security Council Resolution 1441, sufficient as a cause for the immediate use of force. "Why go to war if there still exists some unused space in Resolution 1441?" said the admirably consistent De Villepin, whose con-sistency was helped by the fact that his statement responding to the pre-sentation of evidence that France had demanded was in fact written before the evidence was presented. "Consistent with the logic of this resolution, we must move on to a new stage and further strengthen the inspections." Also, we must surrender.
In private conversations, Gary Hart “sounds pretty certain” he’ll run for President, according to his longtime New Hampshire friend Dan Calegari.
“But whether he can generate the kind of enthusiasm he did in 1984 remains to be seen,” Calegari says.
1984 was the year Hart shocked the nation by upsetting former Vice President Walter Mondale in the New Hampshire primary.
Calegari said that Hart’s affair with Donna Rice, which took him out of the 1988 Presidential primary campaigns, wouldn’t be a serious issue. “After all,” said the ever-blunt Mr. Calegari, “Bill Clinton made him look like an amateur.”
Calegari said he won’t even back Hart if the former Colorado senator does run because he thinks it’s a mistake. He’d rather see Hart involved in someone else’s campaign “so he can have a major role in a new administration in reshaping government.”
Calegari says Hart, who privately spoke with about 35 people at the Merrimack Restaurant during his visit to the state last week, is expected back in the state later this month.
If Hart did enter the race, he would “elevate the whole dialogue. I remember him predicting this war in 1983, when he said that if we do not develop energy independence, men and women will someday be dying on the sands of the Arabian peninsula,” Calegari said.
Looking good. I'm a bit worried by all the folks that seem to appreciate Senator Hart as a person and thinker, but would rather he be an adjunct in someone elses administration. While this would be better than Senator Hart heading back to the mountains again, I'd be worried that his ideas would get diluted in such a role, which may very well be why those who currently hold power in the political world would rather see him as an adjunct.
[via Political Wire]
Dennis Miller, in his heart of hearts, in his deepest darkest fantasies, wants to be the next Rush Limbaugh. I give him 1 year before he's got his own ass-clown right wing radio talk show.
Whee!
He hasn't declared yet, but that hasn't stopped Project Vote-Smart from putting up some useful information on the Senator, including links to transcripts of interviews (including the Sputtery and Colmes interview I mentioned earlier,) biographical info, and eventually position statements.
Also, Salon has an article today about the Senator's proposal last fall for a reasonable resolution of the situation in Iraq. It was ignored by the Democrats, leading to the mess they find themselves in today. I think it provides a good view of his position on the war.
Lastly, don't forget that tonight is National Gary Hart Meetup Day. If you're interested in talking with other Hart supporters and especially if you are interested in volunteering, be sure to check out your local Meetup.
The letters section of The New York Times is sometimes more penetrating than the editorials. A March 23 letter from Lawrence Borok: "As someone who was very active in the [anti-Vietnam War] protests, I think that the antiwar activists are totally wrong on this one. Granted, President Bush's insensitive policies in many areas dear to liberals (I am one) naturally make me suspicious of his motives. But even if he's doing it for all the wrong reasons, have they all forgotten about the Iraqi people?"
And, in the March 23 New York Times Magazine, Michael Ignatieff, a longtime human rights investigator, wrote of "14,000 'writers, academics, and other intellectuals' - many of them my friends - [who] published a petition against the war . . . condemning the Iraqi regime for its human rights violations and supporting 'efforts by the Iraqi opposition to create a democratic, multi-ethnic, and multireligious Iraq.' " But they say, he adds, that waging war at this time is "morally unacceptable."
"I wonder," Ignatieff wrote - as I also wonder - "what their support for the Iraqi opposition amounts to."
When the Village Voice is publishing articles extolling the virtues of this war, you have to wonder what it is the anti-war protesters are protesting. I suspect it's more about protesting against Bush and using the Vietnam protests as a model. If you want to protest Bush, then protest Bush, don't protest against the war - it just makes your completely legitimate points easy for the masses to dismiss. I'm not saying don't protest, just make sure you know what you're protesting against. And you know what the best way to protest against Bush is? Make sure he has worthy challengers awaiting him in 2004. Regime change begins at home.
... from Navajo Hogan's Roadhouse down in the Springs to watch my friend John perform in their weekly jazz jam. John was fantastic and a good time was had by all. If you're ever in the Springs on a Tuesday night and want some entertainment, definately check it out. Watch out for the burritos though, they're enormous.
Calling himself "a kind of dusted-off old figure" and "the last idealist in America," Gary Hart said he may run for president in 2004 because prominent Democrats are not challenging the Bush administration's foreign policy.
Hart, 66, who spoke to about 150 people at Amherst College on Saturday, is on a tour of campuses to drum up support for his campaign and his anti-war platform.
The former U.S senator and presidential candidate in 1994 and 1998 said that he can win the presidency this time - despite the fact he has only recently begun to raise funds - if young people aged 19 to 25 and "concerned citizens" propel him to a victory in the New Hampshire primary.
He sure sounds like he's ready to run. I suspect all this college campus touring is getting him fired up.
"If you win New Hampshire, the whole thing changes," Hart said of the nation's traditional first primary election.
The whole thing changes indeed. From a fellow idealist to the Senator: here's hopin'.
