Articles in the Rove, Karl Category
AIPAC, Afghanistan, Biden, Joe, Bush, George W., CIA, Clinton, Hillary, Cold War, Darfur, Emanuel, Rahm, Gates, Robert, Gulf War II, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jones, James, McCain, John, Militarism, Neoconservatism, Neoliberal Economics, Obama, Barack, Pakistan, Pentagon, Rice, Susan, Rove, Karl, Rumsfeld, Donald, Sudan, US Foreign Policy, al-Qaeda »
Barack Obama has assembled a team of rivals to implement his foreign policy. But while pundits and journalists speculate endlessly on the potential for drama with Hillary Clinton at the state department and Bill Clinton’s network of shady funders, the real rivalry that will play out goes virtually unmentioned. The main battles will not be between Obama’s staff, but rather against those who actually want a change in US foreign policy, not just a staff change in the war room.
When announcing his foreign policy team on Monday, Obama said: “I didn’t go around checking their voter registration.” That is a bit hard to believe, given the 63-question application to work in his White House. But Obama clearly did check their credentials, and the disturbing truth is that he liked what he saw.
The assembly of Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates, Susan Rice and Joe Biden is a kettle of hawks with a proven track record of support for the Iraq war, militaristic interventionism, neoliberal economic policies and a worldview consistent with the foreign policy arch that stretches from George HW Bush’s time in office to the present. (more…)
Democratic Party, Economics, GOP, Lieberman, Joe, McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Palin, Sarah, Rove, Karl, The Economist, United States, Watergate »
Nothing became John McCain’s campaign like the ending of it. In a graceful and even moving concession speech on election night, he urged all Republicans to put aside their partisan differences and support Barack Obama as he grapples with the many challenges facing America. His audience was less than equally gracious; but that is hardly his fault.
There have been a few reminders in the closing stages of his doomed campaign of why Americans once fell in love with the guy. Another was his appearance on “Saturday Night Live” on November 1st. Standing next to Tina Fey—the woman whose impersonation of Sarah Palin has done more than anything to turn his campaign into a punchline—Mr McCain made light of his predicament. He could not afford half-an-hour of airtime on the major channels, like his rival, he claimed; so he was appearing on the shopping channel, making his case as best he could while also trying to “sell you some stuff”, such as a limited edition of “Joe action figures”—Joe the Plumber, Joe Sixpack and Joe Biden (pull the cord and he talks for 45 minutes). He also brought the house down at the Al Smith memorial dinner on October 16th. (more…)
