The Rational Inquirer

I’ll Take Black History Month For $1000, Alex.

2007-02-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

February is the shortest month of the year. Just twenty-eight days during the winter solstice when the nights are still longer than the days, when the winds blow, snow falls and we endure some of the coldest times of the season. It is also the month when we celebrate our Presidents and note the birthdays of two: Mr. Washington and Mr. Lincoln. One owned slaves; the other freed them.

This is also the month we designate as Black History Month in our schools (and in television commercials), expanded during my time on this earth from Black History Day to Black History Week to Black History Month. Just twenty-eight short days during which we acknowledge the contributions and accomplishments, ancient, past, current and future of some 34 million Americans and their ancestors.

Now some people are bent out of shape because others would deign to acknowledge that not every accomplishment, historical feat, act of bravery or selflessness, intellectual achievement, demonstration of musical or mathematical or medical genius, artistic expression, comes attached to a Caucasian face. They whine “Why do Black folks – African-Americans, Afro-Americans, Negroes, N-words, Colored people or ‘them’ or ‘they’ – have to have a whole month (week, day) where we have to learn, talk about – even listen to – anything about them? Why are they never satisfied? What’s the point?”

The point is that without those heads, hands, hearts, brains, brawn and backs, you would not be here today.

Other people treat these short days as a marathon trivia game: Who was the first to do this, or the only to do that? Even at this past weekend’s Super Bowl, the underlying theme was the first two Black coaches to reach the ultimate game. The unspoken message seems to be: “Now that we’ve crossed that hurdle, we can get back to business as usual. ‘They’ should be satisfied for a while.”

If we learned the whole history of this nation, and not the Readers’ Digest condensed version, this type of special recognition of our citizens wouldn’t be necessary. Not for Black Americans, not for Asian Americans, not for Native Americans, not for Hispanic or Latino\a Americans. But we serve up a kind of “whitewashed” history that leaves out significant chunks of data. Black History Month is a small attempt at setting the record straight.

Black History Month is more than just a stream of endless trivia. And frankly, lately, some of what passes for “history” is indeed far from it. If these twenty-eight days are going to mean anything to anybody, it’s time we focus on the whole history of a people who have contributed mightily to building, defending, educating and enhancing America. It is a history that doesn’t start with Washington and slavery nor end with Lincoln and “freedom,” that doesn’t start with Rosa Parks on a bus and end with Dr. King in D.C., that doesn’t start with New Orleans jazz or end with Katrina. And it certainly doesn’t start on February 1 and end on February 28.

A Tale of Two Merediths

2006-12-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

This is a story of two families named Meredith. The story arc for one family peaked on a long night in September of 1962. For the other family, it might have peaked on December 4, 2006. What they share in common is the United States Supreme Court.

Crystal Meredith and her kindergarten aged son Joshua moved to Louisville Kentucky in 2002 sometime after the normal enrollment period for new students in February and March. In August, when Crystal attempted to enroll Joshua in her neighborhood school, her request was denied. That school operates on a "year-round" plan and was already seven weeks into its school year. Joshua was assigned to one of the other schools in the "cluster" of available schools based on Crystal's residence. She requested a transfer to a different school, which was closer to her house, but not part of her assigned cluster. Her request was denied. According to the letter she received from the school district it was because "The office of student services has disapproved your transfer request" because it would "have an adverse effect on desegregation compliance." Following years of court-ordered desegregation, the school system had devised a voluntary plan to maintain the racial balance achieved once the court order was lifted. This appears to be the point where Crystal decided to take her case to court.

Joshua went to his assigned school, apparently without incident. He finished his kindergarten year and went on to first grade. Again, during the time for enrollment and school transfers his mother did not request a transfer. In fact, she did nothing. So Joshua was assigned to the same school he went to for kindergarten for first grade. Crystal, meanwhile, decided to pursue her lawsuit claiming that Joshua had been discriminated against based on his race, because he could not attend the school of her choice. It did not seem to matter to her that her “choice” school was out of her designated cluster area, where she had as many as ten schools from which to choose. Court after court ruled against her until her appeal reached the Supreme Court. On December 4, the Court heard oral arguments in the case of Meredith v. Jefferson County Schools.

In 1961, James Meredith was attending college at Jackson State University in Mississippi. He was a bit older than most students, having enlisted in the Air Force right out of high school. Following the landmark decision of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education, the country was moving “with all deliberate speed” towards desegregation and elimination of all Jim Crow laws. Meredith wanted to attend the University of Mississippi, still segregated at that time. He wrote to Thurgood Marshall, head of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to ask for help in enrolling in the University. He told Marshall that he was willing to do whatever it took to get into the school.

After applying twice and being rejected both times, Meredith filed suit against the University. A district court sided with the University; the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Meredith. The case would go to the Supreme Court; it sided with Meredith. By now it was 1962.

As time for enrollment drew closer, tension mounted. In September, the Kennedy administration sent Nicholas Katzenbach to Mississippi to try to negotiate a scenario for Meredith to enroll. The University balked. But the administration decided that Meredith would be spirited onto campus on September 30 under the guard of federal marshals. And he would enroll the following day.

Throughout the day and into the evening of the 30th, the white students of the University gathered to protest Meredith’s pending enrollment. By 7p.m. or so the crowd was unruly to say the least. The federal marshal in charge of the operation had enlarged the number of his men in the operation from a few teams to 127. He also deputized 300 members of the U.S. Border Patrol. His small army had few weapons: those with sidearms had been ordered not to shoot. The remainder of the force had teargas and makeshift helmets to protect themselves and Meredith.

The chants and taunts of the students gave way to rocks, bottles, Molotov cocktails and football sized chunks of concrete with handles attached to make it easier for them to be lobbed at the marshals. The crowd had been fired up thanks to a televised speech by then Governor Ross Barnett, who vowed that no Mississippi schools would be integrated as long as he was governor. Barnett had lined up Mississippi state troopers along side the protesters to stare down the federal agents and supposedly “keep order,” but in reality, they did nothing to stop the growing violence.

Rocks were flying, bricks thrown and fires were set. By this time, most of the students fled for their safety as other protesters – some from as far away as California. Two young men who were watching the scene got caught in the middle as the mob turned and surged. One was shot in the head and killed as he and his friend had tried to flee.

The marshals and Katzenbach had been on the phone to the White House and Attorney General Robert Kennedy. The marshals were outmanned and outnumbered and quickly running out of teargas, the only weapon between them and violent crowd and state troopers. President Kennedy federalized the Mississippi National Guard and they moved in. He also called in US Army troops from Fort Bragg, NC, who arrived in the wee hours of October 1.

The army troops, equipped with M-1 rifles, bayonets attached, were given the order to “load, lock and fire when fired up.” People who were there say that the sound of those weapons racking into firing position, in unison, that loud, unmistakable “click clack”, that stopped the protesters in their tracks.

Later that morning, James Meredith was escorted to the Lyceum building, where he, the first black student admitted to the University of Mississippi was enrolled. The federal marshals who were with him that morning, stayed with him until he graduated in 1963. He did not go anywhere, on campus or off, without the marshals protecting him.

Crystal Meredith didn’t get her choice of school for her son Joshua. But Joshua went to kindergarten at an integrated school, where as far as we know, he learned his numbers, played with his classmates, made new friends, drew pictures for his mommy’s refrigerator door, and was promoted to the first grade. Joshua went to the first grade at the same school where he went to kindergarten.

Crystal thought her son was discriminated against because he is white. James Meredith was discriminated against because he was black in Mississippi in 1962. Based on what was included the in merits brief of her case, the most grievous injury Crystal and Joshua suffered was that she had to drive him 20 minutes to school each day (because she didn’t want him to ride the school bus.) It pales in comparison to what James Meredith endured to open the doors of a school so that thousands and thousands of black students could follow in his footsteps.

Two families named Meredith went to the Supreme Court, 45 years apart. When the Justices gather to deliberate this case, I hope they remember the courage of James and federal marshals who guarded him day after day. I hope they remember the defiance of a governor who tried to subvert the Constitution and the rule of law. I hope they remember the conviction of a President, his Attorney General and his legal team who insured the Court’s will – and that of the People – was enforced. I hope they remember those soldiers and guardsmen called on to do the unthinkable: aim their weapons at their fellow citizens to protect the lives and safety of fellow citizens. I hope they remember the two people who were killed and the more than 150 who were injured including 69 US Marshals. I hope they remember. And I hope they can see the damage they will do to the memory, the hard work and the sacrifice of those who brought this country out of the darkness of Jim Crow into the light. Joshua and Crystal Meredith don’t know discrimination. James Meredith does.

Note Passing in Iraq Study Hall

2006-12-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

"Psssst, Leon, Leon, my man, Leeeee-ooonnnnn... pssssssst pass this to Alan. Oh, it's nothing. I just had a question about the assignment. I was a little confused about what we're supposed to do. Really? You know what it is? Was it in the book? How come you have it in your notes I don't have it in mine. Just a sec. Sandy! pssssst Sannnnn-deeeee... psssst pssst pssst. Over here... no me, Vernon. Hey, listen... did you have this stuff about nation-building in your notes? Was it in the book? No? See I didn't think so. I thought this was supposed to be about weapons of mass reduction. No, wait that's destruction. I can't read my own notes. No...See me, Alan and Chuck were talking during passing period and we were thinking that the assignment had something to do with how to win a war that you're losing, but then Larry Eaglebooger... No I know it's "burger," I just like saying Eaglebooger a lot. Anyway, Larry Eaglebooger said something about having to make a timeline for an excellent strategy... oh, exit strategy... well that makes more sense. Anyway, well we got all confused. And then we realized that we didn't know enough about the assignment to do much of anything. What do you think it's about?"
"Well Vern... you're looking really sharp as usual. Is that another custom-made suit? Gee it's swell. Well, anyway. I stayed after class on Tuesday and I asked Mr. Cheney if he could kind of explain the whole concept thingy to me. Well, by the time he got through, I was like totally spacin' but anyway, like, he goes that this Saddam guy was like totally trippin' on his people, but like nobody was gonna do anything about it, so like Mr. Cheney had this guy who used to go here named Colin who was student body like -- not president, but one of those officer guys. Yeah, like I think he used to be like Sergeant at Arms or something. What? I don't know. Like I think his family got transferred or something so now, like he doesn't go here anymore, and like that one girl -- um, Condi... yeah, she thinks she's really hot and like she's really conceited and all, but anyway like she gets all her clothes at TJMaxx. But anyway like this Colin guy, like he told all these other people at this mock United Nations thingy that he went to during like spring break, that this Saddam guy was gonna like steal their school mascots or plant bombs or something. Well, that part like totally doesn't matter 'cause like none of it was true anyway, but this Colin guy was just tryin' to get everybody else like mad at this Saddam guy. I think he's goes to like Middle East or something, like it's a total loser school. What? It is too. My brother knew a guy that like went there, and he said that all girls have to wear these funky uniforms and they don't have any sports teams at all. Okay... like dude, I'm tellin' ya... So anyway, Colin gets these other kids at mock UN all p.o'ed at Saddam. So like George told Mr. Cheney that he was going to beat up Saddam for planting this bomb at the school. And at first Mr. Cheney, was like, 'Gee, George I'm not sure it's such a good idea.' But then like George reminded like Mr. Cheney of all this other stuff that Saddam did. Well, um I heard that Saddam tried to like actually like kill George's old man. I don't know. That's just what I heard. Huh? No, that part's not true. See that was done by this other guy named Sammy Binhoffen or something like that. Noooooo, he didn't know this Saddam guy... duh-uh-uh.... no, after he did it. like he totally skipped out. Hasn't been seen since. Yeah. right. So anyway... if I can finish???? Mr. Cheney told George it was okay and that the kids at Saddam's school would think it was really cool, 'cause like he was all mean and stuff to all of them and like took their shoes, and lunch money and kept all the best parking spaces for himself. So anyway, George like, marches over there with a whole bunch of guys that he convinced should go with him and all. And like, now they're stuck over there and can't get back home. Well, Mr. Cheney told George they were gonna be like sooooo cool to him and give him all kinds of cool stuff. And that was how it was for a few days, but now it's like total warzone over there. The kids over there hate George and are so mad that they're like fighting each other and George. And like the guys who went with George are sooo confused that they wanna get out of there, but they're afraid that George won't like them if they bail so they're hanging around, but they want out. So like Mr. Cheney said we've gotta help George come up with a way to get back home without looking like he got his butt kicked by all these poor kids over at Middle East High."
"Geez Sandy, like I had no freakin' idea. I mean, me and Vernon were talkin' about it, but dude, this is some serious sh*t."
"Ed don't talk with your mouth full. I mean say it, don't spray it."
"Sorry dude. Missed lunch. Hey, there's that Condi girl. She's cute."
"Yeah, if you like that sort of thing."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
"She's just so stuck up. That's all. You know she spends every holiday at George's house."
"No way, George is dating that other girl, um, Laura."
"Phfffft. Yeah, Laura the librarian."
"Quiet, here comes old man Cheney."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Cheney."
"Sandra. Boys. Have any of you seen Mr. Baker?"
"Uh. like he went to the mimeograph room."
"Well, back to work you all. And Ed Meese, if I catch you again eating in here, it'll be detention for a month, young man.
"Yessir."
"So what are we gonna do? What do we say in our assignment?"
"Well, I think we should just say that George is doing a really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really good job over at Middle East High, and that he should just keep doing what he is doing, 'cause like if he gives up then like that's not good and if he quits, that's like totally gnarly, and so like if he just keeps doing the same thing then he can say he was being consistent to like his ideals or stuff."
"Okay, like Sandy? Do you wanna write this down?"
"Like why do I have to do it all the time. I mean just 'cause I'm the only girl around here..."
"Oh geez..."
"Now what?"
"Like, dude, you hair is on fire!"

Barack Obama and Michael Richards: When Worlds Collide

2006-11-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

Hy·per·bo·le (hī-pûr'bə-lē) n.A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect, as in I could sleep for a year or This book weighs a ton.
[Latin hyperbolē, from Greek huperbolē, excess, from huperballein, to exceed : huper, beyond; see hyper– + ballein, to throw.]

Similarly: Barack Obama may be the best thing to come out of Illinois politics since Abraham Lincoln.

Some people might call Barack Obama the "flavor of the month" in the Democratic party right now. The rock star receptions, the media buzz, the hype, the book tour. He's got a lot of people singing his praises: from Oprah Winfrey to party strategists and newspaper columnists. Recent polls have placed him second or third in popularity with voters among those Democrats likely to run for president in 2008.

That he is still in his first term as junior Senator from Illinois and receiving such attention has many questioning whether he is too young or inexperienced to run. Others speculate as to whether this country is ready for a black man as its Commander-in-Chief. Some of us say it is about time.

Which brings us to a strange confluence of events: Obama delivers a well-received speech on Iraq and foreign policy to the Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs while out in Los Angeles, actor Michael Richards is banned from performing at the Laugh Factory and lambasted by his peers for his racist use of the "N"-word during a weekend performance.

Richards' use of the epithet was not part of his regular act. Unlike the legendary Lenny Bruce, Richards didn't use the word to deliver a homily about race and racism. Unlike the incomparable Richard Pryor, he wasn't trying to turn a mirror on us and expose the cracks in our society while making us laugh until we cried.

That Richards, while onstage, felt (or at least appeared to feel) that he could use the word without consequence reveals a distasteful side about the person most of us only know as Cosmo Kramer. What it reveals about us as a country is just as startling.

Barack Obama has a resumé most of us would love to possess. He is smart, articulate, well-educated, a former editor of the Harvard Law Review, community organizer and activist, state senator and now U.S. Senator. As this country still struggles to find a word comfortable enough to describe its black citizens, Obama is the walking definition of African-American. The hyphenate fits not because of the color of his skin, but the truth of his heritage: an African father and an American mother.

That he has captured the imagination of so many people, of such diverse backgrounds is encouraging. That he could mount a serious, run-to-win campaign for president is inspiring. And not just the hyperbolic sense of telling a child he could be president one day if...

Obama meets the Constitutional qualifications to be elected to the highest office. All other standards (foreign policy experience, military experience, was a governor, Washington-insider or -outsider) are politically-imposed and not just on Obama, but any and all other candidates. Forty-three men have occupied the presidency. In this country's history, there have been generals, farmers, lawyers, businessmen, a haberdasher, a bachelor, a Catholic, a really fat guy, tall men, short men, the handsome and the non-descript. But they have all been white.

So maybe, just maybe, 141 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, we are ready to seriously consider electing a black man to the office of President of the United States of America. And finally stop calling him "nigger."

Read Eugene Robinson's take on the story in the Washington Post.

When the Janjaweed Come...

2006-11-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

When the Janjaweed come, death is not far away.

First come the government planes, bombing. To scare the people out into the open from their villages. Then come the Janjaweed. They swoop in, on camel- or horseback. They shoot anything that moves: human or animal. young or old, male or female. They rape the women and girls. Villagers who are not shot, might be hacked to pieces, left to bleed to death. Dead animals are tossed into wells to poison the water as they rot away. Escape into the desert is not escape at all: many die of thirst trying to walk to a refugee camp. And the terror of the dreaded Janjaweed returning is present every minute.

The Sudanese government is conducting a systematic program of ethnic, racial and religious "cleansing" of the Darfur region of Sudan. The government, located in the northern part of the country in Khartoum is Arab-Muslim. Darfur and southern Sudan are sub-Saharan African. The Sudanese government wants Darfur "purified" so that if oil is found in that region, it will not fall into the hands of the black Sudanese. So they have chased some to the borders of Chad and the Central African Republic, where they wait in massive relief stations. The rest die. Walking hundreds of miles in the desert with barely the clothes on their backs. Trying to stay out of sight of the Janjaweed. Because when the Janjaweed come, death is not far away.

The African Union (AU), a coalition of African nations that seeks to unify the continent, and promote peace and economic growth, has a peacekeeping force of about 12,000 in the region, but the Sudanese government has roadblocked any progress toward peace in the region. The government has defied United Nations resolutions. The so-called agreement between the UN and Sudan to allow the AU to increase its presence, and do more for the refugees, has already fallen flat. Khartoum has always rejected plans for a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur (and have curtailed access and observation by the UN and other non-governmental organizations.) The latest agreement was to allow a hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force, but the Sudanese Foreign Minister rejected that option out of hand.

A cloud of dust on the horizon signals the coming of the Janjaweed. Death rides on horseback. Death comes on camel-back. Death comes.

Meanwhile, although President George W. Bush promised, "Not on my watch," would another genocide like that between Rwanda and Burundi occur, the US seems content to talk some, but do very little. When other countries labelled the violence in Darfur a "brewing genocide," the US said nothing. When the United Nations declared the killing in Darfur genocide, the US said it was more like "ethnic cleansing" (genocide lite?). When the BBC and other news organizations broadcast some of the first images out of the region, showing dead bodies and animals, the charred ruins of villages, bones, skulls, limbs strewn along escape routes, the US was surprisingly silent. Perhaps not so surprising, since our government was adventuring in Iraq.

The orphans in the refugee camps describe in horrifying detail, in deliberate monotones, the horrors they suffered, the killings they witnessed, the rapes and other violence they endured. They speak of fleeing into the desert, lucky (if one can call it that) to have escaped the hacking machetes of the Janjaweed. They tell of walking for days, carrying brothers, sisters, babies; leading the injured and sometimes the infirm away from their burning homes. They don't look back. There is nothing to see there.

When a cloud of dust blows across the horizon, it used to be a just a haboob: the hot, Saharan desert wind. Today it may be the early warning that the Janjaweed are coming. And when the Janjaweed come, death is not far away.

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To read more about the crisis in Darfur, visit: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6161692.stm The BBC offers some of the most compelling reporting about Africa.

The Toll Continues to Rise

2006-11-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

Four more US soldiers died in Iraq. That brings the total for November to 45. We're halfway through the month and if this pace continues, sadly approximately 90 soldiers and marines will lose their lives.

Yesterday, Gen. John Abizaid said essentially we should stay the course, give the Iraqis about 6 more months to have their troops stand up and we can stand down. In the meantime, the Defense Intelligence Agency tells us that Iraq probably has about 6 months until all hell breaks loose.

At 90 servicemen (and women) a month, that means about another 540 will be coming home in body bags.

I don't know about you, but that is simply unacceptable. Perhaps Gen. Abizaid should have to place the calls to each of those families personally. Maybe then he'd get it.

The Washington Post has more on this story.

A Michigan-sized Mistake

2006-11-16T14:36:00.000-07:00

There are some voters in California who remember voting for Proposition 13. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Property taxes were soaring and Prop 13 promised to bring necessary relief. It passed in 1978, but its real effects were not felt for several years to come. As property tax revenue shrank, California's state budget suffered. Former Governor Gray Davis can blame at least a part of his recall from the state's top office a few years ago as an after-effect of Prop 13. It seemed like such a good idea at the time.

In a few months, or maybe years, the voters in Michigan will realize what a gigantic goof they made when the approved Prop 2, the state anti-affirmative action constitutional amendment which may become effective as soon as mid-December.

In short, the proposition voids the use of affirmative action (by race, gender, color, ethnicity, national origin) in employment, education, and public contracting. The wording seems innocuous enough, and the second part of the proposal states that discrimination is also illegal too.

And to think it all started because little Jennifer Gratz and young Patrick Hamacher didn't get admitted to the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Of course, they both could pinpoint their failure to get in to two minority students who did.

The university admissions process at any school is a maze which only a few students out of the many that apply are lucky enough to navigate. There are some shortcuts: if you're a Heisman-quality football player applying to a football school, if you're the re-incarnation of Wilt Chamberlain at a basketball powerhouse, if you are smarter than Steven Hawkings you'll probably get in, and if, as the song says, your daddy's rich and your momma's good looking, you'll probably get special consideration -- not for your brains, but daddy's dollars. The rest of us slog through the maze.

Although Gratz and Hamacher were both waitlisted for admittance to UofM, each chose to attend other schools in the state system. Gratz and Hamacher are the basis for the last round of lawsuits that eventually ended up at the Supreme Court (Gratz v. Bollinger). In a 6-3 decision, Gratz and Hamacher kinda won. I say "kinda" because the Supremes sent the case back to District Court where that court could amend the UofM procedure for undergraduate admissions. (There is much more to this story than can comfortably be told here.)

Gratz apparently wasn't satisfied with that result and elected to mind-meld with black super-conservative Ward Connerly. (Connerly, who is black, hates black folk.) Together they cooked up a scheme to amend Michigan's constitution to outlaw affirmative action. Not just pass a law, but amend the constitution.

This past November, Michigan voters voted to do just that.

It seemed like such a good idea at the time. I'm still studying all the ramifications of this law -- which affects not only public education, but public contracting and employment. It will apparently affect young girls and women, by making Title IX unconstitutional. So if Jennifer played a sport and wanted to do so in college under the provisions of Title IX: tough noogies, it's
unconstitutional. Title IX provided money to girl's sports that were unfunded or underfunded in public schools and colleges, and made adjustments to men's sports to accommodate the women's inclusion.

If Jennifer wanted to start a woman-owned business and seek state contracts, she might have been able to use the provisions of set-asides to insure that she could compete with larger male-owned business to secure state government contracts. Not any more. It's unconstitutional.

And if Jenny was searching for a job in Michigan, she once enjoyed the protections of the state's laws which made discrimination illegal, but more importantly, guaranteed that she had to be considered equally with her male counterparts. Now her resume can be "86-ed" right alongside, Tamika's and Schlomo's and Red Cloud's, and Tran's and Mohammed's and Sanjay's.

Yet it seemed like such a good idea at the time. Thanks, Jennifer.

Fire Abizaid: It's Time For Him to Go

2006-11-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

After watching Army General John Abizaid testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee, I think it's time for him to step down as the head of CentCom, the US Central Command. General Abizaid seems to prefer the status quo, and that, for the US and for Iraqi civilians, is unacceptable.

Abizaid was reluctant to consider any other options to help the military get a handle on the situation there. And that is disappointing. Abizaid said more troops wouldn't help speed a proposed redeployment plan, was reluctant to consider timelines with enforceable benchmarks as an option. Abizaid even insisted that the situation in Iraq was much better than it was in August.

To suggest that commander on the ground be removed is a harsh step. Our strategy for Iraq must change, and we need a new guy to make it happen. Until we bring on someone who is willing to consider every possible option, we are just wasting lives and time.

Read more about it at The Washington Post.

What Defines A Civil War?

2006-11-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

Iraqi Police Linked to Mass Abduction
Read the full story at The Washington Post

I read the news today. Oh boy.
When armed gunmen entered the Ministry of Higher Education in downtown Baghdad, they pretended to be securing the area for a visit from "the American ambassador." They came wearing official looking uniforms, in a large convoy in vehicles with mounted machine guns. Men and women were separated, some were detained and apparently removed from the Ministry, some were later released. On the face of it, and in light of similar kidnappings recently, it's easy to call this just another case of sectarian violence. Or is it?

To live in Baghdad today, must be to live in constant fear. Every day bodies -- not just two or 3 -- but 20, 30, 40 at a time are found beaten, tortured and executed. Every day. Ride a bus to school or to the market, and you're likely to be blown to bits. Choose your method: road side bomb or a seatmate who detonates himself and sends you to meet your maker. Are you a baker by profession? You're a marked man, and not just by the flour on your apron. Drive an ambulance? Not for long. Thought about joining Baghdad PD? That's probably gonna get you killed. And probably before you've had a chance to don your uniform for the first time.

When do we stop calling this sectarian violence and call it civil war?

In an excellent article that first appeared in The Washington Post, April 9, 2006, James D. Fearon, Professor of Political Science at the Freeman Spogli Institure for International Studies at Stanford University, defines it as:

Civil war refers to a violent conflict between organized groups within a country that are fighting over control of the government, one side's separatist goals, or some divisive government policy. By this measure, the war in Iraq has been a civil war not simply since the escalation of internecine killings following the bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra in February, but at least since the United States handed over formal control to an interim Iraqi government in June 2004.

The Bush administration's hesitation to confront what they have wrought in Iraq, their "spreading of democracy," their nation building, takes it toll on the Iraqis daily. And their refusal to call it what it is, hinders -- no, prevents -- them from arriving at a solution to this terrible problem. Neither President Bush nor his Iraq Study Group will arrive at a solution until they acknowledge this painful -- especially for the Iraqis -- inevitable truth.

What defines a civil war? Iraq.

Can't a Brother Catch a Break?

2006-11-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

From BET.com Black voters won one and maybe lost one.

If you read Retha Hill's commentary on the results of the midterm election, you get the same old rhetoric about the Democratic party mistreats us, overlooks us and takes us for granted. Retha suggests that the democratic sweep in the midterms might just sweep some long-time members of the Congressional Black Caucus out with the post-celebration confetti. She goes on to posit that the Republican party had done well by its black constituents, giving them a "substantial toe-hold in the Republican Party. Since at least 1994, many African Americans have concluded that putting all our eggs in one basket no longer makes sense, and that true participation means having a seat at both tables."

As her commentary continues, she noted that, "Substantial numbers of African Americans sided with Republicans in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and not just when the Republican candidate was Black." Retha? Honey? Were you watching the returns of the same elections I was?

For the record, Republicans put forward 8 black candidates in the 2006 election. Democrats, 41. Republican black candidates who won their races, zero. Democrats have elected the two black governors this country has seen (Doug Wilder and in this election cycle, Deval Patrick.)

If, as you note, black ministers endorsed George Allen because he supports a ban on same-sex marriage, they must have noticed that their man also likes to call black folk "nigger" and "Macaca (monkey -- even when the individual this remark was targeting was an Indian-American). If the Republican party is as welcoming to black voters as you suggest, just why didn't any, I mean not a single, f***ing black republican tell Ken Mehlman and the RNC that the ads against Harold Ford, Jr. had more than just a whiff of coded, racist, good ole southern strategy stink about them and they needed to be pulled. I've looked and I can't find one statement from black republicans on that count.

Michael Steele may have run a good race and picked up some key endorsements, too. But as you note, "in majority-Black Prince George’s County, 31 percent of the electorate voted for him, as did 21 percent of people in majority-Black Baltimore. Preliminary exit poll data show that Steele snagged 25 percent of the state’s Black vote." If Steele is such an appealing candidate, why didn't more blacks vote for him? [Author's note: I think you meant to write that 31 and 21 percents respectively of the black electorate voted for him. Regardless, it still ain't good news.]

Republican Party adviser Tara Wall. “It doesn’t benefit us as Black voters to give 90 percent of our vote to one party. We need to be able to come to the table and level the playing field and have a say in both parties.” Retha, Tara: the playing field isn't level, and y'all aren't welcome at the Republican table.

A little political history: there was a time when Yankee or New England moderates played a large role in the Republican party. They held fiscally conservative views, but were socially liberal. They were the antidote to the racist Dixiecrats of the old Democratic party. Barry Goldwater and Lyndon Johnson changed that. Goldwater yanked the Republicans to the far right and the "southern strategy" (grab the votes of disaffected. southern, conservative, anti-integration, anti-civil rights whites for the Republican party) was born. Meanwhile, Lyndon Johnson's progressive -- damn, let's just call it what it was -- landmark Great Society, with its War on Poverty and Civil and Voting (ahem, let me repeat that, VOTING) rights acts empowered black America as never before. If blacks have been loyal to the Democrats, this is one hell of a reason.

And now the reason for the headline: After all their crowing over what a wonderful campaign Michael Steele ran, and how he is so good for the Republican party comes this: Ken Mehlman, current chair of the RNC announced he's stepping down in January. Republican after republican promoted their new "boy" Michael Steele for the job. Steele was not coy about his interest in the job when asked about it as he made the rounds on the post-election news talk shows. After all, he'd be out of a job in January and could step right in. And since most of the job is dealing with the media, he'd shown that he was articulate and engaging speaker. And as all of his supporters said, he'd put a new face on the Republican party.

Today comes word that the Republicans intend to tap Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida as the next party head. Martinez was just elected to the Senate in 2004. If he takes the job, Florida's governor will have to name a replacement. Martinez is a Cuban-American.

Can't a brother catch a break? Apparently not.

Yep, Father Knows Best, Dubya

2006-11-12T23:52:00.001-07:00

Check out the article at Newsweek: Father Knows Best

You know everyone goes through that recalcitrant stage growing up. We ignore sage advice, take risks that endanger ourselves and sometimes others, pay no attention to the little hairs on the back of our necks that signal we need to stop what we're doing right this minute and get the heck outta here, then realize when it's almost too, too late that we need help, but are too proud to ask for it, until dear old Dad steps in, grabs us by the scruff of the neck, and then pulls us to safety. After a stern talking to we're back in his good graces and off on another adventure.

Now it could be plot to some animated feature, but in actuality it might just be the plot that is unfolding in Houston, Crawford, Kennebunkport, and DC, with George W playing the stubborn young 'un and George HW starring as Father Fixer.

When GW ran for president the first time around, I was struck by just how many of the players from GHWB's White House showed up to help the boy, coach the boy, teach the boy. Heck, it was like old home week. But it made the little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end: Iraq. They're going back in. I had the feeling that some of these guys had unfinished business over there and that was why the came out of retirement to help GW. (Of course, now I can say I was right. But you probably had those feelings, too. Lots of us did.)

If you believe popular folklore, you know that GW hasn't been speaking to GHWB on matters of Iraq. He defers to a higher father figure. So whatever sage advice or suggestions that might have helped Dick and George's Excellent Adventure, was not welcome on the Good Ship Lollipop. But with approval ratings hovering just above "flushed away" status, somebody told GW to listen to his daddy and do what he says. Enter Robert Gates, exit Donald Rumsfeld. Enter James Baker in a limited engagement role. Brent Scowcroft has a brief walk-on part. I expect Dan Quayle may be back as GW's understudy and dialogue coach.

Okay... oh geez... now my hair is on fire.

The Bush Doctrine: Incompetence is Good Government

2006-11-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

Iraqi Prime Minister Promises Government Shake-Up
Read the whole story at the New York Times

Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, Iraqi Prime Minister, has promised a sweeping shake-up of his government to rid it of cabinet ministers he says are incompetent, corrupt, and weak. Maliki complains that he didn't have enough freedom to select ministers he could work with inside the Iraqi Parliament.

Meanwhile, Maliki has irked the American military by demanding that checkpoints be removed, searches for a missing US soldier and Shiite militia leaders believed responsible for his kidnapping be suspended, appearing to condone sectarian violence by those same militias. As the violence continues to spiral upward, Maliki -- concerned about his future -- asked the Bush administration if they were plotting against him in an effort to unseat him.

In yesterday's blog (A Plan of Action For Iraq), three out of four of the options to fix the Iraqi fiasco include getting rid of the current government.

Maliki seeks to blame the problems of his poor performance on his fellow cabinet ministers. But as the Prime Minister, the buck (and we're spending billions of them in Iraq) stops with him. Now Maliki does govern in an environment where politicians, judges, butchers, bakers, barbers and boys are kidnapped, beheaded, blown up, shot, tortured or just mysteriously end up in mass graves. So perhaps he is afraid of that same fate befalling him.

But Maliki also knew what to expect when he ran for office and when he was elected. So far he hasn't done anything to quell any of the violence Iraqis live with every day. Sure, he's working hard. And it's hard work. And you have to be a hard worker to do the hard work. But the Iraqis elected him to be a Uniter, not a Divider; to be the chief Decider and decide what is best for his people. Apparently he's decided that he better off being the Appeaser.

When are those Iraqi mid-term elections?

Rahm's Lullaby

2006-11-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

Read the full story at The House That Rahm Built from the Chicago Tribune

Rahm Emanuel has supplanted Karl Rove as "the Architect" with the stunning Democratic sweep of House seats in the last week's election. But as the article by Naftali Bendavid in the Chicago Tribune makes clear, central to Emanuel's renovation of the party were a slash and burn, take no prisoners attitude that sometimes rubbed friends and foes the wrong way.

During the long sleepless nights of the campaign, Bendavid's chronicle shows us that Rahm's lullaby was not a tune you could easily sing and was likely to be laced with expletives, epithets and worse. But he got the job done.

Political junkies -- we know who we are -- will liken this up close and personal account to the documentary "War Room" about the Bill Clinton run for the White House in 1992. I hope Mr. Bendavid has enough information for a book. But his article will whet your appetite for now. A simply fascinating read.

A Plan of Action for Iraq

2006-11-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

Washington Post: Pentagon to Reevaluate Strategy and Goals in Iraq
With the election over, Democrats in charge of the House and the Senate, and finally with Republicans saying, "Now you guys are in charge, so what are you going to do about Iraq?" It is time to answer that question -- or at least explore some options.

Throughout the election cycle, we heard about "cut and run" and "stay the course." Each seemed to be diametrically opposed to one another. But those slogans hardly describe the problem of finding a solution to the mess in Iraq. I don't profess to know all the answers -- heck, I don't know any of the answers -- but here is what I've been mulling over as possible courses of action.

First let's establish some baseline conditions that have to be established:

The violence -- sectarian, insurgent, terrorist and other -- has to be contained and eliminated.
A viable government must be established that will enforce national unity while recognizing ethnic, tribal and religious differences, and suppressing factional violence. This government must also be recognized by other governments in the region as well as the United Nations.
Basic services must be restored to the populace. That is: food is plentiful and affordable; medicine and medical care is readily available.
Utilities such as gas and electricity, services like water, sewers and waste management are all operational in all areas of the country.
Second-tier services such as educational institutions are open to all who wish to attend.
There is a system of providing news and information to the populace.
The national economy is restored. Farmers can farm and sell their crops, oil can be drilled, refined and shipped. Goods can be imported and exported. The monetary system is stable.
There is a national guard to defend the country against intruders. There is a police force to serve and protect the people. There is a legal system to enforce criminal and civil law.
There is a codified system of justice which includes rules for a fair trial, appeal, and punishment.

Of course, there is more to nation-building than what is on my small list, but that would be a good start. Now to the options.

Let's agree that the situation in Iraq today is unacceptable. And, for the sake of discussion, say that our approaches to rebuilding Iraq will start from point zero: it's irreparably damaged and we must start over. Mind you, that I am not advocating any particular course of action, just mulling over some of the options.

Option 1: Turn Iraq into a US colony (Think British Empire)

To accomplish this option we need to re-invade Iraq, overthrow the Maliki government, secure the borders, and install a strong provisional government staffed by Americans. Americans would govern Iraqis. Americans would replace Iraqis and all foreign nationals as managing directors of all Iraqi companies, and hold all top management posts. Iraqis would provide the labor force.

To quell the sectarian violence, Iraq would be divided into as many provinces as needed to separate the various factions: Sunni, Shi'ia, Kurd and any other. The population would be relocated to the appropriate province of their ethnic background. They would be paid reasonable compensation for the inconvenience of the move, the loss of any property and start-up funds for life in their new home provinces.

The Iraqi police and the Iraqi military would be re-developed under US command, at first as auxiliary units with limited power.

All persons who cannot establish bona fide ties to Iraq, will be detained or deported. Those who are detained would live in a designated "detainee city" where they would be allowed to work and live, but not travel beyond the city borders.

Over time, some of the harsh restrictions would be relaxed, and eventually (20 years?) the US would relinquish control to a hand-picked government. US forces would withdraw, and the US would maintain "interests" in the country. A civil war or other form of unrest may occur after the US departs, but that seems to follow the natural course of colonialism. If the government is strong enough, it may withstand the unrest, otherwise there will be civil war.

Option 2: Choose to back one of the factions. Use the CIA and other covert operatives to create a viable opposition party to overthrow the Maliki government.

In this option -- similar to actions the US has taken in other parts of the world to de-stabilize or replace governments we didn't like -- covert forces (CIA, Defense, NSA, State) are used to infiltrate and support one of the sides, provide them with funds, arms, behind the scenes training so that the selected faction's leadership can do the dirty work of overthrowing the Maliki government. The regular US military forces would be withdrawn, leaving the undercover agents to operate freely. It doesn't matter -- in fact it may help the operation -- to announce a withdrawal deadline. The US troops could be re-deployed to some other areas in the region, so that when the "winners" surface, troops can be repositioned to support the newly formed "legitimate" government of the people. The new government would explicitly request the help of the US to maintain peace as the transition continues. That request provides cover for the US continuing to pursue its "interests" in the country.

Option 3: Encourage an allied country in the region to step in and maintain order.

This option is a variation of Option 2, but uses a third party, with full US support, to take over the country. The sole advantage here is that a regional solution might allow for more stability because it is a neighbor -- and not the US -- doing the behind the scenes manipulating. After withdrawing, the US interests in the country are limited, and the US would have to go through the third party to operate in the country.

Option 4: Give the existing Maliki government an ultimatum and a timetable, including a date certain when US troops, and all other support for the government, will be withdrawn.

The ultimatum is that the Maliki government needs to take control of the country PDQ (pretty damn quick), insure that all Iraqis, not just Shi'ites, are represented and protected by the government. The Iraqi army must be reconstituted, borders secured, violence quelled. If Maliki balks, the "or else" is that US troops leave immediately and the Iraqis can fight it out. The US should let Maliki know that should any other regional power (Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Turkey) invade, we will not help defend Iraq.

If Maliki agrees to the ultimatum, the US will proceed to an orderly withdrawal, with border security becoming the primary mission prior to departure.

Will any of these options work? I don't know. All have their advantages and disadvantages. The problem with Iraq today is that the situation is so far out of control that there is no clear solution. The heavy-handed tactics of Option 1 make the US look like a greedy bully. The under-handed tactics of Option 2, leaves other countries around the region and world fearful and suspicious. Option 3 looks more palatable, but means we'd have to play favorites to pick a country that would do our bidding and support our interests. Option 4, or some variation of it is probably what we'll end up doing, but unless we are ready march out immediately if Maliki balks, it has no teeth.

The $64,000 question is: Which one would I choose I if were President? I'm not a hawk and didn't support this misadventure in the first place. But if pressed to choose, it's between Options 1 and 4. I would probably offer Option 4 first, and if that fails, invade again and start over. Option 4, try to work with Maliki government is the right thing to do. But forceably turning Iraq into a peaceful US colony -- and not just a military outpost -- may be the only answer at this point.

I just don't know. And so far, neither does anyone else in Washington.

You Can't Cure Homosexuality

2006-11-09T15:55:00.000-07:00

I am one who believes Ted Haggard, the minister caught in a gay-sex scandal, got what was coming to him. Haggard ministered to his fellow evangelicals by decrying gays and the gay lifestyle, abortion, and all of the other negative politics of the "moral" majority. And all the while, he was living a lie. By his own admission, Haggard spent his adulthood fighting the demons of his dark side that led him to unspecified sexual immorality -- but based on the statements of a former gay prostitute included gay sex. When you read Haggard's confession to his congregation, it is very clear that what he alludes to is a lifetime trying to deny that he is gay.

Now comes news that his fellow pastors are going to "restore" him through some kind of ritual healing -- let's call it an exorcism, for lack of a better term -- back to the "straight" and narrow. What a disservice to, and what a mistreatment of an already broken man.

Mr. Haggard is gay. I'll say it again, he is gay. And no amount of preach therapy is going to change that. He can't be scared back into the closet, nor prayed back in, or healed back in. Haggard's troubles all stem from the fact that he has spent his lifetime avoiding acknowledging his baseline sexuality. He married and had children, but as he says, fought with his dark side. You can watch him rant against gays, but in light of these revelations, you're watching him rant against himself. It is sad.

Someone near and dear to Mr. Haggard should help him find the right kind of therapy to ease his pain. And that is not one that will shame him back into the closet, but rather help him come to grips with his authentic self and his authentic sexuality. For his sake, his wife's and his children's. Because none of them will be at peace until he embraces what is his personal truth.

I don't like his politics, but I do wish him godspeed and good luck. He will need it.

Ed Bradley, CBS News

2006-11-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

Ed Bradley passed away today. We will miss him.

If you need to ask, "Ed Who?" you must be either very, very young or have never owned a television or radio. Ed Bradley was (and will remain) a pillar of American journalism -- or for that matter of journalists everywhere.

If you watched 60 Minutes, you were rewarded everytime Ed Bradley reported. No matter who he interviewed, no matter what the topic, no matter where the story took him, Ed Bradley delivered quality reporting. Despite his nickname of "Easy Ed," he could be tough, and didn't cotton to being pushed around. Those of us who remember him on the floor of the Chicago Democratic Convention in 1972, remember him bellowing for cops and security guards to "get your @#$%@#$@#$@ hands off of me," as Mayor Richard Daley's (father, not the son) stormtroopers tried to manhandle Bradley out of the building (score: Bradley 1, cops 0). All caught on live TV.

We also remember Ed reporting from Vietnam, in particular a shot of him hunkered down in the jungle as a helicopter was lifting off behind him. And we remember him bringing us intriguing profiles of musicians and actors and sports legends; not the typical celebrity fluff of say, a Barbara Walters, but personal, intimate visits that didn't need to resort to gimmicky questions ("If you could be a tree..."), but painted beautiful portraits and left us feeling that we knew both Ed and his subject better.

And for those of us with brown faces and kinky hair, Ed was a symbol of what we could achieve. He was a hero. He was on CBS, man. CBS network! And if Ed could do it, so could we. We trusted Walter Cronkite, but Ed was one of us. He wore a 'fro when it was in, sported an earring, and facial hair. He could be street-wise and hip, or genteel and elegant. And it never looked contrived or phony. It was just Ed. I know I wanted Ed Bradley to get the anchor chair when Walter Cronkite retired, because he certainly proved he was more than capable. And I never missed an Ed Bradley segment on 60 Minutes. They were -- he was -- the best.

Ed Bradley was a consummate journalist. There will be other good journalists. But there will never be another Ed Bradley.

Rumsfeld Should Publicly Apologize

2006-11-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

We were hoping it would happen. Rumsfeld quit. Resigned. Was asked to consider an early retirement. Was given the old "Heave, ho! Man overboard!" It's about damn time.

Donald Rumsfeld owes the families of nearly 3000 US servicemen and women a public and detailed apology for their deaths. He owes the maimed and wounded and shell-shocked an apology also. He needs to tell them (and us) just what the heck we're doing in Iraq. It's time for a full accounting of this woeful misadventure.

If I could, Mr. Rumsfeld, here is what you need to say:

"I am here to apologize, my fellow Americans, for taking us into an unprovoked war in a country where we had no legitimate reason to be. I lied when said Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. I lied when I said Saddam Hussein was supporting Al Qaeda. I lied when I said we were there to provide stability in the region. I lied practically every time I opened my mouth.

In truth (or at least truthiness), I wanted to play master of the universe. I wanted to see if I could manipulate and control world politics. I wanted to play Risk, but for real, with real soldiers and guns and bombs. Going to Iraq was so that I could feel good about me, pump up my ego, be the unseen hand that moves the pieces across the game board.

After the first Gulf War, I wanted more. I was unsatisfied with the outcome. I wanted to march all the way to Baghdad then, but didn't get my way. During the Clinton years, I plotted and planned, and wished and hoped that if I ever got back into a position of power I would finish what I saw as a job undone.

Then came George W. Bush. This Bush was different than his father; he could be "handled." I could handle him. The perfect cover came when he -- well, all of us -- got caught off-guard with 9/11. But it gave me cover. While ostensibly going after Osama Bin Laden, I could execute my plan to play in Iraq. There was and is no linkage to Bin Laden and the War on Terror.

I lied to all of you. I have sinned against you. I have wounded you. I have killed you. All for my own selfish motives. But worst of all, I have gotten us into a mess and I have no way of knowing how to get us out. I am so ashamed and sorry.

To the families of the dead, I apologize. These are hollow words because they cannot bring your loved ones back. To the wounded and the battle-weary, I apologize. I put you needlessly in harm's way and damaged you physically, spiritually, emtionally and more. I cannot repair your broken limbs.

I am unworthy of your sympathy, and deserving of your wrath."

Change is coming

2006-11-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

The dust has almost settled and as it does, the Democrats have control of the House of Representatives, and will, in a few hours, reveal that the Democrats also won the Senate. As a Democrat -- and a liberal one at that -- there is great reason to celebrate. Change is coming.

Other pundits (and heck, I'd like to think I'm just as qualified at analysis as they are) will tell us that the reasons Dems won is because it was because they ran to the center, putting up a slate of conservative and moderate candidates, because it was a referendum on George Bush and Iraq, that the Democrats didn't "win," the Republicans lost -- and lost because voters weren't smart enough to understand the issues, or only voted on their pet issues (stem cell research).

Maybe it's because the Democrats put together a smart playbook, that allowed them to present the strength of party -- it's diversity, it's progressiveness -- showcased against the status quo. Republicans like to cast Democrats as raving lunatics who don't have family values, aren't religious ("Godless," if you believe Ann Coulter-geist), are weak on defense, pander to terrorists, and worse. This election proved them wrong. Democrats come in all colors, are liberal, moderate, conservative, and all points in between. Some of us are religious and some of us not so much. We serve in the military, we serve in the Peace Corps. We are in business, large and small, we are in labor unions. We are your neighbors.

Democrats did well in this election because they were able to make their vision of change clear and it resonated with voters.

Day of Reckoning is Here

2006-11-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

Voters often use the phrase, "We'll remember in November." Well, this year it appears that the Democrats not only remembered, but they showed up en force to make their point.

Pundits say it's all about Vietnam -- er, I mean Iraq -- but in truth, it is about a number of issues that have been piling on since 2000. The Bush administration is about to receive a kick in the pants.

While the quagmire that is Iraq is one facet of the problem for Bush, the economy, corruption (read that as Abramoff, Cunningham, Ney, DeLay, Foley, even Hastert), taxes, stem cell research, are others. But the real problem for Bush and Co. is that they have been smug and self-righteous throughout their tenure. The Compassionate Conservative never showed up. Uniter not a Divider did not unite, just divide. The Decider-in-Chief can't make a decision. That's why he's staying the course. But the rest of us are fed up and ready for a change.

While throwing out the Republicans from the House and the Senate will not solve all the problems, it does two things: one, send a message to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue that We the People are not satisfied with his "my way or the highway" approach. Mr. Bush and his cronies are not the smartest folks in town. It is high time that they reach out to bigger brains for help in resolving the problems that face us. Two, supplant those who would be enablers -- Congressional Republicans -- with some new faces and ideas, people who are willing to build bridges, not burn them. Try new solutions, not just pooh-pooh them.

I don't expect magic, just change. A more reasonable solution to Iraq won't come instantly. But I do think the Democrats will be more open to vigorous discussion of how to fix that dreadful problem. And if it means that they have to threaten to cut off funding for Mr. Bush's caper in the Crescent, let them.

Mr. Bush mistook a majority for a mandate (and thought mandate meant ultimatum), and that was never case. Perhaps this election will remind Mr. Bush that he -- temporarily -- is the leader of all Americans and he is accountable to all of us, not just his Republican Christian Conservative right wing base. We have had enough. We want change and accountability. And we want it now.

Dear Election Fairy,

2006-11-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

I have been a good Democrat all year (and last year, too!) I know that in 2004 I set my sights just a little too high -- but could you blame me? After we came so close in 2000, only to have the Florida's Katherine Harris and the Supreme Court dash our dreams. But anyway... I know that was in the past. This year, my wish list is more realistic. Please see what you can do to deliver on these modest requests, and I'll save any big ones for 2008.

First, I'd like to see the Democrats pick up enough seats to take control of the House of Representatives. I know that 16 is the "magic" number, but do you think you could manage maybe 30 seats? Okay, anything over 16 is just great. (And if you could do you think you manage a change in NM-01? Let challenger Patricia Madrid defeat Heather Wilson? I know it's a special request, but it would mean a lot to me.)

Second, I'd like the Democrats to win 6 or 7 new Senate seats. That way we could control the Senate too. And if I could ask for some specific winners -- folks who could use your special help -- could you work on Harold Ford in Tennessee, Claire McCaskill in Missouri, Jim Webb in Virginia? Could you send Conrad Burns packing?

And if it's not too much to ask, can we get a majority of governorships in the hands of Democrats?

And one last thing, before I forget... and this is a little tricky: do you think you could just check and make sure that folks who vote electronically have their votes accurately recorded and counted? I know you don't really handle the technical side of things, but if you could just make sure there's no hanky-panky, three-card Monte, Loosey Goosey, Hickory Dickory Dock, Rub-a-Dub-Dub, then I'll keep the huffin' and puffin' and blow their house down to a minimum.

Thank you, Election Fairy. I'll be leaving a delicious assortment of treats out for you. And if you don't mind, I'll stay up until the returns are in.

See you tomorrow night!

The Dukes of Haggard

2006-11-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

Ted Haggard was fired from his church over the weekend after their investigation -- still on-going -- confirmed that he had committed some "sexually immoral acts." Haggard sent his congregation a letter that was read to them at Sunday services "confessing" his sins. In particular he speaks of his "dark side" and giving in to some "repulsive" behaviors throughout his adulthood.

Reading between the lines, the former head of the National Association of Evangelicals seems to be confessing to be gay all of his adult life and trying to suppress it by marrying a woman and having five children.

I wonder if he gets the irony of his situation: this staunch opponent to gays and gay marriage would be leading a much happier life if he was open to his authentic self -- a gay man -- and married to his authentic partner -- another gay man.

I hope his former congregants will look deep inside themselves and ask whether all this vitriol over gay rights is worth it. A gay man led them, convinced them to join his church, ministered to them on Sundays, fellowshipped with them at other times, joined them in matrimony, baptized their children, laughed with them when they were happy, cried with them when they were sad, helped them bury their dead. They liked him, they followed him. If they answer truthfully the answer would be, "No, it's not worth it."

Saddam Verdict Nothing to Celebrate

2006-11-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

The verdict in the Saddam Hussein show trial is nothing to celebrate. I know that few will agree with that statement today, but I expect those opinions to change. Perhaps in the coming weeks, we may be able to soberly reflect upon what this verdict means and how it will affect the US.

If we wanted to insure that Saddam Hussein was justly tried for any crimes against humanity he may have committed, he should have been remanded to the Hague, where a world court would have heard his case. He would have been adequately represented by counsel. His accusers and other witnesses could have testified openly. His lawyers and judges would not have been kidnapped and murdered. He would not have been tried by a Shiite court looking for revenge against a deposed Sunni leader.

But that is not what happened. And that mistake, made once again by the Bush administration, will lead to something bad happening here. As retribution for this farce they would like to call a "fair and balanced" trial.

If Saddam Hussein committed war crimes. crimes against humanity, or other grave offenses, he should have been tried like Slobodan Milosevic, the former president of Yugoslavia and Serbia. At the Hague, Hussein could have railed against the system all he wanted, at least the system would have been a fair one.

I know you will not hear me now. But if you are afraid of another terrorist attack on the US in the future, this trial will have been the catalyst. Perhaps Mr. Bush will get smart and have Saddam "renditioned" out of Iraq.

Morning Quickie: It's the Economy, Stupid

2006-11-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the Bush Administration was tripping over each other to congratulate themselves for the quarterly unemployment numbers; at 4.4 percent, it's a new 5 year low. And they cheered for the 92,000 of new jobs that were created during the quarter.

But if you worked for Ford, GM, AOL, Intel, or any of the hundreds of other companies large and small that laid you off and thousands of your fellow employees, ar you cheering? If you snagged one of the new jobs -- most likely at a pay grade lower than what you left -- is this the news that will make you vote for "Stay the Course?"

As President Bush and company hooray over these numbers, please remember that in 6 short years we've gone a from a budget surplus to a budget deficit of record proportions, borrowing from foreign companies (particularly China) has increased massively, we spend over $40 billion every day in Iraq (money that has no direct return on investment to the US and nothing indirect either), outsourcing of good jobs continues, the housing market is in trouble, and although the stock market cracked 12,ooo, a number of analysts feel its pace is unsustainable.

The unemployment numbers represent a national average. Across the country, what I'll call "grass-roots" unemployment -- the state of your local economy is what will impact your vote. If you're one of the thousands who lined up for 200 jobs at a candy store, or are facing seasonal unemployment, end of the year lay-offs, or a just an uncertain future, you're in the grass-roots economy. And you're more likely to vote for change.

Family Values and Values Voters

2006-11-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

The story is just beginning to unfold, but if true, the allegations against Rev. Ted Haggard, former head of the National Association of Evangelicals, have to leave so-called "values voters" reeling.

Ted Haggard has admitted to buying meth and supposedly throwing it away. And he has admitted to contacting his accuser, a gay male escort, for a "massage," but claims he never had sex with him.

The details of Haggard's involvement with Mike Jones will become clear in time. But we need to remember that Haggard -- as part of the Evangelical inner circle -- made regular (some have described weekly) conference calls to the White House to discuss policy issues (say, an anti-gay marriage Constitutional amendment?). He was one of the high and mighty determined to bring their version good old-fashioned family values to every household in America whether we wanted it or not. To protect us from the travesty of the gay lifestyle.

Every Sunday pastors of the religious right gather their flocks to preach not just from the good book, but from the dictates of the Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family, and other similar groups. These same preachers encourage their congregations to patronize certain shops, read certain books, watch (or boycott) certain television shows, attend particular rallies, and vote for certain candidates or initiatives because as a born-again, evangelical Christian it is the moral thing to do.

How does one continue to denigrate and discriminate against homosexuals when your leader consorts with "the enemy?" How can you rail against gays and gay marriage when one of your national leaders is on the "down low?" How do you follow someone so willing to cast the first stone against others for the very same "sin" he commits?

If your political convictions are controlled by someone whose moral predilections are suspect, what do you do? Just who do you vote for when your pastor is caught with his figurative (if not literal) pants down? Is this a case of do as I say, not as I do? How do you reconcile your belief in a pastor who says gays are immoral and won't go to heaven, when he is in an illicit gay relationship? How do you follow his orders to walk the "holier than thy neighbors" path, when he goes astray? If he has violated his own tenets, how do you trust opinions and dictates of others like him? What secrets are they hiding?

Religion and politics don't mix. Like oil and water, it is difficult to keep the suspension going. Religion is a personal, private matter (no matter how public we try to make it.) Politics is public business. If Ted Haggard didn't know that before, he knows it now.

Long Day's Journey Into Election Night

2006-11-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

Tuesday will be the longest day of the year. A long day at polling places across the country and a long night as votes are counted and recounted and contested and challenged. We may know in the early hours of Wednesday morning what the make-up of the new Congress will be.

Democrats are poised to reclaim at least the House of Representatives, if not the Senate too. If voters speak their minds about the fiasco that is Iraq, the Democrats will take over. No less a prognosticator than Stu Rothenberg sees the Dems grabbing 6 senate seats and taking over the Senate as well as the House.

Expect President Bush and VP Cheney to present some new terror threat -- probably happening on Friday -- elevating the "threat" level to DefCon Catastrophic; they'll also announce the arrest of the number two man in Al Qaeda in Iraq; and showcase some project to demonstrate rebuilding of the country. But remember, they will also ignore the looming (if not already active) civil war there, the increasing targeting of US troops, and ineptitude of the so-called government they've installed there. But voters won't be fooled.

If voters do nothing more than vote their emotions -- not consciences, but emotions -- on Iraq, the Republicans are not going to fare well. No matter which side of the philosophical debate you support, for or against the war, it is nearly impossible to look at the numbers of service members killed last month, look at the faces as they are remembered on the evening news, look at their families grieving and not feel that enough of this carnage is enough. If "stay the course" means more coffins and more wounded, voters will just say no.

Tuesday the Senate and House will change hands. Tuesday will be the end of "stay the course."