Thoughts on Issues of the Day
Since I’m way, way short of time these days for in-depth blogging – I’m in my extremely busy period at work – here are some thoughts on the issues of the day, in no order of importance:
- President Obama’s trip to Copenhagen to speak in front of the International Olympic Committee was an unforced error. Whether Chicago won the Games or not (and the Games were always going to Rio – South America is long overdue to host the Games), he had no business going to Copenhagen to make a pitch for the Games. I don’t care if Chicago is his hometown. The President of the United States doesn’t deign to do what amounts to business development. His time is too valuable for that, especially with health care coming to a critical point, his diplomacy initiatives with Iran, and the Afghanistan war review. I know he can communicate fine when he’s out of town and that presidents travel quite a bit, but this was one trip he didn’t need to make.
- Roman Polanksi is a man who, when he was in his 40s, had sex with a 13 year old girl. Where is that not wrong? Where is that not a crime? It doesn’t matter if he had a plea deal in place and the judge was a publicity hound who was going to renege. Polanski committed a crime. And, by the way, the Hollywood elite look to be pretty out of touch (and wrong) for their defense of him. Does the fact that Polanski makes good films outweigh the fact that he raped a 13 year old girl after plying her with alcohol and drugs? Apparently it does in Hollywood.
- I’m afraid that we’re biting off much more than we can chew when it comes to Afghanistan. Withdrawal – which the White House says is off the table – should be considered. Has no one at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue read any history? The Afghan people have never had a functioning government. Never. Are we so sure we can be the ones to finally break a cycle that’s been going on for centuries? There are ways to contain the Taliban and al Qaeda without committing thousands more American troops to the fight.
- Speaking of Afghanistan – General McChrystal should be fired for making public statements about the advice he gave to Obama. Politicizing decisions that are made by the elected, civilian controllers of the military is not a general’s place. There is a reason that there is civilian control over the military. General MacArthur forgot that, too, and had to be reminded by President Truman. General McChrystal should suffer the same fate that MacArthur suffered.
- President Obama seems to be facing a lot of the same questions he faced during the campaign – that he doesn’t have the backbone to be Commander in Chief during a time when a long war is being fought. I think there’s some mettle there, in Obama, but it still remains to be seen. Is there something he’s waiting for?
I’ll blog as I can, but as I mentioned above, this is my busy time at work. But even if I’m not posting as much as I’d like, I am still around reading comments and other things. So please feel free to comment. I’ll respond as I can.
Most of what you say is on or near the mark, but I don’t see what’s wrong with the President lobbying for a few billion dollars worth of business for Chicago. Maybe if those kids at Fenger High School had jobs and a future they wouldn’t be beating each other to death. Most of the Olympic venues would have been near that High School.
Polanski should have faced the music instead of running away. It would now be all behind him. He would still be a convicted child molester, but he’d have been able to get his lifetime achievement award. Did they include his raping a 13 year old as one of those achievements?
To listen to some in Hollywood the past few days, you’d think that raping a 13 year old was indeed one of Polanski’s accomplishments. The Hollywood elite lost the plot on this one.
I could be convinced about the Copenhagen trip, Alan. But right now I think it was a waste of his time and was an error that didn’t need to be made.