Lord knows, the collapse of the 35W bridge in Minneapolis is a tragedy, and I pray that the death toll remains nearly as low as the current official total of four. However, the incident could prove to be a blessing in disguise for the rest of us.
First, all reports are of a relatively smooth and heroic response by emergency crews in the Twin Cities, along with assistance from other agencies. The hard education that we've received from 9/11 and Katrina might have paid off with the work that was done in Minnesota. And it will focus first responders around the nation -- and the world -- on what incidents they might face themselves.
Second, there are tens of thousands of bridges in the style of this one, and thousands more that reportedly have some structural deficiencies. Now you have every transportation agency in the country going out to check its spans. We've known for years about crumbling infrastructure, and this might finally get some government officials off their duffs and do something about it. And, smart engineers will learn what went wrong, and apply the lessons to other aging structures of this type.
Things happen, and it's sad when people die, but there's a chance their deaths will not be in vain.
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Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is right. If Pakistan does not address it's lawless northern provinces, we'll have to take things into our own hands. But it's another sign of his inexperience -- he's still only been in the Senate for one term -- that he actually said that. There are some things you just don't say publicly.
Same goes for his willingness to meet with the leaders of belligerent nations like North Korea, Iran and Venezuela without preconditions. A situation might arise to where he needs to meet with one of them in his first year, but as a good quarterback knows, you don't telegraph your passes.
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There's a lot of discussion among pundits about how much should be discussed about Hillary Clinton's cleavage and Jeri Thompson being a trophy wife.
As a guy, my initial reaction is I don't really want to think of Hillary's cleavage, less be confronted with images of same. Yet, history tells is that nothing takes place with a Clinton by accident, so you have to wonder why she'd be allowing such exposure. Maybe it leads to a Janet Jackson-style wardrobe malfunction in the general election season? Just kidding. Still, I don't see how the focus on her womanhood improves her standing among voters.
Concerning the much younger and very attractive wife of maybe one day GOP candidate Fred Thompson, okay, we know now that she's been a high-powered D.C. operative for years and isn't just another pretty face.
But seriously, you look at what the Clintons went through with Hillary spending eight years as First Lady under a microscope and you wonder, what's the problem with putting the spotlight on other potential first ladies. Hillary, of course, welcomed the exposure because of her future political goals and deserved examination because she was far more politically involved than most presidential wives.
Laura Bush hasn't been followed quite so closely because she stays in the background. However, there's no way that Jeri Thompson suddenly turns into a non-entity if her husband wins the presidency. She'll be just as active as Hillary was. And that's fine. But because of that, she's deserving of considerable scrutiny.
The larger issue facing the Thompsons is whether the boat has left the pier. His poll numbers are falling as he remains on the sideline. Expect a yea or nay from him by mid-August, before all his support is frittered away.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
GOP Spin Mode in Full Tilt Over Iraq Successes
The mainstream media's acknowledgment of recent successes in Iraq has the Republican spin machine going full-blast.
In the past month, successes like the turning of Sunni tribes in al Anbar province against al Qaeda and the elimination of most of the terrorists from Baquba have only been hailed in GOP-oriented media, such as talk radio, Fox News and the right side of the blogosphere.
This past weekend, the good news stories have been picked up even in anti-war newspapers like the New York Times and by pundits on the Sunday TV programs.
The talk show hosts went wild Monday over the NY Times' publication of an op-ed piece by Michael O'Hanlon and Michael Pollock of The Brookings Institution, a defense think-tank that is slightly left on the political spectrum. O'Hanlon was called a major critic of the Iraq war, and his view that the operation is now winnable was a major turnaround. But O'Hanlon, while critical, was no anti-war lefty Daily Kos type by any stretch of the imagination, and his past criticisms have been well-taken.
Comments by Washington Post writer David Ignatius on TV that a quick withdrawal was a bad idea were also cited by talk radio hosts. Ignatius, however, has been a supporter of Gen. David Petreus, the leader of the surge strategy, from the get-go. He's well-connected and has traveled to Baghdad in the past to speak with top Iraqi and U.S. officials. For Ignatius to say that a withdrawal now, with the surge only recently at full strength, is a bad idea is not exactly a stretch.
Some of the celebration by GOP supporters is warranted. There has been some success with the surge outside Baghdad, though not much within the Iraqi capital. For an anti-war paper like the NY Times to acknowledge such, especially from a somewhat left-of-center organization like Brookings, is a definite change.
Whether enough of the mainstream media follows, and leads to a major change in the waning public support for the war is questionable, but bears watching. If you start seeing a bunch of "Success in Iraq" stories over the next couple weeks, then the GOP might have something. No question that the Democrats own defeat, and if Iraq appears successful next year it will have major electoral implications. That could help the GOP.
It could also help Hillary Clinton. The primaries come before the general election, of course, and she's the only candidate near the top of the polls who has ever expressed some support for Operation Iraqi Freedom, reserved as it was. But Barack Obama and John Edwards, her closest opponents, have been solidly against the war. Hillary has been running away from the war recently, but she has plenty of time to ease away from that tack and look like the wise senior statesperson. That could wrap up the nomination and set her up pretty well for the presidency.
In the past month, successes like the turning of Sunni tribes in al Anbar province against al Qaeda and the elimination of most of the terrorists from Baquba have only been hailed in GOP-oriented media, such as talk radio, Fox News and the right side of the blogosphere.
This past weekend, the good news stories have been picked up even in anti-war newspapers like the New York Times and by pundits on the Sunday TV programs.
The talk show hosts went wild Monday over the NY Times' publication of an op-ed piece by Michael O'Hanlon and Michael Pollock of The Brookings Institution, a defense think-tank that is slightly left on the political spectrum. O'Hanlon was called a major critic of the Iraq war, and his view that the operation is now winnable was a major turnaround. But O'Hanlon, while critical, was no anti-war lefty Daily Kos type by any stretch of the imagination, and his past criticisms have been well-taken.
Comments by Washington Post writer David Ignatius on TV that a quick withdrawal was a bad idea were also cited by talk radio hosts. Ignatius, however, has been a supporter of Gen. David Petreus, the leader of the surge strategy, from the get-go. He's well-connected and has traveled to Baghdad in the past to speak with top Iraqi and U.S. officials. For Ignatius to say that a withdrawal now, with the surge only recently at full strength, is a bad idea is not exactly a stretch.
Some of the celebration by GOP supporters is warranted. There has been some success with the surge outside Baghdad, though not much within the Iraqi capital. For an anti-war paper like the NY Times to acknowledge such, especially from a somewhat left-of-center organization like Brookings, is a definite change.
Whether enough of the mainstream media follows, and leads to a major change in the waning public support for the war is questionable, but bears watching. If you start seeing a bunch of "Success in Iraq" stories over the next couple weeks, then the GOP might have something. No question that the Democrats own defeat, and if Iraq appears successful next year it will have major electoral implications. That could help the GOP.
It could also help Hillary Clinton. The primaries come before the general election, of course, and she's the only candidate near the top of the polls who has ever expressed some support for Operation Iraqi Freedom, reserved as it was. But Barack Obama and John Edwards, her closest opponents, have been solidly against the war. Hillary has been running away from the war recently, but she has plenty of time to ease away from that tack and look like the wise senior statesperson. That could wrap up the nomination and set her up pretty well for the presidency.
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