The World Is Failing Burma

Burma: Than Shwe Is Going To The Hague
Britain Is Betraying Burma
Burma: Time For All Out Sanctions By All Powers
Burma: Momentum Is Key To Victory
In Solidarity With The Burmese People

Burma tells me each democracy movement is going to be unique. You apply a few basic principles, but you have to have a dynamic approach to tactical moves, and local conditions are never the same in two places.

Burma is going to be different from Nepal. Zimbabwe is going to be different once the people rise up there. And those of us who profess to be on the side of democracy, be they democracy activists or world leaders, must exhibit the humility to admit we don't know. We don't know how exactly a democracy movement will unfold, we don't know what exactly is the right way to help each time. There are things we can't control. There are things we can control.

Based on what we do know, and what is in our control, and what we can do, I come to the conclusion the world has been failing Burma for the past few weeks.

The monks' demonstrations were dramatic. International help was not dramatic. And that is why the first phase of the uprising has failed. Hundreds got killed, their bodies burned Hitler's gas chambers style. Thousands have been jailed, tortured, harassed. The ethnic cleansing goes on unabated in the east.

What could the world have done different? What can it do different now to rescue the mass action in Burma? We know mass action is very difficult to ignite. But once it ignites, it must be accompanied to its successful conclusion. It is still not too late. We can still succeed.

Lending Voice

There has been a lot of outcry, but not entirely enough. The Burmese generals do listen to international criticism. They do respond. They do feel the pinch. So keep talking hoarse. Ordinary people all over the world can lend their voice to the Burmese people at this time of urgent need. Speak up. Condemn the junta in no unclear terms.

Giving Money

Maybe you can't organize freely inside Burma. But you can organize in the border towns in Thailand and India. You can organize in the capital cities of the world. Raise money like money was raised for the tsunami victims. I don't see PayPal buttons on the homepages of the top groups working for democracy in Burma. Money is key. The democracy movement needs direct funding. And you are not even looking at big bucks. You are looking at a few hundred thousand dollars at most. Maybe someone should put out a Facebook application that gets 100,000 college students in America to donate a dollar each for this cause.

In Solidarity With The Burmese People

Military Options

I have had this recurring fantassy. What if the US military were to conduct surgical air raids to take out all buildings in Burma's new capital where all the top generals supposedly live and work? If you were to take out the top guy, and the top generals, I think the rest of the military brass would be jolted into making sense.

You are not invading the country. And the operation would be over in a few hours. And there is already a political infrastructure in the form of a large political party in the country.

Suu Kyi comes out in the open and forms a multi-party interim government whose mandate is to hold elections to a constituent assembly within a year.

Might this not be the shortest route to democracy in Burma?

I think for Than Shwe it is between death by air raid or The Hague. To expect that guy to reform is to expect a serial killer to reform. That is not known to happen.

Burma: Than Shwe Is Going To The Hague

Many Roads To Freedom

Pakistan is going down a different route. Musharraf becomes president. Then he retires from the military. Bhutto becomes Prime Minister. I am not opposed to that development, especially when I have major trust in Bhutto, in her judgment, her skills. I am sure she is doing right by her people.

Next stop: Bhutan, Zimbabwe, Sudan. I can't wait to see mass action in Zimbabwe.

In The News

Burma's Opposition Dismisses Preconditions for Talks With Government Voice of America
Burma party rejects junta's terms BBC News Ms Suu Kyi's party insisted it was not ruling out talks. ..... her party has not had direct contact with her since 2004, and that the NLD's statement cannot be considered as her personal response to the junta's offer. ...... the generals said any meeting would depend on Ms Suu Kyi abandoning her "exerted efforts for confrontation, utter devastation, and imposing all kinds of sanctions". .... the junta's conditions are bizarre ...... many Burmese are sceptical of the military's sincerity, and believe the offer of talks is just a delaying tactic until the international pressure on Burma fades away. .... The international community remains divided on how to deal with Burma's repressive regime.
Burma Military Opens Communication With Opposition Leader Voice of America The Burmese military government has appointed a deputy minister to begin talks with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The move is the latest in an apparent bid to forestall condemnation by the U.N. Security Council. ...... In another conciliatory move, the government says it has released hundreds of monks and lay people arrested during the crackdown, and has donated thousands of dollars to monasteries.
What Burma wants from the world BBC News, UK The US has already toughened its sanctions against Burma, and the EU is set to follow suit. ...... "We would like to have democracy, but the most important thing for us is to have peace, and enough food on our plates," one woman said. ...... Burma is a country that is desperately poor. According to recent international estimates, 32% of the population live below the poverty line and, excluding a small rich elite, the rest are only just above it. ....... signs of poverty everywhere in Rangoon - children with distended stomachs, people scavenging through rubbish and families buying coal to cook on open fires, owing to the intermittent and expensive electricity supply. ...... Outside the major cities, the situation is far worse. ..... the northern and eastern states .... conditions are on a par with the worst parts of sub-Saharan Africa. ....... many Burmese are sceptical of sanctions, saying they have already made the country poor and will only make the situation worse if they are tightened further. ...... "Sanctions don't work - they're not the solution," one elderly man said to me in a Rangoon teashop, as we discussed Burma's future. ........ they do not seem to have done much harm to the rich military generals, who are busy making deals with the rest of Asia. ...... Many of those who telephoned the UN during the crackdown asked why no-one was sending a peacekeeping force. ........ "Why have the US and the UK invaded Iraq, and not done the same here?" ....... "The international community did nothing to stop a three-day killing spree," one woman said. "That was when I realised we were on our own." ...... appears that all this pressure is finally having some effect on Burma's leaders. ..... the first time he has agreed to meet Ms Suu Kyi, and considering he is reported to hate her so much he does not even allow people to mention her name ...... both sides have had such contrasting views for so long, it is difficult to see how they can find common ground. ..... to the people inside Burma, it appears the government has no intention of instigating change at all........ filling state media with images of huge pro-government rallies around the country.
Burma shuts down last communication links Guardian Unlimited up to 10 satellite telephones and countless computers earlier smuggled into Burma have been seized, the last lines of contact after the government shut down the internet and blocked mobile and fixed-line telephones. ..... also visited a UN office in the Traders Hotel in downtown Rangoon late last week and demanded to see the organisation's permits for its satellite phones. ...... The junta's determination to snuff out the last trickles of information signals its paranoia over the damage images of the military's suppression of the demonstrations had inflicted. ........ images of a monk floating face down in a pool ..... the 15-member UN Security Council met in New York to debate a resolution condemning Burma's "violent repression of peaceful demonstrations" ...... Despite the apparently conciliatory gestures, the arrests of those suspected of taking part in the 100,000 pro-democracy marches were reportedly still continuing in Rangoon. ...... Yesterday the British and US embassies in Rangoon, reachable by phone until late last week, were impossible to get through to from outside the country. British ambassador Mark Canning and US charge d'affaires Shari Villarosa were outspoken critics of the regime's actions.
Suu Kyi rejects Burma junta's preconditions on peace talks Independent, UK Having beaten them, abused them and shot many of them dead, Burma's military junta says it is trying to rebuild a relationship with the country's Buddhist monks by donating supplies of food, medicine and toothpaste. ...... Lieutenant-General Myint Swe has apparently delivered £4,000 of supplies to 50 monasteries and a nunnery in Rangoon. ...... General Shwe, the chairman of the State Peace and Development Council and head of the hardline regime, has met Ms Suu Kyi only once before, in 2002. On that occasion, their talks quickly broke down. He is understood to loathe the opposition leader and it is said that he does not even allow mention of her name in his presence. ....... The EU and the US have warned they will push for UN sanctions if Burma fails to move towards democracy. But China, which has a veto on such a move as a member of the Security Council, has repeatedly opposed the idea. ....... Troops recently discovered 12 satellite phones used by activists to contact the outside world. ...... a diplomat at the Burmese embassy in London said last night he had resigned as a result of the regime's actions against the monks. "I have never seen such a scenario in the whole of my life," Ye Min Tun added.
Diplomat resigns over Burma monks BBC News, UK
Burma diplomat defects, bemoans army response Radio Australia
Crack Down Continues on Karen Minority in Burma Voice of America While the crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Burma has grabbed the world's attention in recent weeks, the country's military government is continuing its often forgotten war against ethnic minorities in the country. A missionary working with refugees from the Karen minority group says the Burmese army is killing and raping villagers and forcing them to flee their homes. ....... the Karen National Liberation Army continues an armed insurgency that started six decades ago. ...... "There is [are] less than 4,000 Karen soldiers against - the Burmese army is now 500,000. "All that military force is basically used against the ethnic minorities." ......... "Their tactics of choice include rape, extortion, murder, forced relocation, forced labor." ...... many have no choice but to flee from government-controlled areas and live in jungle camps without access to sanitation, clean water or education for children ..... estimated one million internally displaced people in eastern Burma. ....... limited employment opportunities and boredom drive some refugees to alcohol abuse and even suicide. ...... hope for a future Burma that is a federalized country in which minorities have their own, autonomous homelands.
China opposes UN sanctions against Burma Bangkok Post, Thailand does not support UN sanctions against Burma's ruling junta but favours continued mediation by a UN envoy. ..... Any action must also help the "stability, reconciliation, democratization and development" of Burma

The Debate: Thompson Passes A Test; Giuliani and Romney Spar Atlantic Online
UPDATE 2-Thompson debuts in Republican economic debate Reuters Fred Thompson made a crisp debut in his first 2008 debate appearance on Tuesday ...... "We Republicans who came to power in 1994 to change government -- government changed us." ..... Romney, a native of Michigan, said the United States was facing a "one-state recession."
Clinton Urges 401(k)s, Matching Funds The Associated Press
India’s man on the move Hindustan Times
China's 40 Richest Forbes
Daughter of former bricklayer is China’s richest person with $16bn Times Online
Google shares breach $600 level BBC News
Big B deserves more peace: Rekha Times of India

Laura Bush: WH ready to add to Burma sanctions USA Today The first lady's comments on foreign policy, and her increasingly active role on democracy in Burma, have been a departure for the former teacher and librarian who until now has made reading her signature issue. ...... Bush has quietly pushed the plight of Suu Kyi and the need for democracy in Burma for at least five years, after learning about the issues from Elsie Walker, a Bush family cousin and a friend of the opposition leader. ........ said she was concerned that "there didn't seem to be a very strong response from other countries." She said she called Ban to urge U.N. action and has issued periodic news releases since. ....... she includes women's issues in Afghanistan and health issues in Africa in her portfolio. ..... She said her real influence on foreign policy is to be able to "shine a spotlight."
Lindsay Lohan: No more LA clubbing for me New York Daily News
Obama campaign names state director for NJ Newsday
Clinton In, 4 Dems Out of Mich. Primary The Associated Press As punishment for breaking the rules, the DNC has vowed to strip Michigan and Florida, which scheduled its contest on Jan. 29, of their delegates. Florida has 210 delegates, Michigan 156. ...... "It's yet another reason why we need to get rid of Iowa and New Hampshire going first," said Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer. ...... Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis said the decision by the Democrats just opens Michigan to more campaigning by Republicans hoping to win the state and its electoral votes.

Positioning for Power at China's Communist Congress BusinessWeek Hu spoke of the need to "maintain the party leadership, empower the people and rule the country by law." ...... Li contends that the informal power sharing between the Hu and Zeng offers hope for a future in which power is diffused more widely throughout the party. Neither side can win outright so they counterbalance one another, working out their differences through negotiation and compromise. If this can succeed, then a more institutionalized and open form of inner-party democracy is possibile. ......... the Central Party School offers more senior cadres the chance to pursue master's and doctoral studies mid-career. The lucky ones get to study overseas through CPC tie-ups with foreign universities. ....... the membership of the National People's Congress, China's legislative body, be reduced by 85% to just 451 seats to enable more efficient decision-making. ...... axing the townships and prefectures from China's five current administrative tiers.
Ultra-Low-Cost PCs to Hit 1M in 2008 the sales of these devices in the emerging markets of Latin America and Asia--namely China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam--to top 1 million units in 2008 and 6 million by the end of 2012. ....... the "classroom-focused approach" by Intel's Classmate PC will be more effective in driving the adoption of these ultra-low-cost PCs ...... "Hardware alone is not enough; users will need software and education applications in local languages."
Is New York Losing Its Soul? When panelists talked of "soul" they seemed to yearn for variety across neighborhoods. ....... a "delibidinization" of the cityscape in which generic national chains displace small businesses and even strip clubs, with their factory-produced marquees and bland facades, look eerily similar to banks. ......... "I want Lenox Avenue to look like Lenox Avenue," he said, describing a Harlem thoroughfare now chockablock with national chains. "It is possible to apportion, by district, part of commercial rent to remain affordable for local stores." ....... a current city policy that lets developers build taller in exchange for including affordable housing or public space in their projects ...... how blogging, university expansions, online activism, and gentrification—all functions of a newly digital and global economy—affect the cityscape. Befitting an activist who loved urban complexity, the series seems sure to raise a mess of ideas.
Who Wants to Be a Facebook Millionaire? one Facebook application, called Sticky Notes, that took Aigboboh less than a week to write. ...... their four-month-old company, J-Squared Media, is pulling in $45,000 a month in advertising revenues from Facebook ....... a formal acquisition offer worth more than $3 million ...... "My mom thinks I'm crazy," Tevelow says. "She can't believe there are million-dollar deals coming in and we're saying no." ..... some 70,000 people have requested the tools to develop Facebook applications ..... only about 100 have been installed half a million times or more. ..... Sticky Notes has has been installed more than 3.5 million times, with 211,000 Facebookers actively using the widget each day.

Debate Will Focus on Economy, But Campaign Already Has Washington Post
Will Obama Rock the Youth Vote? New York Times sending recruiting teams to Iowa high schools and trying to ensure that New Hampshire college students who might be out of state on primary day get absentee ballots. ....... the percentage of voters under 30 in the total electorate was basically unchanged between 2000 and 2004-- 17 percent ....... a style that cuts across generations ...... works out every day to keep trim. ...... Ken Mehlman, who ran George Bush’s 2004 presidential campaign ....... Obama has taken a personal role in the program his Iowa organizers have set up to recruit potential supporters in Iowa. ..... At each stop on his four-day tour through Iowa last week, Mr. Obama put aside time to meet with "Barack Stars," as members of the network are called. ....... he urged his young audience to volunteer to work on Tuesday night – high school night – at Obama headquarters. "You can’t have beer, but you can have pizza ........ “But the age structure of the Iowa caucus vote is that it is a heavy preponderance of the older voter.” ......... “The median age could be as high as 59.”
Heavy Fighting Reported in Pakistan New York Times aerial bombardment of the militants’ holdouts ..... Hasu Khel, which is a known hub for foreign fighters ...... bombing in at least six villages and of as many as 55 civilians killed, including women and children. ...... Pakistan’s tribal areas, where Al Qaeda and the Taliban’s influence are spreading ....... militants sympathetic to the Taliban and Al Qaeda, with a rising number of deadly attacks on military targets. ..... the town of Mirali, in North Waziristan, an area known for a strong presence of foreign fighters ..... Sher Khan, a councilman from North Waziristan who lives near Mirali, said he lost 12 members of his family when several bombs fell on his house. Eighteen bodies were reported by villagers to have been pulled from the rubble in Hasu Khel. ......... at least 150 militants had been killed ..... an army truck was ambushed. After that initial attack, about 300 militants went on to ambush an army convoy that was traveling to the scene, killing 22 troops ........ dozens of soldiers, many with their throats slit
India can hit 10% growth, sustain it: OECD Sify the country's annual economic growth could reach a sustainable 10 per cent and be spread more evenly across the country if it pursues ambitious and wide-ranging reforms. ....... market-based reforms since the 1980s have helped India reduce poverty in absolute terms - standing at 22 per cent of the population in 2004 - and average incomes are expected to double within the next decade. ...... India is now the world's third largest economy behind the US and China ...... incomes in the three richest states are three-and-a-half times higher than in the three poorest states ...... the system of tax-sharing and inter-governmental transfers ... "The government should simplify the transfer system, improve its administration and make it more transparent. ..... fiscal discipline ..... increasing their use of the capital market ....... tackling red tape .... the need for a modern bankruptcy law to simplify the restructuring of insolvent firms. ...... "Privatisation of more publicly-owned firms should be resumed to help improve productivity and profitability. In the meantime, public companies should be controlled by a government investment agency rather than by a sponsoring ministry, in order to separate ownership and policy-making." ...... a major social-sector gap in India - education
China says open to role in Korean War peace process Forbes
China resists European pressure on currency Financial Times
Google Delivers Ad-Supported Video Clips PC World Not all YouTube videos are fodder for the program. Google is working with specific video producers that have agreed to participate, including TV Guide Broadband, Expert Village and Ford Models
British ISP Plans Nationwide WiMax BusinessWeek speeds of more than 10Mbps
Wal-Mart's Latest Sale: Broadband it will resell high-speed Internet access from Hughes Communications (HUGH), the world's largest provider of broadband services via satellite. ....... Only about 10% of Americans have no access to DSL or cable broadband ...... Consider what happened when Wal-Mart began offering sub-$1,000 flat-panel TVs. After trying to match these prices, rival Circuit City (CC) had to close 70 stores ......... and lay off 3,400 employees earlier this year. CompUSA had to shutter more than half of its stores. ........ cable broadband prices, for instance, rose to $44 recently from $42 two years ago
The Next Software Acquisitions Growth in software is slowing, and private equity firms are struggling to raise financing for big acquisitions in the rocky credit markets. ....... Not so long ago, software companies had little reason to sell. They were hoping for a big initial public offering. But in the new environment of slower growth, it's more difficult for a smaller company to generate enough growth to support a big IPO. That's why software mergers are making more sense for buyers and sellers alike.
Gunning for Google Google .... 1998 .... launched a trend for more simplified, easier to use Web design ....... "blended" results, a mixture of text links as well as images, video, maps, and local directory information. .... Text doesn't invoke "banner blindness," the instinct to ignore flashy, distracting, and often irrelevant graphical ads. ....... More complexity, Nielsen says, "violates Google's principle of search and go." ...... only 15% of search users in the U.S. typically find what they're looking for on the first attempt, often performing three or four searches before they do.
Iranian-Born German Soccer Star Boycotts Israel Game Deutsche Welle
Stored Blood May Lack Vital Component Washington Post
Banked Blood Could Do More Harm Than Good Medical News Today
Physics Nobel Goes to German, Frenchman Washington Post for a discovery that lets computers, iPods and other digital devices store reams of data on ever-shrinking hard disks. .......... independently discovered a physical effect in 1988 that has led to sensitive tools for reading the information stored on hard disks. ........ a phenomenon called giant magnetoresistance. ..... "a terrific combination of great physics and huge practical application.
Being a queen comes easily to Cate Blanchett MSNBC there’s something naturally regal about Blanchett ....... Australian native .... Blanchett’s performance is already generating significant Oscar buzz. ...... an actress who takes enormous risks in her investigation of the scene and the evolution of how she discovers what happens within that scene ....... Blanchett, 37 ...... the monarch who still commands a captive audience more than 500 years after her death. ....... Blanchett is a walking, talking Wikipedia when it comes to deciphering Elizabeth I, who during this period of her life was struggling with her affection for Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen); the betrayal she felt after learning that Bess was carrying Raleigh’s child; the Holy War; and her conflicted feelings toward her cousin, Mary Stuart (Samantha Morton), who wanted the queen dead. ........ When faced with the choice of kill or be killed, the daughter of Henry VIII took her cousin out by putting her head on the chopping block. ..... the queen had issues with intimacy ...... the notion of ever forming a marriage with anybody was kind of a dangerous and unattractive prospect

Coke Gatorade, Not Coke Pepsi

Jujutsu - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jujutsu evolved among the samurai of feudal Japan as a method for dispatching an armed and armored opponent in situations where the use of weapons was impractical or forbidden. Due to the difficulty of dispatching an armored opponent with striking techniques, the most efficient methods for neutralizing an enemy took the form of pins, joint locks, and throws. These techniques were developed around the principle of using an attacker's energy against him, rather than directly opposing it, and came to be known as jujutsu.

1991, 2007

George H. W. Bush was considered invincible in 1991. Today Hillary Clinton is being considered invincible. Polls and public moods are notoriously volatile and fickle.

2003, 2007

At this point in 2003, I believe Joe Lieberman was leading the national polls. Or it might have been a little earlier in the season. You know why? Because the dude had run for Vice President only a few years earlier. The dude had name recognition.

2003, 2007

Howard Dean was leading the national polls and the polls in all the early states in December 2003. He felt so confident of victory in Iowa, he took an ill-timed trip to Georgia to go hang out with Jimmy Carter who he apparently had liked a whole lot when Carter ran for president. Guess what happened a few weeks later.

Like Dean, Hillary today leads in the national polls and the early state polls.

January 2004, January 2008

It is more important for Hillary to win Iowa than it is for Barack. Because of her lead in the national polls throughout 2007, a loss in Iowa could prove fatal to Hillary. And if it does not, she will have lost some serious momentum.

I Stand With Michelle: Iowa Must And Can Be Won

2000, 2008

Hillary is like George W in more ways than one. W also had a significant other who had been in the White House, his father. Most of W's name recognition came from his father. Most of Hillary's name recognition comes from her husband.

Hillary voted for the Iraq War. W wanted her to vote for the Iraq War.

W gave money to the oil companies in spades, and the American people were saddled with higher gas prices. Hillary wants to give truckloads of money to the insurance companies. If you think health care takes too big a chunk out of the nation's GDP, wait until Hillary has had her say.

Hillary 2008 is like W 2000. There is major emphasis on discipline and control, on staying on message. Major effort is put to make sure Hillary does not end up meeting random voters and journalists. She is, for the most part, stage managed and scripted.

2004, 2008: Different?

There are a few differences though. One, Hillary is no Howard Dean. I don't expect her to implode. If she does not win the nomination, she is going to be a close second, kind of like Lyndon Johnson to JFK in 1960.

Imagining Obama As Vice President
Hillary For Senate Majority Leader

And February 5 is what is a major difference this time around. I don't think the people in the February 5 states are going to say, oh, now that I know how the good white people in Iowa voted, I am also going to vote the same way. The whole idea of all those states shifting to the earlier date of February 5 has been so as to prove the historically early states are, at best, Djibouti.

Granted if you win Iowa, you are on the front page of every newspaper in America the following morning, but I am betting January is not when it will be decided. This time February 5 is more important.

173 Vs 1,433 Delegates: February 5 Is Key

Woman

Hillary is a viable candidate for president. She has a very good chance of winning. Barack will be tougher to beat than Rudy. If she is the nominee, I am confident she will win in the fall. If she wins in the fall, I think she will be a good president.

A lot of women have really bought into this viability thing, women who never expected to see a woman president in their lifetimes.

It has been my conjecture that gender has been the number one issue in this race, not Iraq, not health care, not global warming.

The Grassroots Power Woman
Michelle Obama Is Just Fabulous
Wife Won't Do, Got To Court Women With Policy And Outreach
Muscular Gender Agenda
Hillary's Beijing Speech

The Biggest Woman In America: Oprah

Hollywood Gets It
Oprah Needs To Hit The Campaign Trail

Oprah's total endorsement of Obama shows race is a bigger issue than gender in America, it is a bigger issue than gender for minority women.

Oprah is the only person in America who can neutralize Billie Clinton, and that guy needs to be neutralized. Oprah can not outdo Bill Clinton politically. But she is the only black billionaire on the planet. She can help in the money department. And she can neutralize Hillary's gender thing.

Oprah has to host about 20 fundraisers all over America this quarter. $2300 a plate. We are doing the $25 per person on our own just fine. Let her bring in upwards of $6 million this quarter. How about $10 million. That is 10 fundraisers in the 10 biggest cities bringing $1 million each. That is so very doable. Oprah can do it, she can rock the vote.

And put the guy on your show a few times. And like Michelle said at the Harlem event where I saw her for the first time, "Ladies, he was cute!" She is like, if you are not impressed by his policy or resume, shoot for the looks, damnit!

Michelle Obama Is Just Fabulous

Barack appearing on the Oprah show a few times will make all the difference.

Swift Boat, Strength And Experience

John Kerry was swift boated in 2004. Like Max Cleland was Vietnamed. The point is the facts did not matter. He refused to respond to a political attack, and he lost.

Barack Obama got "strength and experience"d in the third quarter. His not hitting back cost him. This is no different from swift boat. This is not about the facts of wether or not Barack has the "strength and the experience." Of course he does. He showed strength in 2002, Hillary showed the lack of it.

Hillary 2008 put out that phrase on a daily basis during the third quarter.

The counterattack should have also been a phrase. Judgment to lead? Judgment and leadership? And it should have been near daily. It has to feel like a counterattack. To the people.

Barack: Judgment And Leadership
Barack: Strength And Judgment

Instead Barack blinked.

This was one chance to engage Hillary. Otherwise she acts like Barack is not even in the room, kind of like Tim Russert.

Tim Russert: Bill O'Reilly's Lower Case Cousin

When Barack engages Hillary, he goes up in the polls.

The Exchange

There is nothing new about the politics of taking it lying down. John Kerry already tried that in 2004.

Coke Gatorade, Coke Pepsi

Hillary's job is to make the case Barack and her are like Coke and Pepsi. If she succeeds, she wins.

Barack's job is to make the case Hillary is Coke and he is Gatorade. If he succeeds in projecting that, he wins.

You don't hit back in a personal way. You hit back so as to draw out the real distinctions that do exist.

In The News

Turkey prepares for operation in Iraq Houston Chronicle
US warns against Turkish action in Iraq Reuters India
British jurors trace Diana and Dodi's last steps Reuters the jurors traveled through the tunnel seven times on Monday, by coach and on foot, and once on Tuesday ...... Dodi's father Mohamed al-Fayed says the couple were killed by British security services acting on the orders of Queen Elizabeth's husband, Diana's former father-in-law. ....... Investigations by French and British police concluded the deaths were a tragic accident caused by a speeding driver, who was found to be drunk and who also died in the crash.
New political deal angers Pakistanis Christian Science Monitor the events of the past week here could push him to terrorism. .... an unexpected admission, not only because the young business student could be the face of Pakistani moderation: educated, beardless, and dressed in Western clothes. ........ Citizens see it not as a step toward democracy, but as a United States-brokered deal to prop up Pakistan's ruling elite, which is almost universally viewed as corrupt. As such, the deal exacerbates two of Pakistanis' most deeply ingrained frustrations: that America meddles too much in its affairs, and that justice is subverted by the rich and withheld from the poor. ......... the court legitimizes the election, Musharraf will take off the Army uniform, and Bhutto will be allowed to run for a third term as prime minister. ...... has increased the perception that power trumps justice in Pakistan. ...... Jehangir looks to Americans with envy. "Whatever their religion or beliefs, at least they have rule of law." ....... she has said she would allow US forces into Pakistan to look for Osama bin Laden. ...... a hugely unpopular idea here ..... "judging by her statements … it seems Bhutto doesn't have her hand on the pulse of the public anymore ...... Pakistan's lawyers, who began the current uprising against Musharraf six months ago ....... there has been talk of establishing a lawyer's party to contest the January parliamentary elections.
Obama Proposes Capping Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Making ... New York Times creating an auction system requiring power companies and other industries to pay for their pollution. By the year 2020, he said, emissions would be reduced to levels from 1990. ........ imposing a national cap on carbon emissions, investing $150 billion over 10 years to develop new energy sources and reducing dependence on foreign oil by 35 percent by 2030. ........ “Businesses don’t own the sky, the public does, and if we want them to stop polluting it, we have to put a price on all pollution.” ........ a mandatory “cap and trade” program across the economy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the level recommended by top scientists ......... businesses would be required to buy allowances to pollute, which would create financial incentives to limit energy use or reduce emissions. ...... carbon emissions, which by 2050 would be reduced to 80 percent below the levels in 1990. ....... criticized those who opposed gradual increases in gasoline mileage standards for cars, which included Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton ...... was praised Monday by the League of Conservation Voters, an independent group.
Clinton talks trade and mortgages in Iowa Los Angeles Times rolling out proposals to toughen U.S. trade policy and help homeowners facing higher adjustable-rate mortgage payments. ..... "Middle-Class Express Bus Tour" ..... "Too many families are standing on that trapdoor, just one diagnosis, one pink slip, one missed mortgage payment away from falling through and losing everything they've worked for" ....... Much of what Clinton presented in her 50-minute speech was familiar ...... a blue bus with "Rebuilding the Road to the Middle Class" plastered across the sides
Au revoir, Obama. It's Hillary Clinton all the way Globe and Mail Every indicator now massively favours Ms. Clinton's campaign. In the latest national poll, released last week by The Washington Post and ABC News, she had the support of 53 per cent of Democratic voters. Challenger Barack Obama had slipped to 20 per cent ....... Ms. Clinton raised $27-million (U.S.) to Mr. Obama's $20-million. ....... Conventional wisdom holds that all of these advantages can turn to dust if one candidate or another does better or worse than expected in the crucial Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina caucuses and primaries in early 2008. That may not be the case this time, since half the states, including New York and California, will hold their primaries on Feb. 5, limiting the ability of dark horses to exploit early successes. ....... has the New York senator at 29 per cent in Iowa, comfortably ahead of John Edwards (23 per cent), and Mr. Obama (22 per cent). ..... Ms. Clinton doesn't have to win the early primaries, she just has to not lose them. Her powerful national organization will take care of the rest on Feb. 5. ...... the Michigan/Florida factor. ...... The results in Michigan and Florida will, however, have a powerful psychological effect. ...... Skeptics observe that Howard Dean was comfortably in the lead in the Democratic primaries four years ago, only to come a cropper in Iowa, and that none of the big names would run for the Democratic nomination in 1992 because everyone knew president George Bush was invincible. ......... a 30-point lead in the polls and an unmatched political organization ...... the organization. The Clintons built a formidable political machine to advance Bill Clinton's presidential prospects, and Ms. Clinton inherited that machine. ....... She would be one of the best qualified presidents ever to inherit the office, having spent eight years in the White House and eight in the Senate. She knows the system and can work it. ....... Fred Thompson's late arrival has thus far sparked neither light nor heat. ...... The Democrats have out-fundraised the Republicans $230-million to $149-million. .... it is impossible to imagine, right now, what it would take for Hillary to lose.

Britain to cut its force in Iraq by half Los Angeles Times
China says damage from tropical storm Krosa tops US$1 billion Jerusalem Post
US eyes next step after Costa Rica backs trade pact Reuters
Myanmar Reaches Out to Dissident New York Times the government was not planning to release her any time soon ..... “The three demands of the protesters — lowering consumer prices, release of Aung San Suu Kyi and political prisoners, and national reconciliation — cannot be satisfied through protest” ...... The drafting of a new constitution is one of the steps on a “road map” that the junta says will lead to a form of “disciplined democracy,” but the constitutional guidelines it adopted in August assured that the military would play the dominant role in any government. ........ Singapore does not permit gatherings of more than five people without a permit.
Albuquerque's Democratic mayor to seek Domenici's seat USA Today
Google's Stock Tops $600 for First Time Forbes
From Child On Street To Nobel Laureate Washington Post being a homeless street urchin, suffering from malnutrition in an Italian hospital, immigrating to the United States -- and yesterday, winning the Nobel Prize in medicine. ....... Capecchi moved from town to town, hungry most of the time and occasionally living in orphanages or traveling with gangs of other homeless children who stole food from carts while other members of the group distracted the vendors. "Just surviving from day to day pretty much occupies your mind" ....... His mother, who was liberated from Dachau by U.S. troops in 1945, found him at the hospital after searching for more than a year. ...... She took him to Rome, where he had his first bath in six years. ....... At Harvard, he worked in the lab of molecular biologist James D. Watson, one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA. ....... how mouse genes can be manipulated to better understand and model serious illnesses in humans such as cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. ....... The groundbreaking work is considered to have laid the scientific foundation for efforts to eradicate some diseases in humans by manipulating genes. ....... "Mario has a strong, independent mind and a willingness to pursue good ideas and important projects despite adversity" ........ "There was real opposition to his ideas and disbelief that his approach would be fruitful"
Google And IBM Partner To Push Cloud Computing InformationWeek large-scale distributed computing. ....... this emerging computing paradigm. ....... The fundamental architecture of computing is changing ...... now more performance gains come from processor density than transistor density. "You need to design your software to that it scales horizontally," he said, referring to the challenges of programming for many multicore processors working in parallel. ........... 'Internet-scale' computing ...... "It's no longer enough to program one machine well; to tackle tomorrow's challenges, students need to be able to program thousands of machines to manage massive amounts of data in the blink of an eye." ........ IBM and Microsoft were pushing Internet-scale distributed computing as a new model. ....... Sun Microsystems(SUNW) has also long been an advocate of what it calls grid computing. ...... "to train tomorrow's programmers to write software that can support a tidal wave of global Web growth and trillions of secure transactions every day."

LJP to go solo in Bihar elections Economic Times
Paswan Unhappy with Fast Track Courts in Bihar Patna Daily
Fix 5 year term for LS:Paswan Chennai Online UPA government facing threat from Left parties who insist on withdrawing support in the event of operationalisation of the nuclear deal..... "In order to avoid a mid-term poll which will cost the nation thousands of crores of public money, a consensus should be evolved among political parties for a fixed five-year term for the Lok Sabha in the event of a government getting reduced to minority," Paswan said. ..... The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president, however, felt that the chances of a mid-term election, as a result of the Left withdrawing its crucial outside support to the Manmohan Singh government, were remote.

Au revoir, Obama. It's Hillary Clinton all the way Globe and Mail
Obama Proposes Deep Greenhouse Gas Cuts The Associated Press
Clinton Turns to Economic Issues Wall Street Journal

A Senate Star Glimmers Less on the Stump New York Times a vicious circle: low poll numbers discourage news coverage, and a lack of coverage makes raising poll numbers difficult. ...... the wall-to-wall coverage his race for president drew two decades ago ..... “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” which offended many. ...... in breakfasts and lunches of a dozen here, a few dozen there. ..... his 1988 campaign. That year, after a promising start, he dropped out of the race after he was caught exaggerating his academic record at a town hall meeting and, in a major debate, using lines from a British politician without attribution. ......... his stories-within-stories about the Senate and his meetings with presidents and world leaders. ........ the death of his first wife and toddler daughter in a car accident just after he was first elected to the Senate, his decision to commute home to Delaware every night to be with his two sons .......... how he rebuilt his career and his life with his wife, Jill, and his family.

A Tiny Town, Suddenly Smaller by Seven, Mourns and Wonders, Why? New York Times “There is nothing that happened before or after yesterday’s events that has given us any insight into why.” ........ were watching movies, dozing and eating pizza. ...... Mr. Peterson, who many people said had a tumultuous relationship with Ms. Murray and had not been invited to the gathering ...... ranging in age from 14 to 20, including two young men whom schoolmates said Mr. Peterson considered close friends ....... Peterson’s next hours as a fugitive, the authorities said, were spent driving and talking on a telephone. At one point, he spoke to John Denne, the police chief and his boss. ........ He had undergone a background investigation and training, and met all needed requirements, they said. No psychological evaluation was required ....... Former schoolmates, too, described him as someone who had, in high school, hoped to be in the popular crowd, but never quite made it. ........ “He didn’t have a lot of friends because he was arrogant,” Michael Zold, 20, recalled. “He was always very stuck up, like he always had an attitude, ‘I have money, I’m better than everybody else.’” ....... “After he became an officer, it was a power trip to him.” ...... Peterson had gotten his police job so young, in part, because he was known in Crandon. ...... “They have a bunch of young people there who shouldn’t be there. It’s mostly family members.” ..... “Everybody’s related to someone.”
Details emerge in Wisconsin shootings Kansas City Star A young sheriff’s deputy who opened fire at a pizza party, killing six people, had gone there with the hope of patching up a relationship with his old girlfriend. Instead he got into a fight with her, and others at the gathering called him a “worthless pig.” .......... 20-year-old Tyler Peterson stormed out, retrieved an AR-15 rifle from his car and burst back into the house firing 30 shots that killed all but one of the people at the party. ....... Peterson later turned up at the Argonne, Wis., home of longtime family friend Mike Kegley and calmly explained what he had done. ..... The family quietly called 911. ..... remote northern Wisconsin community of 2,000 ..... how Peterson could have met requirements to become a law enforcement officer, especially after police acknowledged Monday that Peterson received no psychological screening before he was hired.

Clinton rides 'The Middle-Class Express' in Iowa Baltimore Sun
Clinton Says Take New Look at Trade Deal The Associated Press
Clinton on ‘Rebuilding the Middle Class’ New York Times the first of four speeches this week on “rebuilding the middle class,” and this baby weighed in at 50 minutes. ....... pass the Employee Free Choice Act to help unions organize, and she drew applause for saying she would double the size of the enforcement unit of the United States Trade Representative. ....... Mrs. Clinton keeps gliding over all of them and training her fire on President Bush. ........ he helps her avoid going negative on any of her opponents, or elevating them with attention, and his record gives her an easy opportunity to paint contrasts with the economic record of another American named Clinton (and thereby remind many Democratic voters of the happier times they felt during the 1990s). .......... she loves set-piece speeches like this one (her energy never seemed to flag over the 50 minutes). ....... She has been giving more and more policy speeches this fall, and there have been fewer unscripted or free-for-all events as a result. ....... Yesterday, during a question and answer session, she got into a sparring match with an Iowa voter over Iran, and at one point accused the man of being a plant for a rival campaign
UK plans Iraq troop cut to 2500 CNN International
UK on ‘glide path’ out of Iraq Financial Times
Iowa caucus or bust for Barack Obama New York Daily News Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucus is looking more and more like a last chance for the Democrats seeking to halt Sen. Hillary Clinton's march to the party's nomination. ........ With Clinton (D-N.Y.) dominating national polls, widening her big lead in New Hampshire and now outpacing all her rivals, including even Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), in fund-raising, she could be unstoppable if she takes Iowa. ........ Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic National Committee chairman, made eight stops last Wednesday drumming up support for Clinton, and warned supporters in Cedar Rapids, "We're not in first place here." ........ Obama completed a four-day, 10-city campaign swing on Friday, the same day Edwards began his own four-day, 17-city tour. Not to be outdone, Clinton came in Saturday for her own four-day marathon ....... Of the three leading Democrats, Obama has spent the most money on TV ads and the most time in the state this year. ....... As of Saturday night, he's visited 79 of the state's 99 counties, compared with 56 for Obama and 31 for Clinton. ...... "Rural areas and the smaller towns have a disproportionate impact on the result of the caucus" ..... For Edwards and Obama, a loss in Iowa is most likely fatal - and their campaigns have admitted as much. ...... a win in Iowa is necessary for every candidate - even Clinton. ..... "I'm challenging them - change my mind," he said.
Idaho Watches Latest Twist in Craig Drama NPR
Iowa, Iowa, Iowa MSNBC
In Iowa, no stop too small Chicago Tribune
In Obama's world, polluters must pay Los Angeles Times
Obama vows to lead global warming fight AFP
Obama's new energy plan: pay to pollute Baltimore Sun
What Would GOP Do Without Hillary? CBS News
Why Rudy Needs Hillary Washington Post
A Clinton-Obama Ticket? Washington Post John Kerry and John Edwards clearly had no love lost for each other and yet formed a ticket together. Having said that, maybe their ticket would have been more successful if they did like each other a little more. ....... An odd side effect from the rumblings of Dobson and the religious right threatening they might back a third party candidate if Giuliani were the nominee: Is it possible this provides an opening for billionaire mayor Mike Bloomberg? Not to run as a third party- but as a fourth party

Clinton lays out her 'economic blueprint USA Today Saying that "we have to change our economic course just as we have to change course in Iraq, and change course when it comes to health care" ....... "Globalization, rising income inequality, growing housing crisis. All at a time of unprecedented fiscal irresponsibility in Washington. ..... "Under the Bush administration, America now has "a trap door economy. Too many families are standing on that trap door. ... They're bearing all the risks of the global economy but reaping few of the rewards." ....... a "Save Our Homes" program that would free up Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the state housing finance agencies to give assistance to families strugging with "unworkable mortgages. ........ a "Realizing The Dream" program that would lift the loan size limit on mortgages that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can purchase -- making such loans more available. ...... a "Foreclosure Rescue Fraud Act" that would crack down on shady "foreclosure consultants" who take advantage of distressed homeowners. ..... Create a $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund to finance an energy research agency that gathers the best minds from academia, the private sector, and government to devise ways to make the United States energy independent and reduce the threat of global warming. ....... Return to the income tax rates for upper-income Americans that we had in the 1990s – rates that were consistent with a balanced budget and economic growth. She will level the playing field when it comes to taxing the income earned in investment partnerships. ....... Move back toward a balanced budget and surpluses. ...... address the problems in subprime mortgages; crack down on unscrupulous brokers; curb mortgage lending abuses; assist families facing foreclosure; and expand affordable housing options.
For 1st time, Iowa poll shows Clinton in lead Boston Globe She was supported by 29 percent ... Edwards's support fell from 29 percent - good enough for first place in May - to 23 percent. That is a statistical tie with Obama's 22 percent. ..... "It's what keeps me grounded. It's what keeps my eyes set on the greatest of heights" ...... faith is "what propels me to do what I do and when I am down it's what lifts me up." ...... the United Church of Christ, a church of about 1.2 million members that is considered one of the most liberal of the mainline Protestant groups. ....... "Sometimes this is a tough role, being in politics. . . . Sometimes you can become fearful. Sometimes you become vain and sometimes you will seek power just for power's sake"

Giuliani predicts 'formidable' Clinton-Obama Democratic ticket AFP Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will team up to form the Democrats' White House ticket ....... "I believe she will be the nominee, and Senator Obama will be the vice presidential nominee" ..... The ex-mayor's prediction of an eventual Obama vice-presidential nod goes against conventional wisdom, however. ..... "He's kind of earned it," Giuliani said. "He brings a kind of enthusiasm to the ticket that everyone desires and likes to have." ........ the party would have to abandon its "old playbook" ..... That old strategy -- which Giuliani said would lead his party to "sure defeat" -- would "rule out" 15 to 20 states, "concentrate on the base" and hope to win the key swing states of Ohio and Florida. ....... "We have to have a candidate that can run in all 50 states," said Giuliani

Off-duty deputy shoots 6 dead in Wisconsin Los Angeles Times victims included Peterson's ex-girlfriend Jordann Murray, 18 ...... he may have been a "jealous boyfriend."
Political Pessimism Grows in Nepal The Associated Press one of the world's poorest countries, where most rural people struggle by in a semi-feudal existence, pessimism has become the rule. ....... "I was naive enough to believe that things would change," said former Finance Minister Devendra Raj Pandey. "I thought the parties would change ........ inbred, corrupt and paralyzed by bickering. ...... power outages, gasoline lines and corrupt officials.
How Clinton has built her lead Los Angeles Times apparent brainpower. ..... thrilled with the prospect of electing a woman president. ....... One of the most demonized politicians in America has begun to win a second look from skeptics. And among women and seniors, such as Levesque, she has built big leads over her rivals. ......... voters who dominate the Democratic nominating process: seniors, women and blue-collar voters. ....... a Clinton nomination is far from a foregone conclusion. ....... Many presidential front-runners have been thrown off course by an early upset or by failing to meet the expectations that attach to the leader in national polls. .......... national surveys reflect little more than Clinton's high name recognition ....... For more than a decade, she has been attacked in a shelfload of books, on countless websites and in repeated direct-mail drives. Her detractors see her as a calculating opportunist with a crisis- ridden past. ......... "If she showed up and doesn't have a horn and tail and speaks clearly and engagingly, people say, 'You know, she's all right' " ........ weekly "HillGram" ...... breast cancer, equal pay for equal work and other topics of interest to female voters ..... venues tailored to women, including a national hairdressers' convention in Boston and children's play centers around the country. ........ Iowa, a state where older people have dominated the caucuses. ....... there is one big rock looming in her path to the nomination: Iowa. ....... Money goes only so far in a state where voters put a premium on personal contact.