CalGoldenBear's Comments (60)

“Arianna:

You and quite a few other pundits (including Yale Law School grad Hillary Clinton in 2008) mistake the president's role under the Constitution.

That's a mistake that neither Barack Obama nor Joseph Biden, who were BOTH adjunct professors of constitutional law, would or do make.

Yes, the president is the commander-in-chief for personnel of the five uniformed services (Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and Air Force).

BUT he is the Chief Executive for non-uniformed personnel of the Executive Branch.

In addition, under the Constitution, the three branches of government -- executive, legislative, and judiciary -- are co-equal. But just as the chief justice is "primus inter pares" among the nine Supremes, the president is probably "first among equals" when considering the president, chief justice, and senate majority leader/speaker of the house.

So please, there should be appropriate focus on the president's role as "Chief Executive" regarding political or economic matters, and referring to his role as "commander-in-chief" when talking about Iraq, Afghanistan or Pakistan.”

“They are also busily overcharging Medicare, according to the Department of Health and Human Services' inspector general:

http://www.thestate.com/nation/story/795287.html

And notice that the 5/20/09 report comes from a South Carolina newspaper, which also covered the hijinks of Gov. Mark "Appalachian Trail" Sanford, and the home state newspaper for Addison "Joe" Wilson.”

“The whole health care system in the U.S. is broken.

Yet reform opponents keep mindlessly repeating that we have the best system in the world. In contrast, the U.S. is rated #37 in the world by the World Health Organization!

The obscene compensation for top health insurance "industry" execs shows that the "greed is good" mentality is not confined to Wall St. "financiers." (And what exactly is it -- other than excessive profits for the execs and a lesser amount for their shareholders -- that this "industry" produces?).

Health insurers, malpractice insurers, and homeowners' insurers (remember Hurricane Katrina?) all are more than happy to collect premiums on coverage, but when it comes time to pay off their insureds' claims, the insurers find various reasons to avoid payment.”

“Once again, the caption headline writer(s), who for another article didn't know the difference between "reign" and "rein," strikes again.

The Chinese names in the photo captions are surname first, followed by the given name. In contrast, in the West, the given name is followed by the surname: Barack OBAMA, for example.

So in Photo 1, DENG Xiaoping and HU Yaobang should be referred to as "Deng" and "Hu": "... the progressive Hu was forced from office by Deng..."

Similarly, in Photo 6, ZHAO Ziyang and LI Peng, the surnames are followed by the given names. Zhao's secret memoir, "Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Premier Zhao Ziyang," was published a couple of weeks ago.”

“Dr. Reardon might answer at least part of the question if she read a bit of Voltaire: "Common sense is not that common."

Or put another way, "common sense" is a misnomer like dry rot and ground termites. "Dry rot" is actually the result of too much moisture, while "ground termites" can fly.

So Dr. Reardon (and President Obama) should look beyond the small pool of seemingly well educated, arguably highly qualified Ivy League college graduates, the knock on all too many of them being that they think they know it all (or have a monopoly on smarts).

There are many, many graduates of non-Ivy League colleges, and yes, even graduates of public universities like my alma mater, the University of California at Berkeley, who have a lot of "good sense." (Cal provided William & Mary grad Dr. Christina Romer to chair the Council of Economic Advisers)

FYI, Fed chairman Bernanke is a graduate of Harvard and MIT, SecTreas Tim Geithner is a product of Dartmouth and Johns Hopkins, and ill-starred Harvard President and current director of the National Economic Council Larry Summers is a graduate of MIT and Harvard. With many years as bureaucrats and/or academics, it remains to be seen what people skills, if any, each of these men have.”

“Apparently as a visitor to Oahu, Ms. Bergthold has little, if any, directional awareness.

According to her report, the Obamas are staying "on the West side of the island." Oahuans know that Kailua is on what we refer to as the "Windward Side" of Oahu. If one wants to be geographically specific, Kailua is on the northeast side of Oahu. But "West side," no way.

Also, from the central business district (CBD) in downtown Honolulu, it should take only about 30 minutes or less to drive to Kailua. (Unless you absolutely have to do it during morning or afternoon rush hour).

She does get credit for being aware of Ono Hawaiian Foods, which is located just outside Waikiki. Just a few blocks closer to Waikiki is Rainbow Drive Inn, which PEOTUS Obama mentioned to the crowd at Keehi Lagoon Park, just minutes after landing with his family at Honolulu International Airport, on 8/8/08.

Finally, people who live on Oahu are Oahuans. And "The Oahuan" is the name of the yearbook for Punahou School students in grades 9-12. (Punahou was originally called "Oahu College" when it was founded in 1841 for educating children of Congregational (now United Church of Christ) missionaries in Hawaii). So when Punahou athletes receive an embroidered letter for being on a varsity team, they get an "O" rather than a "P."”

“You said it quite well, Al.

Besides, what are HRC's qualifications regarding foreign policy? She supposedly "pulled strings" to get onto the Senate Armed Services Committee in 2003 and fancies that she "knows something" about the military.

At the same time, since becoming a U.S. senator in 2001, she has never had an assignment to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She has yet to demonstrate broad familiarity, let alone expertise, in foreign affairs.

And if anything, her experience as First Lady for eight years and now U.S. senator for the last seven years has been primarily in the area of DOMESTIC policy. (And her major project was the top-down 1993-94 health plan, an unsuccessful replication of her education reform efforts as First Lady in Arkansas).

So perhaps everyone should listen to Judge Mikva, who happens to come from HRC's original "home state" of Illinois!”

“Mr. Dunn:

I think if you check a 2008 calendar, the first Monday in November was November 3, not November 4. (Millions of Obama/Biden supporters will long remember that the general election in which the McCain/Palin nightmare ticket thankfully went down in flames was on Tuesday, November 4).

Also, presumably the "Mengan" referred to in paragraph 11 should be "Monegan."

And over over and above Troopergate, the citizens of Alaska should be irate about how fast and loose Scary Sarah the Unprepared spent and spends taxpayer funds, both as mayor and governor to redecorate her offices, charging of per diem while living at home, and having her kids and their friends travel to the Lower 48 with her on "official state business" at state expense.”

“So "honor," "duty," "service," and "loyalty" are "but words to Mr. Bacevich" and he's presumably a "nay saying" [sic] academic who's one of a number of "less than expert 'experts.'"

Well, Mr. Wolberg, had you done your due diligence, you might have found out that COLONEL (U.S. Army ret.) Andrew J. Bacevich graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1969 and served a year in VIetnam (1970-71). He later served with the 11th "Black Horse" ACR in Germany, presumably in or near the Fulda Gap, as well as a variety of assignments in CONUS before retiring in the early 1990s.

And maybe if you knew something about West Point, you'd know that its motto is "Duty, honor, country," unlike the Naval Academy, which seemingly has none of those words in its motto.

And COL/Prof. Bacevich's son, 1LT Andrew J. Bacevich was killed by an IED on May 13, 2007 while serving with the 3-8 Cavalry, 3rd BCT, 1st Cavalry "The First Team" Division.

So just go ahead mouthing neocon Repub talking points and casting aspersions on your betters.

BTW, how much time did YOU spend in a military uniform, other than perhaps at Halloween?

And it remains to be seen whether GEN Petraeus is Sam Damon or Courtney Massengale. While you may have no idea who I'm referring to, other fellow graduates of the school in Carlisle, PA, will know what I'm talking about.”

“As I recall, under applicable DoD regulations, everyone holding a TS clearance was and is required to have a five-year periodic reinvestigation (PR).

In originally applying for a TS clearance, a Special Background Investigation (SBI) is conducted of the applicant's previous fifteen years' residences, employment, encounters with law enforcement, etc.

Based on the SBI, the Central Clearance Facility (CCF) at Ft. Meade, MD, grants or denies clearance, at least for Army personnel.”

“For Repubs and low information voters, the name "Hussein" is a reminder of the evil Saddam Hussein.

However, for those with longer memories or some knowledge of the Middle East, the name "Hussein" is a reminder of the late king of Jordan, Hussein bin Talal (1935-1999).  King Hussein was popular and well loved by his subjects.  Negotiating in secret with the Israelis from the 1970s, he signed the Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace (1994).  He became a friend of Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin during those negotiations and spoke at Rabin's funeral in 1995.

King Hussein's son, the popular current ruler, is Adbullah II.  His full name is Abdullah II bin al-Hussein.  ("al-Hussein" is a patronymic).  LIke his father, he is pro-U.S. and has visited the White House a number of times and been honored at state dinners.  He also has ties to both Israel and the Palestinians, and has worked for Middle East peace.

And "Hussein" also means "good" in Arabic, and that certainly applies to King Hussein, King Abdullah, and of course Barack Hussein Obama.

Obama/Biden '08  Yes, we can!”

“Have you ever heard of the word "synergy"?

I submit that that's what's been and is happening with Sen. Obama's update of Gov. Dean's 50-state strategy for 2008.

The improvement in poll numbers, particularly the individual states (where the electoral votes are), may be evidence that that strategy is working up and down ticket, even in some formerly red (and now "purple") states, and even currently red states.

And in my limited amount of phonebanking to date, it seems that the Obama campaign has been supporting the congressionals. (Sen. Obama and his top campaign managers undoubtedly understand that in order to bring about "change we need," a President Obama will need bigger Dem numbers in both houses of Congress come January 2009).

Obama/BIden '08. Yes, we can!”

“Mr. Shaw:

While the headline writer corrected the original "fighter pilot" to "bomber pilot," you still have
"fighter planes" in your article.

You and GEN Wesley Clark should do some due diligence or research on U.S. military aircraft, particularly the planes that Sen. McCain flew once he won his "wings of gold."

He flew a Douglas A-1 Skyraider and was shot down in a Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. As the "A-" designator indicates, BOTH planes are "attack aircraft" or bombers to you non-military personnel.

So while John McCain was an aviator during his naval career, he was at no time a "fighter pilot" or a pilot flying "fighter aircraft."

There IS a big difference between fighters and bombers, and in the interest of "journalistic accuracy," please try to remember that they ain't one and the same.”

“It seems that your post is misleading at least to this time-pressed reader, discussing the WSJ editorial, then adding in comment on a New York Times' headline.

The NYT is arguably "liberal," although considering some of its editorials in the last year, one can wonder whether that characterization is outdated. And didn't the NYT endorse HRC and McCain as the Dem and Repub nominees, respectively?”

“Since when has the Wall Street Journal (and its editorial page) been a "liberal" daily?

Calling the WSJ's editorial page (and hence the WSJ itself) a "moderate" daily would be a stretch. Only if compared to the rabidly reactionary, right-wing editorial page at Investors Business Daily could anyone consider the WSJ's editorial page even remotely "conservative."

But the WSJ's editorial page as "liberal"? Oh, puh-leeze.

Obama/Biden '08 Yes, we can!”

“Mark:

One thing you and GEN Wesley Clark should get straight: John McCain was NEVER a "fighter jock" or even a fighter pilot!

As a naval aviator in the 1960s, John McCain flew first the Douglas A-1 Skyraider and then was shot down in a Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. BOTH planes are "attack" aircraft as shown by the "A-" designator or what in common parlance is known as a BOMBER!

And as military aviators would probably tell you, pilots in the various communities -- fighter, bomber, cargo/utility, and rotary wing (helicopters to you) -- have different philosophies and attitudes between the different aviator communities.

Bombers (and Don Rumsfeld and John Lehman may have been while in the Navy) have to concentrate on getting from base (whether on land or from a carrier) to the target in order to drop their bombs or their sortie is wasted. They have to plow through to reach the target.

Fighters are the aggressive ones, chasing after enemy aircraft or suppressing enemy air defenses (SEAD) so that the bombers can get through. They're primarily the glory boys celebrated in the Air Force's "Wild Blue Yonder" song: "We live in fame or go down in flame(s)."

Other than that niggle, a fine article.

Obama/Biden '08 Yes, we can!”

“Sen. McCain is not a maverick, he's a rebel.

His rebellion against "the rules" dates back to at least his days at the U.S. Naval Academy when he would repeatedly and literally "jump the wall" to go out drinking. Leaving the grounds without permission was and is a serious violation of the rules governing midshipmen.

Even more egregious, he would take some of his classmates along.

It's one thing to put your future career at risk, but it's inexcusable to risk the future careers of others, who are supposedly your "friends." With friends like McCain, who needs enemies?

Obama/Biden '08 Yes, we can!”

“When you refer to "his comrads [sic]," presumably you're thinking of Dr. and retired Navy commander/8-yr VIetnam POW Phillip Butler.  Aside from the video, Dr. Butler wrote a lengthy article posted at military.com on why he won't vote for McCain:

http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,164859,00.html

(The archive at military.com has three other articles by Dr. Butler that look like I should read them as well).

As for Sen. McCain learning, one should remember the aphorism about the French Bourbon monarchy after the post-Napoleon restoration, who "remembered everything and learned nothing.  (That also applies to The Shrub and what he "learned" from his father's presidency and sought to avoid).

I do agree with you that Obama/Biden is the ticket that all thinking and well-informed Americans should vote for on November 4. (And if you check their respective biographies, you will find that BOTH Sen. Obama and Sen. Biden have been adjunct (i.e., non-tenure track) professors of constitutional law).

Obama/Biden '08  Yes, we can!”

“There is a quantitative difference between "misspeaking" and misrepresentation/lying/ignorance.

If you say it ONCE, such as Sen. Obama's "57 states" reference, that's misspeaking.

But if you REPEATEDLY make the same statement, depending on what the statement is, it reflects the speaker's ignorance (as most people don't know the difference between the Army and National Guard in state or federal service), misrepresentation or outright lying (Gov. Palin's repeated claims about the "Bridge to Nowhere").

And BTW, it's debatable whether Sen. Obama "misspoke" about visiting "57 states " He was born and raised until the age of 6 in Hawaii, the 50th state, and returned to Hawaii, attending the "elite" Punahou School from the age of 10 until he graduated as a member of the Class of 1979 at the age of 17. (His birthday is in August, I believe). So he KNOWS darn well that there are only 50 U.S. states. But for younger folks (teens and twenty-somethings), apparently "57 states" refers to something in pop culture that older people and the MSM didn't and don't get. (I tried Googling "57 states" once and mostly turned up hundreds of references to Sen. Obama's statement, but not what I was looking for).

Obama/Biden '08 Yes, we can!”

“kellygrrrl:

I submit that "succinct" is also appropriate for forming a sound bite.

And perhaps Sen. Obama should remember back to his Punahou School days in Honolulu.

A "pidgin English" phrase that goes back decades is "Geev 'um!" (Or to paraphrase Judy Carne on the old "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" TV show, "Sock it to 'em!"

Obama/Biden '08 Yes, we can!”

“Johnnn:

Regarding answers, in the upcoming debates, we can only hope that BOTH senators remember the "KISS principle."

For most people, that means "Keep It Simple, Stupid." Well, since neither Sen. Obama nor Sen. Biden is stupid (especially when compared to The Shrub, Sen. McCain or Gov. Palin, the alternative meaning would be "Keep It Short and Sweet."

This is particularly applicable to Sen. Biden and his 35 years in the Senate, less so to Sen. Obama who has been there only three years. The reason the KISS principle is applicable is that most senators supposedly become used to the practice in floor debates of going on and on. In addition, both have had experience as adjunct professors of constitutional law, and hence give a lecture.

The LAST thing the public viewing the debates is looking for is a long-winded, intellectual answer intended to win debating style-points. This year, given the current market/financial meltdown, what people want is substantive proposals, something McCain and Palin with their negativity since August 29 CANNOT provide.

So BOTH should shoot for a short, pithy or punchy answer to a question, then a BRIEF explanation if necessary, and then reiterate the short answer.”

“Hey, is she BFF with CNN's Campbell Brown, a.k.a. Mrs. Dan Senor, the flack of Iraq Provisional Authority ill-fame?

Seems that the broadcast and cable "news" networks, not to mention the corporate-owned local TV stations, tend to hire young (or relatively young) photogenic women for on-camera "talent." Then they open their mouths and reveal that, all too often, these women have a vacuum instead of a brain between their ears. (Then there are the older men like Lou Dobbs and Wolf Blitzer who all too often bloviate or remind you that they've been to Lower Slobovia or wherever before it resurfaced in the news. What we need are more men like Andy Rooney and Jack Cafferty, not to mention Walter Cronkite).

So we should remember the old adage, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."”

“Unlike 2004, however, the governor and secretary of state in Ohio are both Democrats: Ted Strickland, who had been mentioned as a potential VP nominee, and Jennifer Brunner.

The bad guy last time around was Repub secretary of state Kenneth Blackwell, who held office from 1999 to 2007.

We can only hope that since taking over, Brunner has made changes to reduce or even eliminate the Repub machinations last time.”

“Which polls are you referring to?

The tracking polls and "national polls" reflect, at best, popular votes. And as we know all to well from 2000, the popular vote is irrelevant or "President" Gore would be coming to the end of his second term in January, 2009.

The polls, which are largely ignored by the broadcast and cable news anchors/commentators as well as all to many print "journalists," are the "state polls." The November 4 election, after all, is decided by STATES won and their electoral votes.

If you look at electoral-vote.com, fivethirtyeight.com, politico.com, and pollster.com, their electoral maps all show Sen. Obama ahead of Sen. McCain. (The closest ones are politico and realclearpolitics with 273 Obama to 265 McCain).

This doesn't mean we can afford to sit back and relax. With only some 56 days or so until the election, phone banks, canvassing, and registering voters are all important as well as each of us giving what we can in dollars to Obama/Biden '08.

Yes, we can!”

“That Nomex flame-resistant USAF-type flight suit is apparently supplied to all flight crews of all five armed services (most people don't realize that the Coast Guard is one of the armed services) by the Defense Logistics Agency.

You're probably right that it's from the Alaska Air NG, and Palin most likely wore it for a flight on one of their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.

BTW, there was an article yesterday about personnel problems in the Alaska ANG -- a shortage of flight personnel:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/04/alaska-national-guard-fac_n_123957.html

According to the article, Major General Craig Campbell, who runs the Alaska Guard on a day-to-day basis while Palin revels in her title as "commander in chief," has been approved by Palin to receive his third star this weekend.”