Who Cares Where Spain Is?

Good article last week in Newsweek. Instead of focusing on hypothetical future situations, ask the candidates what they've learned from Bush's Iraq and "War on Terror", Kennedy's Russia, H.W's Iraq invasion, Carter's Iran. There was no way these situations could have been dreamed of during their presidential debates. Let's ask the candidates the lessons of these historical crises, not some potential situation now.

The debates shouldn't be a chance to play gotcha. What the cadidates know about the world is less impiortant than how they think about it.
What we should really be interested in is the candidates respective philosophies of foreign policy- their thinking about this country's objectives in the world and how the United States should go about translating them into reality. T

In this vein, I gained some respect for Biden during last weeks only VP debate when he did not correct Palin's name drop of the commander in Afghanistan. She cited the rebellious civil war general McClellan, rather than McKiernan. Thanks Joe. Sarah, you been reading up on Lincoln and the Yanks?

Poverty

I read this today in the New York Times. I found it pretty interesting and encouraging.
You can read the whole article here:
www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/washington/02poverty.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin

September 2, 2008
Bipartisan Calls for New Federal Poverty Measure
By RACHEL L. SWARNS

WASHINGTON — Congressional lawmakers and officials of some cities are increasingly calling for an overhaul in the way the federal government measures poverty, arguing that the current definition fails to reflect fully the hardships or resources available to struggling Americans.

The current measure — which is used to calculate the nation’s annual poverty rate — has remained virtually unchanged since it was developed in the 1960s. Democrats and Republicans alike say it is hopelessly outdated, and initiatives to provide a more accurate portrait of the nation’s most vulnerable people have begun cropping up across the country.

Saddle Back Civil Forum

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/17/forum/index.html?iref=mpstoryview#cnnSTCVideo

I'm stealing that move of McCain's. Look at that expression. Amazing.

I am almost through watching the Civil Forum put on by Rick Warren at his megachurch in California. I think if you are going to watch one speech or debate (which this will probably be the closest we ever get to one) it should be this one. Warren asks some real tough questions and asks Obama at one point, "now I don't want your stump speech, let's get beyond it for a little while," quite the bold assertion. After watching it though I can see why Investor's Business Daily called it one of the most lopsided "debates" of memory. McCain was so personal and honest, going straight to the heart of the questions, while Obama had more of a hard time articulating what it is really that he thinks, which was of no surprise to me. It is also why Real Clear Politics said "It is now clear why Barack Obama has refused John McCain's offer of joint town hall appearances during the fall campaign. McCain is obviously better at them."
I have wanted so bad to believe in "change", but this forum just confirmed all of my fears and actually gave me a little encouragement for simply voting against the lesser of two disappointments.
Real Clear Politics made this statement: "What took place instead under Warren's precise and revealing questioning was the most important event so far of the 2008 campaign -- a performance every voter should seek out on the Internet and watch."

If you have an hour or so, it really is worth your time.

People's Republic

Although I did not get to see them, I heard the opening ceremony of the Olympics was rather elaborate and fantastical. These Olympics have been a really weird time, as much about politics as sport, and have brought many questions and issues to light. It is an interesting topic -the rise of China. I thought the Economist was insightful when it said

"The government's solution is to promise them that China will be restored to its rightful place at the centre of the world affairs. Hence the pride at winning the Olympics. But China's rage is all out of proportion. It reflects a fear that a resentful; threatend West is determined to thwart China's rise. The Olympics have become a symbol of China's right to the respect it is due.

For me, it's hard to know whether to root for China (not in sport obviously) or to be skeptical of them. Their opening to the world is certainly a good thing, but I think optimism may be a ways off yet.