News Today

Just a little note today, link here.

Remember this guy? After the campaign season how could you forget? According to Steve Schmidt, Ayers was going to be the key to John McCain’s victory. Good call on that one Steve…

Bill Ayers comes out to answer to the press and explains why he was so reluctant to do so during the campaign. Here’s a couple of interesting notes to take away from the article, story quotes in bold:

Unable to challenge the content of Barack Obama’s campaign, his opponents invented a narrative about a young politician who emerged from nowhere, a man of charm, intelligence and skill, but with an exotic background and a strange name. The refrain was a question: “What do we really know about this man?”

I love the point Ayers makes here. You know Barack Obama has probably been one of the most vetted presidents we’ve ever had, but if you listen to Fox News you’d probably still think this question was unanswered.

“With the mainstream news media and the blogosphere caught in the pre-election excitement, I saw no viable path to a rational discussion. Rather than step clumsily into the sound-bite culture, I turned away whenever the microphones were thrust into my face. I sat it out.”

And fair enough, in the media-frenzied state that we witnessed anything Ayers said was just about guaranteed to be taken out of context. Ayers goes on to explain/defend what his role with Weatherman Underground was and whatnot. I want to skip ahead to the end of the article though.

The dishonesty of the narrative about Mr. Obama during the campaign went a step further with its assumption that if you can place two people in the same room at the same time, or if you can show that they held a conversation, shared a cup of coffee, took the bus downtown together or had any of a thousand other associations, then you have demonstrated that they share ideas, policies, outlook, influences and, especially, responsibility for each other’s behavior. There is a long and sad history of guilt by association in our political culture, and at crucial times we’ve been unable to rise above it.

Demonization, guilt by association, and the politics of fear did not triumph, not this time. Let’s hope they never will again. And let’s hope we might now assert that in our wildly diverse society, talking and listening to the widest range of people is not a sin, but a virtue.

Ahhh how I love the sound of social activism…

It’s a bitter 14 degrees at my house right now, yikes! Let’s talk about change for a bit today, yes?

Among the change that President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to bring is in the way the U.S. carries itself on the international stage. Obama has a lot of plans for change in this area. Along with the primary goal of ending the war in Iraq, Obama has also said he plans to negotiate U.S. adversaries such as Iran and Cuba, and wants fundamental change in the way the U.S. handles free trade with other countries.

There is actually a lot of room for some pretty big fundamental change in these plans. Obviously getting our soldiers out of Iraq will free up the military to finish the task at hand in Afghanistan. Although the tactic is being referred to as a “surge” (much like what we did in Iraq), the military is quick to point out that this is a little different than that since the soldiers will probably have to stay in Afghanistan for a while until it’s stable.

Open communications with enemy countries is another big fundamental change that Obama will bring. Relations between the United States and Iran have been icy at best since the 1979 Iranian revolution and the United States and Cuba haven’t officially communicated in 47 years. What role will Iran play in progress towards peace in the Middle East? Could we see an end to the Cuban embargo?

Also what changes to trade will Obama make? During the campaign season Obama hinted at more regulation over what countries we’re trading with. One major tightrope that Obama will have to walk with this will be China. It’s one that I’m confident he’ll be able to do though, this statement in a press release from the campaign shows that Obama sees both sides of the picture on this issue.

“The U.S. should be firm on issues that divide us [from the Beijing government] -like Taiwan-while flexible on issues that could unite us. We should insist on labor standards and human rights, the opening of Chinese markets fully to American goods, and the fulfillment of legal contracts with American businesses-but without triggering a trade war, as prolonged instability in the Chinese economy could have global economic consequences.” Said Obama.

Some of the changes that Obama will be bringing you can already see starting to happen. One is a retooling of the Pentagon and their mission. This is something that current Secretary of Defense Robert Gates supports, citing “irregular warfare” as the need for the change in strategy. Gates will retain his position under the Obama administration.

I can’t help but feel optimistic despite the turmoil facing our country right now. It’s reassuring to know that we have a calm, cool, and collected leader of our country on the way.

Is it January 20th yet? Wake me up when it is…