Barackface

Friday, September 28, 2007

Burma: Momentum Is Key To Victory

Shame On The Top Politicians Of The World: Burma Asks For More
In Solidarity With The Burmese People

This is not 1988. They can not kill 3,000 people like they did back then. If they do, China can kiss the 2008 Olympics goodbye.

They might kill 100, maybe 200, maybe even 500.

But the way to reduce the casualties is not to get off the streets. That way thousands of Burmese will keep dying slow deaths for years.

The key is for the people of Burma to come out in the streets in the millions. 10 million Burmese should come out into the streets. That is the only way. The world stands by them, but they must stand up, they must march, day after day after day.

No peace talks. The generals have to surrender, totally and unconditionally. The marches come to an end only after Suu Kyi has been anointed interim Prime Minister of the country. Her mandate would be to form a multi-party interim government that will give Burma an interim constitution within a month, and elections to a constituent assembly within a year.

China and India and Europe and America and Australia and everyone else must use all channels of communication private and public to make it absolutely clear to the devil generals that they have no choice. Their time is up. They have to exit. They have to be shown the door.

But all depends of millions of Burmese coming out into the streets. The democracy activists must get sophisticated. They must infiltrate the military. They must attack the military with confusion campaigns. The rank and file soldiers must be made to feel this regime has at most two weeks, and then it is gone. And so they must think. They must think for themselves. Penetrate the army with sophisticated whisper campaigns.

The street protests have to be daily, unceasing, and they must grow larger by the day. Dawn to dusk, day after day, in the millions, in every town, every city, every hamlet, every village.

The ethnic minorities who have been fighting the military must be brought in by promising them federalism and autonomy in Suu Kyi's Burma. They too have to join the democracy movement.

The Burmese diaspora must organize in every country where they might be present. Protest in front of all Burmese embassies around the world. Bring along your local friends, and the local media.

The show of force has to be overwhelming.

There are two goals: establishment of democracy, and with the fewest casualties possible. You achieve both through an overwhelming show of force.

10 to 20 million inside Burma, hundreds of thousands across the world, marching, protesting.

Victory is near.

In The News

Jena Six -- Another Story of Unequal Justice for Blacks? Yahoo! News
Obama Vies for Black Vote While Waging `Deracialized Campaign' Bloomberg Donna Brazile, who ran former Vice President Al Gore's presidential campaign in 2000, said Obama's strategy would be effective. ``Just because he's black, Obama doesn't have to pander to black voters,'' she said. ``He must prove to them that he can win the White House.'' ..... ``His campaign emerges in the middle of the electorate,'' Walters said. ``In that sense, he is not Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton, whose campaigns rose in the black communities at the margins of the electorate.'' .... Clinton and Obama each have 12 endorsements from lawmakers belonging to the 42-member Black Caucus ..... Obama ``can't overtly appeal to'' blacks for fear of turning off other voters, while ``Hillary can, and Bill shamelessly does
Pakistani apex court allows Musharraf to contest elections Indian Muslims
Nepal poll talks fail, Maoists begin republic bid Sify
Myanmar Forces Chase Down Protesters New York Times Myanmar’s armed forces appeared to have succeeded Friday in sealing tens of thousands of protesting monks inside their monasteries, but they continued to attack bands of civilian demonstrators who challenged them in the streets of the main city, Yangon. ....... troops were now confronting and attacking smaller groups of civilians around the city, sometimes running after them through narrow streets, sometimes firing at protesting groups. ........ the military is being very quick to use violence, tear gas, guns and clubs ...... the death toll was “several multiples of the 10 acknowledged by the authorities.” ......... an apparent government clampdown on Internet and telephone communications. ..... Exile groups passed on many vivid, unconfirmed reports about brutality toward monks and their superiors. Many monks were reported to have been seized and driven away in trucks, and armed soldiers were said to have been preventing others from leaving. ....... “Wednesday night numerous monasteries were raided, and we have reports that many monks were beaten and arrested, and we have pictures where whole monasteries have been trashed, and blood and broken glass” ....... With the monks contained, another diplomat said, the demonstrations seemed to have lost their focus, and soldiers were quick to pounce on any groups that emerged onto the streets. ......... “There are pockets of protesters left. They are unorganized, and it’s all very small scale.” ...... a trade embargo that has left Western countries with little leverage with the junta. ..... videojournalist, Kenji Nagai. Videotape has emerged showing that Mr. Nagai, who was killed Thursday while filming the protests near the Sule Pagoda, may have been shot at close range as a target instead of having died in cross-fire. ..... “The military is doing their best to frighten people into going back, but they are not doing anything about the underlying grievances,” Ms. Villarosa said. “Whether they will ultimately be successful, I doubt, because the grievances are real.” ..... deep discontent and anger over the economic mismanagement and harsh rule of the junta. .... In 45 years of military rule — and 19 years under the current junta — the country once known as Burma has become a ragged, suffering nation, one of the poorest and most repressed in Asia. ......The crowds grew suddenly much larger after Sept. 18, when huge columns of monks filled the streets and residents joined them by the tens of thousands. Over the next week the demonstrations swelled to as many as 100,000 monks and supporters in Yangon alone........... Defying international warnings and condemnation, the government crackdown began Wednesday morning with raids on several monasteries and the use of aggressive force on the streets.
Bush, Clinton, Bush ... Clinton? The Associated Press Forty percent of Americans have never lived when there wasn't a Bush or a Clinton in the White House. Anyone got a problem with that? ..... talk of Bush-Clinton fatigue is increasingly cropping up in the national political debate. ... And now, if Hillary Clinton were to be elected and re-elected, the nation could go 28 years in a row with the same two families governing the country. Add the elder Bush's terms as vice president, and that would be 36 years straight with a Bush or Clinton in the White House. ...... Does a nation of 303 million people really have only two families qualified to run the show? .... The Clintons and Bushes, he said, have built up strong "brand" recognition for their names — just as the Kennedys did in an age of promise cut short by assassination — making it harder for newcomers to compete. ....... fully one-quarter of all Americans said that the prospect of having at least 24 straight years of a President Clinton or Bush would be a consideration in their vote for president in 2008. ....... Even among Democrats, 17 percent said it would be a consideration. .... "Well, I think it is a problem that Bush was elected in 2000," she offered. "I actually thought somebody else was elected in that election." ..... Gergen said any fatigue factor Clinton faces is "overwhelmed by the positive nostalgia for Bill Clinton among Democrats."..... "right now there is one massive fatigue in America and that is with George Bush. No other fatigue comes close."
Nepal's leading dailies fail to hit stands Hindu
Serbia and Kosovo discuss a split Christian Science Monitor
Bloggers in Burma keep world informed during military crackdown San Francisco Chronicle Dodging a deadly military crackdown that has killed at least nine protesters, Burmese bloggers are on the front lines, providing news and photos of death and insurrection. ..... Their Internet blogs, written in Burmese and grammatically flawed English, are posted mostly by residents of Rangoon ....... The bloggers rely on word-of-mouth, cell phones, online chat groups, instant messaging, and firsthand accounts of protesters facing barricaded streets, tear gas and gunfire from Burmese security forces. The best blogs provide photos, video and text updates purportedly by eyewitnesses, which are later confirmed by news organizations or, in some cases, can't be verified. ...... blogger accounts have captivated the outside world, including President Bush and the United Nations. ...... Burmese and foreign bloggers in Rangoon, Mandalay, the nation's second-largest city, and elsewhere have risked their lives to document the pro-democracy demonstrations ..... www.xanga.com/dawn_1o9 ...... "I heard the gun shots too, but it sounded a lot like clapping. ...... ko-htike.blogspot.com .... "now the regime open fire into these group, and used fire engine to sweep the blood on the street." ...... burmesedayze.blogspot.com .... "The BBC is getting hold of a reasonable amount of video footage that people are taking surreptitiously and sending to them," the foreigner posted Saturday. "Some of it is hand-held video clips shot from the hip (so that the photographer isn't too obvious to the police watching the marches), while other clips seem to have been shot out of windows in tall buildings in downtown Rangoon." ...... Even before the current protests, Burma had a strong presence on the Internet, created over the years by Burmese dissidents and foreigners who had established pro-democracy Web sites in Thailand, Europe, United States and elsewhere. ..... www.irrawaddy.org .... www.dvb.no ..... mizzima.com ... weunite-weblog.blogspot.com ..... saffronrevolutionworldwide.blogspot.com ..... the site's bloggers, who are in Mae Sot, Thailand, near the Burma border.
Burma Military Shoots at Protesters, Cuts Off Internet Voice of America
Burmese troops seal off Buddhist monasteries Guardian Unlimited
Brazil whips US women's soccer team Chicago Tribune
In Reversal, Student Is Given Extra Exam Time to Pump Breast Milk New York Times

I Stand With Michelle: Iowa Must And Can Be Won

Coming in second in Iowa is plan B. That is not plan A. Michelle is right.

If we win Iowa, Hillary is history before January is over. We will not have to wait until even February 5.

The stated goal of Obama 2008 is to win Iowa.

As for plan B, we will cross that bridge if and when we get there.

February To September: Little Change

I think we will win Iowa. I really do. I mean, after this rally in New York City, anything is possible.

In The News

Edwards opts for public funding MSNBC
Michelle Obama: Iowa Or Bust CBS News
New Obama line of attack on Clinton Chicago Sun-Times, United States that she does not have the personality to pass universal health care. ..... can “inspire” people to get things done. .... Obama is opening a new front as he appeals to independents and Republicans to come into the Democratic primary. ..... Here's how Obama bored into Clinton. All the leading Dems have health plans on the table. They are more alike than they are different. Obama said the issue is not who has the plans but “It has to do with who can inspire and mobilize the American people to get it done and open up the process. If it was lonely for Hillary, part of the reason it was lonely, Hillary, was because you closed the door to a lot of potential allies in that process. At that time, 80 percent of Americans already wanted universal health care, but they didn’t feel like they were let into the process.” ...... “He’ll approach major challenges like health care reform the same way he’s approached every challenge he’s faced through two decades of public service –- with an open, transparent process that brings people of differing views together to build a real consensus for change,” Plouffe said. ...... Obama's answer is yet another example of how he is casting himself as the consensus candidate. He has also made an interesting language adjustment. The issue is not his experience, he said. It is his "experiences" that make him ready to lead.
Obama team insists he still can catch Clinton Reuters Obama largely held his fire and stayed above the fray. .... the Illinois senator needed a breakthrough performance to shake up the race for the White House in November 2008. ..... Howard Dean, who was leading the polls at this stage of the 2004 Democratic campaign ...... Edwards' wife, Elizabeth, said Clinton even dodged a question on who she preferred to win the World Series, the Chicago Cubs in her home state of Illinois or the New York Yankees in her adopted state. "I'm a sports fan. I'm not for two teams," Mrs. Edwards said. .... "No one laid a glove on her," said Clinton strategist Mandy Grunwald.
Out of Reach? TIME
Obama Hopes the Kids are Alright Yahoo! News
Clinton Haters Outpace Obama Backers on Facebook Wired News
Back in Kenya, a 'cousin' plays the Obama card in his electoral quest International Herald Tribune, France
Obama Watch Chicago Sun-Times, United States
The Nanny Is for Hillary-Obama U.S. News & World Report, DC
They Can't Get Enough of Obama In Greenwood, SC Wall Street Journal

Previewing Tonight's Debate Time The 27 electoral votes at play in the upper Midwest (Iowa, 7, Minnesota, 10, and Wisconsin, 10) are once again going to make these key battleground states. ........ In a campaign in which there are so many debates, a single engagement rarely makes much difference this early in the process. Relatively few will watch a debate on a minor cable network more than three months before the first vote is cast (Sorry, MSNBC). ...... frequent multi-candidate debates freeze a race - helping the front-runner immensely. ..... the first debate of the fall ..... a sense that Clinton is beginning to pull away .... Attacks on women candidates from aggressive men frequently backfire because they create sympathy for the candidate being criticized. ...... Sixty-second answers don't play to his strengths. ..... Obama needs to stop talking biography and agenda and start painting a picture of what an Obama-led America would look like that stands in sharp contrast to what the country would resemble, should any of his opponents prevail. Obama needs to make his effort a crusade, not a traditional campaign. Talking about an America that picks up the mantle of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King (yes they're from a different era but voters know them) is one way forward.

Why Ahmadinejad Loves New York Time Columbia University president Lee Bollinger — clearly stung by criticism of the institution for hosting Ahmadinejad — used his introduction to excoriate the Iranian leader as everything from a "cruel and petty dictator" to "astonishingly uneducated." ........ a national media event, in which the Iranian President had the microphone, unmolested, for the best part of an hour. ..... Ahmadinejad stayed on message, appearing relaxed, reasonable, open, even charismatic. ..... It was pure political jujitsu, using the momentum of your adversaries to your own advantage. ...... Challenged on his statements questioning the Holocaust, for example, Ahmadinejad cleverly turned the issue around, asking, "Why is it that the Palestinian people are paying the price for an event they had nothing to do with?" ...... the Iranian President faces reelection in 2009. ...... the breathless television coverage his visit has prompted in the U.S. won't do his domestic prospects any harm.
My Dinner There's Brian Williams across the room, and Christiane Amanpour a few seats down. ...... a bowing and smiling Mahmoud Admadinejad glides into the room. ..... Every year, during the U.N. General Assembly in New York, he plots out a media campaign that — in its shrewdness, relentlessness, and quest for attention — would rival Angelina Jolie on a movie junket. ...... In his calm and fluent voice — "dear friends," he calls us — he requests that we not ask questions, but make statements, so that he can react to them in a form of dialogue. ........ Throughout, Ahmadinejad is courtly, preternaturally calm, and fiercely articulate. ...... a half-hour ode to the relationship between man and God ..... He speaks with the quiet zeal of a not-very-flamboyant televangelist. "The pursuit of justice through love and kindness and human dignity can end all conflicts on earth," he says. "Inshallah." ....... In contrast with what he calls the lack of respect and dignity accorded to him at Columbia — where, he says, he found it odd that an academic institution which prizes tolerance would treat him without any — he addresses each person carefully and patiently. ....... Iran has not violated any of the rules of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ahmadinejad says. He has proposed a multilateral uranium enrichment program with different nations, and can't understand why no one has taken up his offer. ........ The US and Iran can play a positive role together in Iraq. "If the US withdraws from Iraq, good things will happen," he says. "I believe that the Iraqi people can rule themselves." ....... In the Middle East, Ahmadinejad says the world must allow the Palestinians to decide their future for themselves: "That is the human solution to sixty years of instability." ...... Ahmadinejad claims there are thirty newspapers published in Iran that are opposed to his government ...... In answer to a question about how he viewed Hitler's legacy, he says, "I view Hitler's role as extremely negative, a despicably dark face." ...... Iran, he says, has never invaded anyone in its history. .... "Mr. Bush is interested in harming Iran. But I believe there are wise politicians in America who will prevent such a war. We hate war. We would not welcome it. But we are prepared for every scenario. Yet I don't think war will happen." ....... still composed ... he bows deeply and heads upstairs.

Witnesses say 3 shot in Myanmar protests Los Angeles Times security forces fired guns ..... Shots were fired after a crowd of 10,000 people, including "so-called monks" ..... the three wounded people were not hurt by gunshots but rather from being caught in a melee. ..... Dissident groups have claimed the casualty count is higher, with as many as five people killed, including Buddhist monks.
How To Spot A Corrupt Nation New York Times no nation is more in the corruption spotlight than Myanmar ...... “unsophisticated former field commanders who seem suspicious of the outside world” ....... the generals have maintained a policy of isolation for their country and have in turn isolated themselves from the population, a bunker within a bunker. ...... another nation tied it because of sheer chaos. Somalia, which spent the past year putting down an Islamist insurgency that at one point took control of the capital, also shares the distinction of the most corrupt government on earth. ...... “We even depend on foreign donors for our salaries.” ...... Somalia seems to be “quietly disintegrating into Africa’s worst humanitarian emergency” — nodded to the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, another nation at the bottom of the corruption list. ...... two front-page perennials: Iraq and Afghanistan
Nepal Party Supports Abolishing Monarchy The Associated Press
Anger at Giuliani 9/11 fundraiser BBC News
Criticism of Ahmadinejad May Help Him at Home NPR
South Asia Scores Poorly on Corruption Index Voice of America Berlin-based Transparency International ..... ranks military-ruled Burma as tied with the lawless East African country of Somalia as the world's most corrupt states. ..... Bangladesh ranks 162nd and Pakistan is 138th, seven spots below Nepal. ...... Bhutan has slipped compared to previous years, but it is best in the region at 46th. India is tied with China and six other countries at number 72 and ahead of Sri Lanka, which is 94th. ..... the cleanest in terms of public sector wrongdoing are New Zealand, Denmark, and Finland. The United States ranks 20th, between France and Belgium. ....... and here come the multi-nationals with briefcases full of cash
Clinton May Erase Obama's Fund-Raising Edge in Third Quarter Bloomberg both Clinton and Obama are set to report about $20 million in donations during the third quarter ..... Obama raised $33 million to her $27 million in the second quarter and ended up with more cash on hand for the primary elections. His campaign had aimed to be able to outspend her significantly in the last part of 2007 and early next year. ..... ``Everybody's talking about the kind of money we raised,'' Obama said in a speech to labor leaders last month in Iowa. ``We raised it the old-fashioned way -- $5, $10, $25.'' ..... Clinton's lead in the polls and strong performance in candidate debates is helping her with donors and fund-raisers ....... she's run an outstanding campaign ..... his competitive standing in early nominating states such as Iowa. ..... ``He gets better and better on his feet''
Clinton heads into NH debate tonight with big lead Baltimore Sun She is favored by 43 percent of likely Democratic voters in the nation’s first primary state. Trailing are Illinois Sen. Barack Obama at 20 percent ...... “Obama is now a lot closer to the pack than he is to Clinton” .... Only 17 percent of the state’s Democratic voters said they have definitely made up their mind on a choice
Clinton Global Initiative Begins The Associated Press former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, tennis star Andre Agassi and media mogul Rupert Murdoch. ...... — poverty relief, global health, and energy and climate change — .... fourth topic is education. ..... More than 857,000 children under 5 years old have gotten access to lifesaving medical treatment like vaccines. .... By the end of 2007, 34 million people will have been treated for neglected tropical diseases. .... More than 3.2 million people in the developing world have gained access to clean energy services.
FACTBOX: Clinton Global Initiative achievements Reuters More than 1,200 people from 72 countries, including 52 current and former heads of state, celebrities, aid workers and company chiefs, will attend the three-day brainstorm session. ...... pay a $15,000, although most charity groups are exempt. ..... During the past two years the initiative has avoided or reduced 20,070,524 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. ..... Three million additional small businesses have gained access to capital through the initiative.
Clinton sets sights on inspiring Asian philanthropy Reuters $10 billion of pledges made in the first two years of his summit. ..... www.mycommitment.org, a database of about one million volunteer groups globally to help people find a way to do good in their own communities. ...... Clinton will also target U.S. university students in a discussion with rock star and activist Bono, comedian Chris Rock and singers Alicia Keys and Shakira, to be aired by MTV. ..... Born out of his frustration while president from 1993 to 2001 at attending conferences that were more talk than action, Clinton has described the initiative as matching "people with ideas and those who have the means to see them through." ....... saw him come in at No. 6 on Vanity Fair magazine's 2007 top 100 power rankings. ...... helping restore America's "inspirational power," which he said was damaged by an overreaction from Washington after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. ...... the America that exports its own fear and paranoia after 9/11 .... In his new book "Giving," Clinton said he hopes to continue the Global Initiative meetings for at least a decade.
Maoists say Nepal army planning coup to save monarchy AFP some analysts saying they are merely afraid of losing a popular vote. ...... Bhattarai said "the experience of revolutionary change elsewhere is that unless you restructure and democratise the army, there is a chance of a coup and the old set-up returning." .... The Maoist number two, an ideologue prone to drifting into lengthy discourses on Marxist-Leninist-Maoist semantics, asserted that his party was nevertheless "sticking by the ceasefire and peace accord." ...... a dark, dank hotel used as the movement's Kathmandu headquarters. ..... "We don't want to chop off his head," he said sternly. "We are not saying he should get out or he should be killed. He should just live like you and me."
Mumbai comes to a halt to welcome victorious Team India Hindustan Times India's main stock market rose to a record level on Wednesday morning, but for once residents of the country's financial capital were on a different high - the whole city poured out in the rain to welcome the Indian cricket team returning home from South Africa with the Twenty20 World Championships trophy. ...... the 30-km route from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport to the Wankhede Stadium. .... Several members of the 1983 World Cup winning squad were on hand to praise their triumphant successors. .... the team was loaded with cheques, shawls, garlands, bouquets, plaques and almost any other memento one could think of. There were no complaints of excess baggage. ...... Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh was among those present at the airport to receive the cricketers.
Nonstop LAX-China flight plan stalled Los Angeles Times
US Airways gets Philly-China route San Jose Mercury News
China makes contingency plans for junta's fall International Herald Tribune As China publicly calls for stability and reconciliation in Myanmar, it is also preparing for the possibility that the current protests could lead to the downfall of the military junta leading its resource-rich neighbor ...... Although China is Myanmar's most important trading partner, investor and strategic ally, Beijing has also maintained discreet links with opponents of its military rulers and tolerates the activity of some of exiled critics on Chinese soil ....... "If Aung San Suu Kyi became the leader of Burma tomorrow, China would be the first country to roll out the red carpet," said Bertil Lintner, an analyst of Myanmar politics based in Thailand. "But they wouldn't like to see it happen." ....... China has firsthand experience of the risks ahead for the junta if it turns to violence. Its governing Communist Party is still feeling the effects of international criticism over the military crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in 1989 in Beijing and other cities. ..... a country that has estimated reserves of three trillion cubic meters of natural gas and three billion barrels of crude oil. .... China would also like to keep a pliant government in place to develop strategically important access to the Indian Ocean ...... there is evidence that China has been hedging its bets on political developments in Myanmar for some years. ..... Beijing maintained unofficial contacts with exiled Myanmar opposition groups in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries in a bid to minimize their antagonism and to improve its understanding of political developments. ....... Beijing also tolerated the presence of these groups in Ruili, on the border with Myanmar in Yunnan Province, where some maintain unofficial offices. ..... China has doubts about the junta's survival. .... "One day, they expect the military will no longer be running the place" ..... Beijing wanted Myanmar to move toward "a democracy process that is appropriate for the country ..... it is prepared to use its influence with the junta to ease diplomatic tensions with the United States. ... In June, China arranged in Beijing the highest-level talks between the United States and Myanmar in five years.
China Nudges Myanmar on Protests The Associated Press
China could play crucial role in Myanmar crisis Reuters UK If there is one power that could pressure Myanmar to avoid a bloody crackdown on the country's biggest anti-government protests in 20 years, it is China. ...... wary of any domino effect that political liberalisation on its borders might have ......... "It's in their economic interests to preserve the status quo" .... "Than Shwe will not come under the thumb of any outside power, including the Chinese."
Google eyes Canada rollout of discreet Street View Reuters
Amitabh Bachchan invited to Iran PRESS TV
Study: Firms Should Help Unhappy Workers The Associated Press Investing in depressed employees — quickly getting them treatment and even offering telephone psychotherapy — can cut absenteeism while improving workers' health ....... Many employers view mental health coverage as a financial black hole ..... spending money on depression is a smart business move .... Employees who got the aggressive intervention worked on average about two weeks more during the yearlong study than those who got the usual care — advice to see their doctor or seek a mental health specialist. ..... savings from more hours worked averaged to about $1,800 per employee. That far exceeds the program's initial $100 to $400 per worker cost. ....... depression takes a hefty toll on the U.S. workplace, affecting about 6 percent of employees each year and costing over $30 billion annually in lost productivity ....... a bill before Congress that would require employers to offer mental health insurance coverage that is equal to that provided for physical illnesses ...... an online screening questionnaire that found signs of depression. ..... "It's not just the right thing to do, it also saves money for the company."

For general, Obama's character befits a commander in chief The Concord Monitor "He's not self-centered, he's reasonable, he's not trying to prove he's tougher than his daddy" ...... Obama's life experience makes up for any deficit. ..... decision-making abilities and judgment are more important than legislative experience. ...... Obama is "head and shoulders above everyone else." ..... Obama has good advisers, including Susan Rice, who was President Bill Clinton's assistant secretary of state for African affairs, and Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was President Jimmy Carter's national security adviser. ..... Obama's ability to inspire and his toughness ..... Although McPeak believes top military officials still favor the Republican Party, he said they have been turned off by the current administration and would welcome a president like Obama. ....... "Who's had experience the last seven years? Rumsfeld and Cheney. Look how that turned out," Allard said. "What's important is judgment. Can you make the right calls?" ..... "We're getting to the point where fewer and fewer candidates have any real military experience" ...... "Even foreign policy experience - there have been presidents not going into office with much experience." ...... "Reagan seemed to do fine in spite of a lack of experience," Masur said. "I don't think either Bush or Clinton will be remembered as great foreign policy administrations." ....... President Lyndon Johnson had plenty of experience, as vice president, and will not be remembered as a success in Vietnam. ..... "Sometimes, people with a lot of experience don't do well. There are people without a lot of experience who do" ...... Grover Cleveland paid a substitute to fight in his place during the Civil War. ...... "Americans oscillate between their fascination with military characters and their revulsion against them" ..... Obama could be successful in promoting his world experience and judgment ..... "Bush has been Mr. Tough Guy for six years and has been more successful in creating more enemies around the world," Bruno said. "It turns out military power and credentials can only take you so far."

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Friday, September 28, 2007

Burma: Momentum Is Key To Victory

I Stand With Michelle: Iowa Must And Can Be Won