Thursday, November 12, 2009
November 12 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: Afghanistan - Perhaps President Obama HAS LEARNED The 'Lessons Learned' From Imperial Wars
"All The News You Never Knew You Needed To Know ...Until Now." November 12 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: If Learning Can Be Defined As 'Not Making The Same Mistake Again' Then Perhaps President Obama HAS LEARNED The 'Lessons Learned' During Other Imperial American Wars [Pop Out Player? Click Here] Prefer An MP3 Playlist? It's Here: [192kbps VBR 17:29 Minutes] Other Audio Formats Available [ Here ] Twitter This Commentary |
From Juan Cole @ Informed Comment:
Thursday, November 12, 2009Foreign Policy Magazine has a basic rundown of the plans presented:
Obama Demands an End-Game before Committing Troops to Afghanistan
AP is reporting that President Barack Obama is declining to be rushed into committing to the Afghanistan War as an open-ended project, and wants a timetable for turning security duties over to the Afghanistan National Army.
AP says that the key intervention here came from US ambassador in Kabul, Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, who warned that the government of Hamid Karzai is not a reliable partner.
The BBC says that Eikenberry is against sending thousands of more troops, and he warned of corruption in the Karzai government. Gen. Stanley McChrystal is said to be fuming over the intervention.
Eikenberry is a China specialist who can not only speak but interpret Chinese, who has a Stanford MA in international affairs, and who served two tours in Afghanistan under Bush. His appointment as ambassador in Kabul had been a surprise, since the generals are not usually sent in as diplomats, and the US military was already well represented in US government counsels on Afghanistan. But now it appears that Obama cleverly put Eikenberry in as chief diplomat precisely because he is worldly and experienced in the country, and in a position to second-guess the Washington war hawks who always think that a victory is around the corner with just a few more troops.
Obama is said to have rejected all the plans so far presented to him, insofar as none leads to a foreseeable end-game.
If AP is right, this development is encouraging... [In Full]
Wed, 11/11/2009
"As President Barack Obama meets with his national security team today to consider a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, reports indicate that they have narrowed the decision down to four options.
According to the New York Times, one strategy would call for about 20,000 new troops to be sent. Another would follow Gen. Stanley McChrystal's recommendation of 40,000. A middle option, said to be favored by Obama's top advisors, would involve roughly 30,000 new troops.
A fourth option has been added in the last few weeks. The Wall Street Journal reports that this "hybrid" strategy would also involve around 30,000 to 35,000 troops but would include as many as 10,000 trainers to focus on boosting the capabilities of the Afghan military.
Obama is expected to reveal the new strategy shortly after he returns from Asia on Nov. 19."
[In full with linkage]
Senator Dodd has introduced a new bill which would modify regulations and requirements for the FDIC along with other banking and finance agencies
Among the most controversial elements of Dodd’s bill are four new, independent regulatory agencies that would combine the powers of certain regulators, particularly the U.S. Federal Reserve.More on that from The Huffington Post: "Chris Dodd's New Legislation Would Strip Power From Fed, FDIC" Another view still from The Economic Populist, which has the bill, over 1100 pages of it, attached to the post.
The Financial Institutions Regulatory Administration: Perhaps the most controversial fixture of Dodd’s proposal is this “super-cop” of a regulatory agency that would combine parts of the Fed, FDIC, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) to oversee all of the nation’s banks – large and small.
Agency for Financial Stability: This agency would be headed by a nine-member board that includes financial regulators and an independent chairman appointed by the president. It would be responsible to identifying and addressing systemic risks throughout the financial system. It would aim to discourage firms from growing so large and complex that a breakdown in operations would pose a threat to the nation’s financial stability.
Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA): A favorite of the Obama administration, this new, independent agency would oversee loans made directly to American consumers, such as mortgages and credit cards.
National Insurance Office: This office would be created within the U.S. Treasury Department to oversee the insurance industry. This would be the first attempt by the federal government to regulate an industry that has traditionally been monitored by state authorities.
The bill also aims to create a safe way to shut down companies that are “too big to fail” by imposing tough new capital and leverage requirements and requiring they write their own “funeral plans.” There also would be changes made at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)... [In Full at MoneyMorning]
Guidelines for the "Race to the Top", the Education Reform package linked to the economic stimulus package for US states have been issued and are beginning to have effects (Wisconsin). California, with it's economically-stratified-and-likes-it-that-way educational system coupled with a usually-deadlocked legislature, is A LITTLE behind 'the curve'.
This afternoon president Obama heads out for Alaska and then Japan, where re-negotiations of post-WWII mutual defense plans are under discussion with the new Japanese government which is not happy about the massive US presence on Okinawa and other places. Then Obama is off to Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing and Korea. When he returns expect him to resume pressure for his Health Reform bill.
Lou Dobbs, CNN's racist and xenophobic commentator, has resigned and may start a new national political party.
After relentless pressure on CNN by progressive campaigns like BastaDobbs and DropDobbs.com, Lou Dobbs announced on his Wednesday show that he was leaving the network, effective immediately. "This will be my last broadcast here on CNN, where I’ve worked for most of the past 30 years," he said.
Dobbs' abrupt departure from the network is a major victory for the Latino advocacy groups demanding his resignation.
For years, the talk show host has stirred up xenophobic, anti-immigrant hysteria and promoted an array of right-wing talking points, giving lie to CNN's reputation for impartiality as well as comically belying his own claims of "independence." [In Full]
[After the commentary, Rodney Crowell, with some words from America's 'common man'. Courtesy of the respective artists and KPIG radio Freedom California Earth]
Audio hosting courtesy of: [www.archive.org]
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Recorded & transcribed by Da' Buffalo Amongst Wolves
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