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Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Well, tomorrow is another day….
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
From the NYT:
“WASHINGTON — Acknowledging that Americans have “lost faith” in the government’s effort thus far to rescue the banking system, the Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, outlined a sweeping overhaul and expansion of the program on Tuesday.”
The bad news is, Geithner’s message didn’t exactly make Wall Street sit up straight and holler hallelujah. The Dow fell by more than 380 points, a 4.6 percent one-day decline. Oil prices fell by $2 a barrel,
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Eight arrested in Phelps bong case
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
That infamous picture of swimmer Michael Phelps and the bong was apparently taken in Columbia, SC. The Columbia police say they have no interest in prosecuting. The conservative governor of South Carolina says the case ought to be dropped.
But the local county sheriff, Leon Lott, may be going after Phelps. According to a local TV station:
“Lott says the picture indicated a law was being broken in his jurisdiction. He said he couldn’t ignore the violation just because Phelps is rich and famous.
We’ve now learned that since investigators began trying to build a case, they’ve made eight arrests: seven for drug possession and one for distribution. These are arrests that resulted as the sheriff’s department served search warrants.
We’ve also learned that the department has located and confiscated that bong.
Sources say the owner of the bong was trying to sell it on eBay for as much as $100,000.
The owner, who wasn’t even at the party, is one of the eight now charged.
Phelps is not one of those charged at this point, but the sheriff’s department has strong evidence that matches the photo to the house on Blossom Street.”
For goodness sakes, leave the guy alone. I’d say the punishment already meted out to Phelps more than fits the crime. The only saving grace would be that one of those arrested was the genius who took that picture and spread it around.
Really, aren’t there bigger problems in Richland County, SC?
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Meanwhile, back in Afghanistan where all this started…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A new poll in Afghanistan shows sagging support for U.S. efforts in that country, with airstrikes a chief concern. A quarter of the Afghans polled said that attacks on American or allied forces are justifiable, double the proportion saying so in late 2006.
The poll, the fourth conducted in Afghanistan since 2005 by ABC News and its media partners, also shows plummeting support for President Hamid Karzai and the Afghan government. …
…ratings of U.S. forces have declined precipitously; 32 percent said U.S. and coalition forces are performing well, down from 68 percent in 2005. And fewer than half of the respondents, 42 percent, have confidence in coalition forces to provide security in their areas.
Most troubling to the Afghans are U.S. airstrikes and civilian casualties. One in five said coalition forces have killed civilians in their area in the past year, and one in six reported nearby bombing or shelling at the hands of U.S. forces.
About eight in 10 called coalition airstrikes unacceptable, viewing the risk to innocent civilians as greater than the value of these raids in fighting the Taliban and other anti-government insurgents. More blame U.S. and coalition forces for poor targeting than blame the Taliban for keeping assets among civilians (41 percent to 28 percent); 27 percent said both sides shared the blame.
More also blame the country’s current travails on the United States, NATO or the Afghan government than on the Taliban (36 percent to 27 percent), but the Taliban is viewed as a greater long-term threat.”
You know, I guess it would be bad manners to point out that things might be different today if we had committed another 130,000 troops and a trillion dollars to Afghanistan back in 2002 instead of wandering off onto our Iraqi adventure. But seven years later, our options look increasingly slim.
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In Florida, Gov. Crist backs Obama
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In his press confererence last night and in his appearance earlier in the day in Indiana, President Obama referred repeatedly to the disconnect between partisan Washington and the rest of the country, which is in bad need of help.
“You didn’t send us to Washington because you were hoping for more of the same,” Obama told the crowd in Elkhart, Ind. “You sent us there with a mandate for change and the expectation that we would act quickly and boldly to carry it out.”
Apparently, at least one prominent Republican in Florida agrees with him:
“WASHINGTON (CNN) - Republican Florida Gov. Charlie Crist will introduce President Obama Tuesday at a Florida town hall meeting plugging the stimulus plan.
Crist was one of 19 governors, including four Republicans, to release a joint letter publicly urging Congress to to pass the president’s stimulus package — a move that earned him an appreciative phone call from Obama.
The Florida governor has said he wants to help Obama push for the measure. The bill is currently being considered by the Senate after failing to draw GOP support in the House.”
Indiana and Florida have both been hit hard by the deepening recession. They are also Republican-leaning states that went to Obama last year, states the GOP needs to get back in its column.
In a White House statement, Obama said that “Gov. Crist and I have seen firsthand the toll that this economic crisis has taken on the American people, and we agree that we can’t allow politics to get in the way of urgent relief for the millions of families and small businesses that need it.”
Crist said Monday that he is happy to honor a White House request that he call GOP lawmakers and make additional appearances on Obama’s behalf.
“I think he’s doing the right thing,” Crist said.
