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Monday, October 9, 2006
When life imitates art that imitates life
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State offices were closed Monday to celebrate the Third Day Before Christopher Columbus Landed in America. It’s always nice to see a multi-cultural nod to this special, brief period in 1492 that Native Americans refer to as the Apex of Western Civilization.
The state Capitol was shuttered, too. Except for the movie crew that rented the place out. Reports from security guards and gophers vary. Either a remake of “Revenge of the Nerds” or “Return of the Nerds.” Definitely something to do with nerds.
Word was that Room 341, a massive chamber normally occupied by the House Appropriations Committee, was to be the scene of a climactic, wild fraternity tribunal. They were going for historical accuracy — or so we were told.
Of North Korea, Iraq, Foley — and Casey Cagle
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At a fund-raiser for the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Georgia — let us repeat the strangeness of this venue — at a fund-raiser for the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Georgia, the following topics were seriously addressed:
The North Korea nuclear situation, the difficulties of partitioning Iraq, and — inevitably — the impact of former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley’s alleged predilection for House pages.
And yes, U.S. Sen. John McCain, a presumed member of the ’08 presidential field, said some very nice things about Casey Cagle, the aforementioned candidate for lieutenant governor.
Who beat Ralph Reed in the July primary. See details below, but suffice it to say that McCain is no fan of Reed.
“We know that this was a very high visibility race in the primary, for obvious reasons,� McCain told reporters after giving a closed-door speech to 90 Cagle supporters at an Atlantic Station function. Tickets were $1,000 or so.
Did the 12-point margin over Reed make it more pleasant?
“I think it made it more pleasant, but I would point out that Casey Cagle had a resume that was pretty impressive. I think he won the race on the merits,� McCain said.
“This young man went through one of the one of the most difficult primaries in the history of lieutenant governor elections. I think he ran an honorable campaign,� the senator reiterated.
But there were more important things to talk about.
On the world’s latest nuclear crisis:
“I would like to emphasize that China has a responsibility here. China has influence over North Korea.
“China must understand that increased tensions in Asian and on the Korean peninsula are not good for China. China should act in its self-interest, which is as a mature world power, instead of hanging back, not doing what they should do — and that is exercising enormous influence over North Korea to stop this nonsense immediately.
“This is a very dangerous step, escalation. It’s in China’s court as well as that of the U.N. Security Council.
“If China would enact serious sanctions on North Korea, they could cripple their economy in a matter of days. So they have the influence.
“If China’s willing to be a responsible member of the world community as a superpower, they should act now, act responsibly, and bring this crisis to an end.�
On whether Iraq should be partitioned:
“We have to look at all options, but we’ve tried partitions in the past. Partitions of other countries have always turned out far more difficult than we have anticipated. In Baghdad, Sunni and Shiia live in the same neighborhood.�
On President Bush’s enlistment of Jim Baker to examine alternatives in Iraq:
“I think it’s clear he’s trying to find additional measures that can be taken in Iraq.
“I don’t know what they are. I think he’s an incredibly credible individual, but I certainly see no sign on the part of Jim Baker that we are willing to set a date for withdrawal from Iraq, which is what the Democrats want to do.�
On Mark Foley:
“We should ask for a group of respected, retired congressmen and senators, a small group, to examine this quickly and come up with an allocation of responsibility and recommendations for future action.
“The quicker we put closure to this, the more likely it is we can move on and regain some support from Americans who are unhappy with the situation.�
And on the F-22 made in Marietta:
“My stance on the F-22 was that I supported strongly the F-22 — in fact increased production.
“I opposed multi-year production because I felt that that might precluded decisions that might have to be made in the future.�
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About all those Mexicans: ‘Barnes and Taylor brought them here’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Immigration has become the chosen weapon of the Georgia Republican party for general bashing of Democrats this season.
You’ve seen Gov. Sonny Perdue’s mailer accusing Taylor of an alliance with radical homosexuals. That was a bit of fluff aimed at re-assuring the religious conservative base.
This is the kind of mailer that matters to Republicans this October — if the topic’s use in this and other races is any guide.
Here’s a bit of the language in the Perdue mailer: “For years the Democratic Barnes/Taylor administration ignored the growing masses of illegal immigrants flowing into Georgia. They allowed these illegal immigrants access to taxpayer-funded state services and benefits, causing Georgia to become a magnet for illegal immigration.”
The Perdue mailer also gigs Taylor for opposing the 2005 voter photo ID law. But the statute has been transformed. When first presented, it was a measure aimed at alleged excesses by African-American political machines. In the mailer, it’s become a tool “which stops illegal immigrants from voting.”
