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Politics

Lieberman, Bennett, And Kristol See Petraeus Hearing As ‘An Argument’ For ‘Going Into Iran’

By Matt Corley on Apr 10, 2008 at 4:31 pm

kristolweb.jpgDuring their appearance before the Senate on Tuesday, Gen. David Petraeus and Amb. Ryan Crocker accused Iran of “funding, training, arming and directing extremist ‘special groups’ in Iraq.” “I think one might look for a reconsideration in Tehran as to just where they want to go in Iraq,” said Crocker. “This would be an excellent time for them to reassess.”

Liveblogging the hearings for the Washington Post, Fiasco author Thomas Ricks pondered what Crocker could have intended with his “reassess” comment, considering that “there will be a new American president in place in less than a year“:

But he also said, “This would be an excellent time for them to reassess.” What does he mean by that? Why would Iran want to adjust their relationship now, when there will be a new American president in place in less than a year? Or is there some sort of implied threat there: You guys better get smart, or this president still has time to pound you?

It is unclear whether such a veiled threat was Crocker’s intention, but some on the right are certainly seeing his and Petraeus’s testimony as cause to begin talking about striking Iran again.

On his radio show this morning, Bill Bennett told the Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol — who had a personal meeting with President Bush yesterday — that a “conclusion” he drew was that the hearing was “less an argument for getting out of Iraq than going into Iran.” After suggesting that Iran may “have to pay some price at some point on their own soil,” Kristol said that President Bush authorizing an attack of some kind before he leaves office is not “out of the question”:

BENNETT: Do you think there’s any chance that, and we won’t ask you to reveal anything confidential, do you think there’s any chance that we might take some action against some aspect of the Ira…against Iran, let’s put it that way, before the president leaves office?

KRISTOL: We didn’t really talk about that, in all honesty, directly. I don’t think it’s out of the question. I think people are overdoing how much of a lame duck the president is.

Appearing on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show last night, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) said that he wished the Bush administration would tell the Iranians that “unless they stop it, we’re going to take action.” “I’m not talking about all out war,” added Lieberman before saying, “they ought to believe that we’re going to hit those training camps.”

Listen to Bennett, Kristol, and Lieberman here:

[flv http://video.thinkprogress.org/2008/04/KristolLiebermanIran.320.40.flv]

Lieberman has previously said that “we have to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the Iranians” while Kristol once believed that President Bush “could easily build political support” for strikes against Iran.

Transcript: Read more

Culture

Boston’s Worst Nightmare

By ThinkProgress on Apr 10, 2008 at 4:24 pm

I don’t think anything or anyone is going to stand in the way of the Celtics’ march to the 2008 NBA Championship. Still, it warms this Boston-haters’ heart to know that the thoroughly mediocre Wizards seem to have their number.

That said, I find that my distaste for the Hub is actually on the decline. It was very frustrating to me to constantly be hearing Kevin Garnett blamed for the Timberwolves’ problems (he didn’t have enough “leadership” it seems) when it was eminently clear that he was one of the top players in the game and just saddled with terrible teammates. This year, I think he’s gotten his vindication and that’s all to the good, even if it does bring cheer to the undeserving people of Massachusetts.

Politics

Randi Rhodes to reportedly move to Clear Channel.

By Amanda Terkel on Apr 10, 2008 at 4:11 pm

After a recent disagreement over her comments about Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), host Randi Rhodes resigned from Air America. According to an e-mail received by Hot Air, Rhodes is about to sign a deal to broadcast on Clear Channel:

randirhodes.jpg She’s going to be signing a deal with Nova M Radio in the next few hours for about the same money Air America was paying her. She will broadcast Monday afternoon on all Clear Channel affiliates and several other stations. The folks at Air America don’t miss her one bit… She has moved from New York City to West Palm Beach, FL…

They’ve been planning since she was suspended but the deal is solid now…

FishbowlLA is reporting that Rhodes may join Green960 AM in San Francisco.

Politics

The Good Guys

By ThinkProgress on Apr 10, 2008 at 3:22 pm

I went to a Netroots Nation fundraiser in town yesterday evening and on hand to talk a bit were some of our best, most solid progressive members of congress, including Senator Russ Feingold and Reps. Lloyd Doggett, Rush Holt, and Steve Cohen. I’m not sure I’d ever heard any of those guys actually speak before or not, but one way or another there’s this nice warm, fuzzy feeling that comes from listening to the real good guys of the political world. So much of what happens when you blog is focused on complaining about bad actors, but the morale boost that comes from the reminder that there are good people out there fighting the good fight is really nice.

Security

McCain Says Troops Need ‘Significant Educational Benefits,’ But Still Won’t Sign Onto New GI Bill

By Satyam Khanna on Apr 10, 2008 at 3:16 pm

On ABC’s The View this morning, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was asked about the great strain placed on U.S. troops due to the Iraq war. McCain recognized the strain and said that in order to motivate Americans to join the military, the government should provide stronger “educational benefits”:

There a certain number who will join out of patriotism, thank God. And then there’s those who turn 18 or 19 or 20 or 21, and they look at their options. And one of the thing we ought to do is provide them significant educational benefits in return for serving. Americans will always serve their country. Americans will, if they’re motivated to do so.

Watch it:

[flv http://video.thinkprogress.org/2008/04/mccainviewjoy.320.240.flv]

McCain’s support of “significant educational benefits” is ironic, considering that he is still “hedging on whether he will support a ‘GI Bill for the 21st Century,’” as Jon Soltz and Gen. Wesley Clark note in today’s LA Times. That bill, sponsored by Sens. Jim Webb (D-VA) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE), would help fund higher education for service members who had served in active duty since 9/11.

“As de facto leader of the party, McCain could signal to other Republicans to sign on to the bill and assure passage,” Soltz and Clark note. VoteVets and BraveNewFilms has released a video on the new GI Bill and McCain. Watch it:

On the View, McCain said, “that’s what I believe I can do as President,” referring to implementing the benefits for troops. Curiously, he won’t do it now.

Update

The Washington Independent notes that a McCain spokeswoman said Wednesday he has “not yet made a determination.” The bill, however, is a year old.

Economy

An Agenda For Unmarried Women

By Sarah on Apr 10, 2008 at 2:57 pm

Today, the Center for American Progress Action Fund released a report in conjunction with Women’s Voices Women Vote looking at the hard realities currently facing unmarried women. Unmarried women unfortunately make less money, have fewer assets, face decreased job security and have less access to health care than their single male, or married female, counterparts.

This study uncovers some striking data:

– Economic Vulnerability: More than 40 percent of unmarried women have household incomes of less than $30,000 a year. That’s much worse than married women and married men, and worse than unmarried men.

– Less Pay at Work: Unmarried women make less than others for the same work, and earn only 56 cents to every dollar a married man earns.

– Increased Responsibility for Children: The responsibility for taking care of children often falls on unmarried women: There are 12.2 million single-parent families in America, and more than 10 million are headed by single mothers.

– Missing Health Care: Unmarried women are more likely than other Americans to have no health insurance. They were twice as likely to be unable to afford medical care in the past year as women who were married.

– Reliance on Social Security: More than 25 percent of unmarried women rely on Social Security as their only source of income.

The looming 2008 election provides a unique opportunity to do more than just highlight the troubles confronting unmarried women, but to also suggest a progressive agenda for policy reform. For the past eight years, unmarried woman have felt the pains brought on by the Bush Administration’s snub of the middle class. The CAPAF report suggests that unmarried women’s lives can be improved by:

–Expanding Opportunity by Rewarding Work: equal pay, earned income tax credits, minimum wage increases, college affordability, energy policies, job creation, education promotion.

A New, Stronger Social Contract: child care, renewed FMLA, social security protection, universal 401K accounts, affordable housing.

Resolving the War in Iraq: diplomacy, global responsibility, redeployment.

Improved Health Care for All: Universal coverage, contraception and reproductive health education, the right to choose.

Comprising more than one quarter of those voting in 2008, it is the responsibility of our next president to address the needs of America’s single, divorced and widowed women as we break free from eight years of conservative, regressive policies. American women demand it.

Climate Progress

Do we need a massive government program to generate breakthroughs to make solar energy cost-competitive?

By Joe Romm on Apr 10, 2008 at 2:50 pm

[UPDATE: DOE link below fixed!]

Almost certainly not and absolutely not. I give two answers here because there are two very different types of solar energy:

  1. pv-vsmall.jpgSolar photovoltaics, PV, which is direct conversion of sunlight to electricity. It is well-known, high-tech, uneconomically expensive in most parts of this country (but poised to resume dropping sharply in price), and intermittent (power only when the sun shines).
  2. csp.jpgSolar thermal electric or concentrated solar power (CSP), which uses mirrors to focus sunlight to heat a fluid to run a turbine or engine to make electricity. It is, as I’ve blogged, “The solar power you don’t hear about.” It is relatively low-tech, competitive today (and poised to drop sharply in price), and can be made load-following (matching the demand curve during the day and evening) and possibly baseload (round-the-clock).

I am writing this post in response to a Wednesday post by Michael Shellenberger (here). It is not entirely civil [but perhaps he didn't get the memo yet.] The headline and opening sentence are:

No Clean Tech Breakthroughs Needed? Think Again
For solar PV to be cost-competitive, the price per ton of CO2 would have to be $220.

The Center for American Progress’s Joe Rom [sic!], like much of the environmental establishment [sic!!], believes that a price on carbon dioxide can do much of the heavy lifting for deploying clean energy technologies. But the price carbon dioxide would have to reach for technologies like solar to be cost competitive is far higher than voters, far more concerned about higher energy prices than global warming, will allow.

Okay guys, you don’t want to be called delayers — I obliged. I am most certainly not part of the environmental establishment. I am not even an environmentalist [yes -- I occasionally write about polar bears -- what can I say, those are by far my most heavily trafficked posts, and polar bears are cute, according to my legion of 'tween readers.]. I am a physicist, an energy technologist, and climate policy analyst.

As for being part of any “establishment” — “a pejorative term used to refer to the traditional ruling class elite and the structures of society which they control” — let me tell you, the elites don’t blog. They don’t have to, they actually control events, which I obviously don’t. Take U.S. energy and climate policy … please! [Sorry, couldn't resist.]

But I digress. The key question is — Does solar energy need technology breakthroughs funded by a major government program of the kind B.I. advocates? The answer is clearly “no.”

SOLAR PV IS A BIG WINNER IN THE MEDIUM-TERM (post-2020)

Read more

Politics

Petraeus ‘not aware’ of al Qaeda-Iran link.

By Satyam Khanna on Apr 10, 2008 at 2:34 pm

Last month, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) repeatedly and falsely claimed that Iran brought Sunni militants into Iran for training in order to launch attacks in Iraq. The Wall Street Journal’s Washington Wire notes that at a recent press conference, Petraeus “gently” refuted this assertion:

[A] reporter asked the commander if he believed Iran was supporting Sunni militants inside Iraq or had any evidence establishing such a link.

“I’m not aware of – it doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened,” Petraeus replied, choosing his words carefully.

He said that some Sunni extremists had weapons that were made in Iran, but said that it was unclear if the weapons were provided by Tehran.

“It is a good bit more difficult to connect all the dots directly,” he said.

Yglesias

McCain for Boycott

By ThinkProgress on Apr 10, 2008 at 2:13 pm

John McCain calls (conditionally) for a boycott of the opening ceremonies. Key line: ” I believe President Bush should evaluate his participation in the ceremonies surrounding the Olympics and, based on Chinese actions, decide whether it is appropriate to attend. If Chinese policies and practices do not change, I would not attend the opening ceremonies.”

It’s interesting that all the presidential candidates seem to believe this is good politics. Threatening to boycott the ceremonies per se seems unlikely to accomplish anything, but if the Chinese leadership sees that Western politicians come under intense pressure to have nothing to do with the PRC when the PRC cracks down, that should be food for thought in Beijing.

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