Category Archives: Political Commentary

Political Commentary

Let’s Hope So

Is John McCain ready for a flip on ANWR?

For years, McCain has opposed drilling for oil in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

But McCain said he’d be willing to reconsider that stance as well.

“I would be more than happy to examine it again,” McCain said.

A perfect way for him to do it would be to actually go there (as he’s rightfully demanded that Senator Obama go to Iraq), and then standing there, in the barren wasteland, cameras rolling, point out the area that would be affected, how far away the beautiful mountains are, how tiny a percentage of the area would be impacted, etc., and say “I have always been in favor of the environment, and have opposed drilling up here for that reason. But with gas at four dollars a gallon, much of the price being driven by speculation that Congress will continue to oppose opening up new supplies, and now that I’ve seen how minimal the impact will be on the refuge as a whole, I agree that it’s perfectly reasonable and appropriate to tap this huge resource for the American people, and the world.”

It would be a huge win for him politically, and it has the additional virtue of being good policy.

By the way, this wouldn’t be a “flip flop,” which is a term that applies to changing one’s position multiple times depending on the political winds. This would be a single flip, based on dramatically changing economic circumstances, rather than politics. As Keynes once said, “when confronted with new facts, sir, I change my opinion. What do you do?”

One other point–this would also be a perfectly reasonable justification for Obama to change his position on Iraq, given the progress in the last year. But unlike a McCain flip on ANWR, it might kill him politically, by sending the nutroots to Ralph Nader.

Political Commentary

Another Reason To Kill The Mortgage Bailout

6 Comments

It’s not as though it needed another one. But check this out:

At a time when concerns about both identity theft and government spying are paramount, Congress wants to create a new honey pot of private data that includes Social Security numbers. This bill reduces privacy across America’s payment processing systems and treats every American small business or eBay power seller like a criminal on parole by requiring an unprecedented level of reporting to the federal government. This outrageous idea is another reason to delay the housing bailout legislation so that Senators and the public at large have time to examine its full implications.

You know, the revolutionaries in Boston had it right. Time to revive tar and feathers.

Economics, Political Commentary

Which Is A Greater Environmental Risk?

14 Comments

Off-shore drilling, or oil tankers? Of course, many “environmentalists” would like to ban both. And have us go back to chopping wood, and forty acres and a mule. As long as we aren’t too cruel to the mule.

But it’s pretty clear to me that off-shore drilling with modern technology is much lower risk, in terms of oil spills, than having foreign-flagged tankers operating in our waters. This kind of false sense of safety, and misplaced priority is common. For instance, some people avoid flying, because they fear it, and drive instead, vastly increasing their risk of being killed on the trip. I don’t know whether people who oppose oil drilling are being similarly irrational, or if they simply recognize it as an easier target than ending oil imports, so they grab whatever low-hanging fruit they can to minimize our oil consumption (and drive up the price, which is perhaps part of the goal).

Also, as noted here, banning drilling off US shores doesn’t eliminate the risk of spills from drilling. It just moves it to other (and perhaps even more environmentally sensitive) places.

Business, Economics, Political Commentary, Space

The Rough Road To Space

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I have a new piece up over at Pajamas Media on space transportation and the Interstate Highway System.

Hey, it was Mike Griffin who made the analogy, not me.

I should also note that while the title is mine, the subheadline is theirs.

[Late afternoon update]

Only Mark Whittington would have the native talent to so misread this piece as to think that I was “expressing astonishment.” Of course, it’s not the first time that he’s fantasized about my views.

[Another update]

Now Mark is fantasizing that I actually want, or expect NASA to build the Interstate to space.

Well, it’s totally in character for him.

I sure wish he’d learn to read for comprehension.

Political Commentary

Fight The Smears

The smears against Muslims, that is:

Apparently, it is OK for Mr. Obama to be associated with terrorists like William Ayers or racists like Jeremiah Wright, but God forbid somebody would call him a Muslim! No, he won’t stand for that kind of smear! We admit that most terrorists are Muslims, but most Muslims are not terrorists and the statement on Mr. Obama’s website is insulting to hundreds of millions of people.

How could a man who discards his family heritage in favor of political expediency be even considered for presidency of the United States? Where are all the so-called “Islamic civil rights groups” like CAIR, MPAC, ISNA, MAS, etc. who are quick to defend every Islamic terrorist, but are silent when Muslims in general are being denigrated? Would Mr. Obama have the same reaction if someone claimed that he was raised as a Jew? We sincerely doubt that.

Muslims Against Sharia demand immediate removal of “SMEAR: Barack Obama is a Muslim” statement from the official Barack Obama’s website as well as an apology for giving the word “Muslim” a negative connotation.

They’re right. This is delicious.

Maybe Obama should take the Seinfeld approach. “I am not a Muslim. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

Media Criticism, Political Commentary

He’s No Jimmy Carter

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Unlike Jimmy Carter, Obama apparently will lie to us.

Of course, I’m not aware that Obama has ever made a Carter-like pledge.

By the way, I don’t mean to imply that Carter doesn’t speak falsehoods. I just think that he’s delusional enough to believe them.

[Update in the early afternoon]

Here’s more on Obama’s campaign-finance hypocrisy.

…public financing and lobbyist money are yet additional examples of how Obama is on both sides of every issue — Iraq, the Cuban embargo, a divided Jerusalem, NAFTA et al. Is the press at all interested in pointing this out?

That was a rhetorical question, right?

[Update a few minutes later]

Just to be clear, I’m not criticizing Obama for declining public financing per se. I think that public financing is an ugly chancre on the body politic, and I cheer when it’s foregone. I wish that McCain would do the same thing. Unfortunately, he’d look even more hypocritical if he did so, due to his having become the point man for all of these idiotic and unconstitutional campaign finance laws. He could use this as an excuse to follow suit, saying that he had no choice, given Obama’s going back on his word, but we all know that if he did, the howls from the media would be deafening.

Well, according to the BBC, he didn’t lie. He just “reversed his promise.”

Well, that’s all right then.

It’s only fair to note that technically, they’re correct. If Obama said it while having no intention of doing it at the time, it would be a lie, but we can’t get into his mind. Sometimes promises aren’t kept, but that doesn’t mean that they were a lie at the time they were made. I was always annoyed when people told me that George H. W. Bush lied when he said “read my lips, no new taxes.” A broken promise is, in fact, not the same as a lie. But it’s a reason to not consider voting for someone.

Media Criticism, Political Commentary

He’s No Jimmy Carter

Unlike Jimmy Carter, Obama apparently will lie to us.

Of course, I’m not aware that Obama has ever made a Carter-like pledge.

By the way, I don’t mean to imply that Carter doesn’t speak falsehoods. I just think that he’s delusional enough to believe them.

[Update in the early afternoon]

Here’s more on Obama’s campaign-finance hypocrisy.

…public financing and lobbyist money are yet additional examples of how Obama is on both sides of every issue — Iraq, the Cuban embargo, a divided Jerusalem, NAFTA et al. Is the press at all interested in pointing this out?

That was a rhetorical question, right?

[Update a few minutes later]

Just to be clear, I’m not criticizing Obama for declining public financing per se. I think that public financing is an ugly chancre on the body politic, and I cheer when it’s foregone. I wish that McCain would do the same thing. Unfortunately, he’d look even more hypocritical if he did so, due to his having become the point man for all of these idiotic and unconstitutional campaign finance laws. He could use this as an excuse to follow suit, saying that he had no choice, given Obama’s going back on his word, but we all know that if he did, the howls from the media would be deafening.

Well, according to the BBC, he didn’t lie. He just “reversed his promise.”

Well, that’s all right then.

It’s only fair to note that technically, they’re correct. If Obama said it while having no intention of doing it at the time, it would be a lie, but we can’t get into his mind. Sometimes promises aren’t kept, but that doesn’t mean that they were a lie at the time they were made. I was always annoyed when people told me that George H. W. Bush lied when he said “read my lips, no new taxes.” A broken promise is, in fact, not the same as a lie. But it’s a reason to not consider voting for someone.