Is Romney Running?

As we approach the upcoming mid-term elections in November, the most interesting development is the sight of Mitch Romney stumping for  Republican candidates. After his defeat in 2012, he affirmed his attention not to run for president again. But the thought that he might give it another try  is intriguing.

 Perhaps this notion is fueled by my reading of Patrick Buchanan’s, “The Greatest Comeback.” It’s the story of Richard Nixon’s improbable election in 1968, after being humiliated in the 1962 California gubernatorial race, and after being narrowly defeated by John Kennedy, just two years earlier. Incidentally, Nixon's biggest challenger for the GOP nomination in 1968 was Mitt's father, Gov. George Romney of Michigan.

Romney must see the weak field in both the Democratic and Republican camps. The two early front runners: Hillary Clinton and Chris Christie are attenuating as each day goes by. Secretary Clinton is practicing self-immolation. Her tepid memoir, “Hard Choices,” is a complete flop. No substance whatsoever and her record  at the State department hardly stellar. And her penurious pronouncements while she rakes in $250,000 per speech beyond ridiculous. Christie on the other hand, is trying to distance himself from former best bud, Barack Obama, criticizing the president for his handling of the influx of immigrants pouring over our southern border. But Texas governor, Rick Perry, also a possible candidate in 2016,  has this issue in his backyard and back pocket.

In addition, Christie has alienated many Republicans by his lack of support for Rob
Astorino, the Westchester County Executive who is challenging New  York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in November. He has termed Astorino’s quest  a “lost cause.” This pronouncement might very well be the biggest Christie blunder to date. The whole Bridgegate affair notwithstanding.

Cuomo is now under fire for  his lack of support for the Moreland Commission. A commission he set up to root out corruption in his state’s political system after a host of elected officials were implicated in unsavory practices. This could very well damage Cuomo in the coming months. Enough to catapult Astorino?  Who knows? But it certainly changes the game. It will be interesting to see if Romney offers his support to Cuomo’s challenger.

There has been much said about the mistakes Romney made in the last presidential election. His message may be resonating with the nation now and he has certainly proven his ability to adapt to changing scenarios.  But make no mistake it would be an uphill battle of Nixonian proportions.

Era of Shallowness

For the last few years my friends have been lamenting the fall of America. “It’s over,” they say resignedly as if we should all lay down our pin numbers for the masses invading our southern border and plead  for mercy from the new progressive elitists who seem firmly entrenched in the new power structure.

Our mesmerizing president, well still mesmerizing now to only a handful of stalwarts, has lulled our country into a quiescent unconsciousness. The Middle East is in chaos yet  President Obama found time last weekend to play golf and attend a few fundraisers; our  economy , the nuts and bolts of it anyway, is disintegrating before our eyes. Food and fuel prices continue  to rise unabated. Yet, because the moneychangers on Wall Street are propping up the stock market with help from the Federal Reserve  we are being sold a bill of goods about a faux recovery.

Everything  it seems has a shiny veneer . But when you look closer you can see the peeling paint. The same façade exists in the world of show business. Instead of any type of entertainment with intrinsic value like the mini-series, “Roots,” or “Shogun, “ or “Lonesome Dove,” of yesteryear, we are being fed the pablum of reality television or being tortured with the constant bombardment  of hype about J Lo or Kim Kardashian. This fits in well in the Obama era.

An older friend, long gone, used to say we always had the right president for the times. Prescient thinking. Our president , like the aforementioned divas of de-evolution, has a pretty face and little else. He is the right president for this time. This being the Era of Shallowness. He is  a man who constantly stumbles and mumbles and bungles; whose initiatives always miss the mark; he always never knows what’s happening around him or just out and out lies. He should  be censured by  Republicans and  clear-conscious Democrats alike. They should be talking about impeachment for abuse of power. And lack of leadership.

Yes, old friend we do have the right president  for the times. As an added bonus we also have the right Congress to match.

 

Hard Choices Indeed

The liberal media is awash  praising Hillary Clinton for her service  as secretary of state  To anyone who has outgrown crayolas and coloring books one might be a bit put off  by such approbation. From the moment her staff sought to “reset” with the Russians early in 2009, and bungled  the translation it set  in motion one of the most lackluster forays in world diplomacy.

But according to an editorial that appeared in the Sunday New York Times  by Nicholas Kristof, a frequent Hillary cheerleader, she was a “trailblazing diplomat.” According to Kristof, some politicians have trouble articulating all the wonderful things they’ve  accomplished. This was basically a defense of her tepid response when asked this past April about her legacy at the State Department. It reminded me of the same inarticulate,  sputtering Ted Kennedy when he was asked in 1980 why he wanted to president. Red-faced and flustered, he hemmed and hawed at this softball  question but couldn’t come up with a valid reason.

Thankfully for Hillary her sycophants will fill in the blanks for her. That is if she decides to run. So far she is following the paradigm of a presidential candidate two years in advance of an election. Her book, “Hard Choices,” due out soon, will reveal little, keeping any controversies at bay. One, though, bound to be scrutinized is her choice for the title of her memoirs “Hard Choices.” This was the title of Cyrus Vance’s  book; Vance served as President Carter’s secretary of state. One can’t help but draw parallels to the challenges they both faced in the Middle East . Vance had to deal with the Iranian hostage crisis. Hillary was the architect of the Arab spring and was taking kudos for it until this wonderful, regional, democratic revolution took a turn southward in a massive blood bath.

But back to Kristof.  Unlike  James Baker, “she didn’t craft a coalition of allies”; “didn’t seal a landmark peace agreement.” “No her legacy is different.” Indeed it is steeped in  esoterica like addressing poverty, the enviroment, education and family planning. Important,? Sure hardly earth shattering concepts. And, oh yeah, and she also noted, like millions of others, the importance of using social media.

“But give her credit,” according to Kristof.“She expanded the diplomatic agenda and adopted new tools to promote it – a truly important legacy.”  Or is it?

The Strange Case of Bowe Bergdahl

“We have met the enemy and he is us,” so said a Pogo cartoon of some years ago. It couldn’t be more true today than it was for the Roman empire a millennium and a half ago. Are we really celebrating the heroism of this man.  The puzzling aspect of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s release is disturbing when one takes into account the revelations emerging from this incident and what, if anything, it has to do with obfuscating the VA scandal of last week.

First there’s  questions of how he was captured. Some of the members of his platoon have said he deserted his post. Six GI’s were killed trying to rescue him. Five Taliban savages were released from Guantanamo to secure his release. They’ll soon be back in the jijad looking to separate infidels from their heads.

Bergdahl’s father inexplicably spoke to him in Arabic welcoming him back to freedom. Outgoing press secretary, Jay Carney, spoke in the platitudes he has become infamous for, about the  release. He was quoted, as was President Obama saying Americans never leave anyone behind. It’s a great ideal to adhere to but hardly etched in stone; and is usually reserved for the most elite military personnel who take on the most dangerous missions. Never thought it would be applied to a soldier with questionable character who may have deserted. Right now there’s a marine being held in a Mexican jail by our friends south of the border. Why hasn’t his release been secured.

It was reported that Bergdahl was a private when he disappeared but he returns as a sergeant? How was he promoted leaving his post, endangering his American brothers and sisters. There’s more twists and turns in this story than there is in a Rubik’s cube. But can we depend on the feckless media to dig into this story? Or the VA scandal for that matter?

Every Obama bungle ( and they’re getting too numerous to count) gets swept under the rug with the rapidity of a hobo on a ham sandwich. Any media person who questions any administration proclamations is figuratively tarred and feathered as a right wing extremist.

If the president thought this prisoner exchange would make the VA scandal disappear he is wrong like so many other times. Every effort he makes to mitigate the coming fallout in the upcoming fall elections results in more separation with mainstream America.

Enough Lip Service, Mr. President

 

There was a sportscaster who used to say, “the wheels are coming off now,” to denote a sports team in the throes of a thorough thrashing. One could borrow the phrase to describe the  floundering Obama administration especially now with the  latest  revelation regarding military veterans not getting the adequate and timely care they deserve from the Veterans' Administration.

When the president found out about inconsistencies in record keeping, long waits and fatalities, according to CNN  as many as 40 veterans died waiting for medical treatment, he was appalled and promised to get to the bottom of the situation. Indeed , anytime an inconvenient truth rears its ugly head the president resorts to his default position, feigning ignorance, then promising to resolve said situation.

Don’t expect to see the president with those affected by the tragedies that occurred at the VA. He only appears in the public spotlight when those victimized support one of his initiatives. In this case, he’ll send some junior-level officers to try and assuage the family members affected. And, of course, they’ll have no information about what happened or why it happened. These are common threads in this administration.

He seems to have not known about  “Fast and Furious,” the IRS harassment of conservative  fund-raising groups, the glitches inherent in the Obamacare website roll out. He was incommunicado during the Benghazi tragedy. This pattern lends credence to the criticism many of his distractors adhere to:  that he is not engaged in his position or is incompetent. Or my feeling, that his incompetence is matched only by his high-handed tendencies. And his sheer distaste for accepting responsibility for anything other than a terrible golf game.

 Perhaps in between the accolades bestowed upon him by the Hollywood elites at fund-raising events; his frequent vacations, putting on the verdant greens of some of the best courses in the country, he can convene an occasional cabinet meeting to find out what’s going on under his watch, if only to make Jay Carney’s spin doctoring look less tendentious and more informative.

Instead,  expect the Oblivicrats to circle the wagons and point at the president’s  predecessor as being responsible for the current situation in the Veterans Administration. After all, President Bush got us into these wars.

 With an overly sympathetic media, the president may straddle yet another maelstrom. But I think to the American electorate, looking forward to the upcoming mid-term elections,  the wheels on this administration may very well be in need of replacing.

Rutgers Wrong on Rice

Once again Rutgers University  has diminished itself  and shown it doesn’t belong in the upper echelon of second tier universities. And I’m not talking only about their lackluster football and basketball programs. I’m talking about the  controversy regarding Condoleezza Rice as the university’s choice to be this year’s commencement speaker.

The opposition’s major problem with Condoleezza Rice was her involvement in the Iraqi War and the use of water boarding by the Bush administration. While most of the Democrats did indeed object to water boarding , they did vote strongly in support of the Iraqi War. Mind you not on principle but because the overwhelming majority of Americans were behind President Bush’s military operation. In addition, intelligent sources both domestic and foreign claimed the Iraqi regime had weapons of mass destruction. In fact, they had already used them on the Iranians and Kurds.

We know how that story ended. But to place blame on Secretary Rice would be like blaming Secretary Clinton for the failure of the Arab spring.

An accomplished, multi-talented woman, Secretary Rice deserved better. But the voice of the minority (reportedly about 300 students out of 10,000)has once again scored an unlikely  victory. How many times will the feeble-minded, 97-lb. weakling  score victory after victory over a more accomplished  adversary.

Egging on the dissident students were  a few non-descript academicians who could not even entertain the possibility of teaching in a prestigious university like Stanford where Rice teaches and has served as provost.

Preening around these days  as a card-carrying member of the intelligentsia seems pretty simple. All you have to do is take the ultra-liberal contrarian view on common sense issues. It might even land you a spot on the Al Sharpton Show. Some of the Rev. Sharpton’s best friends are African-American but I doubt Secretary Rice would be in that number. Any accomplished, free thinkers in the African-American community seem anathema to Sharpton  and his associates.

Rice took the high road. An elevation the undistinguished, faculty members who  condemned her appearance will never reach. But what perturbs me is why take the high road? Why be at the mercy of the minority. Why always acquiesce? Why compromise? Why give the opponents of free speech and  the open exchange of ideas  even the slimmest of victories? If we don’t stand up for our beliefs as free Americans that right may be taken from us.

So now  former NJ Gov. Kean will be the commencement speaker. It should be a safe choice. Perhaps the president of the Left-Handed Plumbers Union had prior commitments.

Less Than Sterling

Of course the statements by Donald  Sterling were abhorrent to men and women of good will. And NBA Commissioner Silver rightfully declared him persona non grata in his league. But this whole episode “stinks on ice” to use a phrase from my grandfather.

This has all the earmarks of a set up. Was this visor-wearing vixen put up to this mischief; or was she just trying  muddy the waters  to impede the Sterling family from  recovering her ill-gotten gains? Or was this a gambit to force Sterling to sell his team. Some names of potential buyers  being bandied about: Oprah, P Diddy, Magic Johnson and Floyd Mayweather. Hmnn.

Also, why was the NAACP set  to award Mr. Sterling with a second lifetime humanitarian achievement award even though they were  aware of his past indiscretions.

In at least two instances, Mr. Sterling was implicated in biased behavior. First involving Clippers’ general manager, Elgin Baylor and then again for discriminatory practices regarding  property rentals to minority tenants in his vast real estate empire. Was the NCAAP as easily bought off as hucksters like Reverends Jackson and Sharpton that they would give this bigot an award to ameliorate his image?

This kind of hypocrisy does more to perpetuate racism as does the off putting remarks from African- Americans who adhere to the same vitriol as Sterling. Rev. Jackson and his “Hymietown” remark. Rev. Sharpton and his involvement in the Tawana Brawley case and the incineration of Freddie’s, a Harlem haberdashery, run by, Sharpton’s term, “ a white interloper.” In the case of Freddie’s, seven fatalities resulted from the fire. And what about that firebrand, Rev. Jeremiah Wright preaching sermon after sermon of divisiveness.  In terms of sheer hatred Rev. Wright, though, comes in a distant second to Louis Farrakhan whose machinations rival Herr Eichmann.

Where are the men and women of color to speak against these bigots? Too often they are silent. Until they can find it in themselves  to condemn racist remarks by other than white racists there will be no real progress in the fight against bigotry. And are we to believe   no racist remarks were ever uttered by African-Americans or Asian-Americans?

Racism is not a one way street but is only portrayed that way.