nerdgirl

Thanks for the reading list.

W/r/t AIPAC & ADL, are you familiar w/John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt's The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, which received a fair bit of mainstream (as opposed to academic/think-tank/wonkish) press when an exceprt was published in 2006 in the London Review of Books? You are correct in that the State Department doesn't have lobbyists. And that the Defense Industry has some of the best and most well-connected lobbyists ... globally. Some of them are lobbying for US commercial interests, e.g., From DoD Armed Forces Press Service: “Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates landed here today looking to expand on what one official said already is one of the best military-to-military relationships the United States has with any country in the world. “With India’s full military modernization program under way and billions of dollars at stake, defense trade is key among the secretary’s talking points in his meetings here, a senior DoD official told reporters on background. India last year issued a request for proposals from potential manufacturers for 126 multi-role combat aircraft for its air force. The deal, estimated at about $10 billion, would be the world’s largest single external defense procurement in history, DoD officials believe. Last month, India sent out another request for proposals for 312 helicopters for its air force and army. That deal is expected to be worth about $1 billion. “Also in January, India closed a $1 billion deal with Lockheed Martin for six C-130J Hercules aircraft for its special forces. This deal was a first for the United States and India. Since 1999, India's military purchases reportedly have been worth $25 billion, and the country is likely to spend another $30 billion by 2012. “‘We have tried for some years now to get a seat at the table, and we’re finally there,’ the Defense Department official said, adding that Gates will tell officials here that U.S. defense trade offers the ‘full package.’ “‘When you go into joint production (and) cooperative development (with the United States), you’re getting not only the best product in the world, but you have the best support system, the best maintenance package over the life of the product,’ the official said. ‘You also have companies that operate with integrity, which is different than what India has seen with other partners in the world. We’re very transparent.’ “Some of the details to be talked through are the two countries’ bureaucratic buying and selling processes, the official said. “Another senior official was quick to point out that the meetings are not all about defense procurement. “‘We’re just getting into the defense trade business, (but) we have more well-rounded defense relationships with India than any other country,’ the official said. “The United States is India's largest trading partner. Bilateral trade in 2006 was $32 billion, according to the U.S. State Department.” ----- ---- ----- The quip used to be that ‘what’s good for General Motors was good for the US’; who is the corporate leader today? VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Neat question - thanks for posting it. And interesting to read the responses. Would I? Move for a man who I loved - Yes. Particularly if it was to someplace like Norway (). I would consider moving temporarily (e.g., up to ~5, 10, 15 years) to almost anyplace ... yes, almost anyplace ... on the planet. When one starts to consider raising a family or a permanent move, exceptions pop up: Haiti, Somalia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Myanmar (nee Bhutan), DPRK, Saudi Arabia. A few of those places I would *not* move, even temporarily, if I was asked to give up my American citizenship. Not just 'no' but 'hell, no.' VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

So it’s something akin to former DNI Negroponte wanting to relocate the ODNI from Bolling AFB to the old Naval Observatory (near Foggy Bottom) because he didn’t like having to go through southwest DC? Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

True - I have no experience w/Disney Security, Disney Directorate of Operations (DDO), or Disney Directorate of Analysis (DDA). So from your tactical experience, do they have blue badges too?

I’m clearing out my email Inbox this afternoon and find the appended job announcement. What conclusions can one draw when the "happiest place on Earth” needs a Director (assumedly for a Division or Directorate) of “Global Intelligence & Threat Analysis”? Otoh, it may lead one to speculate what techniques are acceptable as part of intelligence collection in support of Mickey Mouse? (And what, if anything, do they know about Iranian centrifuges and counterfeit DPRK Viagra? A new version of free market competition?) Position appears to still be open, if anyone's looking. Marg ---- ----- ---- Experienced, creative intelligence professionals with excellent leadership skills should not miss this opportunity to lead a unique mission protecting one of the world's most recognizable brands. The Director, Global Intelligence and Threat Analysis provides security and political risk assessments to protect the Company's assets, guests, employees, and reputation, and offers decision support for the Company's global business expansion. The diverse scope of this mission covers Parks and Resorts (including cruise lines), Media Networks (ABC, ESPN, Disney Channel), Studios (Disney, Miramax), and Consumer Products; assets are spread over more than 40 countries. Qualified candidates should review the official vacancy and apply directly at the Disney Careers website. Job Responsibilities Responsible for leading a Burbank-based global team in the collection and analysis of timely and accurate intelligence relevant to securing The Walt Disney Company's global human and capital assets and the development of policy, plans and training to mitigate vulnerabilities. Primary Functions and Responsibilities: *In cooperation with the Vice President, Global Intelligence, Threat Analysis and Crisis Management, develops policy and strategy to assess and mitigate threats to company assets and employees *Collects, evaluates and disseminates accurate and timely intelligence to appropriate company executives *Applies intelligence to in-place security measures to assess vulnerabilities *Recommends risk mitigation strategies *Develops strong and productive relationships with high-level domestic and international law enforcement, intelligence, and private sector counterparts *Develops a private sector intelligence community designed to provide a network of information partners *In partnership with the Director, Global Crisis Management, assists in the development of policy, plans and exercises designed to enhance the crisis resistance of the Walt Disney Company Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Would you expand on how you would propose implementing this recommendation? Thanks. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Speculation: it's narrowed and polarized the political discourse. Observation: in less than 6 hours, there have been two separate threads asserting that Sen Obama is either a potential radical Islamist/Muslim extremist (theocracy) or a potential autocratic, repressive Communist (assumedly atheist). VR/Marg ... & I thought my politics were complicated. Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Concur heartily. I hope our generation keeps remembering. That specific incident is unquestionably one that profoundly impacted and influenced my world view formatively too and my unrepentant support of democratic movements. I still remember staying up late watching the BBC reports coming back. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

I suspect you're directing your rhetoric toward the wrong person. R/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

I don't disagree at all that the last 4-5 years have seen some tremendous transitions to the warfigher w/r/t capabilities. That's fantastic to hear that you're getting what you need! That's the way the Requirements process is supposed to work. Historically, times of war have prompted greater innovation. The $1.5 billion-a-year Rapid Fielding Initiative (RFI) was established in PEO soldier in 2003. (Out of $5.4 billion total for procurement and development of new gear.) PEO Soldier instituted the POR for the new Army Combat Uniform (ACUs, ‘digitals’) in 2003 – the technology on which the ACU is based was initiated in the 1970s. The reality is that anything that was delivered in 2002-03, was either (1) COTS-based or (2) in the pipeline as a formal program of record 5-10 years a priori. And, as we all know, programs do not formally transition to a Program Executive Office (PEO) until they have reached Milestone A, that is after passing out of 6.3 (advanced technology development) money. Unquestionably efforts like Adm Cebrowski’s (RIP) Office of Force Transformation (now effectively disbanded back into AT&L) pushed through some fantastic & innovative ideas. E.g., the Stiletto M-hull littoral combat craft, which was partially developed in response to the 30%+ attrition rate among SEALS due to back injuries. Has the Navy transitioned that out of the acquisition program? (No.) Otoh, soldiers seem to love the Stryker brigades. Yeah! Conversely, the Operational Requirements Document (ORD) for the Joint Chemical Agent Detector (JCAD) was put in place 1 July 1997; first fielding of the JCAD was 2003. I can name half dozen similar programs off the top of my head: JPBDS, JSGPM (i.e., ‘M41’), M-100 kits, JSLIST. There are lots of things wrapped up in this issue. In addition to the “Peace Dividend” that was impacting the budget, in the 1990s the Army had to budget for replacement of equipment that had been expended/destroyed during Gulf War I. Army Staff is already trying to plan for that now w/r/t OIF/OEF. They’re trying to learn the lesson from the 1990s to minimize that gap. In the end: Requirements for new equipment (i.e., capabilities) within DoD are a function of the internal DoD requirements process (run out of the J-8 and services) not any specific occupant of the White House or Congress. Now there is a valid question: is the requirements process broken? (Btw: the requirements process was initiated in the 1970s.) One problem is that Requirements organizations have a huge amount of power w/r/t PBR and POM. They’re not going to voluntarily give that up. Btw: this isn’t just nerdgirl saying this – the Defense Science Board 2006 Summer Study on 21st Century Technology Vectors highlighted the acquisition and requirements processes as essentially broken. One of the other issues they highlighted was the problem that requirements organizations have created is acting as ‘middle men’ between technology developers and actual operators. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Sometimes it's interesting how other people view things. I found this map: "Right to Carry Law 2006", linked in an earlier thread surprising. To listen to much of the rhetoric here, one would easily come to the conclusion that the only State in which one can have a CCW is Texas ... but no, per concealedcampus.org *forty* states (80%) allow CCW. Eight of the 10 remaining have some limited CCW (96%). [tongue firmly planted in cheek] What do all y'all usually say to Europeans who don't like US foreign policies? [/tongue firmly planted in cheek] VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Isn't that more a function of the internal DoD requirements process (run out of the J-8 and services) than any specific occupant of the White House or Congress? If products began transitioning to the services in 2002-03 time frame, wouldn't that suggest that the Programs of Record were initiatied (as part of the AT&L Acquisition process) 5-10 years earlier ... or longer for MDAPs? VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

In what sense? Economically? Socially? One area of importance to me in which he does not seem to have put worth much directly w/r/t policies and issues is education, particularly science and engineering. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Does this qualify as one? From Sports Illustrated (no idea where SI.com considered to fall in the MSM spectrum), "Kansas HS refuses female official: St. Mary's Acad. says woman cannot ref boys game "Kansas activities officials are investigating a religious school's refusal to let a female referee call a boys' high school basketball game. "The Kansas State High School Activities Association said referees reported that Michelle Campbell was preparing to officiate at St. Mary's Academy near Topeka on Feb. 2 when a school official insisted that Campbell could not call the game. "The reason given, according to the referees: Campbell, as a woman, could not be put in a position of authority over boys because of the academy's beliefs." "Authority" = refereeing a basketball game? "... she [Campbell] told The Kansas City Star that she was 'dumbfounded' by the incident but that she is not angry at the school. She said she does not want the situation to go any further than it already has. "'This issue was going to come up eventually,' said Campbell, 49, a retired Albuquerque, N.M., police officer who now lives in Ozawkie, Kan. 'I just happened to be the person who was there this time.' "'It's kind of a sticky situation. It needs to be looked at carefully, slowly, with all the facts.'" My favorite part: "'When I found out what the emergency was, I said there was no way I was going to work those games,' said [Fred] Shockey, who spent 12 years in the Army and became a ref about three years ago. 'I have been led by some of the finest women this nation has to offer, and there was no way I was going to go along with that.'" VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

I’ve been hoping that someone would post something on Sen McCain’s policies and recommendations … on *why* one *should* consider supporting him … but since no one has, went out and did it myself.

If this action is executed -- & I see nothing to indicate that it will not -- ballistic missile *defense* will move one step closer to being an outright *offensive* weapon. China and Russia have long criticized our BMD program because of its *potential* dual-use qualities (i.e., inherent offensive anti-satellite capability). We appear to be making their point. The hydrazine rationale ‘smells’ … & not just like putrascine & cadaverine from a decaying red herring. While there are significant differences between this and the Chinese ASAT test last year, ie., debris, notification, stated purpose, does anyone else remember these headlines from last year? VOA news: “Experts: US Should Worry About Chinese Anti-Satellite Device” Fox News: “U.S., Japan Criticize China for Testing Anti-Satellite Missile” USA Today: “Pentagon: China's anti-satellite test poses threat” Things don’t happen in political vacuums: Currently the US (i.e., Ambassador Dennis Mahley as representatives of President Bush’s administration) is arguing for the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT). We’ve wanted it for a while, and it is a policy w/which I heartily concur. Russia (tepidly supports FMCT), China (opposes FMCT), and others are pushing for revision or discussions on new Outer Space Treaty concurrently, which the US opposes. The Aegis missiles (3 are being readied according to DoD announcements) and associated costs are estimated to run $40-$60M. How about putting that $40-$60M into the chemical weapons destruction program which still has >15,000 metric tons of sarin (GB) & VX nerve agents and sulfur mustard to destroy. Those are a lot nastier than 454kg (or 0.454 metric tons) of hydrazine. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

NPR this morning had a story with a similar sentiment (perhaps a different tone ...), Loyalty vs. Voters: A Superdelegate's Dilemma. Excerpt: "He [Rep. Emanuel Cleaver] represents Missouri's 5th Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, and endorsed Clinton, his longtime friend, in August. "'This is an ethical entanglement,'" Cleaver tells [NPR's] Melissa Block. "'Do you maintain your loyalty and your word? Or, do you say, "My district went one direction and I am therefore ethically obligated to follow the district,"' he says." VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Good – let's talk about variables & factors that can be measured and compared versus anecdote or stereotypes, whether historically ‘observed’ or purely notional. Conversely to looking for which factors have been associated with successes (as I posed in my initial response), one can look to factors that have been shown to associate w/failure of states -- worldwide. There are a number of different analytical models that have been applied. The one w/which I am most familiar is the Political Instability Task Force, which has been in operation for over a decade and has done particularly well at predicting political instability: they assert >80% accuracy for the world’s countries from 1955 - 2003. See, e.g., Jay Ulfelder and Michael Lustik “Modeling Transitions to and from Democracy” and Jack A. Goldstone, et al., “A Global Forecasting Model of Political Instability.” What kind of factors (independent & dependent variables) are associated with political instability or decline from functioning political system to violence? And which aren’t? On the positive correlation (to instability), the factors include: NB: these are blatantly extracted (i.e., stolen verbatim) from Political Instability Task Force and folks at RAND. Ideological factors -- Contested homeland or “indivisible territory” occupied by competing ethnic “nations,” Where there is disagreement over a “homeland” or other “indivisible territory” ethnic conflict is much more likely. Remember the assertion made earlier w/r/t artificially imposed boundaries? The “Dark side of Democracy” hypothesis suggests that when two ethnonational movements claim their national boundaries include the same territory, ethnic cleansing can result. ( Michael Mann , The Dark Side of Democracy: Explaining Ethnic Cleansing). -- Religious and/or ethnic groups making competing claims. E.g., one group actively advocates the imposition of Sharia law; another group actively opposes it. -- Discrimination/inequality on religious or ethnic lines to include formal institutional discrimination from the national or local government, informal institutional discrimination stemming from a competing group's possession of the government, or broad discrimination across a state. It might also include cases involving significant ethnic or religious-based inequality as a result of historical discrimination or other predicates. Conflicts are more likely to become violent when inequities coincide with religion or ethnicity (Pranab Bardhan, “Method in the Madness? A Political-Economy Analysis of the Ethnic Conflicts in the Less-Developed Countries,” World Development 25, no. 9 (September 1997): 1381-1398). -- Religious extremism – One or more religious groups in the city is an extremist religion. Economic factors -- Negative or very low GDP growth . -- High unemployment. (Klaus Deininger, “Causes and Consequences of Civil Strife: Micro-level Evidence from Uganda,” Policy Research Working Paper 3045 (World Bank)). -- Sharp economic reversal/J-curve. -- Widespread poverty/slums. -- Recent development economics/economic reforms/austerity measures within the last 3 years. Development economics and other economic reforms (especially “market based” reforms) can increase inequality, creating grievances. (Henk-Jan Brinkman, "Preventing Civil Strife: An Important Role for Economic Policy,” Economic & Social Affairs, DESA Discussion Paper No. 20, (September 2001): 11; and Albert Keidel, “The Economic Basis for Social Unrest in China,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (May 26, 2005). -- Poor infrastructure in at least three of the following areas: transportation, medical, waste disposal, potable water, and energy/power. -- Dependence on primary commodity exports. i.e., raw materials such as ore, unrefined oil, grain, etc. Countries that have remained dependent on primary commodities for their exports face dangerously high risks of prolonged conflict. (Paul Collier, et al, Breaking the Conflict Trap: Civil War and Development Policy). Military factors -- Recent history of civil war w/in 5 years. -- Existing rebel/terrorist/insurgent groups. Once a rebel group is constituted, it is difficult to demobilize (“STTR”), and its existence increases the likelihood of future conflict. (Collier, et al, Breaking the Conflict Trap: Civil War and Development Policy). -- High availability of weapons – Availability of small arms and other weapons is “high,” i.e., city residents have or could easily come to have an average of at least 1 firearm per household (Collier, et al, Breaking the Conflict Trap: Civil War and Development Policy). Political factors -- Transitional or partial democracy. ‘Half-hearted’ democratization leads to instability; even well intentioned democratization too rapidly instituted can lead to instability. Extremely oppressive/repressive autocratically-ruled states have tended to be very stable (until strong man dies). Democratization increases susceptibility to terrorism (James A. Piazza, “Draining the Swamp: Democracy Promotion, State Failure, and Terrorism in 19 Middle Eastern Countries,” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 30 no. 6 (June 2006): 521-539.) -- History of significant repression within the last 20 years (originally included colonial occupation). -- Significant refugees or internally displaced persons. Refugees and Diaspora can stress a city as well as maintaining grievances that would otherwise fade. -- Rapid population growth (> 3.5 % per year). -- Ethnic “dominance” (largest ethnic group 50-90% of pop). “The likelihood of civil war doubles when the largest ethnic group constitutes between 45% and 90% of the population” (James A. Sprigg, Jr., On the Use of Social, Economic, and Political Factors to Forecast Instability, February 2005, 18). -- Change in ethnic balance, e.g., migration and/or fertility have resulted in significant change in the city's ethnic balance over the last 10 years. Geographic Factors -- “Bad neighborhood” (neighboring country war or civil war in last 5 years). Peaceful countries that are adjacent to countries engaged in civil war suffer from direct and long-term effects caused by the civil wars of their neighbors. -- Oil or other “lootable” commodities/wealth increases the likelihood of conflict (Michael Ross, What do we Know About Natural Resources and Civil War?). “Lootable” commodities like gemstones and drugs do not make conflict more likely to occur, but they tend to lengthen existing conflicts. -- Prone to significant natural disasters: floods, earthquakes, mudslides, tsunamis, etc. (aka a Jared Diamond-esque “geographic luck”). Natural disasters, especially in countries with a history of unrest, can lead to unrest (A. Cooper Drury and Richard S. Olson, “Disasters and Political Unrest: An Empirical Investigation,” Journal of Contingencies & Crisis Management, 6, no. 3 (September 1998): 153-161). -- Significant trend of declining fresh water, crop land, or calories per capita for the residents of the city. Factors that have a negative correlation (i.e. those factors which retard instability) include: -- Inter-ethnic or inter-(other identity) civic associations. Inter-ethnic civic associations are shown to reduce violence, improve communication between potential adversaries and with authorities, and help mitigate the severity of unrest during violent periods (United States Institute of Peace, Lethal Ethnic Riots: Lessons from India and Beyond, 2003). -- Tradition of effective civilian control of military. -- Presence of foreign troops, e.g., UN peacekeepers. -- Mature democracy. At minimum, has been a democracy for at least 10 years and has had at least two electoral transfers of power deemed legitimate by international observers. -- The country has a strong state, capable of and actually extending its authority over the entire sovereign territory of the country. Indicates both state capacity and significant possession of forces of order. -- Government perceived as legitimate by citizen/resident perceptions of legitimacy (irrelevant to perceptions of international observers). People have more patience when they perceive that they have a responsive government (Kirk S. Bowman and Jerrold D. Green, “Urbanization and Political Instability in the Middle East,” in Population, Poverty, and Politics in Middle East). -- Rule of Law - “the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, and in particular the quality of contract enforcement, the police, and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence.” VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Jamile & Erroll - Thank you for vividly making my point regarding the importance of institutions, i.e., infrastructure - physical and less tangible: "My speculation is that the critical variable between success and breakdown comes down to the strength of institutions (& not just the usual ones) and governance." You may also want to consider the onging impact of Malaria, which infects some new 300-500M people each year & kills up to 1M, of which up to 80% are from Africa. The specific mortality rate in sub-Saharan Africa measured among children under five years between 1992 and 1995 was 0.065 per 1000 per year (2 out of 216 deaths). VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Thanks for the heads’ up on that bipartisan effort; it was one of which I was not previously aware. Sen Obama is lead sponsor on the Senate version of the “Global Poverty Act of 2007,” i.e., it appears that it was originally written in the House. It's not an Appropriations bill - there's no $. Period. At best, it's an effort to direct State Dept to coordinate (across the interagency) & strategize how to leverage it current programs that may relate (or be 'rationalizable' as relating) to poverty reduction. One could characterize it, at worse, as an unfunded mandate (altho' the only real deliverable is a report to Congress). Summary of the bill: “Global Poverty Act of 2007 - Directs the President, through the Secretary of State, to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the U.S. foreign policy objective of promoting the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day.” From the original source of the linked commentary (above): “The legislation would commit the U.S. to spending 0.7 percent of gross national product on foreign aid. The legislation would commit the U.S. to spending 0.7 percent of gross national product on foreign aid, which amounts to a phenomenal 13-year total of $845 billion over and above what the U.S. already spends.” Neither the full text House or Senate version of the bill supports that assertion (to put it diplomatically). And again, it’s not an appropriations bill. The bill’s language direct the US to develop a strategy to support “Continued investment in existing United States initiatives [emphasis - nerdgirl] related to international poverty reduction, such as the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003, the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, and trade preference programs for developing countries, such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act” and to submit a report to Congress NLT 1 year after Act becomes law on the strategy and the effectiveness of the programs listed above toward reducing poverty. There does not appear to be a Presidential Budget Request (PBR) or a Congressional Addition (i.e., an “earmark”) appropriation connected to it. The FY09 PBR was recently submitted to Congress; the Executive agencies are preparing briefings for Congressional staffers. (Separately, the DoD is internally working through its FY10-15 Program Objective Memorandum (POM) cycle too.) I can ‘guestimate’ from where the “$845B” figure was generated … it’s a red herring (at a most generous characterization). ---- --- ---- More from the source linked in your reply: “They [the Senate bill’s co-sponsors] are Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ).” [States & affiliations – nerdgirl] “The House version (H.R. 1302), sponsored by Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), had only 84 co-sponsors [“only” (?) emphasis – nerdgirl].” “The bill itself quotes Bush as declaring that ‘We fight against poverty because opportunity is a fundamental right to human dignity.’ Bush’s former top aide, Michael J. Gerson, writes in his new book, Heroic Conservatism, that Bush should be remembered as the President who ‘sponsored the largest percentage increases in foreign assistance since the Marshall Plan…’” Additionally, the full text of the bill also cites: “The [White House’s –nerdgirl] 2002National Security Strategy of the United States notes: `[A] world where some live in comfort and plenty, while half of the human race lives on less than $2 per day, is neither just nor stable. Including all of the world's poor in an expanding circle of development and opportunity is a moral imperative and one of the top priorities of United States international policy.'.” & “The [White House’s –nerdgirl] 2006 National Security Strategy of the United States notes: `America's national interests and moral values drive us in the same direction: to assist the world's poor citizens and least developed nations and help integrate them into the global economy.'.” & “The bipartisan Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States [aka ‘the 9-11 Commission report’ – nerdgirl] recommends: `A comprehensive United States strategy to counter terrorism should include economic policies that encourage development, more open societies, and opportunities for people to improve the lives of their families and enhance prospects for their children.'.” This is also thematically reflected in vision (if not the actual mission) of DoD’s AFRICOM. This bipartisan House & Senate legislation appears to be fully in line with the highest level documents reflecting President Bush’s goals and strategies, as well as being in line with his Millenium Challenge Corporation. From the official White House release: “President Bush called for ‘a new compact for global development, defined by new accountability for both rich and poor nations alike. Greater contributions from developed nations must be linked to greater responsibility from developing nations.’ The President pledged that the United States would lead by example and increase its core development assistance by 50 percent over the next three years, resulting in an annual increase of $5 billion by FY 2006.” It’s a potential win-win for President Bush w/r/t establishing a legacy & for Congress for supporting his anti-poverty goals. Now the next administration may chose to incorporate such a budget request, but it's not there now. ---- --- ---- For comparison, a full list of bills under consideration in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is available here, which include: S. 721: Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2007 S. 1007: United States-Brazil Energy Cooperation Pact of 2007 S. 2243: Saudi Arabia Accountability Act of 2007 (!) S. 2257: Burma Democracy Promotion Act of 2007 S. 2166: Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation of 2007 S. 2172: Saffron Revolution Support Act of 2007 VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

W/r/t issues I prioritize: Foreign & Defense Policy: Sen Obama stands for and has championed legislation to reduce the threat of left-over Cold War-era proliferation and for a post-Cold War approach to dealing with domestic and international nuclear security, both w/r/t states and terrorists. E.g., working w/Sen Dick Lugar (R-IN), he co-sponsored Nonproliferation legislation, which was signed into law by the President in Jan2007, & discussion from earlier thread: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3074199;search_string=obama%20nuclear%20;#3074199, in which he elucidated his strategy and actionable items to accomplish the goals of that strategy. After the mixed reception to his August 07 Foreign Affairs article and CFR talk, he's come along way. Perhaps in some analogy to President Reagan, he's brought to his proverbial table some very smart people, e.g., former SecNav Richard Danzig, former DepAsst Sec of State Susan Rice, Joe Cirincione , former Asst Sec Def Larry Korb, former counterterrorism 'czar' Richard Clarke, Samantha Power, Bruce O. Riedel, & Dennis Ross. National Security, American competitiveness, and S&T: Sen Obama is a strong supporter of technology being at the heart of American entrepreneurial capitalism & competitiveness in the world. (Vannevar Bush redux (?)) He supports universal broadband. In a world where computers/ICT are critical, this is important. He has suggested appointing a national “chief technology officer” to oversee & coordinate policy on from electronic health records to digital privacy acts. Education, particularly science & engineering: Math and science education is a national education priority for him. He has programs laid out to recruit, train and reward quality teachers. He acknowledges that a key problem with education comes from how we are assessing our students and plans to fund programs to move away from standardizing testing as the only means of determining progress. He also plans to fund schools that are struggling to help them perform better and then reward improvement based on that progress, i.e., based on performance and merit. Selected US Senate Bills that he sponsored w/r/t education: S. 2227: Success in the Middle Act of 2007 (for funding of rigorous middle school education standards – everyone forgets about middle schools) and S. 1574: Teaching Residency Act (for residency training of new teachers). Energy: he’s introduced or co-sponsored multiple bi-partisan legislation efforts to reduce US dependency on foreign oil in sustainable and technologically-enabled ways. It’s a portfolio-based approach to addressing the issue rather than focusing on a single ‘silver-bullet’ or sensationalist ‘bullet points.’ Health Care: recognizes it as an issue and working to find economically viable, ethically-sound, resposible solutions. Accomplishment: Sen Obama sponsored an Illinois State law in 2003 for the expansion of Illinois' “KidCare” and “FamilyCare” programs that provided health care to more than 20,000 children in families that did not qualify for Medicaid. More than 150,000 people ended up getting healthcare who previously didn’t have it as a result of this legislation. In addition to the CTR legislation, Sen. Obama’s attitude of working with Republicans is also evident in his more recent proposals w/r/t healthcare: he doesn’t make health care mandatory, removing a huge (right wing) impediment to success. This approach is historically true of his political career. John Bouman, president of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, said Obama's work consistently helped make programs more consumer-friendly. He would manage to get opposing sides to sit down and work together. He also said Obama was often willing to give up credit for the legislation if that helped win Republican support – the mission, the goal, and the result being more important that who gets to claim ‘credit’ for it. A few specific areas (but far from a complete list) that I want to know more about where he stands include human rights and use of torture by representatives of America; intelligence reform; missile defense; the DoD budget; and the NSF budget. In terms of less-tangible or less easily quantifiable issues like character: I’ve been impressed that he is willing to get “hands on” for things he believes in and work on levels that don’t normally gain you political recognition (a trait he shared with former Peace Corps volunteer Sen Chris Dodd). After college, Sen Obama worked to improve living conditions in low-income areas, then went back to law school before working as a lawyer for civil rights cases – all the while continuing his work with communities. I like that he speaks to the American People like we are smart and capable of understanding complex issues. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

"Competitive activities" ... does that mean academic performance or does that mean 'field day" & athletics? My speculation is that performance in the latter two may be valued too much and in the former, valued too little. Maybe academic performance by children should be treated more like competitive athletics? VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Randy – have you tried to call or email the guy to ask him about it? (Not confrontationally ... to elicit information). Most folks who are advocate for a cause (of any political persuasion) will talk to you about their cause. My speculation is that the explanation is some combination of what has been proposed thus far by [DSE] & [1969912] or something more oriented toward a sensationalist-media-type angle, which for good or bad (mostly the latter, im-ever-ho) is effective across the political spectrum, i.e., some sort of sting. It sells. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Not wacky at all to me ... but insightful. Nature isn’t kind. And perhaps, also factor in consumer expectations w/r/t easy availability & cheapness of food. Food – whether meat or produce – isn’t grown in the back of a supermarket. Most folks (I hope) recognize that ... but I'm not sure most appreciate the work (& I'm not pretending that I do) to get it there and economics/corporate: are livestock, grains, and produce valued first/more as commodities or first as food in 21st Century? VR/Marg … vegetarian since 1985 Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying