William Safire
“Pugnacious” is a word frequenting a number of remembrances of William Safire, the former Nixon speechwriter and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The New York Times who died Sunday at the age of 79. The author of then-Vice President Spiro Agnew’s “nattering nabobs of negativism” line in 1970, Safire also distinguished himself as a conservative political columnist and ardent defender of clear and concise English at The Times. He won his Pulitzer in 1978 for columns skewering Bert Lance, President Jimmy Carter’s controversial budget director. The Times’ obituary described Safire as a forceful conservative voice in the paper’s “liberal chorus.” He was old-fashioned in reporting for his columns and unafraid of blunt appellations, such as when he called then-first lady Hillary Clinton a “congenital liar.” Like Robert Novak before him, William Safire’s passing leaves a sizable void in the world of newspaper punditry.
Called third strike
Is it really all that surprising that Iran has had another nuclear fuel processing plant covertly under construction for years? Shouldn’t be. Iran’s nuclear intentions have been pretty thinly veiled. Still, President Barack Obama, France’s Nicolas Sarkozy and Great Britain’s Gordon Brown sounded dismayed as they accused the Iranians of cheating on international nuclear protocols for at least the third time.
The allies have known about the site for years but waited to publicly challenge Iran until after the Iranians tried to pretend the facility was a “pilot” project in a recent letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The leaders sounded tough but stopped short of threatening Iran with anything more than more economic sanctions if it doesn’t abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions. An Iranian official shrugged off more sanctions, telling Fox News that Iran has coped with sanctions for 30 years and will continue to do so.
So, there’s another line in the sand for Iran. Past usually is prologue, which means the Iranians probably won’t hesitate to call the world’s latest bluff.
The Bear’s growl
The Obama administration’s decision to cancel planned missile defense installations in Poland and the Czech Republic has opened a hot debate. Officials told The New York Times the administration no longer believes radar and interceptor sites promised the two U.S. allies are needed because the chief missile threat, Iran, is thought to be concentrating its efforts on medium-range weapons instead of long-range ones. Critics say the administration simply caved in to the Russians, who claimed they would be threatened by a defensive system — even though the planned installations would not have deterred an arsenal the size of Russia’s. “This is bad news for all who care about the U.S. commitment to the transatlantic alliance and the defense of Europe as well as the United States,” writes analyst Nile Gardiner in the London Telegraph. “It represents the appalling appeasement of Russian aggression and a willingness to sacrifice American allies on the altar of political expediency. A deal with the Russians to cancel missile defense installations sends a clear message that even Washington can be intimidated by the Russian bear.”
Jody Powell
Former White House Press Secretary Jody Powell’s death this week caught a number of people by surprise. He was just 65 when an apparent heart attack claimed him at his home in Maryland. Powell flakked for President Jimmy Carter for four years and was well-liked by reporters because of his obvious closeness to the president. Powell had a tough job, tasked with putting the best foot forward for Carter, who was no Obama or Reagan. Told of Powell’s passing, Sam Donaldson expressed admiration by saying Powell tried hard not to lie. After the White House years Powell pursued other interests, including a love for Civil War history — highlighted, perhaps, by his appearance in Ken Burns’ award-winning PBS series on the war in which he furnished the voice for Confederate Gen. John B. Gordon, a fellow Georgian. A Washington outsider when Carter was elected, Jody Powell became part of the permanent, insider establishment, heading the PR firm Powell Tate.
‘Green Revolution’ father passes
Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman E. Borlaug died Saturday in Dallas. His 95 years on earth were literally fruitful, as he probably did more than anyone in modern history to help the world feed itself with research breakthroughs in plant pathology. Acclaimed as the father of the Green Revolution, Borlaug’s advances in developing disease- and insect-resistant crops dramatically increased food production in Latin America and Asia, earning him the Nobel prize in 1970. At times he was criticized by environmentalists and others who said he created more problems than he solved. According to The New York Times, Borlaug shrugged them off as rich elites who never had to worry about where their next meal was coming from. One expert told The Times about half the world’s population goes to bed each night after eating grain descended from one of the high-yield varieties developed by Borlaug and his colleagues. Talk about impact.
Read the fine print
The headline on the CNN.com web site suggested President Barack Obama’s health care address to Congress really rang the bell with Americans: “Poll finds big swing after Obama speech”. The report said a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll found 67 percent of those who watched Obama’s speech favored his health care plans. Now, that’s not the same thing as 67 percent of all Americans — just those who tuned in to the speech. Indeed, further on the report says the poll same was weighted to include way more Democrats than Republicans — 45 percent to 18 percent. With that kind of sample the only real news would have been a poll that found the speech bombed.
No parole for Manson family member
Convicted Manson Family murderer Susan Atkins was denied parole in California this week despite pleas from her husband and other supporters that the 61-year-old be released because she’s terminally ill with brain cancer and has just months to live. Atkins has served 38 years of a life sentence for her part in the 1969 Tate-LaBianca slayings whose victims included actress Sharon Tate. “Sexy Sadie,” as Atkins was called by cult leader Charles Manson, showed no remorse during her trial, but reportedly became a model prisoner. Her husband argued she should be released partly because it costs California $17,000 a year to maintain her in prison. Family members of the victims strongly urged the parole board to keep Atkins locked up. The board agreed, properly reasoning that such hearings actually are about victims of crime, who in Atkins’ case can’t speak for themselves. Said Sharon Tate’s sister, Debra: “I will pray for (Atkins’) soul when she draws her last breath, but until then I think she should remain in this controlled situation.”
