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.”
At arm’s length
The Obamas’ vacation at Martha’s Vineyard and other family trips that have included daughters Malia (11) and Sasha (8) have understandably whetted media appetite for greater access to the first children. Here’s a vote for the president and first lady to continue being successful at keeping their kids well beyond arm’s length. Sure, inquiring minds want to know about the girls and their activities — and when the president occasionally mentions them it teases that more will be forthcoming — but they should remain out of bounds. They’re along for their father’s presidential ride, and while they’re getting to enjoy things other children their ages only see in books and videos, they’re still “civilians” in the political skirmishing surrounding their dad. They should be allowed to stay safely on the sidelines.
Clearing the air
USA Today reports New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and former top members of his administration won’t be criminally charged in connection with a lengthy federal probe into kickback allegations involving one of Richardson’s key political donors. A federal grand jury was looking into possible a pay-to-play operation that steered lucrative work on state bond deals to a Richardson donor. If true, the report obviously comes too late for Richardson, who in January withdrew his nomination to be President Barack Obama’s commerce secretary because of the investigation. It’s premature to speculate about future Cabinet openings in Washington, but Richardson would be an obvious candidate when something opens up.
A villain’s hero’s welcome
Where do you start with the Scottish government’s galactic lapse in judgment in deciding to free convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, just eight years into a life sentence for the 1988 atrocity that killed 270 people, including 189 Americans? Start with widespread outrage. Beyond members of the governing Scottish National Party condemnation was swift and fairly universal. Piling on insult, the 57-year-old former Libyan intelligence officer was greeted like a hero at the airport in Tripoli after Scotland’s justice minister, Kenny MacAskill, ordered him released on “compassionate grounds” because he suffers from terminal prostate cancer. MacAskill justified the order by saying something about Scottish values, but the decision is off-the-charts abysmal. Scotland’s parliament apparently will be recalled from its summer break to debate the issue. Think about it: Megrahi served less than three months for each of the lives lost on Pan Am Flight 103. Said Susan Cohen, whose daughter Theodora died 21 years ago: “You want to feel sorry for anyone? Please feel sorry for me, feel sorry for my poor daughter, her body falling a mile through the air.”
Novak’s passing
The passing of reporter/columnist Robert Novak on Tuesday really marks the passing of a genre of journalism. Years ago there were a number of journalists doing what Novak and his former partner, Rowland Evans, did together for nearly 40 years — which is to say gathering information for the express purpose of building the foundation for a point of view, a column. Now Web blogs are the rage. Novak was unique even in that golden age of gumshoe, not-a-face-for-television columnizing (though his mug became commonly associated with CNN’s “Crossfire”). Novak was conservative, but not entirely predictable, relentless professionally but genial personally. The so-called “Prince of Darkness,” almost always clad in a black, vested suit, worked hard communicating the unvarnished truth about the many politicians he knew, few of whom he liked. He leaves quite a void in the public square.
