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Seven Days from Bush to Hezbollah

January 30, 2008 7:39 PM

Lara Setrakian, part of our recent expansion of reporters stationed around the globe, blogs from Dubai:

Last week was a reporter’s dream, in the sense that it was full of “firsts” that helped me understand the Arab/Muslim space I now call home. The first “first” was covering President Bush’s visit to the Arabian Gulf. Watching President Bush and the White House caravan roll through Abu Dhabi was a first -- for me as a journalist and for the President himself, who was on his first major trip to this part of the Middle East.

His timing couldn’t have been better -- the past month has made it perfectly clear that what happens in the Gulf plays a huge role in whether America sees war, peace, or prosperity. $100 oil? It’s our allies in the Gulf -- Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates -- who’ll likely ensure our future supply at any price. A run-in between Iranian speedboats and the U.S. Navy? Just a reminder that the front lines of confrontation with the Islamic Republic are in these waters and narrow passageways like the Strait of Hormuz. A rise in Islamic extremism? Cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, and Doha are the apparent bulwarks, home to an emerging professional class who stay true to their Muslim faith and traditions while evolving their societies into a modern future.

The President’s speech was peppered with the word “democracy,” but the references seemed stale given the context. He rightly praised the UAE for being a success story in today’s Middle East: economically and technologically advanced, environmentally conscious, and highly tolerant by regional standards. But while insisting on “democracy” he didn’t seem to grasp that this country achieved success through a mix of monarchy, modernity and meritocracy -- a formula that has worked wonders for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and other societies in the Gulf. Government here is not democracy as we know it. There may be steps toward democratization -- Kuwait, for example, has a National Assembly (women won the vote in 2005). But you are misunderstanding this region if you don’t recognize that the monarchy/modernity/meritocracy form of government has enabled the rapid economic and social development of Gulf countries.

Later that week I flew to Lebanon where they were marking the final day of Ashura – a Shiite Muslim holiday commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein.

Continue reading "Seven Days from Bush to Hezbollah"

January 30, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Obama Snubs Hillary

January 29, 2008 11:42 AM

From Senior Political Correspondent and Political Punch blog author Jake Tapper:

The caption to the New York Times photograph reads: "Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton greeting Senator Edward M. Kennedy on Monday night as Senator Barack Obama turns away."

And the Chicago Tribune's blog says that "At the SOTU, Obama's Clinton snub was the news."

Obama strategist David Axelrod was asked about this on Morning Joe this a.m.

"Now, there's a picture that we're seeing, that we saw across the wires from last night's State of the Union address," Joe Scarborough said, "where it appears that Barack Obama turns his back on Hillary Clinton, snubs her, and people on the floor said that it was -– appeared to be intentional, that he didn't want to be around, didn't want to shake her hand when Ted Kennedy was there. Can you comment on that picture?"

Continue reading on Jake's Political Punch blog.

Judge for yourself by watching the video here.

January 29, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Cowed

January 28, 2008 4:03 PM

Science correspondent Ned Potter blogs:

If you worry about a warming climate you can look at your Hummer and feel anxious, or you can take comfort that some solutions don't demand that we give up such comforts.

Quoth the Times of London: "A team of Japanese boffins may have accidentally struck gold in the fight against global warming: they believe they have devised a way to neutralise the perilous belches of 1.5 billion cows."

This is not entirely a surprise; methane from ruminating cows has been cited for years as a source of greenhouse gases, and about a year ago the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization suggested barnyard methane may be a larger source than transportation.  (More HERE.)

Continue reading on Ned's Science and Society blog.

January 28, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Republican Race: Wide Open

January 16, 2008 1:32 PM

Senior Political Correspondent Jake Tapper blogs from South Carolina:

Good morning from Columbia, SC!

With Mitt Romney's victory last night in Michigan, the GOP race is truly wide open, boggling the mind. Huckabee wins Iowa, McCain wins New Hampshire, Romney Michigan. As John Dickerson of Slate puts it -- "The GOP primary is starting to look like a Pee Wee soccer tournament: Everyone gets a trophy!"

Last night's Democratic debate had some interesting moments. Obama and Clinton did what they could to quiet down the race talk. My favorite moment of the debate was this (paraphrased by me):

Tim Russert: What's your biggest fault?

Obama: I lose papers. But don't think that will mean anything.

Clinton: It means something -- it means he can't be trusted to run the country! My biggest fault is I am too impatient in my desire to bring about change.

Edwards: I care too much about people. That's my biggest fault. God, I care about them. Truly.

Obama: Can I just say -- the papers thing … that doesn't mean anything, it's just papers.

Clinton: (Coughing: ITMEANSSOMETHING)

Continue reading on Jake’s Political Punch blog.

January 16, 2008 | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

No Gun Quickdraw

January 16, 2008 7:38 AM

Legal Correspondent Jan Crawford Greenburg blogs:

It looks like the 2nd Amendment showdown at the Supreme Court isn’t shaping up exactly like we expected. I, for one, sure didn’t think gun rights supporters would be up in arms, so to speak, over the Bush Administration’s position in the case.

Pretty much everyone had assumed the administration would strongly support the group challenging Washington, D.C.’s handgun ban as a violation of the 2nd Amendment. But that was before the administration filed a brief Friday declining to support either side.

What’s more, the brief rejected a legal standard carefully articulated by Judge Laurence Silberman, the conservative icon whose opinion struck down the D.C. handgun ban as unconstitutional. And it then urged the justices to send the case back to the lower courts to think it through again, using a different, less stringent standard of review.

That was all was too much for the lawyer representing the people challenging the ban, who told the Washington Post’s Bob Barnes that the administration “is basically siding with the District of Columbia.”

Ok. Can we have a reality check, now?

Continue reading on Jan’s Legalities blog.

January 16, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Saudis Get Bombs---I Get Booted

January 14, 2008 6:09 PM

Chief White House Correspondent Martha Raddatz blogs from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:

The administration wants to sell 900 JDAMs ..those big, precise GPS controlled bombs, to a country that won't let me go to the hotel gym because I am a woman. And it is an American owned hotel--a Marriott. Yes, the announcement that the JDAMS would be added to the 20 billion dollar weapons package for the region came at almost the precise time I walked into the gym to inquire how late it would be open. "Sorry, ma'am---but ladies are not allowed in here." As you might imagine, this did not sit well with me. After eight brutal days on the road hopping from country, you grab a workout whenever you can. So I offered what I thought was a reasonable compromise---let the men work out for a few hours, then let "the ladies" work out. "Let me check," the man at reception offered. I knew it wouldn't happen, but I had to try. After a few minutes, the answer that I expected. "Sorry, ma'am, but that is not possible."

Don't get me wrong, I respect other cultures and am a seasoned traveler in the Mideast. I know in some places they separate women and men (which is what my solution addressed I thought!) But it is the first time in decades I was made to feel like a second class citizen---and it is not a pleasant feeling. I also wondered how President Bush, an exercise fanatic, would feel if he was turned away from a gym. He touts the positive changes that the US invasion of Afghanistan brought...and criticizes the human rights record in Saudi ( compared to that record the no gym action pales) but judging from the fact we are spending two days here (and only 4 hours in Egypt) Saudi is very high on the president's BFF list.

And I am sure all the men on the treadmill were pleased about the news that 123 million dollars worth of bombs might be coming this way. I don't know how the women feel--there weren't any around.

January 14, 2008 in Weblogs | Permalink | User Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)

“World News’” New Set & Anchor Desk

January 09, 2008 2:42 PM

Director of “World News with Charles Gibson” Eric Siegel blogs:

On New Year’s Eve, “World News with Charles Gibson” previewed its new set and anchor desk. We’ve been on the road in Iowa and New Hampshire since then, so tonight you’ll be seeing the official debut.

The new set is a warmer, more intimate environment that takes its cues from the on-air style and approach of Charlie Gibson himself. It features an even wider array of technological tools than its predecessor, including additional areas for presentation and video displays that are among the brightest and sharpest available. The anchor desk is also the most fully-featured we’ve ever constructed, giving Charlie and our team of correspondents all the tools they’ll need for ABC’s coverage of the upcoming presidential election. And it’s all HD-ready for when “World News” makes its transition to high-definition in the coming months.

Below are pictures of the set, let us know what you think by posting a comment.

January 9, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (12) | TrackBack (0)

In New Hampshire, is it the Indies?

January 07, 2008 11:47 AM

ABC's Polling Director Gary Langer blogs about the latest data:

There’s a feature of the New Hampshire Democratic and Republican primaries that’s important to keep in mind as we look forward to tomorrow’s results: A lot of the voters aren’t Democrats or Republicans. They’re independents – Barack Obama and John McCain’s best groups – and in the past their large numbers have compromised the state’s predictive power.

In 2004, nearly half the voters in the New Hampshire Democratic primary – 48 percent – were independents, a remarkable level. In the 2000 Republican primary, 42 percent. Nowhere else, in either of those years, did turnout by independents approach those levels.

It mattered, particularly in 2000: Independents gave McCain his New Hampshire victory that year, while he lost party regulars to George W. Bush. A big win among independents pushed Bill Bradley close to Al Gore in 2000. And Pat Buchanan won Republicans by just one point in 1996 (actually within that exit poll’s error margin), but beat Bob Dole among independents by 9 points.

McCain and Buchanan went on to lose their party’s nominations, and Bradley never came as close to Gore again, in subsequent states where the independent turnout was lower.

Independents seem critical particularly for Obama in New Hampshire; polls from UNH/CNN/WMUR, USA Today/Gallup and Marist all have him leading Clinton by more than 20 percentage points among independents.

Continue reading on Gary's The Numbers blog.

January 7, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

What Campaigns Must Do Now

January 04, 2008 9:56 AM

ABC political contributor Matthew Dowd blogs:

It has begun.

A very interesting night in Iowa, and now on to New Hampshire, but first let’s review some lessons we might have just learned and what that tells us going forward.

The candidates perceived as running the most positive campaigns won -- Huckabee and Obama; the candidates perceived as running the most negative lost --  Romney and Clinton. The youngest candidates in each party also won, which shows to a large degree where the voters of this country want to go and how important change is in this election.

Money didn’t seem to matter all that much. Message and ability of candidate to connect with voters were most important.  Huckabee was way outspent and won.  And Clinton had so much more establishment resources and lost. In fact, the candidates widely viewed as having establishment backing and being the most political and least authentic (Romney and Clinton) lost.

So, what happens next?

The candidates who won are going to be looking for any opportunity to build on the momentum, and the candidates who lost are going to be looking for any way to stop the bleeding and slow the momentum of the winners. 

And the best opportunity for both those things is the ABC debate on Saturday night – just three days before the New Hampshire primary. It is the only real place to alter the story line if you lost or build on it if you won. 

What must each candidate do now?

Continue reading on Matthew's Man in the Middle blog.

January 4, 2008 | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

Evolution: "Overwhelming and Compelling"

January 03, 2008 3:55 PM

Science correspondent Ned Potter blogs:

The National Academy of Sciences has released a book called "Science, Evolution and Creationism" -- a strongly-worded answer to the Creationist movement and the doubts about Darwin that many people express in polls and elsewhere.

"Evolution is both a fact and a process that accounts for the diversity of life on Earth," it says.

"Scientists treat the occurrence of evolution as one of the most securely established of scientific facts," says an opening letter.  Later: "The scientific evidence supporting biological evolution continues to grow at a rapid pace."

It describes in detail the discovery of Tiktaalik, the four-legged fish fossil from the Canadian Arctic that appears to be the missing link between primitive fish and animals that walked up onto land.  And it argues that without an understanding of evolution, such threats as the SARS virus would be impossible to fight.

As for the Intelligent Design movement, which lost a court battle in Pennsylvania but is now arguing in Florida for equal time in schools, the report says "the pressure to downplay evolution or emphasize nonscientific alternatives in public schools compromises science education."

Continue reading on Ned's Science and Society blog here.

January 3, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)