The Latest

McCain Calls Bush a Fool or a Fraud

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From the Boston Globe –

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/11/mccain_ad_asserts_his_hatred_of_war/

By Sasha Issenberg, Globe Staff  |  June 11, 2008

WASHINGTON – John McCain, who credits his defiant defense of the Iraq war for his comeback victory in the Republican primaries, is using his first major television ad of the general election to show his dovish side.

"Only a fool or a fraud talks tough or romantically about war," McCain says over mournful strings against a bleak backdrop, including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. "I hate war, and I know how terrible its costs are."

A Question for John McCain

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The following appeared on politico.com:

After McCain said last year that Rumsfeld, Cheney’s friend and mentor in the Ford administration, would “go down in history as one of the worst secretaries of defense in history,” the vice president made plain his displeasure.

“I just fundamentally disagree with John,” Cheney told ABC News in an interview. “John said some nasty things about me the other day, and then next time he saw me, ran over to me and apologized. Maybe he’ll apologize to Rumsfeld.”

New York’s Local Government Spending: Winners and Losers

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Why do I get the feeling that when it comes to comparative local government spending by category, as shown in one of the spreadsheets attached to this post, I’ve been writing the same thing over and over again for more than 15 years? Some things have changed, to be sure, but the general patterns remain in place. New York City’s local taxes are higher than average primarily due to higher spending on Medicaid and social services; police and correction, interest on debts, and pensions and public employee health care. Mass transit also soaks up a lot of non-fare revenues here, though the savings from New Yorkers being able to have fewer private automobiles offsets this. Spending in other categories is often low, though in the case of public education it is much higher, relative to the national average, than it used to be.

The last time people really paid attention to public finance issues was the early 1990s. Then, most the blame for the problems of the time was assigned to the poor, minorities, immigrants, and those living in older central cities and getting by on welfare. Those grasping for money now should never be allowed to forget this, because by that time cash welfare had already ceased to be a major factor in the city and state budget, despite one million people on public assistance. Today it amounts to virtually nothing even in New York City — $1.2 billion in spending funded by all sources or 0.3% of the income of New York City residents, down from $1.9 billion (or $6.4 billion in $2006) or 1.4% of income in FY 1977. Well, that 84% inflation-adjusted decline is one real change. So where is the money going now? For the most part the same places it did in FY 2005, in FY 2004, in the last Census of Governments year in FY 2002, and in the previous one in FY1997.

Political challenges to two Brooklyn dynasties.

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Never let it be said that Brooklyn’s politics is boring; it is not. Maybe years from now, when the black areas of Brooklyn become as sterile as the white and Hispanic areas are now (somewhat) -where there are hardly ever primaries anymore- we will all look back and wonder where the gumption came from; since it seems that we could always find a primary challenger to some black incumbent, on the other side of the tracks. This year is no exception. Maybe the respect for the county machine is dependent on where you live in Brooklyn; because black insurgents seem to operate on the Winston Churchill principle; which is in essence: that success comes by going from one failure to another, without losing enthusiasm.

A Schmuck in the Ladies’ Room (AKA Human Pappas-loathsome Virus)

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“The Democratic party will indeed suffer the consequences of its actions. Republican women who crossed over for Hillary will go back to their own party, while others will either stay home or write in their votes for Hillary. Still others will leave the party that has no respect for the women who constitute two thirds of it's (sic) base.

In recent times, the Republicans have stood for their beliefs. Although many of us progressives fight vehemently against their platform, at least we know who the enemy is. This time the Democrats have shown their true colors and it's high time for a party that respects the needs and rights of over half the population. Maybe Senator Clinton should start a National Women's Party. She certainly has the base she would need to make it happen. At least that party will state its mission clearly through it's title. The Democrats certainly did not live up to their name.”

Bill Perkins versus Yvette Clarke: there go them Harlem boys again.

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Yvette Clarke represents the 11th congressional district in Brooklyn. Her mother (Una Clarke) is the former city council woman from Brooklyn’s 40th councilmanic district. When Una was term-limited in 2001, her daughter Yvette succeeded her in the council seat. Una was born on the island of Jamaica and loves to highlight her roots as a maroon. Yvette was born in Brooklyn, and loves her Caribbean-American heritage and culture as much as she loves her African-American birthright. Maroons are militant people: they don’t take too much shit. Bill Perkins was lucky that Una wasn’t at City Hall yesterday.

Another Supporter of Traditional Marriage

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http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2008/06/06/khalid-sheik-mohammed-on-same-sex-marriage-value-of-counsel/?mod=googlenews_wsj

For the past five years, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has been under the care of federal civilian and military employees who have taken an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

The experience apparently has not enamored him of the document. At his arraignment here Thursday, the alleged 9/11 mastermind said he would not accept any attorney, even a fellow Muslim, “who is sworn to your American constitution.”

Displaying a surprising understanding of such concepts as federalism and dual sovereignty, Mohammed referenced recent decisions by state courts in California and Massachusetts under the powers reserved to them under the Tenth Amendment.

Carly Fiorina & David Dinkins

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Friday’s New York Times profiles Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard on her major role as an advisor and flack for John McCain.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/us/politics/06fiorina.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

The story notes that she was fired by HP, paid $42 million to walk away and is “widely criticized for mismanaging one of Silicon Valley’s legendary companies.”

Fiorina defended her tenure at HP by saying –