Monday Open Thread

MIT's Foreign Policy Advice to Obama

"Innumerable policy shops and interest group around DC have already put out strategic blueprints for a policy agenda in the new administration. But if President Obama's staff is committed to new and innovative ideas outside the traditional beltway parameters, as expressed during his campaign, he ought to take a look up at some proposals coming from up North."

"The entire set of proposals is worth reading. Do not let the brevity deceive you -- each of these authors have eschewed the lengthy academic paper format to meet the needs of their target audience. It goes to show that people outside Washington are seriously trying to contribute to the conversation about America's national security challenges. It remains to be seen whether those inside the beltway will listen."

http://web.mit.edu/cis/Publica...

Two Ideas I like a lot:

1) Fotini Christia's three-staged strategy to salvage Afghanistan beginning with negotiations with the Taliban to split their fractious ranks.

2) Peter Krause's serious steps to win "the war of ideas" including tripling the number of annual fulbright students and reconfiguring Al-Hurra to a C-Span-like model.

"Patriot: the person who can holler the loudest without knowing what he is hollering about." Mark Twain

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by: SSG_Dan @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 09:56:48 AM CST

OMG, intellectuals' ideas are emerging in the debate!

Thanks for the link SSG_Dan, concise and valuable.

"I can tolerate chaos, I'm just not sure chaos can tolerate me" Dylan

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by: Sir Robin @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 10:38:09 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Thanks for the link.

.
I liked how professor Amsden suggests our foreign aid programs expand from the current situation, where we pass out fish, to a place where we also pass out fishing tackle.  

Ms. Williams' idea about taking money for diplomacy, stabilization and nation-building away from DoD, and asking the State Department to step up to these responsibilities, is not new, but its still interesting.  
But she failed to say anything about the need for a shift in US national security policy from a mindset of world domination to a position of leadership through, well, leadership.  If you doubt whether that's really our policy, note that the Air Force budget is based on what it would take to achieve total domination in air and space, on our own, anytime, anywhere.  
Is that really our goal ?  Can we afford that anymore ?

But my favorite has to be where Fox Fallon implicitly nominates himself for his old job.  Today, we've got a self-promoting partisan patsy in the most critical position in our military.  The Admiral indirectly suggests replacing him with a military professional.  Not a bad idea.
.  

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by: Barron X @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 11:03:01 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Africa only mentioned once in the whole collection.

.
Policy recommendations ought to be forward-looking, no ?
.

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by: Barron X @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 11:05:08 AM CST

[ Parent ]

I look at it as a next 180 days model...

....and not looking past that milestone for the moment. What I see I like, in that it builds the policy and infrastructure to keep going forward.

F'r Instance, the idea of negotiating directly with different ethnic tribes with varying levels of loyalty to the Taliban is not new - the British figured that out years ago.

But if done correctly, that provides for more connections and negotiations on other points, since there is a direct connection to each tribe. So, if Pashtun Tribe X needs to start selling their Opium to the Poppy for Medicine Project, there's a guy who's already got a connection to set that up based on previous negotiations.  

"Patriot: the person who can holler the loudest without knowing what he is hollering about." Mark Twain

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by: SSG_Dan @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 11:27:37 AM CST

[ Parent ]

yeah

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by: Barron X @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 11:32:28 AM CST

[ Parent ]

"Can we afford that anymore"

Is THE question, IMHO, of our times. On MTP this Sunday, Barney Frank actually raised the question. He asked whether the milkitary budget can be sustained. I cheered almost as loudly as when the Cardinals took the lead in the fourth.

"I can tolerate chaos, I'm just not sure chaos can tolerate me" Dylan

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by: Sir Robin @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 12:10:38 PM CST

[ Parent ]

We need this for Colorado

Could we get some group of policy wonks from across various bodies in this state to come up with suggestions for Colorado?

Tom Tancredo Interview

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by: DavidThi808 @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 15:48:59 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Sounds like the start of an open thread!

We are ready to pounce on anyone else's attempt to do this - why not throw it out the Pols studio audience, and make us all put up or shut up?

"Patriot: the person who can holler the loudest without knowing what he is hollering about." Mark Twain

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by: SSG_Dan @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 16:41:54 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Go crazy

I've done 3 diaries trying to kick-start exactly this - and no real response.

Tom Tancredo Interview

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by: DavidThi808 @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 17:30:31 PM CST

[ Parent ]

David

Tell me your thoughts on this....

"Religion is for people who don't want to go to hell. Spirituality is for people who've been there, and don't want to go back"

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by: allyncooper @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 21:39:48 PM CST

[ Parent ]

My #1 suggestion

Was to decriminalize drugs which would cut our costs of prisons substantially.

Tom Tancredo Interview

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by: DavidThi808 @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 22:16:17 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Fl's Vern Buchanan moves to the obstructionist right

Several times here I've said that VB is a Republican I can live with.  He went against Bush a number of times, especially on environmental issues.

Well, now he is just another typical Republican.  Recently he he commented to Obama that he misses having discussions while they both worked out in the congressional gym. So Obama invited him over for an hour of one on one conversation whilst huffing and puffing.  But Vern still voted No on the economic bill.

His other recent (post 1/20) votes have all been straight obstruction.


"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd." -Bertrand Russell

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by: parsingreality @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 10:48:55 AM CST

isn't obstructing something he thinks will be harmful ...

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isn't that part of his j-o-b ?
.

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by: Barron X @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 11:07:56 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Ummm, of course.

The point is is that he is now in lockstep with the fellow Republicans unlike previously where he sort heard a different drummer.


"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd." -Bertrand Russell

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by: parsingreality @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 16:21:49 PM CST

[ Parent ]

As I understand it

His objection is not that we don't need a stimulus package, but that the current Democratic proposal doesn't do enough to stimulate the economy.

Proudly being investigated by Nancy Pelosi!

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by: cologeek @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 19:43:22 PM CST

[ Parent ]

As I understand it

the Republicans continue to claim that tax cuts are the most important stimulus...in the face of all the evidence.

Why is that?

"I can tolerate chaos, I'm just not sure chaos can tolerate me" Dylan

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by: Sir Robin @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 20:17:33 PM CST

[ Parent ]

No, not at all.

Vern Buchanan only wants tax cuts, just like the rest of the Pubs.  And Hoover.  

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd." -Bertrand Russell

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by: parsingreality @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 20:21:09 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Boulder ducks a bullet

Apparently being mayor would cut into Crystal's shopping too much - http://www.dailycamera.com/new...

Tom Tancredo Interview

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by: DavidThi808 @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 15:49:43 PM CST

Jon-Benet Ramsey case reopened!

http://www.denverpost.com/elec...

Because Nancy Grace was running out of stuff to talk about, and everybody else needs a reason to bitch about Boulder, the only place in America where there are unsolved crimes.

Bring back S[redacted]e H[redacted]y!

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by: sxp151 @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 16:55:47 PM CST

thank god, finally this case will receive some attention!

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by: Jambalaya @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 18:27:54 PM CST

[ Parent ]

It was Ward Churchill with the candlestick

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by: Libertad @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 18:32:51 PM CST

[ Parent ]

If only Kobe Bryant

and Dylan Klebold can somehow be worked into the investigation. Then we can get some closure.

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by: RedGreen @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 18:42:17 PM CST

[ Parent ]

that's pretty funny.

.
Libertad and Jamby, too.

I can still cry, after all this time, thinking about that little girl.  

But this isn't making fun of the tragedy of her death,
this is about the circus that followed.
.  

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by: Barron X @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 20:38:42 PM CST

[ Parent ]

So I don't have to feel guilty

about laughing out loud at Libertad's comment? Cause I sure did.

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by: BlueCat @ Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 23:45:48 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Libertad's might have been the best

And you don't HAVE to feel guilty, but if you want to be like a Boulderite, you should at least pretend to feel guilty for a few minutes. Not so much because of Jon-Benet Ramsey, but more because of the polar bears.

Boulder hates what's happened to the polar bears.

Bring back S[redacted]e H[redacted]y!

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by: sxp151 @ Tue Feb 03, 2009 at 00:30:49 AM CST

[ Parent ]

The Polar Bear Club ?

.
I was a charter member, jumping in Boulder Reservoir on ? 1 Jan 1985, was it ?  Maybe '86 ?

Good old Trygve Bauge, a Boulder (then Nederland) icon.  

Or do you mean different polar bears ?
.

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by: Barron X @ Tue Feb 03, 2009 at 08:53:22 AM CST

[ Parent ]

All right, I'll be the guy who finally says it

but Michael Steele's head is just too damn small for his body.

He reminds me of David Byrne during the "Stop Making Sense" tour.

Bring back S[redacted]e H[redacted]y!

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by: sxp151 @ Tue Feb 03, 2009 at 01:10:57 AM CST