Jacki’s whereIstand Blog

With the President’s approval rating falling rapidly, increased violence in Iraq and the midterms nearly blown, (undoubtedly due in part to the country’s lack of support for the President’s handling of the war), it looks like the Administration may be looking forward to restoring confidence in the party in time for 2008.  They have brought in the big guns … seems the President finally wised up where Rumsfeld is concerned.  Now that James Baker, (long time political ally of the GOP and former Sec. of State under Bush, Sr.), is advising the President on Iraq, will we see an exit strategy in place by next year?

whereIstand Tags

• What should be the United States’ strategy in Iraq?

Can anyone explain why the Bush Administration chose to invade Iraq and continues to make noise about Iran when this is the situation they faced in North Korea from the moment Bush took office?  (Thanks to TPM for their ongoing coverage of the situation in North Korea.)

I can not tell if the Bush Administration’s refusal to address directly the threat posed by North Korea is the result of stupidity, greed, or moral delusions.

So far, all I’ve seen in the way of foreign policy regarding North Korea was a U.N. Security Resolution, multilateral "talks" that were not really talks at all, and some highly inflammatory remarks coming from the Administration.  Meanwhile, Kim Jong-il has steadily increased his nuclear capabilities while the U.S. has stood by and done essentially nothing. 

Even if the suspicions are proven true and North Korea has not achieved a successful nuclear bomb test, we must address the situation with meaningful talks that seek to reach lasting agreements; not empty rhetoric, or worse, regime change.  It seems that the Administration has cut off its nose to spite its face meaning that they’ve refused to engage the North Koreans directly because to do so would be to appease them but in the meantime, the U.S. may have made diplomatic efforts that much more difficult given the leverage Kim Jong-il now has.  It seems the Administration has essentially taken the position that either the North Koreans disarm or else.  It’s not entirely clear what those threats consist of given our current military capabilities and the fact that sanctions have been wholly ineffectual.  I’m not sure the U.S. has any choice but to engage in diplomatic negotiations with the North Koreans. 

whereIstand Tags

• What are the appropriate next steps that the U.S. should take with North Korea?

I came across this while doing research for WIS.  Beware, it’s creepy.   It seems Rick Santorum is confused not only about when life begins but also about when it ends!

whereIstand Tags

• RickSantorum
• When does life begin?

Nothing more than shameless promotion …

This is just too much.  Revelations concerning Mark Foley’s sexuality surfaced today.  You see, it turns out Mark Foley is gay.  And everyone knew it.  But there’s more.  Also in the press are reports of Foley’s allegations that he was molested as a child, by a member of the clergy no less.  Looks to me like the spin doctor is in the house. 

The take away for the social conservatives is, Foley was molested as a child which triggered his "condition" and that explains why he flirted with young adults.  Meanwhile, the GOP maintains distance from Foley by casting him as a marginalized member of the House because everyone knew of his "problem."  All likely true.  No republican wants to hang out with the gay guy on the hill.  That’s just bad business. 

This is a no lose situation for the party.  They’ve spun the "facts" into a perfectly crafted real life example of all the fears created by the vast majority of their constituency’s value system.   Mark Foley is the GOP’s poster child for everything they believe is wrong with the gay community.

Here is another way of looking at it.  Mark Foley flirted with kids and it may have been inappropriate.  Straight men do this.  Straight women do this.  Gay men do it and gay women do it.  Whether the guy was molested as a kid remains to be seen.  If it turns out that he was, well, plenty of people are molested and they’re not gay so I’m not sure I see the correlation.  As for the alcoholism, show me the politician that does not have a drinking problem.  No one is seriously arguing that addiction is a problem specific to gay people, right?

This story is unfortunate and not particularly newsworthy but the political maneuvering is what grabbed my attention.  It’s so transparent and vile.  One more reason to breed hate, I suppose.  If nothing else, it offers a reliable diversion.

whereIstand Tags

• RNC
• Will the Left and Right ever find a way to live with each other in a civilized manner?

It may come as a surprise to many of you that I have no interest in lodging accusations against former Rep. Mark Foley or any of the legislators implicated in the Foley investigation.  My insight reaches far beyond Foley. 

The problems facing the GOP are compounded by the party’s stated principles.  Republican politicians campaign on family values, on morality.  They pride themselves on moral superiority. 

"We, the Grand Old Party shall decide which embryos are suitable for research." 

"Leave private decisions concerning childbearing to us, the Republican Party, the moral fabric of our nation."

"We support religious traditions because we are God-fearing folks."

Herein lies the problem, a group is only as strong as its members.  The Republicans have forgotten that man is fallible and that the stench of hypocrisy is nearly impossible to quell once it festers. 

whereIstand Tags

• RNC
• What impact do political parties have on government?