PERRspectives: December 2004 Archives

December 2004 Archives

	Doing Well by Doing Good: The American Opportunity in Global Tragedy In the wake of the devastating tsunami that killed thousands and threatens hundreds of thousands more across Asia, much of the coverage and debate in the United States has centered around whether or not the initial U.S. $35 million aid package is, in the words of U.N emergency coordinator Jan Egeland, "stingy." Lost in the petty bickering and wounded American pride is a unique opportunity for the United States to change its badly weakened global image by leading and funding... more Posted on December 30, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	The Party of Choice As President Bush ramps up his campaign for Social Security privatization, it looks like Democrats will once again win the battle of facts while losing the war of ideas. While his proposals are widely viewed as bad public policy and enjoy only lukewarm public support, regardless of its outcome Bush's crusade for Social Security reform will likely cement the positive image of the Republicans as the "party of choice." And apparently unaware of the largers stakes, it looks like the... more Posted on December 28, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Man of the Year Twofer for Bush The good news keeps on coming for President Bush. Fresh off receiving the Time 2004 Man of the Year award, rumors abound that Bush will also be recognized by Himmler Fancy magazine in its end of the year issue. Himmler Fancy, with its motto of "dedicated to advancing the age-old art of persuasion", is a niche publication. Targeting the interrogation professional community, recent issues have included features such as "Zyklon B: It's a Gas!", "The Hood: Never Out of Fashion",... more Posted on December 22, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Bush, Absolute Value and the Time "Man of the Year" Every once in a while, you realize that the apparently pointless concepts you learned back in math class were not completely without value. Or in the case of the Time selection of George W. Bush as its "2004 Man of the Year", absolute value. Bush's second crowning as Man O' Year reminds us of the notion of Absolute Value. As you'll recall, the expression \|x\| meant the positive value of x, regardless of whether x had a positive or negative... more Posted on December 21, 2004 \| Comments (1)

	Dreaming of a Blue Christmas: Holiday Reading for Democrats in Despair For many Americans, the holiday season can be a difficult one. While most enjoy festive celebrations, share time with family and reaffirm their faith, for growing numbers of people the holidays are a season of sadness, alienation, depression and despair. Taking their annual inventory of loneliness, the passage of time, their personal disappointments and unmet expectations, and the realities of family gatherings, the seasonally-affected may reach for Prozac � or worse. For Democrats, liberals, and progressives of all stripes, Christmas... more Posted on December 16, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Rumsfeld and the Aspin Test Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's comments to U.S. troops last week highlight once again the need for new leadership at the Pentagon. But while some Republicans are finally beginning to raise doubts about Rumsfeld, they have yet to hold him to the GOP's "Les Aspin Standard." That is, decisions that needlessly cost American lives in battle cost defense secretaries their jobs, but apparently only if Bill Clinton is president. John McCain, who sold his soul to George Bush in order to... more Posted on December 13, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Yet Another Faux National Tragedy In the latest example of what Perrspectives has called a "Faux National Tragedy", Scott Peterson was sentenced to death for the murder of his wife Laci. As we described in 1997 after the Heaven's Gate cult mass suicide, a Faux National Tragedy has four identifiable traits: Unlimited Media Frenzy. This is the necessary but not sufficient first indicator of an FNT. The event in question, through its pure horror, strangeness or scatology, completely mobilizes the national media, which in turn... more Posted on December 13, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Simon Says: Rosenberg for DNC Chair The race to succeed Terry McAuliffe as DNC chair is heating up and is getting very crowded. On December 8th, "front-runner" Howard Dean made his pitch. Today, Simon Rosenberg, president and founder of the New Democrat Network, will preview his case for leadership at the ASDC conference in Orlando. A Rosenberg candidacy to lead the Democratic National Committee is one we at Perrspectives strongly endorse. By way of background, Perrspectives has made the argument (both before and after the electoral... more Posted on December 9, 2004 \| Comments (3)

	Dr. Dean: Wrong Prescription for Democrats At George Washington University, Howard Dean on December 8th used a major address to make his claim for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee. Seeing a very ill, deeply depressed Democratic patient with a weak pulse and failing heart, Doctor Dean offered his usual combustible mix of rage and righteous indignation as a balm. Just as in 2003, the Good Doctor showed he is passionately committed to saving the life of his patient, with words that make the patient... more Posted on December 9, 2004 \| Comments (5)

	Denial is not a River in Iraq Speaking of cognitive dissonance, the Bush administration continues to merrily amble forward as the situation in Iraq degrades and the stench of American abuse of prisoners grows. Earlier today, President Bush blandly stated that "free elections will proceed as planned." . At the same time he was issuing this pablum, the New York Times and The Guardian reported that a cable from the departing CIA station chief in Baghdad alerted Washington to the rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground in... more Posted on December 7, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Mind Games: Intelligence Reform and the Next 9/11 After much grandstanding by members of its Republican majority, the House of Representatives passed the intelligence reform bill on Tuesday. The Senate's OK and President Bush's signature should be forthcoming in short order. With many of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations soon to be law, Americans will now rightly ask if reform will really help prevent another major terrorist attack here at home. The short answer is "yes, but only if." The long answer is that the revamped National Intelligence Directorate... more Posted on December 7, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	Pearl Harbor, 9/11 and Wartime Leadership On this, the 63rd anniversary of the devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, comparisons with 9/11 and its aftermath are inescapable. From the nature of the war itself to the identity of the attacks' casualties, the differences are stark. The contrast between Pearl Harbor and 9/11 could not be greater when it comes to presidential wartime leadership. President Bush has tried to claim FDR's mantle of "war president": "I'm a war president. I make decisions here in the Oval Office... more Posted on December 7, 2004 \| Comments (0)

	George W. Bush: Rhythm Methodist On Thursday, the United Methodist Church defrocked a lesbian minister, the Reverend Elizabeth Stroud of Germantown, Pennsylvania. This was the first such step by the Church in 17 years, reflecting its law that bars ""self-avowed, practicing homosexuals" from ministry. Convicted by a 12-1 vote and defrocked by a 7-6 majority, Stroud may still perform other duties for her congregation. Leaving aside the fundamental issues of fairness, homophobia and church doctrine for church members themselves to debate, today's developments do raise... more Posted on December 2, 2004 \| Comments (0)