By BONO
Published: July 10, 2009 NYT

On his visit to Ghana, President Obama has the chance to lead nations in building on the successes of recent efforts within Africa and to learn from the failures.

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Kirk Johnson of the New York Times writes about Utah Governor Huntsman and the current state of the GOP.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has made waves in Utah by suggesting that the Republican party must move toward the center. With his support for President Obama’s economic stimulus plan, his successful effort to ease the state’s method of regulating liquor sales and his advocacy of civil unions to protect same-sex couples, Mr. Huntsman ignited a debate over what the Republican Party here should be.

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President Obama today chose Utah Gov. Jon M. Huntsman Jr. (R) as his choice for ambassador to China, tapping a moderate Republican governor to be his envoy to the world’s largest country…

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Everything that critics mock about the recent antitaxation demonstrations has long been standard practice within the Republican Party.

This is a column about Republicans — and I’m not sure I should even be writing it.

Republicans have become embarrassing to watch. And it doesn’t feel right to make fun of crazy people.

Paul Krugman’s Op-Ed piece.

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No war, no military action, no act of self-defense or revenge has a legitimacy that exempts the perpetrators from responsibility for the consequences they create.

This article has caught my attention because of I’ve been dwelling and thinking about what the demands are if we are going to be responsible for our actions. I would say it’s disingenuous to not be responsible actions you have or have not taken, regardless of any justification.

I’ll wrote more about total responsibility at a later time.

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Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama has received the endorsement of the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American tribe in the United States. The Navajo Nation covers large areas of Arizona, New Mexico, and a smaller area of Utah and is considered it’s own sovereign nation under treaty with the United States Government. The tribe has over 250,000 members.

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“Those kinds of images, going out on Al-Jazeera, are killing us around the world.”

“And we have got to say to the world, it doesn’t make any difference who you are or what you are. If you’re an American, you’re an American.”  

- Colin Powell in reference to the Bill Ayers attacks by McCain

So the blog and media world are all a buzz about Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barack Obama this morning, and this is major of course, but after watching a couple of video clips I’m encouraged by Powell’s authenticity and genuineness. The man occurs to me as having nothing to hide and wanting to be honest about what the United States faces in this period of history.

I’m sure Powell will be repudiated and accused of all types of things by members of his own party as they grapple with why he would make this endorsement (McCain is trying to shrug it off), but at least Newt Gingrich is impressed.

There is immense value and benefit in being honest and real about what’s so, it’s what really makes a difference in the world. You can tell a true leader by their ability to do this regardless of how people may respond to it. McCain used to do this.

Okay, maybe the title for this post is a bit overstated, but it’s nice to see McCain stand up for respect and decency.

After days of watching in silence, McCain calms the crowd at a Minnesota town meeting.

McCain: “I want everyone to be respectful. And let’s make sure we are, because that’s the way politics is done in America.”

Tells one supporter who says he’s scared of an Obama presidency:

McCain: “I have to tell you, he is a decent person, a person that you do not have to be scared [of] as president of the United States.”

After a woman calls Obama “an Arab terrorist” McCain interrupts to say:

McCain: “No, ma’am. He is a decent family man with whom I happen to have some disagreements.”

 

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If you need proof that this is the most important election in a generation, get this: Jewish grandkids are flying to Florida to visit their grandparents – without being guilted into it – to talk their elders out of voting for John McCain.

More than hockey moms or gun-toting God lovers, old Floridian Jews are the most important demographic in this election. They make up about 5 percent of the voters in a swing state with 27 electoral college votes. They never miss so much as a condo board vote and are normally reliable Democrats.

The Jewish Council for Education and Research – a new pro-Barack Obama political action committee – is organizing “The Great Schlep,” in which hundreds of Jews will make the Southern exodus on Columbus Day weekend, October 10-13. They will travel to the Fort Lauderdale area, where they will visit their grandparents, organize political salons in their condos and eat incredibly bad food. The grandkids also will meet up at a bar one night, which – if the psychological impact of spending a few days with frail, elderly, widowed relatives is taken fully into account – may do more to repopulate the world’s Jews than the creation of Israel.

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