Friday, September 16, 2005
Vote for Roberts
This week, Americans got their first up-close glimpse of the man all-but-certain to become their next Chief Justice. No one who was predisposed towards Roberts a week ago could possibly have seen anything to turn them against him; he was quite impressive. Nevertheless, many Americans--and likely a large part of the Senate--will never forgive Roberts for his original sin: He is a Republican.
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War on the Cheap
Irwin Stelzer wrote an important article in last week’s Weekly Standard, War on the Cheap. Stelzer finally admits what too few Republicans have been willing to say: there is an untenable gap between President Bush’s often lofty goals and the rather chintzy resources that he allocates to achieve those goals. Though the most obvious example today deals with the recovery of New Orleans, Stelzer focuses on an area where it should have been obvious for quite some time: foreign policy.
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Monday, September 12, 2005
Katrina: A Preview of the Forthcoming Inquiry’s Conclusions from the Past
Yesterday, I ranted about FEMA. Today I reread the executive summary of GAO’s report on Hurricane Andrew. The problem then seems to be the problem now--the President does not understand the role of government. Bush, Chertoff, and Brownie don’t know what FEMA is supposed to do. Skim the GAO report and decide for yourself.
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Sunday, September 11, 2005
Guest Blogger: Jeffrey Itell on FEMA and the Confederacy of Bush Dunces
Dear Mr. Brooks:
Usually I agree with you, but I cannot disagree with your column today more strongly. The response to Hurricane Katrina would have been adequate without bigger government, changes in legislation, more money, or anything other than different leadership. The failure stems from the Bush Administration’s failure to understand its duty and responsibility during a catastrophic disaster. What makes the Administration’s failure worse is that Congress and the Administration “resolved” these issues after Hurricane Andrew. I know…because I led the Congressional investigation of Hurricane Andrew for GAO. (A Washington Monthly article in 1993 about FEMA lays out the problem and resolution. I am sorry I do not have the citation to provide.)
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Saturday, September 10, 2005
The Powerful vs. the People
David Ignatius’s column in yesterday’s Washington Post, The Party of Performance, could prove to be something of a watershed. He asserts that our national political debate may finally be getting beyond the ill-conceived mud-slinging about values and moving into a focus on performance. Here’s to hoping that he’s right.
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Monday, September 05, 2005
An Interesting Question
Three diaspora Indians wrote this interesting piece about Pakistan’s recent overtures towards Israel (exemplified in a handshake between their FM’s hosted in Turkey while I, coincidentally, was also in Turkey).
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Thursday, September 01, 2005
Atlantis Redux?
It’s hard to see the scenes of devastation from New Orleans without being affected. I keep hearing Satchmo sing ”Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans:”
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Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Thoughts from the Front Lines
One thing about a trip to Israel: this country is not what people think it is. Sure, there’s something historical about it, especially when you wander around Jerusalem’s old city as I did last weekend. There’s also something futuristic about it, especially when you realize that the ubiquitous security guards and metal detectors are coming soon to a village near you in the US or the UK. But still, the country does a fine job at projecting its contemplative undercurrent and a lousy job of projecting what it actually is.
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