Not a bad idea. Not an original one and certainly one which many people, who have been woken up by Bush administration spending, will take a fresh look at. For many of us on the left, from pacifists to pragmatists, it's one of the issues that makes us "progressives." America has been mired in militarism forever. Time for change.
Beneath the predictable back-and-forth between Obama and his Republican adversaries over government spending lies a substantively important difference over how the United States can maintain its global leadership.
For Republicans, American power is rooted largely in military might and showing a tough and resolute face to the world. They would rely on tax cuts as the one and only spur to economic growth.
Obama, Biden and the Democrats, on the other hand, believe that American power depends ultimately on the American economy, and that government has an essential role to play in fostering the next generation of growth.
Notice that when Obama spoke about keeping America in first place, he said not a word about the military. He referred instead to the efforts of our competitors in the public sphere of the economy, and of our past complacency....
... Suddenly, Obama's approach is not about old-fashioned Democratic spending. It's about patriotism, competing successfully, investing to maintain American economic leadership. John F. Kennedy provided a slogan for such an effort 50 years ago: "Let's get America moving again." ...WaPo
No less important is a pivot away from religion. The sooner Washington and pietists part company, the better.
There's an effort -- it's picking up steam -- to distance official Washington from the "National Prayer Breakfast." Let's be clear. This annual event isn't about religion, it's about political power. The "prayer breakfast" is a group wank sponsored by C Street/"The Family." It has spread well beyond Washington and into state government.
Many states also have prayer breakfasts this week, which may appear to be government-sponsored but are also mostly affiliated with the Family. ...
...More recently, it became public that the Family also has close ties to the Ugandan politician who has sponsored the proposed anti-gay legislation. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a government watchdog group, sent a letter this week to the president and Congressional leaders urging them to skip the prayer breakfast. They have also called on C-Span not to televise it this year. ...NYT
CREW is not alone, now, in the effort to put a stop to this organized hypocrisy. Other groups are joining the effort to deflate this awful event.
We will learn a lot about the integrity of C-Span if they don't wipe it off their schedule.
The president hasn't wiped it off his schedule. Nor has he chosen a church to join in Washington. He's sticking with his Blackberry and ritual photo-ops.
Every morning, sometimes as early as 5:30 a.m., a short religious passage comes across President Obama's BlackBerry, sent by one of his aides. At other moments, Obama prays privately, his advisers said. And when he takes his family to Camp David on the weekends, a Navy chaplain ministers to them, with the daughters attending a form of Sunday school there.
More than a year into his presidency, Obama has not chosen a church in Washington, and has attended services just four times. No single figure has assumed the role of spiritual adviser -- publicly, at least -- or filled the vacancy created when Obama disavowed his former Chicago pastor, Jeremiah Wright.
When Obama appears at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington on Thursday morning -- a regular presidential ritual -- it will mark the rare occasion when he puts religion in the foreground. In that appearance, he will discuss "the need for civility in the public square, and how Americans can work together in a spirit of goodwill," a senior administration official said. ...WaPo
No institutions have been more responsible for incivility in America than religion and its offshoots like the C Street opportunists. Does Obama realize that? Or is he sitting right on the still, tossing down a pint or two, while preaching sobriety?
The prayer breakfast and the Nashville heehaw are almost simultaneous events this year. Timothy Egan notes a similarity between double-dealer John Edwards, and his double-dealing rival for media attention, Sarah Palin.
If Palin truly believed in the Tea Partiers and their discontent, she would not be charging $100,000 to stoke their fears. She can do that for free, on Fox. ...
... Palin says she’ll plow her take back into “the cause.” Her favorite cause, of course, is Sarah Palin. It came to light this week that her political action committee spent $63,000 to buy copies of “Going Rogue.” It’s a sweet deal: get average people to donate to Palin. She then spends their money on her book, increasing her royalties and exposure.Political grifters, the smart ones, usually get out while the getting’s good. It’s always about timing: the trick is finding the mark, before the mark finds you. ...NYT
