U.S. Embassies closing to prepare for new War

All American embassies in the Islamic world are closing...who is Obama planning to attack? Invasion of Syria?

Snowden, Putin, Russia, and human rights

The Russians have been chafing for decades from US lectures to them about human rights. Granting Snowden asylum as if he were politically persecuted gives Putin the symbol he needs to reverse that perspective.

Saving Egypt: Meta-council including Morsi

Yes Egypt again. You cant help but be fascinated by such raw, real politics. A solution? How about a standing constitutional council which includes major parties and groups that can change the constitution. The President would have veto power but could be overridden by the majority or a super-majority. The idea that Egypt can become Turkey and repress the bearded guys or go back to the days of Mubarak is ludicrous. Too many high hopes raised for everyone by 'the revolution' for such a counter-move to be stable.

Egypt = Algeria

Hope not. What just happened in Egypt looks much like what happened in Algeria and sparked a terrible level of bloodshed for years. Egypt is poorer which bodes ill. Can it be smarter?

employer mandates section of Obamacare delayed

The Obama Administration today declared that it will not enforce the employer mandates for health care coverage until 2015. A break for business, a loss for labor, a loss for insurance companies, yada yada yada. The usual; politics defined as the picking of winners and losers (contrast with sports where there are winners and losers too but nobody picks them, we hope). Now when the USSC upheld the mandatory purchase section of the Affordable Care Act...now that was something...that was a signal of a new day in American politics. Calls to mind the Eastern saying, 'may you live in interesting times.'

Analyzing the Snowden search: where's waldo?,,,er, Edward Snowden

The glee with which the media are hunting Snowden is a signal of their irrelevance. (CNN was running dawn to dusk coverage for awhile). Experts on extradition law are trotted out. Is this what they study in journalism school? And do te American people gain any insight or knowledge from such information? Answer? No. The media has become society's background noise.

Obama and the Drone Speech (anti-drone)

When Obama made his speech dialing down his drones war it was hailed as a turning point. It was supposed to show that the US was serious about disengagement from Af-Pak. But it was a public plea to the Pashtuns/Taliban not to be so ferocious in the usual spring offensive. It worked, sort of. Direct talks are on the way and they are without preconditions. They are also without Karzai who has become irrelevant. The US would like to stay in Afghanistan but not under the gun. The question is can they offer guarantees that would satisfy Omar? He does not want to be in a parade in Kabul and wind up getting droned. My guess is that te Taliban will never trust the US. So they will have to leave or stay but under te gun.