SUNDAY,  APRIL 5,  2009

FASCINATING - AT 4:37 P.M . ET:  President Obama has landed in Turkey, but Michelle Obama is not with him.  She has returned to Washington.  No explanation has been given.  If one crops up, I'll pass it along.  I wonder if she felt some awkwardness about being a woman visiting a Muslim country.  I'm just speculating, but it's a fascinating tidbit.

April 5, 2009   Permalink

RELIGIOUS NEWS - AT 2:57 P.M. ET:  Just in from the BBC: 

Some 200 mosques in Islam's holiest city, Mecca, point the wrong way for prayers, reports from Saudi Arabia say.

All mosques have a niche showing the direction of the most sacred Islamic site, the Kaaba, an ancient cube-like building in Mecca's Grand Mosque.

But people looking down from recently built high-rises in Mecca found the niches in many older mosques were not pointing directly towards the Kaaba.

Some worshippers are said to be anxious about the validity of their prayers.

COMMENT:  You know, instead of sending jet fighters to the Saudis, maybe a compass would do.  Let's get priorities straight.

April 5, 2009   Permalink

JOB PROSPECTS - AT 10:23 A.M. ET: 

April 4 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. may suffer further job losses in the coming months after employers cut payrolls by 633,000 in March and the unemployment rate jumped to a 25-year high of 8.5 percent.

A host of companies -- from manufacturers such as Johnson Controls Inc. and Dana Holding Corp. to service providers like International Business Machines Corp. and even the U.S. Postal Service -- have announced plans to eliminate jobs in the face of depressed demand from their customers.

“We expect labor-market conditions to remain appalling for many months to come,” Joshua Shapiro, chief U.S. economist at Maria Fiorini Ramirez Inc. in New York, wrote in a client note following yesterday’s report from the Labor Department.

COMMENT:  This is the real economy, and far more important than stock market reports.  We are nowhere near the unemployment high of 25% during the worst of the great Depression, but we could conceivably reach almost half of that later this year.  The country could hobble along at that rate, but the economy would be chronically soft and vulnerable, which is what has happened in several European countries.

April 5, 2009   Permalink

PRESIDENTIAL APPROVAL - AT 9:36 A.M. ET:  Rasmussen reports that presidential approval is holding steady, but hasn't increased as a result of Mr. Obama's excellent European adventure.  Some 56% approve of the Obama performance, while 43% disapprove, pretty much where it's been.

April 5, 2009   Permalink

OBAMA AND NUKES - AT 8:55 A.M. ET:  The president has delivered a speech in Prague calling for a world without nuclear weapons.  He began, of course, in high grovel, announcing that America had a special obligation in this case because we are the only country to have used nuclear weapons.  He might have explained the circumstances to the young people in the audience, and that the use of those weapons ended World War II and probably saved the lives of millions.  But, as Gilda Radner used to say, never mind.

The rest of the speech was within reason:

In a speech driven with fresh urgency by North Korea's rocket launch just hours earlier, Obama said the U.S. would ''immediately and aggressively'' seek ratification of a comprehensive ban on testing nuclear weapons. He said the U.S. would host a summit within the next year on reducing and eventually eliminating nuclear weapons, and he called for a global effort to secure nuclear material.

Okay, pretty standard.  He also addressed Iran, and his wording was fine:

Addressing another potential nuclear foe, Obama said in his speech the U.S. will present Iran with ''a clear choice'' to join the community of nations by ceasing its nuclear and ballistic missile activity or face increased isolation.

He said the U.S. will proceed with development of a missile defense system in Europe as long as there is an Iranian threat of developing nuclear weapons. If that threat is removed, he said, ''The driving force for missile defense in Europe will be removed.''

And...

Obama coupled his call for a nuclear-free world with an assurance that America would not unilaterally give up nuclear weapons. It must be a one-for-all, all-for-one endeavor, he said, and until that is possible, the U.S. will maintain a big enough arsenal to serve as a deterrent.

COMMENT:  These are words, not deeds, but words are important.  I did sense that this speech showed a firmer grasp of military reality than Mr. Obama has shown before, and that is all to the good.  We'll see what actions, if any, follow.

April 5, 2009   Permalink

NORTH KOREAN LAUNCH - AT 8:10 A.M. ET:  North Korea has now launched its missile, in defiance of the wishes of many nations and UN resolutions:

(CNN) -- American officials condemned the North Korean launch of a long-range rocket Sunday, with President Obama calling it a "provocative act."

The rocket, a Taepodong 2, was launched at around 11:30 a.m. local time Sunday (2:30 a.m. GMT) at a base in the northeastern part of the country. Officials in Washington, D.C., confirmed early Sunday that the rocket cleared Japan.

Preliminary data show that two objects, likely boosters from the rocket, apparently fell around Japan -- one in the Sea of Japan and one in the Pacific Ocean.

In a statement, Obama said the launch was "a clear violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718, which expressly prohibits North Korea from conducting ballistic missile-related activities of any kind."

LATE BULLETIN:  The North Korean satellite did not achieve orbit, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

COMMENT:  The UN Security Council, that bulwark of peace and freedom, will meet later today.  The problem, of course, is that China, North Korea's closest ally, has a veto on the Council.  From the Washington Post:

China, which is North Korea's primary economic benefactor and diplomatic supporter, urged the world's nations to remain calm and exercise restraint. China and Russia will probably oppose increased Security Council sanctions against the North, diplomats said.

This is Obama's first major foreign-policy test.  His initial condemnation is appropriate.  We knew he would first take the matter to the UN.  It's what he does after the UN fails, which it will, that will tell us how he intends to act, not speak, when confronted with defiance.  We're taking bets.

April 5, 2009   Permalink

SATURDAY,  APRIL 4,  2009

LAUNCH IMMINENT? - AT 10:42 P.M. ET:  From AP:

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has begun activating observation cameras and radars around the coastal site in the northeast, a South Korean report said Sunday, as the communist country prepares to launch a rocket in defiance of international warnings.

The top part of the rocket mounted at the Musudan-ri launch pad has also been uncovered, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing an unnamed South Korean official. The report did not say whether a satellite was mounted on top.

COMMENT:  The president is still in Europe, with a major visit to Turkey coming up.  It's doubtful he will break off his trip and return home if the launch occurs.  But it will mark the first major foreign test of his presidency.  We can only hope that the media, which has gone gaga over the glamour aspects of his trip, will calm down and examine how Obama handles himself when faced with the real world, not the make-believe ballroom he's in right now.

April 4, 2009   Permalink

OH, COME ON - AT 7:21 P.M. ET:  We want the president to succeed, if we can accept his definition of success, and we have no problem with his being popular around the world.  However, we do have a problem with groveling, not standing up appropriately for the United States, and handing out praise when it isn't due.

Thus, we're disappointed with Mr. Obama's stated satisfaction with the NATO summit, as reported by CNN:

STRASBOURG, France (CNN) -- President Obama hailed the NATO summit in Europe on Saturday, calling the meeting "very productive" and praising the alliance's commitment to the fight in Afghanistan.

"Today I'm confident that we took a substantial step forward to renewing our alliance to meet the challenges of our time," said Obama.

Speaking to reporters as demonstrators protested against more involvement in Afghanistan, Obama said he was "pleased NATO allies pledged their strong and unanimous support" for America's new strategy in Afghanistan -- which calls for more troops, trainers and civilian workers.

COMMENT:  Now look, NATO nations have pledged an additional 5,000 troops.  However, the United States is pledging an additional 21,000, including trainers.  That is completely lopsided.  The president is being gracious, but more pressure must be placed on NATO to come up with greater contributions.  So far, we're getting tokens.

April 4, 2009   Permalink

NEW NATO CHIEF - AT 7:18 P.M. ET:  A piece of good news, for a change.  NATO has chosen, as its new secretary-general, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who had the courage to stand up for the right of Danish cartoonists to publish depictions of the prophet Muhammad that so angered the Muslim world.

As reported here earlier, only Turkey, NATO's single Muslim country, objected to Rasmussen.  Since unanimity is required, Turkey could have vetoed the choice.  However, according to AP there was some last-minute negotiating, and Turkey withdrew its objection.  Please note:

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters that his government's requests had included the closure of a Kurdish satellite television broadcaster based in Denmark; the establishment of contacts between NATO and Islamic countries; appointment of a Turk as an aide to Fogh Rasmussen and senior NATO command positions for Turkish generals.

He said Obama had been heavily involved in the negotiations.

"Our president gave his approval after receiving information that our reservations have been addressed under the guarantorship of Obama," Erdogan said. "We hope our concerns will be met."

COMMENT:  We have no details on this.  We're delighted that Rasmussen is the choice, but I want to know just what was promised to Turkey.  Obama has spent a good part of the week making concessions and delivering apologies.  Precisely how did he get Turkey on board?  I wonder if any MSM journalists will ask.

April 4, 2009   Permalink

PROGRESS, WE HOPE - AT 9:19 A.M. ET: 

KABUL (AP) -- Responding to criticism from around the world, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Saturday that a new law that critics say makes it legal for men to rape their wives will be studied and possibly sent back to parliament for review.

Karzai said he ordered the Justice Ministry to review the law, and if anything in it contravenes the country's constitution or Shariah law, ''measures will be taken.''

The law, signed by Karzai last month, is intended to regulate family life inside Afghanistan's Shiite community, which makes up 10 percent to 20 percent of the country's 30 million people.

COMMENT:  This is a classic example of what media exposure can do, and bloggers played a major role.  We'll follow this to be sure the obnoxious legislation dies a fast death.  Americans are not going to have their troops defend the indefensible.

April 4, 2009   Permalink

OUTRAGEOUS - AT 9:01 A.M. ET:  From superb reporter Joel Mowbray, via Fox News:

An Iraqi translator who has earned commendations for risking his life repeatedly to save the lives of many American soldiers in combat has been denied a visa to live in the United States because of nonviolent actions he took to overthrow Saddam Hussein — at the same time the U.S. government was calling for regime change in Iraq.

Jasim, whose name is being withheld for his safety, has received strong support from the U.S. military, and the Department of Homeland Security approved his application for a visa. But the State Department has denied Jasim a visa because he was arrested in 1996 for actions against the Saddam dictatorship.

COMMENT:  This cries out for justice, and for immediate intervention by Hillary Clinton.  Republicans should create an uproar, if they're capable of any emotion at all.  This may well be the result of a bureaucratic glitch.  Whatever the reason, this man must get his visa, and fast!

April 4, 2009   Permalink

ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATING, AND FROM A LIBERAL NEWSPAPER - AT 8:55 A.M. ET:  This remarkable analysis of Obama's performance abroad, from Jackson Diehl of the Washington Post:

Barack Obama has proved in the past few days that he can work smoothly and productively with a wide range of foreign leaders -- provided that he allows them to set the agenda.

The president's whirl of bilateral and multilateral meetings in London, Strasbourg, Baden-Baden, Prague and Ankara produced a string of glowing communiques announcing "real and lasting progress on a host of these issues," as Obama proudly put it...

...What's striking about Obama's diplomacy, however, has been his willingness to embrace the priorities of European governments, Russia and China while playing down -- or setting aside altogether -- principal American concerns.

And get this:

From Washington's perspective, stopping Iran's nuclear program is far more urgent than agreeing on the next incremental reduction in Cold War warheads. Yet Obama essentially consented in his first summit with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to devote the next four months of U.S.-Russian relations to an intensive effort to complete a new START treaty. No such cooperation on Iran is on the horizon.

COMMENT:  Diehl absolutely nails it.  Negotiations always succeed as long as one side is willing to surrender.  Obama the celebrity is doing great.  Obama the president is blundering.  America the nation is losing.

April 4, 2009   Permalink

MORE NEWSPAPER NEWS - AT 8:47 A.M. ET:  From the Boston Globe:

The New York Times Co. has threatened to shut the Boston Globe unless the newspaper's unions swiftly agree to $20 million in concessions, union leaders said.

Executives from the Times Co. and Globe made the demands Thursday morning in an approximately 90- minute meeting with leaders of the newspaper's 13 unions, union officials said.

COMMENT:  The Globe is one of the most liberal papers in the country, spiritually saved only by the presence of columnist Jeff Jacoby, who is often quoted at Urgent Agenda.  Maybe if the paper expanded its horizons a bit, and realized that not everyone in Boston veers left, its prospects would improve.

April 4, 2009   Permalink

CAREFUL ON THIS - AT 8:26 A.M. ET:  From Fox News:

A Pakistani Taliban militant leader has claimed responsibility for the attack on a U.S. immigration center in New York state in which 13 people were killed, Reuters reported.

"I accept responsibility. They were my men. I gave them orders in reaction to U.S. drone attacks," Baituallah Mehsud told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location on Saturday.

U.S. officials were not immediately available for comment about Mehsud's claim, Reuters reported, and one Pakistani security analyst dismissed the claim as a publicity stunt.

COMMENT:  We seriously doubt this claim.  It does indeed sound like a publicity stunt, although the claim must be investigated.  Earlier in the week this same terrorist bragged that he would strike the United States, and specifically mentioned Washington.  He has made claims in the past, which have turned out to be false.

I say, give President Obama's vetting team - the same people who vetted his Cabinet nominees - a chance to examine this guy for integrity and competence.  Just kidding.

April 4, 2009   Permalink