Secretary of Defensiveness

The news conference held by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld yesterday was a surreal event. I kept wondering, “Will he ever pull his head out of his you-know-what and give a straight answer to a straight question?”

They should rename his position the Secretary of Defensiveness. Like a pissy little schoolboy, Rummy bristled at the pointed questions hurled at him by the press. His responses rarely went beyond tweaking, noodling, bobbing and spinning. And often, he flat-out refused to answer. Not because they were bad questions, but because any answer would have made him and the Bush team look bad.

When challenged on the deplorable and deteriorating situation in Iraq, he finally replied, “Honorable people are working on these things together”. As if that should give us comfort.

Rummy doesn’t grasp that most of the nation now regards him as dishonorable. With good reason, Americans have reached the sad conclusion that he and his team are evasive, untrustworthy and incompetent.

Rummy recently tried to "take responsibility" for the situation in Iraq, but his statements amounted to, Yes, I’m in charge of the war apparatus and take responsibility for being in charge, but refuse to acknowledge that horrific blunders and miscalculations were made. Whatever minor problems have occurred are the fault of rogue individuals, not me.

So much for President Bush’s promise to restore accountability to government.

Ever the Cheerleader, Rummy insisted that we will win in Iraq, whatever that now means. “The way to get there is in steps.” But he won’t say what new steps we are taking. Instead, we seem to be staying the course even though the administration has outlawed that phrase. Rather than adjust military and political strategy, Republicans merely want to adjust the language we use to talk about it.

But the most tragic aspect of Rumsfeld’s demeanor remains his unwillingness to answer tough questions with honesty and a seriousness befitting the gravity of the situation. He’ll joke, evade and get mad, but he won’t say or do anything to acknowledge that his team has really screwed things up, that likely hundreds of thousands of people have died as a result, and that Americans have good and right reason to be angry and upset.

Instead, Rummy just keeps bumbling on.

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For a fascinating reminder of the horrors of war, the sacrifices made and the damage done by government lies and dishonesty, see the new movie “Flags Of Our Fathers,” directed by Clint Eastwood from the book by the same name.

It’s a deep, dark homage to our nation’s soldiers, telling three tales at once: The story of the battle of Iwo Jima including the infamous flag-raising atop Mount Suribachi, the story of the men who raised the infamous flag, and the story of the son of one of those men as he attempts to learn more about his father’s heroic past.

The film features amazing imagery, a beautiful score (by Eastwood!) and several extraordinary performances, especially the Ira Hayes character played brilliantly by Adam Beach. The best war movie since Saving Private Ryan.

- JT Compton

What's That Smell?

Desperation. Do you smell it?

The Republican party is freaking out.

Faced with the strong possibility that the House of Representatives will fall to the Democrats, three of the six most competitive Senate races are also leaning Democrat, with two of the remaining three in a statistical dead heat.

Here are the signs of an imploding party:

Attack ads in Tennessee smearing Democratic challenger Harold Ford Jr., placed not by his Republican opponent Bob Corker, but by the RNC. Corker claims he doesn’t want the race-baiting ads to air, which means he is either lying or he has no pull with his own party. Either way it's a last-ditch disgrace.

President Bush claiming ‘We’ve never been stay the course, George!’ in an interview with George Stephanopolous. But of course, he used that phrase all the time, as dozens of video clips prove. Not that this is the first time Bush has lied, but this lie indicates how desperate he is to keep his party in power. Predictably, his apologists say his comment was just a stupid mistake--the type common among inept idiots? You decide.

President Bush and his military advisors hatching a plan for a "timeline of new security measures" in Iraq, tantamount to a timeline for withdrawal. Though he would never be honest enough to admit that he is doing what the Democrats have long been calling for, Bush’s hypocrisy is transparent and another indication of the mess he and his party are in.

Rush Limbaugh insulting Michael J. Fox, who starred in ads promoting Senatorial hopeful Democrat Claire McCaskill in Missouri. Disgraced drug-addict Limbaugh had the vile, tasteless nerve to accuse Fox of exaggerating his Parkinsons’ symptoms rather than address the content of Fox’s message. Limbaugh has no credible rationale for limiting stem-cell research, not unlike so many other conservatives including radical religious tool Senator Jim Talent, McCaskill's GOP opponent.

White House officials holding a "Talk Radio Summit" to try to strong-arm radio hosts into buying their failing agenda in Iraq. "No, it's working, really!"

Dishonest hypocrites like former GOP leader Dick Armey pretending that the five-year Republican spending binge has nothing to do with GOP values. But it has everything to do with their real agenda: to impose their mores and religion on the rest of us at any cost, including selling their souls to big business. For Armey to suggest "Republicans are spending like Democrats" denies the reality that Bill Clinton produced a surplus, and the Bush deficit is far beyond any deficit a Democrat ever ran up.

What a joke.

Republicans have become the party of Smear and Fear. And Republican operatives seem to be as comfortable lying as they are taking money from lobbyists in exchange for legislative favors. They can crow and wail about the Commie-loving, baby-eating, daughter-raping, Satan-worshipping Democrats, but their rhetoric only penetrates the minds of the most narrow, ignorant, hate-filled fanatics. The rest of us just aren’t falling for it.

- JT Compton

Wisdom Of The Dow

From an objective standpoint, many American corporations are in good health. Though global competition is fierce--which puts pressure on pricing power--American companies have done a good job cutting costs, increasing productivity, employing technology and extending economies of scale. As a result, profits are consistent while jobs and wages remain somewhat stagnant.

But this situation is hardly recent. Indeed, this scenario has been in place for several years. So what accounts for the recent record set by the Dow Jones Industrial Average?

The run-up is a reflection of subjective factors. Namely, that for the first time in years investors are feeling optimistic. Not just about interest rates, China or the trade deficit, but about the future of our nation.

The apparent groundswell of disdain for Republican politicians and policies has many in the investment world betting that our government will soon be in better hands.

As a former trader, I learned again and again that markets love stability and hate uncertainty. The more certain and predictable the geo-political landscape, the less risk that an unknown or unforeseeable event will thwart the profit prospects of corporations.

Only months after the collapse of the Internet bubble, stock markets were hammered again by the 9-11 attacks and they’ve been struggling to recover ever since. Not only because traders feared more attacks, but because our so-called leaders sped us into a war against a sovereign nation that had not attacked us. The Iraq war was expensive from the start and we went it alone, without a meaningful coalition and in spite of heavy protest from most of the rest of the world.

The Iraq war was a boon to the defense industry, but a disaster for stability and certainty. The war kept us in the bad graces of our trading partners, fomented global hatred and distrust, created political and social turmoil in the Middle East and raised the likelihood of further terrorism.

Moreover, the extreme ideological policies of the Bush Administration kept our nation divided, made sound fiscal policy a distant memory and put our treasury into almost unimaginable debt.

Now, with mid-term elections approaching, Republicans are getting hammered by any number of ethics scandals, the quagmire in Iraq and blowback from issues like social security and immigration. It looks likely that Democrats will take back at least one house of Congress.

Rising stock prices are telling us that the future looks better than it did six months ago. Rather than two more years of pork-barrel legislation at home, a failed policy in Iraq and silence as a negotiating strategy with Iran and North Korea, traders are re-evaluating their risk premiums and buying. They are betting that positive change is in the wind. And they are probably right.

Given that the housing market is contracting and interest rates are likely range-bound, the stock market is the smart place to be. Especially if the GOP lose their lock on power.

- JT Compton

White House Frat Pack

The Abramoff scandal continues to expand. Recent email disclosures suggest an even greater connection between convicted felon Jack Abramoff and the White House. Then White House staffer Ken Mehlman (now head of the RNC) apparently did direct favors for Abramoff clients in exchange for political contributions.

In one case, it appears Mehlman got a State Department employee fired for his efforts to improve working conditions in the Northern Mariana Islands--a US territory and Abramoff sweat-shop client.

In another case, it appears Mehlman got millions of tax dollars allocated to build on Native American land a jail that was previously deemed unnecessary by the government. The tribe was a big Abramoff client.

Whatever Jack Abramoff wanted, Ken Mehlman seemed to get for him--as long as Abramoff’s clients kept throwing money at Republican campaigns.

To truly understand the sleazy, corrupt nature of these operatives and their backroom deals, just read some of their emails. As Peter Wallsten of the LA Times reports:

When Justice Department officials relented and released the money for the jail, giddy Abramoff associates planned to host agency officials in a suite at a Dave Matthews concert.

"I have the suite filling up with DOJ staffers who just got our client $16 million," one wrote. Another replied that the agency officials deserve any reward they want, "opening day tickets, Skins v. Giants, oriental massages, hookers, whatever."

As a fourteen-year veteran of Wall Street trading floors, I can personally attest to the love wealthy Republican players have for hookers, strippers, limos and such. So it’s easy for me to imagine the kind of back-slapping, locker-room mentality that Mehlman, Abramoff and their associates cultivated and operated in.

Only when Republicans lose their lock on power will the pigs in Washington stop feeding at the public trough. And given the latest poll numbers, that day could come right soon. It won’t be soon enough.

- JT Compton

Silent "Diplomacy"

We won’t negotiate with you until you first agree to our demands.

Have you noticed that President Bush’s childish and ineffective stance toward North Korea, Iran and any other perceived threat is virtually identical to the stance he takes toward his political opponents? --

We won’t let you participate in the policy making process until you first agree to our policies.

No wonder the legislative record of the last five years is abysmal. And have you noticed that this is similar to the stance he takes on dissent? --

We won’t consider you patriotic Americans until you first agree with our agenda and support our actions.

This stubborn, arrogant attitude pervades the Bush Administration. No wonder our country is so divided and our image so tarnished.

Healthy relations demand effective communication, whether with your neighbors or your enemies. But the policies of the Bush Administration make free, direct and open communication all but impossible.

No wonder North Korea has become such a huge problem, and no wonder Iran continues to thumb its nose at us. Without comprehensive, constructive engagement, diplomacy can't happen. And blustering, bullying and ignoring is not diplomacy, as much as Bush and his minions want it to be. In fact, their stance is antithetical to diplomacy.

Until we elect leaders capable of formulating complex solutions to complex problems, we will risk the further erosion of our security and our global standing. Those currently running the nation are clearly not competent to do the job. The best their simplistic, black-and-white minds have come up with is “the silent treatment.” Another good reason to throw the bums out.

- JT Compton

Throw The Bums Out

Republicans remained on the defensive this weekend. Just when the GOP thought the Foley Fiasco might shift from boil to simmer, another Republican Congressman stepped forward to disclose that he knew of inappropriate contacts between Foley and Pages as far back as the year 2000. Which kept the story front-and-center.

Then, on Sunday’s Meet The Press, Bob Woodward revealed that Vice President Cheney called him recently to complain about being quoted confirming regular meetings between Bush and Henry Kissinger, an embarrassing disclosure. In tantrum mode, Cheney called Woodward’s use of the quote “bull s---” and hung up.

Adding to Republican woes, one of Karl Rove’s staff resigned Friday because of numerous gifts she accepted from criminal lobbyist Jack Abramoff. This on the heels of a bipartisan report that the White House had over 400 contacts with Abramoff and accepted upwards of $25,000 in gifts and freebies.

The news was made more significant because PBS ran its two-hour Moyers documentary about the Abramoff and DeLay scandal throughout the weekend. It painted an absolutely devastating and horrifying picture of the sleazy, crooked and unrepentant participants, and is sending shock waves through the corridors of power in Washington.

Even hardened politicos can’t believe how brazen, unethical and corrupt the pay-for-play system of lobbying became under DeLay. Nor can they believe how hypocritical and manipulative blowhards like greedy Ralph Reed turned out to be. To hear Tom DeLay declare that he wanted people to see “Jesus in his mugshot” was at once chilling and disgusting. When I look at DeLay, Abramoff, Reed, Ney and their acolytes, I see greed, lies and corruption, not Christ. They are, if anything, Satanic.

A headline this morning read “GOP Hit by Wave of Political Bad News.” What rubbish. The bad news isn’t some external force hitting the Republican party. It’s the direct result of the party’s arrogance, greed, incompetence and lust for power at any price. The GOP’s wounds are purely self inflicted. And the sooner the wounded beast retreats to heal itself, the sooner others can begin to undo the damage done to our nation during the last five awful years.

- JT Compton

Righteous Wrongs

The recent resignation of Florida GOP Congressman Foley for sending sexually suggestive communications to minors is an embarrassment to Republicans. The “party of values” turns out to have no corner on the virtue market at all. Indeed, this seedy episode adds yet another chapter to the growing epic of Republican ethics scandals, proving the age-old adage that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Along the same lines, PBS is running an extraordinary documentary by renowned journalist Bill Moyers on the lobbying scandals affecting Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, Grover Nordquist, Ralph Reed, and others.

The show details just how morally bankrupt, arrogant, deceptive and greedy this gang of suited thugs were. It’s an object lesson in how our system of government can be corrupted by people who use religious rhetoric to manipulate and control others.

Both the Foley Fiasco and the Abramoff/DeLay Debacle demonstrate a sound principle of human conduct:

The more emphatically pious, religious, faithful and moral a person or party claims to be, the more likely they are to be hiding dysfunction, intolerance, bigotry, greed, anger, insecurity, confusion, repression, hypocrisy and/or sleaze.

When a person or party screams “WE ARE THE MOST VIRTUOUS,” they are almost certainly not.

Remember the infamous homophobia study? The most avowed gay-hating test subjects were the ones most aroused by homosexual images! It’s the same principle.

Extreme or absolute rhetoric, whether religious or cultural or otherwise, has been used to manipulate people through the ages. And our current crop of “Christian Right” politicians have done a great job recently of revealing who they really are. Neither Christian nor right.

- JT Compton