Obama Administration

Tomgram: Chalmers Johnson, Baseless Expenditures | TomDispatch.com

Along with postcards of cowboys riding jackalopes and giant berries on flatcars, there's a brand new entry in the American gigantism sweepstakes: an embassy complex to be built in Islamabad, Pakistan, for -- if you assume the normal cost overruns on such projects -- what's likely to be close to a billion dollars. If that doesn't make the U.S. number one in the imperial hubris footrace for all eternity, what will? The question is: with its projected "large military and intelligence contingent," and its "surge" of diplomats, will that embassy also issue the largest visas on the planet?

Here's the strange thing: The embassy story was broken at the end of May by the superb journalists at McClatchy News (in this case, Warren P. Stroebel and Saeed Shah). As part of what Shah, in the Christian Science Monitor, estimates as a staggering "$2-billion-plus price tag on a revamped diplomatic presence for the United States in Afghanistan and Pakistan," they reported that an appropriation of $736 million for embassy construction had quietly made its way through both houses of Congress without a peep from anyone. This news, however, seemed to plunge off a steep cliff into a deep well of silence. Indicative as the Obama administration's decision to build such an imperial monstrosity may be of a longer-term commitment to a wider war in the Af-Pak (as in Afghanistan-Pakistan) theater of operations, it evidently proved of no interest to anyone here.

The story was not widely picked up or played up significantly. Despite the fact that major news operations have been bolstering their staffs in Pakistan, there has been no further reporting on the appropriation, the plans for the embassy, or what it all might mean. As far as I can tell, nowhere in the United States did a mainstream editorial page decry, challenge, or even discuss the development. Charlie Rose didn't gather experts to consider it, nor did the Newshour with Jim Lehrer seem to think it worth exploring. Letters of outrage at the thought of those desperately needed funds heading Islamabad-wards didn't pour into local newspapers (perhaps because few knew it was happening and those who did saw it as just another humdrum story about making the U.S. safer in a dangerous world). I've seen no obvious congressional attempts to oppose the passage of the money. The general attitude is evidently: Been there, done that (in Iraq, as a matter of fact, in the Bush years).

The Constitution Project is holding a panel "Congress vs. the President: The Scope and Limits of Congressional Oversight Powers" on July 16th. Details and RSVP here.

Is Barack Obama’s Realism Better than George W. Bush’s Idealism?
Ivan Eland | Independent Institute | June 29, 2009

Barack Obama’s reaction to the mass protests and violence in Iran shows he is following through on his pledge to be more like George H.W. Bush rather than his son, George W. Bush. Obama has admired the father’s realism and has criticized the idealistic neo-conservatism of the son. But is realism a better foreign policy for the United States?

The answer is a resounding “yes”! Obama has been reluctant to be goaded into meddling in the delicate situation in Iran by the likes of Republicans John McCain and Charles Grassley. They want him to harshly criticize the Iranian government, thus allowing it to portray the protesters as lackeys of an imperialist superpower. In contrast, realist Republicans—such as Henry Kissinger, Richard Lugar, Pat Buchanan, and George Will—have jumped to defend Obama’s cautious handling of the situation. George Will correctly pointed out that the Iranian protesters already know how the U.S. government feels about their government, even in the absence of inflammatory U.S. government pronouncements.

Obama has also demonstrated an orientation toward realism by stating publicly that the goal of transforming Iraq and Afghanistan into pro-Western democracies should no longer be the U.S. goal. George W. Bush was clearly committed to achieving this neo-conservative nirvana.

By Dafna Linzer, ProPublica

President Barack Obama gestures during his interview with The Associated Press, Thursday, July 2, 2009, in the West Wing of the White House in Washington. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo)

President Obama appeared to rule out issuing an executive order to establish indefinite detention Thursday, nearly a week after White House officials first acknowledged that it was an option.

In an interview with The Associated Press [1], Obama said that if he goes ahead with indefinite detentions for terrorism suspects that he would ask Congress to approve it by law.

"It is very important that the American people and Congress, in conjunction with my administration, come up with a structure that is not only legitimate in the eyes of our constitutional traditions, but also in the eyes of the international community," he said, according to the AP.

Last Friday, ProPublica and the Washington Post [2] wrote that the White House, facing difficulties in Congress over the closure of the prison facility at Guantanamo Bay were considering an executive order to hold suspects that may be too dangerous to release and too difficult to charge, according to three government officials.

Other news organizations, including the New York Times, also reported [3] that an executive order was under consideration. Administration officials told the Times that working with Congress did not necessarily mean passing legislation. Mr. Obama, they said, would consult with lawmakers even if he eventually decided to enact his system through executive order.

Several Congressional staff, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, told us that administration lawyers in recent weeks acknowledged in private discussions that they were considering an executive order.

Is Charlie Savage asking to be Dan Froomkined? I don't know, but read his latest.

Stand Against President Obama's Proposed Indefinite Detention Regime | Amnesty International

Recently, reports surfaced that President Obama is drafting an executive order that would authorize a regime of indefinite detention without charge. Indefinite detention without charge is one of the most egregious of all human rights violations and is a hallmark of dictatorships and authoritarian regimes the world over. A handful of White House lawyers are now attempting to erase a bedrock principle of American justice by the stroke of a pen, without even the fig leaf of congressional approval. There's a clear alternative, and that is standard American justice: either charge detainees and give them a fair trial in US federal court, or release them. We need you to help change President Obama's mind–he needs to hear that millions of Americans care enough about this issue to speak out. Send the email or—even better—use our sample letter to write your own.

Helen Thomas hits White House for lack of transparency
By David Edwards and Daniel Tencer | RawStory | Video

At the White House presser on Wednesday, several correspondents questioned the way the Oval Office selected questions from the public for today’s virtual town hall.

President Barack Obama answered pre-selected questions Wednesday afternoon about health care sent in from emails, Facebook and Twitter. CBS’ Chip Reid and columnist Helen Thomas thought this reflected a lack of transparency at the White House.

“It feels like the concept of a town hall, I think, is to have an open public forum. And this sounds like a very tightly controlled audience and list of questions. Why do it that way?” asked Reid.

White House press secretary Richard Gibbs deflected the question, but that only raised the ire of Helen Thomas, UPI’s veteran correspondent who has long been at the top of the White House press corps totem pole.

“We have never had that in the White House,” Thomas said, referring to the degree that press events are pre-scripted in the Obama administration. “I’m amazed, I’m amazed at you people who called for openness and transparency...” Read more.

Eric Mann will host "Voices from the Frontlines" discussion of the Obama administration's direction thus far: Change that was promised or a presidency in trouble? Guests: Bill Fletcher Jr. and David Swanson. Monday, July 6th, 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. PT (7:00 to 8:00 p.m. ET). Listen live at http://KPFK.org and later to the archived audio at http://www.thestrategycenter.org/radio

Payrolls Fall More Than Forecast, Unemployment Rises
By Shobhana Chandra | Bloomberg

Employers in the U.S. cut 467,000 jobs in June, the unemployment rate rose and hourly earnings stagnated, offering little evidence the Obama administration’s stimulus package is shoring up the labor market.

The payroll decline was more than forecast and followed a 322,000 drop in May, according to Labor Department figures released today in Washington. The jobless rate jumped to 9.5 percent, the highest since August 1983, from 9.4 percent.

Unemployment is projected to keep rising for the rest of the year just as the income boost from the stimulus package fades, undermining prospects for a sustained rebound in household purchases, analysts said. As companies from General Motors Corp. to Kimberly-Clark Corp. cut costs, the lack of jobs will limit any recovery.

“Payrolls will be going down the rest of the year and the unemployment rate will be rising,” John Silvia, chief economist at Wachovia Corp. in Charlotte, North Carolina, said before the report. “The challenge for the Obama administration is that we’ll have positive economic growth but still no job growth. It’s going to be tough on them.” Read more.

Fannie, Freddie to Refinance Larger Underwater Loans
By Dawn Kopecki | Bloomberg

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will begin refinancing mortgages with loan-to-value ratios of as much as 125 percent as the Obama administration seeks to boost participation in its anti-foreclosure programs.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan made the announcement in a statement today. Currently Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, through President Barack Obama’s Home Affordable program, can refinance mortgages they own or guarantee when the loan is worth as much as 105 percent of the home’s market value.

The continuing slide in home prices has pushed millions of Americans beyond that 105 percent loan-to-value ratio, limiting participation in Obama’s initiative. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have refinanced 80,000 loans under that program, which set out to help as many as 5 million people who may owe more than their homes are worth, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director James Lockhart said at a real estate conference on June 18.

The decision to change the allowable ratio is part of an effort to “adapt to an ever-changing housing market,” Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said in the HUD statement. “By expanding refinance eligibility, we can bring relief to more struggling homeowners more quickly.” Read more.

The Military Invades U.S. Schools: How Military Academies Are Being Used to Destroy Public Education
In Chicago, there's a push to replace public schools with military academies. This model may soon spread to the rest of the country.
By Brian Roa | TruthOut.org via Alternet

For the past four years, I have observed the military occupation of the high school where I teach science. Currently, Chicago's Senn High School houses Rickover Naval Academy (RNA). I use the term "occupation" because part of our building was taken away despite student, parent, teacher and community opposition to RNA's opening.

Senn students are made to feel like second-class citizens inside their own school, due to inequalities. The facilities and resources are better on the RNA side. RNA students are allowed to walk on the Senn side, while Senn students cannot walk on the RNA side. RNA "disenrolls" students and we accept those students who get kicked out if they live within our attendance boundaries. This practice is against Chicago policy, but goes unchecked. All of these things maintain a two-tiered system within the same school building.

This phenomenon is not restricted to Senn. Chicago has more military academies and more students in JROTC than any other city in the US. As the tentacles of school militarization reach beyond Chicago, the process used in this city seems to serve as a model of expansion. There was a Marine Academy planned for Georgia's Dekalb County, which includes 10 percent of Atlanta. Fortunately, due to protest, the school has been postponed until 2010. Despite it being postponed, it is still useful to analyze the rhetoric used to rationalize the Marine Academy. Many of the lies and excuses used to justify school militarization in Chicago and Georgia may well be used in other cities as militarism grows.

Not for Recruiting? Read more.

US Iraq Casualties rise to 72,351
Compiled by Michael Munk | www.MichaelMunk.com

US military occupation forces in Iraq under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered 41 combat casualties in the week ending June 30, 2009 as the official total rose to at least 72,351. The total includes 34,864 dead and wounded from what the Pentagon classifies as "hostile" causes and more than 37,487 dead and medically evacuated (last reported April 4, 2009) from "non-hostile" causes.*

The actual total is over 100,000 because the Pentagon chooses not to count as "Iraq casualties" the more than 30,000 veterans whose injuries-mainly brain trauma from explosions - were diagnosed only after they had left Iraq.**

Soros: Obama's Economic Policy Too Much Like Bush
Prominent Billionaire, Obama Backer George Soros Continues Criticism of President's Economic Policies; Says Won't Participate in Administration's Asset-Buying Program
By Alice Gomstyn | ABC NEWS Business Unit

One of President Barack Obama's most prominent Wall Street backers gives him high marks on just about everything except his approach to Wall Street.

Billionaire investor George Soros today said that Obama is "doing very well except in the recapitalization of banks and the reorganization of the mortgage market."

Soros, the chairman of Soros Fund Management, said he was pleased with the administration's handling of education, health care and global warming.

But, he said, "I'm afraid that it's too much continuity between the Obama administration and the Bush administration as far as the management of the financial system is concerned," Soros said this morning at a breakfast discussion hosted by the Wall Street Journal.

Soros also predicted that fears of inflation would drive up interest rates and "choke off" economic recovery. Read more.

The story does not say what role in the judges' decision was played by the past five months' revelation that the ads were packaging garbage.