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Haim Saban: The Savior of the Middle East?

February 15th 2010 06:53
Haim Saban is an interesting character. He built his fortune in Media and has thereafter channeled his considerable fortune for causes he believes in. His focus is Israel. He believes in Israel and works to promote Israel every which way he can. That's commendable. But, his posturing to be an honest broker leaves a bit to be desired.

In a very insightful posting by the Al Jazeera's Marwan Bishrawa, there was a very detailed expose about Saban. The Middle East Center he helped found and underwrites at Brookings is positioning itself as an honest broker and a bridge with the Muslim Community. The problem is that the principal backer is someone who is a chief backer for Extreme Right-Wing Israeli Causes. The current director, Ken Pollack, was one of the guys who was among the cheerleaders for the fiasco that is commonly known as the Iraq War. Pollack fashions himself as a Middle East Analyst and is totally clueless about the realities on the ground in the Arab World. I have to wonder why does such a man have so much influence over the conduct of U.S. Foreign Policy in the MIddle East?


The key statement that Bisharwa noted was this: "..Imagine a Saudi-Financed, Pro Hamas Think Tank running U.S. Jewish Dialogue...". If that was in fact the case, one has to wonder what the reaction of the die-hard Israeli right-wingers will be to this while the rhetoric against Iran continues to heat up and while the Middle East continues to be in turmoil in large measure due to the inflexible posturing going on.

Secretary Clinton is in the Middle East right now drumming up support to counter Iran. General Jones also came out with the ultimate objective of regime change in Iran. The pathetic nature of the regime in Iran is something that I have commented on extensively here and in KP's sister site, Outsider Views. But, what I worry about is whether such public pronouncements are clouded by such pro-Israeli think tanks such as the Saban Center.


Saban has a right to do whatever he wants with his money. But, it should not be in a position to infuence policy to the extent that it has because his position as an honest broker is suspect at best. I have to wonder if State Department Policy Makers understand that.

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KP Week-End Notes: The Economic Green Shots

October 4th 2009 23:59
The so-called Economic Green Shots I have written on here and in KP's sister site, Outsider views, has been an interesting debate over the last number of weeks. I was shocked when I saw the very dismal job reports this part Friday. It prompted discussions throughout the US Sunday Talk Shows by Pundits.

There is growth in the economy. But, the so-called "jobless" recovery is in full swing. What I found shocking was what happened in Las Vegas. MGM's City Center is finally going to open. This was very much a symbol of the excesses of the past decade. When things began to fall apart, so did the viability of the City Center. MGM will be employing 12,000 people at this mega-complex. But, over 160,000 people applied for positions. Although it is true that there are over 2,000,000 jobs open in the United States right now, the fact is that employers are very nervous and will not take the plunge no matter what the circumstances may be.

This is the week that saw the US Auto Industry showed how near the edge of the cliff it is. The Industry stopped its' recovery in its' tracks!!! GM and Chrysler suffered over a 40 percent loss in their sales. But the challenges are just not limited to US Automakers. The President of Toyota warned of profound changes in his organizations because he noted that the survival of the organization was at stake.

As the suffering on main street goes on, the Govenrment's stimulus plan continues to be attacked on all fronts. Supposedly, according to some of the statistics, 60% of the stimulus is yet to be spent. The attacks I have seen have been especially brutal becuase of the immense amount of debt. But, such naysayers and pessmists forget that there is a demand deficit in the country. The banks have not picked up the demand, yet. When they pick it all up remains to be seen. The money is starting to trickle in. I was monitoring a project in Laguna Beach Calfornia for ProPublica.Org. I finally saw the sign going up that they will begin the project. It is a project to resufarce the section of Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, Cailfornia to the tune of 3,000,000 Dollars. The monies that have come in have helped to save jobs for teachers, police officers and firefighters.

Although itt could have been a lot worst, jobs are not being created enough. I observed a man on the corner of a major intersection in Laguna Niguel California holding up a sign "I want a job". I wanted to walk up to him to talk to him about. I just could not bring myself to talking to him. Such "green shots" seem not to get to this young man who is desparate enough to stand on a street corner and hold up a sign wanting a job. There needs to be a better way for all who want a job, are able to get them. That is not happening right now.

The honeymoon is now over for President Obama. This Saturday Night Skit was not too far off the mark: Really Long Link But, I think that the Republicans have a lot of work to do to convince the country that they can be responsbile stewards after having done so much to push the country to the edge of the abyss. I think that Governor Crist of Flordia is a bit premature when he declared that President Obama will suffer a Carter-esque defeat. I also continue to be entertained by all those conservative entertainers who continue to go after the President everyday. What the economy has shown is the continue need for bold action. Failure is truly not an option. The country owes the young man in Laguna Niguel and all those men and women the chance to make a better life.

No one wants a handout. They just want an opportunity



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Healthcare Reform's Road to Nowhere

July 28th 2009 06:58
Clive Cook of the Financial Times column on the State of the Healthcare debate in America is fascinating reading. It is quite an indicement of the way the Democrats have conducted the debate over healthcare reform in the United States. The Democrats have bascially worked to essentially destroy themselves. Mitch McConnell was right when he noted that the Democrats cannot even sell it to their own members. If they can't sell it to their own members, how can they be expected to bring on Republicans?

The Republicans, it seems, are on track to once again block meaningful healthcare reform. The only people who seem to be winning the battle are the insurance companies. The people on main street seem to be lost in the shuffle. Where is the courage to do the right thing? Where is the courage to forgo some of the sense of "creative destruction" and figure out a better way? What is the answer to those who have no healthcare coverage or are in danger of losing it now?

Congress is keen to go on their summer break. While they are on their break, about half-a-million people will continue to lose their healthcare coverage. There was one bit of good news,though. The Congressional Budget Office came out with a study that noted that the Public Option currently being talked about in the Congress will not be what the Republicans have been saying it will become. At least the fantasy which was perpetuated by the Lewin Group (a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Care Group), was debunked in a major way. Whether this makes a difference or not is yet to be realized.
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KP Week-End: Healthcare Reform (An Update)

July 26th 2009 06:22
The healthcare debate in the U.S. raged on this past week. I did a write-up on it earlier in KP's sister site, Outsider Views. I found disturbing developments this week when "Bull Dog" Democrats walked out of a meeting in the House. I also was disappointed that Orin Hatch walked away from Negotations in the Senate as well. It appears that the U.S. Senate could not figure out how to make a bill happen. The U.S. Senate HELP committee did pass a bill. But, as Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC & Huffpost noted in a commentary on MSNBC's Countdown, it won't go anywhere.

What is sad and pathetic in this whole exercise is that while such manuvering was going in Washington, this past week saw close to an estimated 70,000 people lose their healthcare coverage. Insurance companies and hospitals will continue to wield enormous power while the people of "main street" continue to suffer and wonder what will happen when they get sick. Although politics is truly about the art of the possible, when will U.S. Senators truly wake up and realize how dire the situation is for the ordinary folks on the street


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Congressman King's Rampage: Oh Well!....

July 7th 2009 05:50
Peter King is a US Congressman from the State of New York. He is a conservative. He was one of those guys who has been, among other things, advocating being "tough" on Iran and is a law and order guy. He also came out swinging against Muslims by advocating the need for Homeland Security to target mosques:


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Mr. Franken Goes to Washington (Finally!!!)

July 3rd 2009 22:40


In an Outsider Views Newsflash, I wrote about the finality of the U.S. State of Minnesota's Senate race. Now, the people of Minnesota will finally have the full slate of representation that they are due to have. Mr. Franken will be sworn in on Tuesday


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Healthcare: Personal Stories

July 2nd 2009 05:34
As the debate over healthcare rages on, the central question that politicans in Washington have not answered is whether healthcare is a right or a privilege. The Republicans and their proxies seem to want to insure that any healthcare reform is derailed. under the guise of "choice". I wonder what would those who oppose healthcare reform will respond to this lady's predicament:


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The Illusion of "Green Shots"

June 28th 2009 00:50


This has been a week whereby the world has been reminded that the economic winter we've been faced with is at an end. Yet, there are still many worries that continue to be out there. There were two particular developments that bodes ill to the long-term economic health of the country. The first one is a study done whereby it was reported that Corporate Executives have been cashing out of their options at a faster pace. The second one was a report by Hagel & Seely Brown of the Deloitte Center for the Edge noting that the return on assets at Us Corporations has fallen from 4 percent to 1 percent. There is of course the upward pressure on Oil and commodities. The average per gallon of gas has risen by about 45%. All of these are elements of the true "perfect" storm. The world continues to act in unisom. But, there fundemental structural challenges still remain.
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Pakistan: Is Imran Khan Right?

June 26th 2009 06:49
Asif Ali Zardari has told the world that he would defeat the Taliban. Yet, Imran Khan tells a very different and chilling story:


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The Struggle for California: Where Things Stand

June 25th 2009 20:57
California has been known as the "Golden State". It is the 8th largest economy in the world. It has been at the forefront of change for over 100 years. Yet, that image has been shattered. The struggle for California's future has now reached a climax as the State struggles to fix a 24 Billion Dollar budget shortfall.

Every City in California is facing a budget shortfall. The City of Laguna Beach went through cutbacks by elminiating four vacant positions, eliminating a police officer and dipping into the reserves. The Orange County Sheriff's Department's budget by approximately 28 Million Dollars. Other cities continue to struggle with either bankrupcy or simply to go through a de-incorporation process whereby they stop having to worry about paying salaries, retirement benefits and other services


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Waxman-Markey & the Republicans

June 24th 2009 09:00
Waxman-Markey has begun making inroads through the Congress. It is an attempt to transform how America steps up to stop contributing to Global Warming. The Republicans have begun a concerted effort to undermine it. Newt Ginrigch has been at the forefront, spending an apparent 250,000 Dollars on an ad campaign to tell its' "side".

Democracy is about debate. But as this struggle continues, I wonder what would tell the residents of Tovalu who are in danger of not having a country anymore due to the rise in Sea Levels. I realize that some may say that it is "faith". But, doing nothing is even worst. The question that the "junk science" proponents seem to not to want to answer is this: why do they object to undertaking actions that will help to turn things around?
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Healthcare: When will the lunancy stop?

June 17th 2009 06:52
Today truly convinced me that the RNC (The Rush/Newt/Cheney Crowd & the Amen cababel around them) is truly out of touch with what is going on with real people today. I was listening to the insurance executives telling Congress that they are great and do the right thing. Yet, someone I knowt sent word that her daughter is suffering from Brain Cancer. When I saw him late yesterday and inquired about her daughter's health, he told me that it took nine months for the HMO to approve an MRI. Now, the HMO is pushing towards having a Surgeon do the surgery that has not done it for at least a year. I urged him to write to the White House because the White House has to hear such stories.

As I listened to him, my stomach turned. I know this story is one of millions that I am sure the White House has also heard. This is just one example of how truly out of touch Mr. McConnell and the Republicans are in realizing the true plight of people. Mr. McConnell said that if Mr. Obama "gets away" with this public option, then we will have rationing and will give up on the "best" healthcare in the world. Mr. McConnell needs to realize that there is rationing now. Mr. McConnell also undestands that if he sneezes, he will have access to the best healthcare in the world. The question is if it is good enough for him, how come the rest of the people should not have the right to take advantage of at least something similar


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The Storms Ahead

June 16th 2009 08:45

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Will the Republicans Listen?

June 14th 2009 21:16
The debate within Republicans is continuing. The Republicans will emerge stronger, if they listen to the voice of reason shown by guys like Joe Scaraborough and Mike Murphy:

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