Editorial Roundup: Excerpts From Recent Editorials
The Associated PressExcerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:
Jan. 31
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer on President Obama's State of the Union speech:
President Barack Obama often speaks to the need to change the tone of Washington. He did so again during last week's State of the Union speech. That is why it was so startling to see him commit a breach of both tone and etiquette during his annual address.
With six members of the Supreme Court seated before him on the floor of the House of Representatives, Obama pointedly criticized the court's recent decision on corporate campaign spending and urged Congress to revisit the issue. Democratic lawmakers and Cabinet members surrounding the justices stood and applauded vigorously.
The black-robed guests sat impassively — as they routinely do at this event — except for Justice Samuel Alito, who appeared to wince and mouth the words, "not true" when Obama described the ruling. ...
To almost literally finger the justices arrayed before him was simply — and uncharacteristically — ungracious. Yes, past presidents have criticized Supreme Court decisions during State of the Union speeches, but the event has become such a political pep rally that Obama put his guests in an impossible position. ...
On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/yerezw7
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Feb. 2
The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky., on Toyota's trials:
Auto manufacturers have long maintained that unintended acceleration is usually the fault of drivers who mistakenly step on the gas pedal instead of the brake. Not necessarily, as Toyota's extraordinary recent admissions and apologies indicate.
It would be unsettling enough if the company's problems with sticky accelerators had come to light suddenly. After all, the company has already recalled 4.2 million cars and trucks worldwide, additional recalls loom, and production and sales of eight popular models have been suspended. The manufacturing halt and the prospect of depressed sales are of special significance to Kentucky, since Toyota's largest production unit outside Japan is in Georgetown. That plant, with more than 6,800 employees, builds the Camry and Avalon, two of the most popular models affected by the accelerator issues.
But Toyota's problem is long-standing and, to a significant degree, self-inflicted. Auto safety activists have insisted since 2003 that some Toyota vehicles have sticky accelerators; the company acknowledges that it began receiving consumers' complaints about sticking gas pedals in Tundra pickups in March 2007; and European owners began reporting similar problems in December 2008. ...
Not all news on the automotive front, national and local, is bad, however. Ford, which has two large plants in Louisville, announced a surprising profit of $2.7 billion in 2009, its first in four years. Some of that figure results from deep cuts in Ford's work force and other painful cost reductions, but much of it also stems from smart technology and marketing that emphasized fuel efficiency and quality.
Ironically, Ford's CEO, Alan R. Mulally, has long been an admirer of Toyota and studied his rival's methods. Now his company may benefit from Toyota's missteps — ones that Ford and other auto makers should strive to avoid.
On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/yk6kany
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Jan. 29
The Charlotte Observer on Obama's jobs focus:
Any politician's speech will be a political speech, and President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Wednesday was — no surprise — political.
With an undertone reminiscent of a parent trying to hide his frustration with wayward offspring, the president kicked around Republicans, Democrats, the previous administration and even the Supreme Court. His aim appeared to be to tell Congress to get something done.
He's right to be frustrated, of course. Plenty of Americans are, too, whether they're frustrated because they don't like the health care reform proposal — or frustrated that the reform bill not only hasn't passed yet but has moved through Congress with the alacrity of a three-toed sloth.
Obama's a grown-up. He knows that the very nature of Congress is to squabble and be partisan. Yes, old Washington hands say things are more hostile now than in anyone's memory. But Obama is a smart enough man to realize that simply telling Congress to shape up isn't a wand that can turn a pumpkin into a royal carriage. We suspect he allowed himself to display that sliver of annoyance in order to convey to the American people that he shares their impatience and dismay. ...
No president can work economic miracles, and even experts disagree about what's the best strategy moving forward. Much of what needs to happen will involve that very same dysfunctional Congress. But of course, nobody promises any president that the job is easy. (That's why the perks are so nice.)
Yes, Obama's speech was comparatively spicy and may have succeeded at convincing some skeptical Americans that he really has felt their pain. The important part, of course, is what happens next.
On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/ykw23j4
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Feb. 1
The Miami Herald on Haiti, for the long run:
Over the decades, those who have sought to help Haiti win a better future have learned a bitter lesson: the road to failure is paved with good intentions and worthy plans. This time, for the sake of Haiti's nine million inhabitants, everyone must get it right.
Unfortunately, the Obama administration veered far off course, endangering the lives of hundreds of grievously injured earthquake victims when it halted U.S. military flights on Wednesday that were supposed to take patients to American hospitals, mostly in South Florida. ...
The governor's reasonable request became a pretext for the military to halt flights for the most severely injured victims. Washington officials added other excuses over the weekend, saying logistical challenges made it difficult to find U.S. airport runways capable of having large military planes land near trauma hospitals that were waiting to help. Pathetic. ...
In the coming weeks and months, we will examine Haiti's needs and the recovery effort in depth. Several areas will dominate the task of creating a new Haiti:
Governance. Haitians might balk at surrendering any measure of sovereignty, but some sort of international authority must have a strong say in guiding the aid effort and making decisions about where the money goes and avoiding corruption.
Orphans. Some one million children are orphaned or lost one parent. The government is right to call a halt to large-scale adoptions by foreigners at this moment, but ultimately these children will need homes, many outside of Haiti.
Diaspora. Haitians living abroad are some of the country's best and brightest. They want to help. Allowing them a say in the government of that country by permitting dual citizenship will ease the way.
Security. Partisan rancor seemed to have abated in the last year, but U.S. forces will be needed to keep order while there is a humanitarian crisis, and the pre-existing U.N. force will need reinforcements over the longer run.
Above all, Haiti needs a sustained effort. In the past, well-meaning countries and aid partners lost interest or just gave up far too soon. A few years is too short a time to fix all the things that are wrong.
On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/yl8kodq
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Feb. 1
San Diego Union-Tribune on gays and lesbians in the military:
President Barack Obama's State of the Union address had a retro feel to it when he broached a controversial subject that has been on the back burner for the last 16 years: gays and lesbians in the military. Obama wants to repeal the existing policy, known as "Don't ask, don't tell." He calls making the change "the right thing to do."
It is. And it's about time the country did right by gay and lesbian service members. The current policy ignores a basic inequity that is not cured by politically convenient half-measures that don't solve anything.
Speaking of politically convenient half-measures, it was in December 1993 that President Bill Clinton issued an executive order that established the current policy. The idea began as a compromise proposed by Clinton's defense secretary, Les Aspin, who opposed Clinton's campaign promise to drop the ban on gays and lesbians in the military. Aspin suggested prohibiting the military from asking recruits about their orientation and allowing gays and lesbians to serve in uniform, as long as they didn't declare their orientation or engage in homosexual behavior.
Problem solved? Well, not exactly. The compromise was heavy on pragmatism and light on principle. Clinton had gotten himself into a tight spot by making a promise that he had trouble keeping. This policy was intended to help him wiggle out. But, ultimately, the gay and lesbian communities weren't happy. ...
They should listen to Bill Mynatt of Knoxville, Tenn., who discussed the idea of repealing "don't ask, don't tell" last year while a senior at West Point. "I really don't think it's going to be that big of a deal," Mynatt told The New York Times. "There are gay soldiers serving and doing their jobs well, and it's not going to change."
On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/yd7h59t
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Feb. 1
New York Times on the not-so-safe euro zone:
The euro is facing the most serious crisis in its 11-year history. Greece, one of 16 European Union members that uses the currency, must raise $76 billion this year — more than $50 billion of it before June 30 — or default. A default would threaten the euro's global credibility, scare investors away from other struggling European economies and likely reverse Europe's fragile recovery.
Despite those very real dangers, Europe's richer nations — most loudly Germany — have been acting as if this is someone else's problem. Last week, the French newspaper Le Monde reported that Germany and France had begun contingency planning for possible financial assistance. Both governments denied it. We hope the report turns out to be true. Failing to develop a plan to step in if needed would be incredibly shortsighted.
The euro is wondrously convenient for travelers and international businesses. There's one catch: Fiscal discipline is up to each participating country, and Greece has been anything but disciplined. It is running a deficit of nearly 13 percent of total output, more than four times the nominal limit for countries using the euro. Its national debt is almost double the permitted limit. With its credit rating sharply downgraded, Greece must pay a stiff premium to finance that deficit. ...
Nor should the entire burden fall on Greece — one of the European Union's smaller and poorer economies. Any bailout must be accompanied by greater restraints on the fiscal sovereignty that Athens so egregiously abused. Letting Greece fail would be a disaster for all of Europe.
On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/ydh5cna
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Feb. 1
The Dallas Morning News on terrorism trial plan:
As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama made no secret of his plan to begin civilian trials of terrorism suspects and halt the U.S. military's closed-tribunal form of justice at Guantanamo. This newspaper made no secret of its support for such a plan.
We assumed, of course, that the Obama administration actually had a plan. The administration's behavior in recent months suggests that it decided on a new course and started making bold announcements without actually thinking through the mechanics and consequences of these decisions. A perfect example is Attorney General Eric Holder's November announcement of Manhattan as the venue for the high-profile trial of accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
Now that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is balking at the potential expense and upheaval, the Justice Department is looking for new venues. Holder isn't the only one embarrassed by this reversal; Bloomberg initially applauded a New York trial so justice could be administered at the scene of the crime.
The first signs of trouble emerged in early December when Bloomberg's office and New York's police commissioner, Raymond Kelly, complained that they were not consulted before Holder made his announcement. That suggests a shocking lack of foresight and preparation by Obama's justice team, especially considering the high stakes of this trial. Obama's waffling about shutting down Guantanamo only adds to the air of indecisiveness. ...
In the courtroom, judges justifiably come down hard on ill-prepared lawyers. In the court of public opinion, the administration has earned a strong rebuke for its seat-of-the-pants leadership on Guantanamo and civilian terrorism trials.
On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/ybj6slr
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Feb. 2
The Arizona Republic on the Obama administration's dealings with terror suspects:
Have they really thought this through?
It is a question that comes up with troubling consistency regarding the Obama administration and its dealings with terror suspects. From confusion about where to put Guantanamo Bay detainees, to the odd, bizarrely rash, decision to "Mirandize" the Christmas Day "underpants" bombing suspect after just 50 minutes of "interrogation."
Now, the decision by Attorney General Eric Holder to hold the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, in Manhattan appears to have fallen apart. White House officials have not officially ruled out a trial in Lower Manhattan for Mohammed and his four associates, but the expressed opposition of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others seems to have scotched the plan.
The enormous local backlash against the plan strongly suggests Holder, et al, did not, in fact, think the decision through.
The cost of added security at the Manhattan location — an estimated $216 million for the first year alone — really did not do justice to the impact of holding the trial in one of the most congested urban centers in the country. It would have tied the place in knots.
President Barack Obama has made it his crusade to quickly reverse Bush administration terror policies.
Which is his prerogative, certainly. But even crusades require a modicum of foresight and planning. The plan to try Mohammed in civilian court could benefit with a bit of that.
On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/yeg9g2n
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Jan. 31
The Jerusalem Post, on China:
The People's Republic of China reacted to Washington's announcement on Friday that it will sell defensive weapons to Taiwan worth $6.4 billion with customary bluster. The Foreign Ministry protested to Jon Huntsman, the American ambassador, and announced that a range of military and economic programs between the two countries would be placed in abeyance.
China is never happy when weapons are sold to Taiwan, but this time Beijing threatened to boycott American companies, including Boeing and Raytheon, involved in the deal.
Since its 1949 civil war and the Communist takeover of the mainland, China has regarded Taiwan as a breakaway island. Beijing asserts that the arms sale "seriously endangers China's national security." ...
Diplomatically, as a permanent Security Council member, China can invariably be counted on to vote the interests of the Arab and Muslim bloc. Plainly, the Israel-China relationship is strategically important, but Beijing's insensitivity to core Israeli concerns does not fail to disappoint.
Is it not absurd that China feels threatened because the US is selling Taiwan weapons that pose no threat to mainland security, while it shamelessly blocks international pressure aimed at keeping the atomic bomb away from Muslim fanatics?
On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/yejkwk7
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Feb. 1
The Globe and Mail, Toronto, on Iraq:
Of the past decade's political mysteries, none is deeper or of greater consequence than the set of decisions that led to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. On Friday, former British prime minister Tony Blair testified at the Iraq Inquiry, a commission set up by the British government to find out how that country went to war, and how the war was run. Given what we know, and what we still need to find out, it is more essential than ever that the U.S. conduct its own full examination of its involvement in Iraq.
The Iraq Inquiry, in its words, aims to "provide a reliable account of events that will help identify lessons to guide future foreign policy decision-making and decisions regarding conflict and post-conflict situations." The members include historians, former civil servants and an independent member of the House of Lords. ...
Mr. Blair's conviction, seriousness of purpose and, compared with George W. Bush, curiosity about the facts, are not in doubt. But the flimsiness of the case presented for the war — to rid Saddam Hussein of WMDs — is not in doubt any more, either. The inquiry showcased a terrible decision-making process in the war's run-up, exposing fissures between Britain and the U.S.
Mr. Blair was not aware of an assessment by a U.S. general that 500,000 troops would be required to effectively occupy Iraq. The coalition had not planned for the obvious, such as a destabilizing role for Iran in a post-Saddam Iraq. Mr. Blair opposed, at least in retrospect, the de-Baathification of Iraq's major institutions.
On these points, and on the torqued intelligence regarding WMDs, the U.S. has yet to have its own process of fact-finding. Failures of intelligence-gathering and decision-making that led to the Sept. 11 attacks prompted a U.S. commission of inquiry. But the Iraq conflict, one that took far more lives due to active decisions by the U.S. government, has been lacking in sunlight; the best source for those seeking the truth are Bob Woodward's books. It is time for a proper, complete accounting in Washington.
On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/y8ofdz2
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Jan. 24
The Australian, on what Obama offers American voters:
Barack Obama is the orator of our age. The U.S. president ended yesterday's State of the Union address with an appeal to idealism that was heard in absolute silence as the legislators endorsed his bipartisan belief in America's future.
But for most of the speech the president played politics of a kind that only a master speechmaker would dare do — he presented himself as an outsider. He attacked the way Wall Street prospers while main street struggles and he denounced the Washington elite, especially in the Senate for sticking to politics as usual, warning voters were losing faith in government. And the only way for politicians to regain the electorate's trust, he warned, was to support his program.
Time and again Mr. Obama referred to bills held up in the Senate — neglecting to mention that while the Democrats last week lost the majority they need to guillotine legislation through the chamber, they still outnumber the Republicans there. In presenting himself as the friend of the people, in opposition to the political professionals, Mr Obama sought to appeal to the idealism that helped him win the presidency. And in arguing he was not responsible for the recession and financial crisis, that he inherited trillions of dollars in debt, he clung to the mantle of the outsider. ...
But while Mr Obama presented himself as the heir to the Frank Capra character who enters congress to fight the establishment in the famous film Mr Smith Goes to Washington, this was a carefully calibrated speech intended to maintain the President's credibility as a reformer who would govern for all Americans. ...
For all his talk of making tough decisions for a brighter future yesterday, Mr Obama looked no further than the midterm elections in November.
On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/yeal78k
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Feb. 3
Khaleej (Dubai) Times on the situation in the Gulf:
The more things change in the Middle East, the more they seem to remain the same. As if tensions in the world's most volatile region weren't high enough, the United States has decided to "upgrade" its military presence in the Gulf.
Washington is deploying new defenses against possible Iranian missile attacks by placing battle ships off the Iranian coast and anti-missile systems in at least four Gulf countries.
It goes without saying that the ostensible provocation and justification for the US moves is the increasingly hawkish posturing and rhetoric of the Iranian regime and the apparent threat potential to America's allies in the region. However, you do not have to be a genius to know that the real reason behind the US actions against Iran is Israeli pressure on the Obama administration. ...
The anti-war president is ending up pouring in billions of dollars to bring the latest in military hardware and fearsome weapons to a region that is already too hot for comfort. Who cares if it sparks another arms race in the Middle East, which already has enough weapons to blow it up several times over? A region that is extremely backward despite its riches and oil billions.
This is a huge victory for the powerful military establishment in the US and lobbies and special interests that President Obama promised to fight soon after walking into the White House. More important, this is a victory of Israel and its powerful friends in the U.S. When Obama took over, Palestinians and Arabs had hoped and dreamt of finally getting justice. It seems that dream is already over. Instead of falling in line and giving Palestinians what little remains of their land, Israel is making Obama dance to its tunes.
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On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/ydg8k2l