Break It Down!: May 2011

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Barack, Benjamin, and the Borders

It's time to Break It Down!

Last week, President Obama gave a speech at the State Department to explain U.S. policy on the Middle East. In the process of delineating America’s stance on issues critical to diplomatic relations in the region, Mr. Obama ran head-long into a freight train of opposition in the person of BenjaminNetanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister.

Interestingly, Mr. Obama’s position has been a mutually agreed upon central tenant in the effort to negotiate an Israeli-Palestinian Peace Accord for decades. Moreover, at least in part, the President’s motivation to introduce the 1967 Borders into the current conversation was a strategic decision. There is a movement afoot led by a host of Latin American, Asian, and European countries to frame a United Nations (U.N.) resolution to recognize an independent PalestinianState.

Mr. Obama hoped to incentivize

Israel

to kick-start a resumption of peace talks prior that anticipated September U.N. meeting and Resolution. Even though Mr. Obama affirmed the U.S. will oppose that Resolution, he desire is to avoid the growing movement to isolate

Israel

because most of the nations proposing or supporting the pending Resolution are weary from the lack of a viable peace process, and view the Israelis as integral to the delay.

In a perfect storm-like conundrum, President Obama’s good intentions were instantly overshadowed by intense and vocal opposition. He was attacked, not only by Prime Minister Netanyahu, but by his Republican opponents, by a number of members of his own Democratic Party, and by Palestinians who felt, despite Mr. Netanyahu’s displeasure, the President failed, among other things, to express support for returning the eastern section of Jerusalem to Jordan. The media for its part has appeared to revel in, if not overhype the apparent discord.

Why apparent? Because even though President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu have never been viewed as close personal friends, they both have downplayed the notion that the current disagreement threatens the U.S.-Israeli alliance, which has long been considered sacrosanct by citizens and political figures alike in both countries. Alternately, in the 24-Hours news cycle, there is always a temptation, perhaps even a trend to leverage every encounter as a potential mega-story; the kind that stays around for days, if not weeks.

Occasionally stories appear to take a life of their own, without any discernable catalyst or foundation. Without the necessary context, the 1967Borders issue may seem to have materialized out of thin air. If you are younger than age 45, perhaps missed class the day the 6-Day War was discussed. If older than 55, you may need a dose of Ginkgo Biloba to enhance your memory.

A CliffsNotes version of the War goes something like this:

What? The 6-Day War

When? June 5-10, 1967

Where? Loosely, the Middle East

Who? The United Arab Republic (UAR/now Egypt), Jordan, Syria, and Israel

Why? That depends on ones point of view. What happened was…the altercation was initiated by a large-scale surprise air strike by Israel. The results were as decisive as they were swift. In short order, Israel took control of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from the UAR, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. Opinions are divided on whether the operation was an act of aggression or a pre-emptive strike. You can figure which position is held by whom.

That brings us full circle, back to the sensitivity surrounding the issue of the so-called 1967 Borders. Mr. Netanyahu’s position is that the borders that existed in 1967 did not allow

Israel

to protect itself from neighbors who not only surrounded them, but who wanted to annihilate the State of Israel; clearly an untenable option. The premise behind the 6-Day War was it was necessary to act before its neighbors did.

Mr. Obama spoke to more than 10,000 members of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee(AIPAC), the nation’s largest pro-Israel lobbying group, Sunday, and discussed his remarks. There he reiterated his and America’s unwavering support for Israel, and also underscored that part of his comments, “mutually agreed upon swaps,” kept getting left out of all the stem-winding opposition comments to his stance and policy position. Moreover, he reminded those assembled that the 1967 Borders have long been the official position of those engaged in the peace talks, when negotiations have actually been actively engaged. The AIPAC seemed to get it.

Fast forward to yesterday; Mr. Netanyahu goes to Congress.

Israel

is one of 5 nations that have had one of its officials address a joint meeting of Congress on 6 or more occasions:

France – 8

Great Britain – 8

Israel – 7

Italy – 6

Mexico- 6

In a virtual love fest, the Prime Minister spoke for about 55 minutes in a speech that was interrupted 28 times for applause; or slightly more than once every couple of minutes. It was almost as though the Chamber wanted to make up for all those adoring crowds that swooned over President Obama a couple of years ago in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Remember how much so many politicians and journalists moaned about Barack, the Celebrity-in-Chief? The reality is they were extending a reasonable courtesy…just as Mr. Obama received. Now, run tell that! Further, in full disclosure, security did remove one female heckler who also interrupted the speech. However, on balance, AIPAC security removed one heckler from the Prime Minister’s Monday night speech.

Mr. Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel has no better friend than America, and assured the assembly that America has no better friend than

Israel

. He lauded the President for getting bin Laden, a respectful gesture some American Solons have been unable to execute thus far, and reminded attendees, and his television audience, that America does not need to nation build in Israel (“We’re already built), America does not need to export democracy to Israel (“We’ve already got it”), and America does not need to send troops to defend Israel (“We defend ourselves”). He did note that America has been generous in providing

Israel

the tools (Translation = weaponry) needed to enable Israelis to defend themselves. He then thanked Congress and President Obama for their commitment to Israel’s security.

In general, Mr. Netanyahu drew a word picture that delineated the distinction between the instability among Arab nations in the region, and the anchor that is Israel. As expected, some of the loudest and most prolonged applause was heard when the Prime Minister defiantly noted that

Israel

would not again be relegated to the 1967 Borders. He recalled that

Israel

rose from the ashes of the Holocaust, and added, “When we say never again, we mean, never again. Israel reserves the right to defend itself.”

As for his proposed prescription for peace, called for Palestinian President Abbas to utter six words: “I will accept a Jewish state,” words he says he has already told the people of Israel, in relation to a Palestinian State. He outlined what he considered key principles to a negotiated peace:

A Palestinian State big enough to be viable, independent and prosperous

Some current Jewish settlements would end up beyond Israel’s borders

The majority of Israelis live in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and their suburbs; this area should be within Israel’s borders

Jerusalem must remain the united Capital of Israel

Those four points contain the rudiments of issues that have been, and will be the subject of great debate. However, the two countervailingpoints that are sure to make for some of the thorniest moments of future negotiations are these:

· It is absolutely vital for

Israel

’s security that a Palestinian state be fully demilitarized

· It is vital that Israel maintain a long-term military presence along the Jordan River (to protect the peace…and to protect Israel, in the event the peace evaporates)

In the fast-paced world of deal, or no deal, that sounds somewhere between requiring a hard sell, and, facing the fact that just ain’t happenin’. But, I don’t get paid to negotiate, or to prognosticate. However, were I a cynic, I could see some logic for the argument that posits, at the end of the day, Mr. Netanyahu is totally uninterested in negotiating and adopting a Peace Pact. If such is the case, the idea that “Barack, Benjamin, and the Borders,” is a stalemate really does hold currency.

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:

http://punditpress.blogspot.com/2011/05/obama-speech-on-middle-east-transcript.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M_CA0orW08

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNnHArM2P9s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLpYQZOn8KM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56RPPmgqqro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP_reb0ZUAk

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/may/24/obama-netanyahu-1967-border

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/05/19/moment-opportunity-president-obama-middle-east-north-africa

http://m.philly.com/phillycom/db_41078/contentdetail.htm;jsessionid=4A1175667CDBF3A098FCC98D75700888?contentguid=GgLs28lw&detailindex=0&pn=0&ps=10&full=true

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Netanyahu

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine_Liberation_Organization

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatah%E2%80%93Hamas_conflict

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli%E2%80%93Palestinian_conflict

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/may/24/obama-netanyahu-1967-border

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Abbas

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/05/22/v-print/114548/obama-repeats-call-for-israels.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Day_War

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginkgo_biloba

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Arab_Republic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-focus-on-us-israel-bonds-after-seeking-to-jolt-peace-process-clashing-with-netanyahu/2011/05/22/AFbXS28G_story.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Israel_Public_Affairs_Committee

http://news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20110522/wl_atlantic/obamamaintainspositionoffersassuranceaipac38019_1

http://www.virtualjerusalem.com/news.php?Itemid=3665

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

"The Food Stamp President"

It's time to Break It Down!

“President Obama is the most successful Food Stamp President in American History” – So saith NewtGingrich, during his 2012 Presidential Campaign Kick-off at the Georgia Republican Party Annual Convention in Macon Georgia, May 13, 2011.

Newt Gingrich is famous, or infamous if you prefer, for crafting & turning the quintessential catch phrase. So it is no surprise that his FoodStamp quote is not his only, or even his most recent stroke of profundity and verbalized genius. After all, that was way back on Friday. On Sunday, May 15^th, the GOP savant, speaking to NBC Meet the Press interviewer, David Gregory, characterized Paul Ryan’s Medicare proposal as Right-Wing Social Engineering. Ryan, the Wisconsin Congressman who has been accorded near cult hero status among GOP-TParty circles for his widely acclaimed bold budgetary initiative was not amused. He noted that his proposal was not radical, and wondered why Gingrich was joining Democratic critics attacking the GOP Budget Plan.

In classic SMH (Scratch My Head) fashion, Ryan quipped, during an interview on Laura Ingraham’s radio show, "With allies like that, who needs the left?"

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/16/rep-ryan-fires-gingrich-medicare-plan-criticism/#ixzz1Mez2Ddbh

So sage and wily Newt skewers Obama, and sucker punches Ryan, all within 48 hours after announcing his candidacy for President. While that may sound like an auspicious start for just about anyone else, no one else is Newt.

To put a cherry on top of the ice cream sundae, so to speak, Mr. Gingrich weighed-in with his unique GOP-T Party anti-establishmentarianism by invoking an Obamaesque declaration that surprised a number of detractors and surely dismayed hordes of supporters. In the same Meet the Press interview cited earlier, he told David Gregory he believes that all Americans should purchase health insurance. Translation; Mr. Gingrich admitted he supports the highly controversial, especially among conservatives, insurance mandate that Republicans, except perhaps Mitt Romney, have made so much noise roundly repudiating.

In taking the high level view of the Food Stamp President question, it is important to make note of certain specific and important details. Let’s start with the name of the program. The proper title is Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. That has been the case since 1998, which to be clear, dates all the way back to the time Mr. Gingrich was in Congress. That means the then Congressman was directly involved with vetting and approving the new name.

With that stipulation, it is clear Mr. Gingrich’s choice to use the term Food Stamp President in connection with Mr. Obama was not accidental, or due to lack of knowledge, but a purposeful tactic. Some have defaulted to the position of accusing Candidate Gingrich of racism; a charge he vigorously denies. In fact, not only does he deny it, he aggressively attacks those who would suggest such a thing.

Having taken an historical look at the Gingrich School of Political Thought, I am going to surprise some regular readers of this space. I submit, to refer to Newt as a racist is unfair. In fact, it understates the pernicious nature of what is best described as an attack strategy. To view the practices as a function of racism fails to do justice to the nuanced and wide-ranging modes used to denounce, denigrate, malign and otherwise cast aspersions on political opponents. During the period that most observers suppose will always be thought of as his heyday, Mr. Gingrich crafted a memo (in 1994) entitled, “Language: A Key Mechanism ofControl.”

The objectives of the memo appear to be three-fold:

Create and apply the most negative descriptive monikers possible to political opponents and their proposals
Contrast that by assigning the most positive descriptors possible to political allies and their positions
Repeat both processes as often as possible, especially in the media

Hence, Newt describes Mr. Obama as the most successful Food Stamp President ever, and counters that with the assertion he would be the most successful Pay Check President ever. This snarky device, is obviously not new, but does explain a lot. Gingrich has, at various times, attacked President Obama by calling him:

Food Stamp President

Kenyan anti-colonial con man

Socialist

The new Jimmy Carter

A man with a less robust resume than Sarah Palin

Willfully blind

A President who refuses to retaliate against enemies who attack America

A President who smiled and shook hands with Hugo Chavez

A President who is creating a dictatorship

The most radical President in American History

The list above does not profess to comprise the Top 10 screeds or attacks Mr. Gingrich has hurled at President Obama, rather, just an interesting recitation of 10 examples of him exercising the philosophy encapsulated in the Polemic, “Language: A Key Mechanism of Control.” And just think, nine of those acerbic insults were made (some repeatedly) before Mr. Gingrich announced his candidacy for the office President Obama holds.

Get used to it. I am sure “The Food Stamp President” has come to terms with both the message and the messenger. Of course, one, apparently non-essential (in his perspective) detail excluded from Mr. Gingrich’s characterization is, Mr. Obama has presided over a nation embroiled in the most trenchant economic downturn since the Great Depression. So just maybe, there is a justifiable reason for there to be more Americans receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program than at any point in our country’s history. Alas, why allow a good insult to be tempered by the facts?

I’m done; holla back!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt_Gingrich

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gingrich-promises-to-slash-taxes-calls-obama-food-stamp-president/2011/05/13/AF9Q602G_story.html?nl_headlines

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-WfXCDhWsA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF-admCcqP8

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110514/NEWS90/110519784/-1/NEWS

http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20110514/cm_huffpost/861977

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/05/14/gingrich-was-big-spender/

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1103349

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/13/gingrich-predicts-2012-win-over-obamas-chicago-style-presidency/

http://carloz.newsvine.com/_news/2011/05/14/6644962-gingrich-one-of-congress-biggest-spenders-calls-obama-a-food-stamp-president

http://politicore.wordpress.com/2011/05/14/flashback-as-gingrich-calls-obama-a-%E2%80%98food-stamp-president%E2%80%99-he-was-one-of-biggest-spenders-in-congress/

http://politics.rawsignal.com/news/Story.aspx?mode=0&id=13518480&aId=3654667&d=110514

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/16/gingrich-calls-gop-medicare-plan-right-wing-social-engineering/

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2720484/posts

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/15/newt-gingrich-paul-ryan-medicare_n_862133.html

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/05/newt-gingrich-blasts-gop-budget-as-right-wing-social-engineering.php

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703509104576325350084379360.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CYsCr95ysY

http://www.massdevice.com/news/gingrich-gops-medicare-plan-right-wing-social-engineering

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsHw92j9P0Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNNFcIRzyZg

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/gingrich-supports-variation-obamacare-ty

http://southernnationalist.com/blog/2011/05/16/gingrich-supports-obama-style-health-insurance-mandate/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4NrECZ9a2U

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gregory_(journalist)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Ingraham

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitt_Romney

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1276

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpG-F2cmXlQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESG9IrOjX7c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXq_t3LR170&feature=fvwrel

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The New Normal: NBA Style

It's time to Break It Down!

Basketball, on its face is a simple game; much more checkers than chess. The core aims are clear, unchanging, and most important, few. Put the ball in the basket when on offense; prevent your opponent from doing so, if on defense.

Yes myriad concepts and intricacies are sometimes overlaid on top of these aims. Moreover, depending upon the talent level involved, the game can unfold in an almost blindingly crisp, beautifully symmetrical fashion. When played at the highest level, one can watch some of the most amazing athletes on the planet run, jump, pivot, and shoot a spheroid, 29.5 inches in circumference, 9.39 inches in diameter through an 18 inch diameter hoop with a net 15” to 18” in length, suspended 10 feet above the court. Oh did I forget to mention, they play defense too.

From time to time, I compose a post about basketball, my favorite sport. Occasionally, I have even reference my favorite teams. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), that is and has always been the Los Angeles Lakers; a storied franchise. The NBA has had 64 Championship Series; the Lakers have appeared in 31 of them. That’s 10 more than the team that has appeared the second most times; the dreaded Boston Celtics. The Celts have won 17 Championships, while the Lakers have won 16. Their combined 33 NBA Titles account for more than half of the previous 64 NBA Championships. No other team has appeared in more than 9 Title Series (Philadelphia 76’ers), nor won more than 6 (ChicagoBulls).

By now, if you take note of sports at all, you must know the Lakers were swept dismissively from the playoffs…with extreme prejudice! Obviously, a team that joined the NBA in 1948 has had its share of high points as well as low moments. However, last week’s four-game sweep by the Dallas Mavericks has to rate as a prime candidate for the nadir of the proud and highly successful franchise.

As sports fans know, getting swept, in any round of the playoffs is a humbling, if not humiliating experience. In the Lakers’ case, they entered this year’s playoffs as defending Champions, and tied (with the Dallas Mavericks) for the 4^th best record in the League. The Mavericks are a fine team. Losing to them may have surprised some, but it was not in and of itself shocking. But the way they lost, particularly in the close-out game, was unarguably stunning.

I am reminded of my beloved North Carolina Tar Heels (my favorite college basketball team), and their most recent post-Championship season. Without going into details, it was ugly; one of their worst seasons ever. The Lakers’ season was not so horrific, but their season-ending performance was a different story. The entire Series was disappointing; the finale was simply embarrassing. In fact, while it is cathartic to confront head-on this sad episode in Lakers history, the term embarrassing hardly does justice to their season-ending performance.

Athletic competition, like any test, is fraught with challenges. At the end of most contests, there is a winner and a loser. More often than not, the better team prevails. In this instance, the Mavs not only won, but left no doubt as to which team deserved the distinction, better team. The Lakers dropped four consecutive games, and in doing so, lost the series, via sweep, and with it, any chance to complete their second Three-peat. That was disappointing. But in far greater indictments, they failed to maintain their composure, gave up with a quarter to play, and lost, at least for that day, anything remotely resembling their dignity. Add to that, the Mavs' reserves scored 86 of their 122 points, which matched the total for the Lakers' entire team in a 122-86 beat down. In route to the rout, Jason Terry shot 90% (9 of 10) from behind the 3-point line, while Peja Stojakovic shot 100% (6 of 6).

Over the course of the series, these failures were particulaly evident in the cases of Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum, all of who earned Flagrant Fouls and ejections during the series. But it's a team sport; no free passes. This was a collapse that left no Laker without something for which to atone. Kobe Bryant, the team's resident super star was never consistently super; missed big shots when the team needed the magic only stars provide. Pau Gasol, Robin to Kobe's Batman, was effectively rendered the Invisible Man. Derek Fisher, the wily and historically dependable veteran couldn't make a shot the entire series. Finally, Phil Jackson, the Zen-master coach made uncharacteristically inexplicable calls. In 20 years as an NBA Coach, Jackson's teams reached the playoffs every year. He won 11 Titles as a coach (most ever), 6 with the Chicago Bulls, 5 with the Los Angeles Lakers, and 1 as a player with the New York Knicks. This is expected to be Jackson's last year coaching; too bad. There I said it. Oh yeah, another thing; GO HEAT!

It may be too early to say with certainty, but it appears we may be witnessing a changing of the guard as far as the NBA status quo is concerned. The Lakers, two-time defending Champions and three consecutive time Finalists are, as the TNT Crew, Kenny, Charles, and Ernie say, “Gone Fishing,” or in other words, done for the season.

The dreaded Celtics, Finalists last year, and Atlantic Division Champions this year are down 3-1 to Miami, which has home court advantage. Dallas, which has never won an NBA Championship, is at home resting, in preparation for the WesternConference Finals, in which they will meet the Oklahoma City Thunder or the MemphisGrizzlies, currently tied at 2 games a piece. The Chicago Bulls, a non-factor since Michael Jordan retired, finished the Regular Season with the League’s best record, and leads the Atlanta Hawks 3-2. The winner will meet the Miami-Boston winner in the Eastern Conference Finals. Yes, it looks as is we are about to usher in “The New Normal: NBA Style!”

I’m done; holla back!