The Year of the Independent

Much print and many articles have focused on the "Get out the Vote" (GOTV) apparatus of the two parties. In a normal midterm election that would be a critical component for both parties.

However, I don't think this is a "normal" midterm election. Not with the war in Iraq, a foreign policy issue, playing the biggest role in this election. Normally, congressional elections are based upon economic well-being, not foreign policy. That makes this a very different election from other midterms.

All politics is local? That is still true, even with a "national issue" like Iraq dominating the election. How can it be both? Because when a local serviceman or woman dies in Iraq, and is returned home for burial, Iraq is a very local issue.

When an election like this is nationalized and a mandate about a President's foreign policy, GOTV is important. Trumping GOTV, though, in this type of race, is a voting bloc which has been ignored in the partisanship of the last decade.

That bloc is the Independent voters. A high election turnout for a midterm in the 40 percent range will not be a GOTV result. It will be the return of the Independent voter who has sat out the midterm and local elections in the past decade.

It will be refreshing to see them back, participating in the most important function we have as citizens, voting. It will also be refreshing, because, if the Democrats win at least the House both parties will get the nonpartisan messages that:

1. a dramatic course correction is needed for Iraq; and
2. voters want the parties to start governing by consensus and not by partisanship.

Darfur--Rwanda Genocide Redux

The answer to this problem is so easy it is hard to believe the U.S. lets it continue. One NATO or U.S. tank division to protect the Africans against the slaughter by Arab janjaweed (militia) would stop the genocide in Darfur. Today's New York Times has its umpteenth article on what is happening.

"60 Minutes" had it's umpteenth show on the genocide last night. The Darfur genocide can easily be stopped if the Bush administration cared to stop it. The people committing the genocide are riding camels, for God's sake. How tough can it be for a few Hummers and Abrams tanks to send them running for the hills and establishing a security perimeter around the refugee camps?

It is appalling that Rwanda is being replayed right before the world's eyes and that no country or alliance is coming forward to stop it. It's too bad if the Sudan government doesn't want others to interfere.

If they interfered with a U.S. or NATO intervention, the Sudan government could be taken down more quickly than it took to flush Noriega out of Panama. They already have a civil war they can't handle and we should at least be covertly supporting it.

And here is Boy George at it again. He sent Colin Powell and Condi Rice, his only two African-American acquaintances, out there to express U.S. displeasure. After they left, the killing started again and Bush's position has been to "Let the UN handle it". How cynical can he get?

Normally he derides UN involvement. He's done nothing but bad-mouth the UN since he came into office. He deems it ineffective in dealing with this kind of crisis. And it is. Its force is not crossing the border from Chad into the Sudan to protect the 2 1/2 million refugees because Sudan said they shouldn't.

So why is he expecting the UN to do something he feels they are ineffective at doing? Easy answer. He doesn't care.

One thing we do know. There won't be any post-genocide apology a la Bill Clinton in Rwanda. As we all know, George Bush never apologizes for his mistakes, because he never makes any. Just ask him.

Axis of Evil 3-Bush Administration 0

North Korea
Well, the third part of the "Axis of Evil", North Korea, exploded a nuclear weapon yesterday(assuming they're not lying just to test world reaction), and they may have exploded one today.

This despite all the bluster by Boy George and company that we would not "live with it," and other threats of dire consequences. It capped an all-around great week for the Axis.

We've reversed roles with North Korea. They used to bluster and we used to shake our heads at what idiots they were. Now Bush blusters and Kim Jong-il nods his head knowingly.

I never thought that telling a paranoid regime that you were out to get them (as Bush implied in his now infamous State of the Union speech) was a good idea.

IRAN
Iran continues its uranium enrichment program, blithely ignoring other useless and silly threats from a U.S. "superpower", with a military emasculated by Bush's Iraq misadventure. Combine that with a post-modern "War is no longer an option" western Europe and you have the perfect recipe for inaction.

Bush continues to look like Mr. Bluster from the old "Howdy-Doody" show. What an embarassment he continues to be due to the gap between the strident rhetoric and the inablity to act.

IRAQ
The U.S. has no ability to respond to either North Korea or Iran because of the mess Bush made in Iraq, alienating all our allies along the way. Daddy has finally sent in James Baker (rather than Henry Kissinger) to advise little George on how to cut and run out of the occupation of that part of the Axis (without looking like it). Old George doesn't want his son to have to send in helicopters to airlift our embassy employees out of the Green Zone.

UN
Russia and China will make sure that Boy George and "I am the Walrus", John Bolton, who have shown nothing but contempt for the U.N., are unable to get any tough sanctions out of the Security Council against North Korea or Iran.

China considers North Korea to be within its sphere of influence. Putin's "soul" into which stared has turned out to be more pragmatic and enigmatic than he thought.

SUMMARY
The greatest danger in all of this? That Japan will rearm. It could probably go nuclear within a week. China, having suffered terribly by Japan's WW II invasion, would go berserk. And the people we nuked, would have nukes.

Now that would be a real WMD crisis. A nuclear arms race in Asia.