Greek Socialist Leader Calls for Elections in Wake of Riots

George Papandreou, the leader of Greece's opposition Socialist Party, is calling for immediate elections in the wake of the riots in Greece which are now in their fourth day.

It is incumbent upon the Karamanlis government to restore order. However, by calling for early elections Papandreou is asking for the behavior of the rioters to be rewarded. This is the height of irresponsibility. Elections aren't scheduled until 2010.

It is tragic a boy was killed but a police officer has been charged with his murder and an investigation will follow. Aside from restoring law and order what more is the Karamanlis government to do?

If the name Papandreou sounds familiar it should be. His father, Andreas Papandreou, was Prime Minister of Greece from 1981 to 1989 and again from 1993 to 1996. The elder Papandreou was known for his anti-Americanism supporting Soviet repression in Poland in the early 1980s and was a fervent supporter of the late PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat.

Illinois Governor Indicted for Selling Obama's Senate Seat

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff John Harris were arrested in Chicago this morning and are being charged with two counts each of mail/wire fraud and soliciting a bribe.

Blagojevich and Harris have been under investigation by the FBI for three years for corrupt activities up and to including selling the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald (the same guy who prosecuted "Scooter" Libby) said Blagojevich engaged in "pay to play politics." According to a FBI wiretap, Blagojevich said, "It's a f#&$ing valuable thing. You just don't give it away for nothing."

The Nixon tapes were never like this.

Although President-elect Obama was not the target of this investigation one can only wonder what, if any, effect it will have on him. After all, Blagojevich's activities concern several of Obama's associates including Tony Rezko. But unless there's a videotape of Obama taking money or an audiotape of Obama asking, "What's in it for me?" I believe Obama wears a coat of teflon.

Liberals Win Majority Government in Quebec

Jean Charest's Liberals have won a majority government in Quebec winning 66 of 125 seats in the Quebec National Assembly.

Only a year and a half ago, Charest's Liberals were reduced to a minority government. Mario Dumont's conservative Action Democratique Quebec became the official opposition. However, it was ineffective in that role. Two of its members defected to the Liberals. Tonight, the ADQ was reduced to 7 seats losing party status in the Assembly. Dumont has announced his resignation as ADQ leader.

The separatist Parti Quebecois under Pauline Marois has returned to official opposition status with 51 seats. Quebec Solidaire, a new left wing party in Quebec, won its first seat in the National Assembly.

With the current political storm in Ottawa the Quebec election kind of got lost in the shuffle although it benefited Charest. Quebec voters did not want to go through the uncertainty that now prevades Ottawa and felt most comfortable with Charest who has been Quebec Premier since 2003. Change might have been in the air here last month but it could not find a home tonight in the cold air of Chateauguay. Charest is the first Quebec Premier to win three consecutive elections since Maurice Duplessis.

Veterans Committee Elects Gordon to Hall of Fame; Snubs Santo Again

The Veterans Committee has elected the late Joe Gordon to the Baseball Hall of Fame and will be posthumously inducted in 2009.

Gordon played in the major leagues from 1938-1943 and from 1946-1950. He missed the 1944 and 1945 seasons due to his service with the U.S. Army during WWII.

Gordon spent most of his playing career with the New York Yankees as a second baseman. He would win four World Series rings with the Yankees (1938, 1939, 1941 & 1943) and also earn the American League MVP in 1942.

The Yankees traded Gordon to the Cleveland Indians for pitcher Allie Reynolds following the 1946 season. Gordon would earn his fifth World Series ring with the Indians in 1948.

In all, Gordon was selected to 9 All-Star teams in his 11-year career and drove in more than 110 runs in a season four times.

After his major league career, Gordon returned to the Indians as their manager in 1958. However, in the middle of the 1960 season he would be traded to the Detroit Tigers for their manager Jimmy Dykes. It was the only trade in major league history that involved only managers. Dykes left the Tigers after the 1960 season to manage the Kansas City Athletics in 1961 but lasted only one season. He would manage the Kansas City Royals in their inaugural season in 1969. One of his players would win AL Rookie of the Year and become a successful major league manager in his own right - Lou Piniella. Gordon died of a heart attack in 1978 at the age of 63.

While the Veterans Committee gave long overdue recognition to Gordon they once again snubbed Chicago Cubs third base legend Ron Santo, who has been trying to get inducted since 1980. It boggles the mind why Santo isn't in Cooperstown. It's not like they have a glut of third basemen. Of the 230 players inducted in Cooperstown only 13 are third baseman (three of whom played in the Negro Leagues). Santo's numbers are better than most of the third basemen who are already in there.

Santo was the best third baseman in the NL in the 1960s. The only third baseman who was better was Brooks Robinson. Santo hit nearly 75 more homeruns than Robinson (342 to 268) and nearly drove in as many runs (1357 - Robinson, 1331 - Santo). Santo's lifetime batting average is ten points higher than Robinson (.277 to .267). While Robinson is far ahead in base hits (2848 to 2254) the Orioles legend played for 23 seasons while Santo played only 15.

Santo's five Gold Gloves don't match Robinson's 15. But neither do Mike Schmidt's ten.

Sure Santo never got to play in the postseason but neither did Ernie Banks, Billy Williams nor for that matter Ferguson Jenkins - all Cubs teammates who made it to Cooperstown.

Like Gordon, Santo was a 9-time All Star.

Santo is currently beloved announcer with the Cubs. He is eligible for consideration by the Veterans Committee in 2011. However, Santo has had a long struggle with diabetes so G-d only knows if he'll be around.

My question to the Veterans Committee is why do they think Santo is unworthy of enshrinement in Cooperstown? I would like to hear one good reason.

At this point, it is appearing more likely the Cubs will win a World Series than Santo being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Thoughts on the Riots in Greece

For the past three days,"youths" have been rioting in Greece after the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos.

Although there have been no fatalities in the riots many have been injured and there has been tremendous damage to property.

The AP is now beginning to identify these youths as anarchists rather than Muslims. Well, whomever is causing this violence it is difficult to understand why. A police officer has been charged with murder in connection with Grigoropoulos' death.

Unless, of course, the "youths" are seeking to overthrow the democratically elected government of Konstantinos Karamanlis who was first elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2007 albeit with a one seat majority. Karamanlis leads the conservative New Democracy Party. In recent years, his government has been undertaking reforms to the country's university system which has sparked large demonstrations and shutdowns by student organizations. Whether this is connected to Grigopoulos' death cannot be said with any certainty. What is certain is that the behavior of the "youths" is being encouraged by the Greek Communists and Coalition of the Radical Left who are both planning large demonstrations in Athens this evening.

As lamentable as the death of a 15-year-old boy is it is no excuse for rioting and political parties ought not be legitimizing violence. A police officer has been charged with the boy's murder. This should be left to the Greek justice system. But if these "youths" insist on violence and mayhem then the Greek government must use lawful force and put these riots to an end.

Dion Will Step Aside as Canada's Liberal Leader Ahead of Schedule

Stephane Dion today announced he would step aside as Liberal Party leader as soon as a successor was chosen.

The Liberal Party caucus is poised to choose Michael Ignatieff as their interim leader at a caucus meeting scheduled for Wednesday. New Brunswick MP Dominic LeBlanc is to announce he is dropping out of the race this afternoon to support Ignatieff.

There will still be a Liberal leadership convention in Vancouver in May unless Bob Rae drops out. Rae objects to the Liberal caucus selecting the leader and believes that every Liberal Party member should have a vote. Not surprisingly, Ignatieff is the overwhelming preference of Liberal Party caucus members although Rae does have support amongst Liberals in the Senate. If Ignatieff is chosen at the caucus meeting and Rae opts to continue his campaign then Ignatieff will have a big advantage at the Convention in the spring. I suspect that if the Conservative government of Stephen Harper is toppled next month and Ignatieff is asked by the Governor General to form a government then Rae will drop out of the race. But if Ignatieff either fails to topple the Tories or if he does topple them and the Governor General calls elections and the Liberals lose with Ignatieff at the helm then Rae will have his chance.

Under ordinary circumstances, the Liberals would select an interim leader and wait for Ignatieff and Rae to fight it out in the spring. But since the Liberals have an opportunity to return to power they want their new leader in place by the time the Tories present their budget. The Liberals are trying to get the the Tory government to fall in the House of Commons but might end up bringing down their own house in the process.

Conservatives Tackle Social Media

From #dontgo -

#dontgo Launches Social Media Platoon

On Monday, December 8th www.dontgomovement.com will unveil the Tennessee News Platoon. The website, www.Tennessee.NewsPlatoon.com, will work to promote local government transparency and accountability, provide a news platform for local activism networks, and aggregate the top news stories happening across the state.

State Representative Stacey Campfield (TN-18) states, "I look forward to #dontgo getting together; we'll be able to finally get out our clear concise message that will push for open government and good conservative values. Now more than ever we need people out there rallying conservatives to get more involved and to spread our message. I strongly feel that #dontgo will be able to help in making this happen."

#dontgo originally began as a simple Twitter tag that the founders used to track the energy debate by the US Congress on August 1st. Hundreds of activists, including members of Congress, began using the tag not just to track the energy bill, but to energize supporters and champion fiscal conservative values. Soon thereafter the site www.dontgomovement.com was created and to date has over 30,000 opt-in email subscribers.

The #dontgo Revolution uses web-based strategies and tactics to advance free-market values. Its mission is to develop a fifty state strategy of blogs and internet social networks that would activate more free market conservatives in their communities leading into the 2010 elections.

Obama: Economy Will Get Worse Before It Gets Better

President-elect Barack Obama knows he will be coming into office on high expectations of hope and change. Obama knows full well that he cannot live up to those expectations.

So Obama is doing everything to lower the expectations of Americans before he assumes office.

In his interview that aired today with Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press Obama said the state of our economy "was going to get worse before it gets better."

By setting the expectations of Americans so low when things do get better, even marginally, sooner than expected then Obama will get all the credit. Throw in a synchopatic media and you have a formula for a second term in office before the first one even begins.

Although how he'll do that with a public works infrastructure project that digs holes for the sake of filling them in is anybody's guess. Call it a concrete objective without a foundation.

Cholera Epidemic in Zimbabwe

As if things couldn't get worse in Zimbabwe the poverty stricken nation is now facing a cholera epidemic which has cost the lives of at least 600 people and now appears to have spread to neighboring Botswana and Zambia.

Robert Mugabe refuses to share power with Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC.

Calls are growing more frequent for Mugabe to resign. Kenyan Prime Minister Raul Odinga has called upon either African Union or UN peacekeepers to be sent to the southern African nation. Mugabe won't budge on either count.

Zimbabwe's problems won't be solved when Mugabe leaves office whether by hook or by crook. But as long as Mugabe stays things in Zimbabwe will only get worse. AIDS, food shortages, political violence, land confiscation and now cholera. What more can happen? Drought?

Mugabe must be removed. Whether it is by his own military or by foreign troops matters little. Whether dead or alive matters little. Mugabe must go.

A Coalition If Necessary But Not Necessarily A Coalition

My mother left a message with me this morning recounting an interview Liberal MP and Liberal Party leadership candidate Michael Ignatieff did with Michael Enright on CBC Radio. When asked about the possibility of the Conservative government of Stephen Harper being defeated in the House of Commons on a confidence vote after it presents its budget on January 27th and the formation of the coalition government between the Liberals and the NDP Ignatieff said, "A coalition if necessary but not necessarily a coalition."

So the Liberals aren't so enthused about bringing down the government after all. Or at the very least should they bring down the government they don't want Stephane Dion as Prime Minister. A number of Liberal MPs have grumbled about the prospect of Dion becoming Prime Minister and want a new leader selected by the time Parliament resumes. It's understandable. The Liberals received 26% of the vote in the last election and won their fewest number of seats in nearly a quarter century. Liberal MPs were also angry at Dion's response to Prime Minister Harper's address to the nation on Wednesday. Dion's videotaped response was produced on a format inappropriate for broadcast television and looked like an old VCR tape.

John Manley, a former Liberal Minister of Finance, has called on Dion to step down immediately. At present, the Liberals are scheduled to select a new leader at the beginning of May in Vancouver. Manley would also rather the Liberals rebuild themselves rather than allot cabinet posts to the NDP. So maybe the Liberals want a new leader in place so they can defeat the government and have new elections called instead of forming a coalition with the NDP. If that's the case one wonders how much money the Liberals have. After all political parties that lose elections are usually in debt.

Ignatieff has said he is willing to hear what the Tories have to offer in January. His leadership rival Bob Rae is eager to toss out the Tories. Not surprising. After all, it was back in 1979 when Rae moved a vote of non-confidence that brought down the shortlived Tory government of Joe Clark after it delivered its budget. Of course, Ignatieff's open-mindedness might have more to do with the fact that Canadians have thus far sided with Stephen Harper and the Tories in this current row.

Who said Canadian politics was dull?

"Atheists Suck" sign at WA State Capitol display

I was watching The O'Reilly Factor the other night and legal analyst Megan Kelly was debating Bill O'Reilly about the offensive atheist sign Washington Governor Christine Gregoire approved to be displayed next to a nativity scene and Christmas tree. I generally agree with O'Reilly 80% of the time, and Kelly 60-70% of the time. Here I strongly disagreed with Kelly. My favorite area of law has always been constitutional law, particularly involving religion. Kelly said the First Amendment dictates that ALL speech must be allowed, unless it's been specifically prohibited in constitutional law, such as hate speech or obscene speech or yelling Fire! in a crowded movie theater. O'Reilly tried to argue that the Washington State Capitol building rules prohibit disruptive speech, and he also asked Kelly whether a neo-Nazi display must be permitted too. Kelly said yes, it all must come in.

Now, first of all, the First Amendment is just one short sentence, and doesn't address specific types of speech. Obviously, the courts have interpreted the First Amendment over the years to carve out exceptions, like the hate speech exception mentioned above. And the courts have held that the government may set up time, place, and manner restrictions on public displays of free speech. Any kind of content restriction must be content-neutral.

So, based on this analysis of First Amendment law, the government could permit Christmas/holiday displays, but not allow displays unrelated to Christmas/holidays. That is content-neutral, because anything celebrating Christmas/Holidays is permitted. A nasty screed against religion has nothing to do with Christmas/holidays. In fact, it's pretty close to hate speech. If the atheists wanted to contribute something celebrating the Winter Solstice, that wasn't an attack on religion, then perhaps that would pass muster. Imagine if the shoe were on the other foot, if the Nativity scene was composed mostly of a large poster saying that atheists were silly and wrong? It would never have been approved.

According to Gregoire's nutty interpretation then, we should be allowed to contribute a sign to the display that says "ATHEISTS SUCK." I'm going to send it in.

Thoughts on Pearl Harbor

It was 67 years ago today the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor which prompted American entry into World War II.

Aside from the people who were old enough to remember Pearl Harbor and people who think our history is important Pearl Harbor is no more a part of our public consciousness than Fort Sumter. Of course with the passage of time such a thing is only natural. But it is nonetheless bothersome because our soil was attacked by Islamic terrorists just over seven years ago.

Of course, back then America shook off its isolationism and stood up to fight. Sure there were those who thought FDR knew the attack was coming and insisted we had no business in foreign entanglements but these were sheer crackpots.

But many of the baby boomers that came of age during Vietnam view America with a more jaundiced eye and those views have been passed down to my generation and the succeeding one. As such they are not taught about the soldiers and civilians who lost their lives that day. Nearly as many people died during Pearl Harbor as American soldiers were killed in Iraq. I'm not trivializing the sacrifice of our soldiers who have died serving our country. Rather I am merely demonstrating the magnitude of Pearl Harbor and how my generation and succeeding generations of Americans don't quite recognize how monumental its impact was on the American psyche.

Cao Unseats Jefferson in Louisiana

William Jefferson, the Democratic Congressman from New Orleans who had $90,000 in unmarked bills found in his freezer in 2005, has lost his seat last night to Republican Anh "Joseph" Cao, an attorney who becomes the first Vietnamese-American to be elected to Congress.

The Congressional election was delayed due to Hurricane Gustav. Cao became active in politics after Hurricane Katrina damaged both his home and business. He is the first Republican elected from the 2nd District since Reconstruction.

Cao won with a coalition of Republicans, disaffected Democrats and the Vietnamese community (who tend to vote Republican on principle.) Although Jefferson is expected to go on trial in 2009, Cao will have an uphill battle in retaining his seat in a heavily Democratic and African-American constituency regardless of his opponent in 2010.

I'm sure Cao and John McCain would have a lot to talk about. Cao's father was an officer in the South Vietnamese Army and was captured by the North Vietnamese and placed in POW camp. Cao, his mother and two sisters came to America in 1975 after the fall of Saigon.

"Never in my life did I think I would be a future Congressman. The American dream is well and alive," said Cao in his victory speech last night.

Amen to that.

Shinseki Appointed as Sec'y of Veterans Affairs

Former U.S. Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki will be appointed as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The announcement will come during an interview Tom Brokaw conducted with President-elect Obama which will air Sunday morning on Meet the Press.

Shinseki is best known for his testimony in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee prior to the commencement of the War in Iraq in February 2003. When asked how many troops would be required for a post-war Iraq, General Shinseki said "something on the order of several hundred thousand soldiers." Shinseki was publicly rebuked by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz who said Shinseki's estimates were "far off the mark."

Well, we know in hindsight that Shinseki was correct. If Shinseki's estimates had been followed the surge would not have been necessary. Of course, there's a world of difference between arguing that we should have had more troops in Iraq than no troops there at all.

Some say Shinseki's comments cost him his job. It was certainly true that Shinseki and Rumsfeld didn't see eye to eye. But Shinseki had long been scheduled to retire when he testified in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Still, his appointment could be viewed as a poke in the eye of the Bush Administration.

Greg Maddux to Announce Retirement

Greg Maddux is going to announce his retirement from MLB after 23 seasons at the Winter Meetings on Monday in Las Vegas.

Maddux is an indisputable first ballot Hall of Famer. Between 1992 and 1995, Maddux won four consecutive NL Cy Young Awards. He won the first award with the Chicago Cubs and the next three with the Atlanta Braves. Maddux earned a World Series ring with the 1995 Braves. In all, Maddux appeared in the post-season 13 times - 10 with the Braves, twice with the Dodgers and once with the Cubs. He was also selected to the NL All Star Team eight times and had to the honor to start the All Star Game thrice.

His 355 wins under his belt ranks him 8th on the all time MLB list. He becomes only the second major league pitcher to finish with more than 3000 strikeouts and fewer than 1000 walks. Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins is the other.

Maddux began his career with the Chicago Cubs in 1986 remaining with them through 1992. He signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves in 1993 and was the anchor of a rotation consisting of himself, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine. After pitching with the Braves for 11 seasons he returned to the Cubs prior to the 2004 season. Maddux was traded from the Cubs to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the middle of the 2006 season before joining the San Diego Padres in 2007. Maddux was traded back to the Dodgers during the stretch run of the 2008 season and pitched out of the bullpen during the 2008 post-season.

Maddux did not have an overwhelming fastball and looked more like a librarian than a baseball player. But Maddux knew how to pitch and had impeccable control. Even past his prime he remained a pitcher NL hitters dreaded facing. He also fielded his position better than any other pitcher who has stepped on a rubber winning 18 Gold Gloves. Maddux was effectively a fifth infielder.

However, he may be best remembered to many as the man who coined the phrase, "Chicks dig the long ball," in a Nike commercial he appeared with Glavine and Mark McGwire nearly a decade ago. As Heather Locklear looked admiringly at McGwire's tape measure shots all Maddux could do was protest, "Hey, we've got a couple of Cy Young Award winners over here."

But Maddux (and for that matter Glavine) will have the last laugh. Maddux is going to Cooperstown. McGwire is not. Perhaps chicks dig Hall of Famers.

Could Caroline Kennedy Succeed Hillary as NY Senator?

The AP is reporting that Caroline Kennedy is interested in succeeding Hillary Clinton as the junior Senator from New York.

New York Governor David Paterson will not appoint Kennedy nor anyone else until Hillary has been confirmed as Secretary of State which won't happen until after Obama is inaugurated.

The only surviving child of John F. Kennedy has never held elected office. However, she became more visible during the 2008 Presidential campaign. Kennedy wrote an editorial endorsing Obama and made several public appearances on his behalf. She also appeared at the Democratic National Convention in Denver where she introduced her uncle Senator Edward Kennedy.

If Kennedy is appointed by Paterson then Obama will have an important ally in the Senate. Don't get me wrong there are plenty of Democrats in the Senate. But most of them don't owe their success to Obama. While some Democratic newcomers were elected on Obama's coattails they don't have the rapport with Obama that Kennedy has established with him.

If she is appointed then she would stand for election in 2010. It would be a busy election season in New York as Governor Paterson is up for election as is Senator Chuck Schumer. Look for Rudy Giuliani to challenge somebody. Assuming Kennedy is elected in 2010 she would have to stand for election again in 2012 which is when Senator Clinton's current term expires.

Paul Benedict, 1938-2008. R.I.P.

I just read that actor Paul Benedict died on Monday. He was found in his home on Martha's Vineyard. His cause of death is unknown as of this writing. Benedict was 70.

Benedict's name might not ring a bell with most people. But if you watched The Jeffersons then you knew him as Bentley, George and Louise Jefferson's eccentric English neighbor.

Benedict did some occasional film work. I remember him in The Freshman one of Marlon Brando's last films. He also was part of Christopher Guest's company of actors in such films as This Is Spinal Tap, Waiting For Guffman & A Mighty Wind.

But Benedict worked mostly as a stage actor. I did not know that he lived in the Boston area and made regular appearances with the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge. His last appearance with the American Repertory Theatre was in Harold Pinter's No Man's Land in 2007.

Well, now he's moving on up to the sky.

Canadian Parliament Prorogued at Harper's Request

CTV is reporting that Canada's Governor General Michelle Jean has granted Prime Minister Stephen Harper's request to prorogue Canada's Parliament until the end of January 2009 at which time Finance Minister Jim Flaherty will introduce the Federal Budget.

Last Thursday, Flaherty released an economic statement which is usually a precursor to the budget. When no stimulus package measures were announced it drew the ire of the opposition. There were also provisions to prohibit public servants from striking for three years, prohibit female civil servants from suing over pay equity and an elimination of public subsidies to Canada's political parties. The Liberals and NDP set about to defeat the government on a vote of no confidence which was scheduled for December 8th. If the measure had passed the Liberals and the NDP would have formed a coalition government with the support of the separatist Bloc Quebecois although they would not be directly involved in the coalition. This coalition would have lasted anywhere between 18 and 30 months. Even when the Conservatives backed down on the provisions mentioned it did not deter the opposition. They smelled weakness and pounced.

It was only seven weeks ago that Canadians re-elected the Conservatives to a minority government. Stephane Dion led the Liberals to their lowest vote total in their history and their lowest seat total in the House of Commons in nearly a quarter century. Dion announced his resignation as Liberal Party leader only days later. A successor will be chosen in Vancouver in May 2009. But Dion may end up becoming Prime Minister after all and with the help of the Quebec separatists, a group that has long reviled him. Only in Canada.

Yet I was worried when Harper called the election in September. On September 7th, I wrote on this blog, "Still, Harper is taking a risk. If he is re-elected but without a majority he is exactly back to where he is now. That would be nearly as bad as losing the election."

Indeed, as long as there is a minority government it could collapse on a whim. Harper's days as Prime Minister could be numbered. If they are so could his days as Conservative Party leader.

So Harper played the only card he had left. He asked the Governor General to prorogue Parliament. This will give the Conservative government time to put together a reasonable budget and make the case against a coalition consisting of Stephane Dion, the socialists and the separatists. If Harper can gather public opinion in his favor the opposition could back down.

But I suspect the Tories will introduce the budget in January and the opposition will defeat it. The Liberals, NDP and the Bloc are counting on the Governor General to allow them to form a government. However, the Governor General could opt to call new elections. This would put the opposition parties in an awkward position having just fought an election. When political parties don't win elections they tend to find themselves in debt. If Jean doesn't permit them to form a government one wonders if they will back down from an election and decide to play ball with the Conservatives after all.

Stephen Harper and the Conservatives have bought themselves a precious commodity - time. One can only hope they use it wisely enough to stir public opinion sufficiently to compel the opposition to back off their ambitions. Of course, this assumes the opposition is amenable to reason meaning they don't think the Governor General will let them try to form a government. Do you think for a minute Stephane Dion wants to go down in Canadian history as the first Liberal Party leader not to be Prime Minister since the late 19th century? If so, then Harper and the Conservatives are only delaying the inevitable.

Robert Robb on Governor Napolitano's poor legacy

Great column today in the Republic by Robert Robb. (Funny, it was impossible to find the column on the Republic's website, fortunately aznewsonline carries his columns on their homepage) Some excerpts:

Arizona still ranks 49th in K-12 per-pupil operating expenditures. Our 4th grade reading scores are 47th lowest on federal tests. In math, we rank 46th...Arizona still has the fourth highest dropout rate in the country....

In her economic plan released during the 2002 campaign, Napolitano said: “We rank at the bottom of the nation in education while leading the nation in dropout rates. We have among the highest uninsured and underinsured individuals in the country, and are dangerously close to cutting the jugular of our universities. Our economy has diversified little in the last ten years, and we are facing one of the largest deficits in the nation. What is wrong with this picture?”

Putting aside the hyperbole about the universities' jugular, the picture as Napolitano is leaving is pretty much the same as when she entered...

She didn't really even advance any proposals that would materially move these markers....

Arizona ranked 37th among the states in per capita income when Napolitano took office. As she leaves, we rank 40th.

...in the final analysis, her most instructive legacy isn't in what she did, but in what she complained about but didn't change.

Odetta, 1930-2008. R.I.P.

Odetta, an iconic figure in American folk music, died yesterday of heart failure. She would have turned 78 on December 30th.

Odetta emerged as one of the giants of folk music in the late 1950s and early 1960s and was active in the Civil Rights Movement. She was one of the primary sources of inspiration for Bob Dylan.

Although she had been recently confined to a wheelchair her voice had not diminished and still occasionally performed in concert. She was widely expected to perform at Barack Obama's inauguration next month.

Every year Boston rings in New Year with a festival called First Night as do many cities across North America. Usually, the entertainment is supplied by local artists. However, at First Night 2006, Odetta performed at the Berklee Performance Center.

I had planned to attend her concert. However, my roomie at the time was not interested in seeing the concert so we did something else. Suffice it to say I don't remember what we did at that point. In retrospect I wish I had been more insistent in trying to convince him the concert would have been worthwhile. Our loss and today America's loss.

Chambliss Re-Elected

Well, the Democrats won't get the 60 seat super majority.

Saxby Chambliss has been re-elected in Georgia.

So even if Al Franken prevails in Minnesota the Democrats can't run ram shod.

Not that it will stop them from trying.

The Democrats will get some Republicans like Specter, Snowe and Collins to go along with them so the Chambliss re-election, while welcoming news, is only a small measure of comfort.

Palin Stumps For Chambliss

Sarah Palin was in Georgia today to campaign for Senator Saxby Chambliss who is competing in a runoff election tomorrow. On November 4th, Chambliss won a majority of votes for his re-election bid but did not get 50% of the vote thus requiring a second ballot against Democrat Jim Martin. Palin drew large crowds for Chambliss at rallies in Atlanta, Augusta, Perry and Savannah.

If Chambliss should lose tomorrow look for the liberal media to blame his demise on Palin. If he wins the liberal media will write off Georgia as a red state it wasn't going to win anyway. If Chambliss wins then it also means the Democrats won't get 60 seats even if Al Franken should win in Minnesota.

Hillary Named Secretary of State

As widely expected, President-elect Obama introduced Hillary Clinton as his new Secretary of State. Also introduced were Eric Holder as Attorney General, General James Jones as National Security Adviser while Bob Gates remains as Secretary of Defense. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano was introduced as Homeland Security Chief while Susan Rice has been named Ambassador to the United Nations. I see the Senate confirming everyone. The only appointee who might have a problem is Holder for his role in the Marc Rich pardon but if the Democrats get to 60 a stink will be raised but he will sail through. Even if Saxby Chambliss prevails tomorrow Holder could get a moderate Republican vote from someone like Arlen Specter or Olympia Snowe.

I plan to write in more detail about the Hillary appointment but in the meantime here's the headline. Unless Hillary is to Obama what George Marshall was to Harry Truman then I believe Hillary will be gone from Obama's cabinet by 2011.

Join the new Young Republicans networking site

It's pretty impressive, will give facebook a run for its money. Among other features, for folks looking for a job it has a listing of what's available on Capitol Hill. GOPAmerica also has a neat new networking site (and don't forget to join the Intellectual Conservative social networking site).

Canada's Conservative Government Could Collapse

Over the past several days, Canada's opposition parties have been in negotiations to bring down Canada's newly re-elected Conservative government.

The negotiations were sparked by a financial statement released by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty which did not include a stimulus package. The ire of opposition parties was heightened when the Tories planned to eliminate government subsidies for political parties used to hire staff on Parliament Hill. The Tories have backed down on this latter provision.

Flaherty has announced he will deliver a federal budget on January 27th; more than a month ahead of schedule. But that might not come to pass.

A vote of confidence is planned for December 8th. If the government loses the vote, Governor General Michelle Jean could ask opposition parties to form a new government less than two months after Stephen Harper and the Tories were re-elected.

When Harper called an election earlier this fall I warned there would be risks if he didn't achieve a majority government. While the Tories increased their number of seats in Parliament they did not win a majority.

The Liberals and NDP would form a government with the support of the sepratist Bloc Quebecois. The question is who would be the Prime Minister?

After leading the Liberal Party to their worst performance in a quarter century and their lowest vote total ever, Stephane Dion announced his resignation and a successor is scheduled to be chosen at the Liberal Party Leadership Convention next May in Vancouver.

Word is that Dion wants to be Prime Minister. But Liberal leadership contenders Michael Ignatieff, Bob Rae and Dominic LeBlanc might not be so eager for that to happen. Would they accept Dion as an interim Prime Minister? Or could the post go to NDP leader Jack Layton?
The NDP is supposed to get 25% of the cabinet ministers. While the NDP would not get Deputy Prime Minister or Finance they have not ruled Layton as a possible PM. If Dion or Layton become PM one wonders what happens in the spring when the Liberal leadership vote takes place? Could the government collapse again and force the fourth federal election since 2004.

Unless something happens in the coming week there will probably be a change in government. But one would be unwise to underestimate Prime Minister Harper. A week is a lifetime after all.