environmental news, national news, political news, State news

‘Oops’ Perry now ‘regrets’ earlier call to end DOE

I want to give a half-hearted shout-out to Rick “Oops” Perry for something he said today at his confirmation hearing to become the next secretary of energy.

The former Texas governor said he regrets insisting that the Department of Energy be one of three such agencies he would eliminate if he were elected president.

He tried to say so during a 2012 Republican presidential debate, but suffered a brain freeze at a critical moment. Hey, it’s happened to all of us, right?

He said he’d toss out the departments of Education, Commerce and … then he forgot the third one. He fumbled around before muttering his infamous “oops.”

Why the change of heart? He said he’s learned about the Energy Department and what it does to promote energy policy. I want to presume he also knows about the myriad forms of energy involved in that policy that go far beyond fossil fuel production that, of course, is a big deal here in Texas.

My shout-out would be full-throated if I actually believed he meant the “I regret” statement. I’m not sure I believe much of what Gov. Perry says about anything these days — not that I fully believed him back when he was governor.

I mean, after all, he did call Donald J. Trump a “cancer on conservatism.” He did accuse the president-elect of lacking any ideology. He did say that his party needed to excise that “cancer.” This all came during his second failed effort, in 2016, to become the GOP presidential nominee.

Now, after all that heated rhetoric, he wants to become energy secretary. He wants to run a department he once said he intended to throw into the Dumpster.

I don’t know which Rick Perry to believe.

Or whether to believe a single thing this guy has ever said.

military news, national news, political news

No tanks, cannons and assorted hardware at parade … please!

Oh, brother.

I just caught up with an item reported by The Hill that gives me the heebie-jeebies. The Huffington Post reports that Donald Trump’s team wanted the inaugural parade to include a display of military hardware: tanks, big guns, missile launchers, lots of troops.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/315184-trump-team-wanted-tanks-missile-launchers-in-parade-report

The Pentagon said “no” to that nutty idea. It seems that the brass realized something that Donald J. Trump’s didn’t understand, which is how such a display would look around the world.

The inaugural parade that occurs every four years is meant to salute the nature of our government, which stipulates that civilians control the machinery. As The Hill reported: “According to the report, the military shot down the request because of concerns about how it would look to have tanks and missile launchers in the parade, as well as the possible damage the tanks, which can weigh over 100,000 pounds, would do to the roads.”

There will be flyovers: The Navy, Air Force, Army and Marines will fly assorted combat aircraft over the proceedings. They’ll be seen and then they’ll be gone. I don’t have a particular problem with that.

But to roll the heavy equipment along Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the presidential reviewing stand? That’s too much. It might play well in Moscow and Pyongyang. Not here!

national news, political news

Transition from Somebody to Nobody

I don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about these things, but the thought has crossed my mind: What is it like for someone to transition from being the most powerful man in the world to, oh, just another Ordinary Joe?

That is what awaits Barack H. Obama, his wife Michelle and their daughters Malia and Sasha.

At noon Friday, President Obama becomes just another guy, a citizen who will get to drive his own car, open his own doors, sleep in if he wants and relax with his family.

He follows a tradition set by dozens of other men who’ve had the good fortune to survive their presidencies and transition to a new life … that resembles the way it used to be before they became the planet’s most powerful figure.

I don’t know how President Obama feels about all this. His body language, though, tells me he’s ready to get out of Dodge. He’ll fly to California on that big blue jet that’s called Air Force One when the president is on board. He’ll play some golf, eat some relaxing meals with his wife and daughters, read, write and relax.

It might be arguably a little more of an adjustment for Barack Obama than he’ll be willing to admit. You see, I’ve long noticed one thing about this president: From the very beginning of his two terms, he seemed to own the office he occupied.

Why do I say that? I was struck for eight years how he would use the first-person singular pronoun when referencing the government he led. He would mention “my national security team,” “my vice president,” “my attorney general.”

I once wrote that the government didn’t belong to the president. It belongs to us — you and me. The president merely is our hired hand elected to the job by virtue of getting more electoral votes than anyone else.

In just a few hours, the 44th president will surrender that immense power to the 45th president. Then he becomes an average guy — so to speak.

Barack Obama is likely to prove me wrong by adjusting just fine to his new life. At least I hope he does.

Well done, Mr. President.

national news

No scandals, Mr. Fund … none!

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Believe it or not, I expected better from John Fund, the noted conservative columnist and Fox News Channel contributor/pundit.

He said President Obama has told a final “whopper” by declaring his administration is finishing its work in Washington without suffering a major “scandal.”

Fund disagrees, as he writes in an essay attached to this post. Here it is:

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/01/19/john-fund-obama-has-one-last-whopper-for-america-as-exits-white-house.html

He calls Obama’s “fast and furious” deal that resulted in drug cartels getting weapons from the Justice Department; he notes the Benghazi massacre in which four Americans died in a firefight with Islamic terrorists; he mentions the IRS targeting certain political groups for intense tax scrutiny.

Fund writes: “Obama has, in fact, presided over some of the worst scandals of any president in recent decades.”

All of those matters were deplorable. They weren’t illegal. They might have been careless, perhaps reckless. They didn’t break any laws.

Scandal? In the strictest sense, President Clinton lying to a grand jury — under oath — about his relationship with the White House intern qualifies as a scandal. He broke a law, which served as the pretext for the House of Representatives to impeach the 42nd president. One can argue the merits of the impeachment about whether lawmakers were truly interested in protecting the law; or whether they were motivated by the salacious aspect of the whole ordeal.

The issues cited by Fund do not, in my mind, constitute “scandalous” behavior.

Therefore, I will stand behind the president’s assertion that his administration served the country in a scandal-free environment.

Of course, one man’s mere controversy is another’s scandal. Fine. If that’s the case, then bring it on!

local news

Get well, Mr. President and Mrs. Bush

First, a confession … and then a salute.

I didn’t vote for George H.W. Bush either time I had the chance to do so. Not in 1988 or in 1992 when he ran for president. For that matter, I didn’t vote either for the ticket led by Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984 when Bush ran as The Gipper’s vice-presidential running mate.

But as the years have sped by I have developed a tremendous amount of respect for the 41st president of the United States.

In 2007, I had the high honor of shaking his hand and engaging him in about 45 seconds of conversation. They took a picture of the president and me (sorry to be a name dropper) and I display it proudly in my home.

The president isn’t well these days; he is battling pneumonia. I worry about him — and about his wife, Barbara, who’s also in the hospital — as I write these few words.

I’ve said for many years that I have long thought that George Bush was the most singularly qualified man ever to hold the office of president. His life story goes back to his days as the son of a U.S. senator from Connecticut; then he enlisted in the Navy and became a decorated fighter pilot who was shot down over the Pacific Ocean during World War II; he came home to build a business; he served two terms in Congress from Houston; he led the CIA, served as ambassador to the United Nations, led the Republican Party and served as special envoy to China; he was elected twice as vice president and then as president.

That, dear reader, is what I call a full and rewarding life.

The moment I shook his hand I said, “Mr. President, I just want to thank you for your service to this country.” He seemed to actually appreciate the expression of gratitude and thanks. He nodded and gave back a simple “thank you.” I hope he sensed my deep sincerity.

He has been in poor health. Hey, he’s 94 years of age.

Still, I want him to recover from this latest bout. The nation can use his wisdom and his grace.

Get well, President and Mrs. Bush.

environmental news, national news, political news, State news

Gov. Perry forced to eat his words

Rick “Oops” Perry called Donald J. Trump a “cancer on conservatism.”

He said his one-time Republican presidential campaign foe was devoid of “principles.”

The former Texas governor once pledged to get rid of the Energy Department, except he couldn’t remember it at the time he made the pledge.

Now the man he condemned with such harsh rhetoric has asked him to lead the department he wanted to eliminate.

Go … figure.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/rick-perry-seeks-to-lead-the-energy-department-an-agency-he-pledged-to-abolish/ar-AAm122q?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp

Gov. Perry’s nomination to be energy secretary suggests two important things to me.

One is that politicians’ views of other politicians always are subject to change when the moment presents itself. Perry’s remarks about the president-elect happened to be accurate, in my view. They didn’t stick. So now, if he’s confirmed, Perry will lead a Cabinet agency that he seems to know little about and will work at the pleasure of a man he once described in extremely harsh terms.

The other is that energy development isn’t just about drilling for fossil fuels. Perry, as Texas governor, knows that. We generate a good bit of wind energy in Texas, especially out here on the High Plains.

Trump, though, has expressed next to zero knowledge of, or interest in, alternative energy production. He keeps talking about grabbing the oil fields of the Islamic State and other terrorists and capturing the fuel for our own needs. Is the energy secretary going to assist in that endeavor or will he proceed with promoting a comprehensive energy policy that includes the myriad forms of alternative energy sources available to us?

Gov. Perry is another one of those questionable nominees with whom Trump is surrounding himself.

I am now shaking my head.

national news

Decision made: I’ll watch inaugural speech … that’s all!

I usually glom onto the pageantry associated with events such as presidential inaugurations.

This time? I’m going to pass on most of it.

You know my feelings about the president-elect. No need to belabor that point. I am going to watch Donald John Trump take the oath of office and will watch his inaugural speech.

I hear it’ll be shorter than the average inaugural address. That’s fine.

I do need grist for this blog and I suppose the new president’s remarks will provide plenty of it.

However, this is going to surprise many of you. I am going to listen specifically for praiseworthy statements. To be candid, my continual bitching about Trump is wearing me out. I’ve told you already that I want the new president to succeed. We could get an inkling of whether he’s headed for success within a few minutes after taking the oath.

Inaugural speeches usually are chock full of high-minded, noble rhetoric that seeks to appeal to our better angels. A few of them over the two-plus centuries of our republic have left indelible impressions, the phrase that lasts throughout history. “Ask not what you can do for your country …” stands out, yes? “With malice toward none and charity for all …” That one, too.

I also get that words alone don’t spell success. We’ll need to see if the president delivers on the promises expressed on the steps of the Capitol Building.

Will the 45th president deliver a signature line, a moment for the ages? We’ll see. I am not betting my next steak dinner on it.

However, as a squishy liberal/progressive, my hope does spring eternal.

national news, political news

Trump team staggers toward starting line

It’s not going well for Team Trump as it prepares to take command of the most powerful, greatest nation on Earth.

Seemingly across the board, Donald Trump’s Cabinet selections are having difficulty squaring their records with what will be expected of them when — or if — they take some highly visible public offices.

Betsy DeVos,  the president-elect’s choice to become education secretary, seemed flummoxed about questions pertaining to basic education policy.

Health and Human Services pick U.S. Rep. Tom Price is facing scrutiny over legislation he pitched that favored a company in which he had just purchased stock.

Ben Carson, the noted brain surgeon who has been nominated to lead the housing department, is having to explain why his spokesman said the good doctor is unqualified for the job.

Andrew Puzder, the labor secretary-designate (pictured with Trump), reportedly is having second thoughts about even taking the job. Oh, and he’s got a messy divorce settlement hanging over him, too.

Scott Pruitt, picked to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, told a Senate committee that his views on whether human beings are responsible for climate change aren’t relevant.

And on and on we go.

It’s not all bad. The Senate Armed Services Committee has recommended confirmation for Defense Secretary-designate James Mattis — after he seemed to contradict Trump’s views about the threat posed by Russia.

I get that sometimes these high-level Cabinet picks go awry. Do you remember when two of President-elect Bill Clinton’s picks for attorney general had to bow out because they had employed illegal immigrants?

But that’s OK. Donald Trump assured us he would pick the “smartest people, the best people” to run the government while he concentrates on making America “great again.”

Oye!

national news, political news

No talk of polls these days from POTUS-elect

Polls became something of a linchpin of Donald J. Trump’s successful campaign for the presidency.

He boasted about them continually when they showed him leading his Republican Party primary rivals. He ridiculed other GOP candidates for failing to break the 1 or 2 percent barrier.

Then he got nominated and he started bragging as the general election campaign raced toward the finish line and polls showed him closing the gap with Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Polls are up? They’re good. Polls go down? They’re “rigged.”

Well, the president-elect has some more polling data with which to contend. These are the polls that show Trump to be about the least popular president-elect in decades.

Barack Obama became president with an approval rating at nearly 80 percent. George W. Bush took office in 2001 also with soaring public approval ratings.

Trump’s ratings? They’re at 40 percent or less, depending on the polls you see.

Think of this, too: The president-elect hasn’t done anything! He’s made no difficult decisions that are bound to anger millions of Americans.

Transitions historically have been the high-water mark for presidents of the United States. The next president starts at a much lower platform than most of his predecessors.

What about these polls, Mr. President-elect?

national news, political news

Get ready for chaos at the top

Donald J. Trump ran the most unconventional presidential campaign in history.

He is now running the most unconventional presidential transition in most folks’ memory.

Does this all portend the most unconventional presidency, one fraught with chaos and, as Politico reports, “empty desks”?

Let’s all hold on.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/trump-transition-agencies-233811

The president-elect takes office at noon on Friday. His predecessor will no longer be The Man. That title passes quietly, peacefully and seamlessly (one should hope) to Trump.

But is he ready? There appears to be growing concern that he isn’t. The Trump administration will take office without most of its Cabinet heads confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Indeed, some of them might not be confirmed over questions ranging from lack of knowledge of public education policy, stock purchases of companies that benefit from legislation pursued by a Cabinet nominee and another appointee’s close personal friendship with Vladimir Putin.

National security posts are unfilled. The world is dangerous, jittery and fraught with peril on many fronts. The Trump team hasn’t yet prepared to take its post.

I don’t know about you, but I long have appreciated how previous presidents have assumed power. I have admired the preparation they have completed. Democrats and Republicans alike all have done their homework. They all have moved cleanly and swiftly to fill key posts. The transition from one administration to another — George W. Bush to Barack Obama, Bill Clinton to George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush to Bill Clinton — all have been testaments to the fundamental concept of “peaceful transfer of power” that is so American in nature and scope.

When Democrats hand power over to Republicans — and vice versa — it’s all gone mostly hitch-free.

That feeling is missing in action as Barack Obama prepares to hand the immense power of the presidency to Donald J. Trump.

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