http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/21/world/middleeast/obama-steps-back-into-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict.html?ref=politics&_r=0

I continue to be amazed at President Obama’s critics – and we have no shortage of them in West Texas – who keep harping on his so-called passive stance regarding Israel.

As the New York Times article linked to this blog notes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is embracing Obama’s declaration of support as he – Netanyahu – faces his own election challenges in January. Yes, Bibi wanted his long-time friend Mitt Romney to win the U.S. presidential election. But he lost. And now the Israeli PM must lock arms with the man who is president – and who will be president of the United States for the next four years.

Obama critics keep suggesting that the United States is doing too little to support Israel in the wake of the terrorist rockets being launched from Gaza into neighboring Israeli cities. What’s the president supposed to do? Send in a brigade of Marines? Scramble fighter jets off a carrier battle group to bomb and strafe terrorist targets? Order a Delta Force strike?

As many observers have noted, the Israeli military is quite capable of defending the country. The U.S. president’s role in this current crisis is to assure Israelis that the United States will lend all diplomatic, political and intelligence-gathering support it can to assist our ally.

Maybe I’m hearing things and/or hallucinating, but I’m quite sure President Barack Obama has done everything possible to lend support to Israel.

I really do get Israel’s plight in the face of sworn enemies who vow to wipe the country off the face of the planet.

A little more than three years ago, I had the high honor of touring that country with four of my best friends in the world. We were part of a Rotary International exchange. We spent four weeks visiting Israel from top to bottom, from the seashore to the Golan Heights. And one of the profound impressions one gets when visiting the country of roughly 8,000 square miles is just how close everyone lives to once- and still-hostile nations.

The tragedy of Gaza reminds me of that proximity. Hamas, the terrorist organization that governs the Gaza Strip, is launching missiles into Israel. They’re not targeting military installations. They’re aiming the missiles at innocent people. Israel is vowing to strike back, hard, unless the two sides can broker a cease-fire. That agreement appears to be closer as I write these words. I hope that is the case.

But I also understand fully Israel’s desire to take whatever measures are necessary to protect its citizens. Hamas is a sworn enemy of Israel. The Israelis cannot tolerate – nor should they – that kind of threat to their homeland. They must strike back and put down the terrorists.

I have never fully trusted the peace agreements Israel has signed with Jordan and Egypt, two former enemies that border Israel. I fear that in the event of another all-out war in the region that Egypt and Jordan will scrap the agreement while taking up arms with their Arab brethren. Would it happen? I pray it isn’t so.

Within our first week of touring Israel in the spring of 2009, we visited an air force museum in Bee’r Sheva. A young guide told us it takes less than 10 minutes to fly across Israel in a super-sonic fighter jet. As a result, any location in Israel is an easy target for a jet from, say, Iran – should that aircraft manage to penetrate Israel’s state-of-the-art air defense system.

And when you see first-hand how close the Israelis are to those who wish to harm them – such as those who’ve been shelled in Ashkelon and Sderot, which are a virtual shouting distance from the Gaza border – you understand why the Israelis have every right to use whatever means necessary to defend themselves.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/84061.html?hp=t1

Democrats used to abandon failed presidential nominees.

George McGovern in 1972, Jimmy Carter in 1980, Walter Mondale in 1984, Michael Dukakis in 1988? They all became pariahs within their party after suffering crushing election defeats.

Now it’s Republicans’ turn to leave a failed candidate to the political wolves. Mitt Romney has become the GOP’s scapegoat. True, he didn’t suffer a landslide loss to President Obama on Nov. 6. He fell about 3.5 million ballots short in the popular vote; the Electoral College margin bordered on a wipeout, at 332-206.

If Romney had just not opened his mouth recently when asked how Obama beat him …

He told a radio talk show host the other day the president won by bestowing “gifts” on his constituent base. He seemed to be singling out Latinos, who voted in overwhelming numbers for the president. Romney’s sour-grape excuse sounded petty and unseemly in light of his graceful concession speech on Election Night.

Now that he’s run off at the mouth, other Republicans are leveling their own fire at their presidential nominee. “When you are in a hole, you stop digging,” U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., said. Romney “is still digging,” he said. Newt Gingrich said Romney’s remark is “nuts.”

One apparent reason for Romney’s abandonment has been that his fellow Republicans don’t like him very much. John McCain was said to have despised Romney when they ran against each other in 2008. Gingrich called Romney a liar during this year’s GOP primary campaign.

The Republican soul-searching is underway. The GOP was just certain – absolutely certain – that the White House was theirs for the taking. They nominated the wrong man.

And now Democrats can be forgiven for saying: Welcome to our world.

http://amarillo.com/opinion/opinion-columnist/weekly-opinion-columnist/2012-11-18/horsley-dont-mess-texas-petition

More than a few Texans are angry with the results of the Nov. 6 election.

They didn’t want Barack Obama re-elected as president of the United States. So, to give voice to their anger, they have signed a petition asking the U.S. government to give Texas permission to “peacefully” secede from the Union.

More than 4.5 Texans voted for Republican nominee Mitt Romney, compared to 3.3 million who voted for President Obama. That’s a fairly substantial majority in a single state for the guy who lost the election by about 3.5 million votes nationally.

Is there some good news in this? Only this, as far as I can tell: Texas Gov. Rick Perry is having none of it. He shot his mouth off in 2011 about Texans getting so angry they would want to secede. Critics took that declaration as a tacit endorsement of secession. Perry said he opposed secession back then. He said so even more strongly this time, with the petition making the rounds in Texas. He wants to preserve the Union and will fight any attempt to break away.

But here’s another point the governor needs to make: We are a nation of states united under a common government framework. Petitioning for secession – even a peaceful secession – runs totally counter to our national unity.

More Americans voted for the president’s re-election than voted against it.

The idea of pulling out of the Union simply because your side lost an election is, well, quite un-American.

As the Republican Party continues its post-election self-examination, its leaders are struggling to define the issues that did them in at the ballot box.

My hunch? Immigration is one of the key issues. And here is where the GOP needs to take a page from a couple of Texans: George W. Bush and Rick Perry. Bush was Texas governor before he became president; Perry has been governor since December 2000 … although it seems like it’s forever.

Whereas the Republicans rallied largely behind presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s desire for illegal immigrants to “self-deport,” Bush and Perry have been the voices of reason on this issue. Both Texans have favored comprehensive immigration reform, seeking to “fast-track” illegal immigrants’ status toward legal residency and eventually citizenship if they so choose.

It’s no secret now that nearly three-quarters of Latinos favored President Obama’s re-election. Compare that with the nearly 40 percent of Latinos who voted for Bush’s re-election in 2004 and you get an idea of one key area where the GOP did its election-night face plant.

What’s more, Bush and Perry also have been strong on an issue that simply angers the dickens out of conservatives. They favor allowing illegal immigrants who were brought to Texas as children by their parents to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. A lot of conservatives dislike that notion, contending that such a policy encourages more illegal immigrants to come into Texas. Perry in particular – and I don’t usually speak well of Gov. Goodhair – has been strong on this issue. He says quite correctly that these incoming college students who were brought to Texas by parents seeking a better life consider themselves to be Texans. The U.S. is the only country they know. Why not grant them opportunity for a higher education at a rate they can afford?

Indeed, Perry’s view on in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants sounds a great deal like the Dream Act that Obama favors, enabling all such individuals a chance to improve their lives in the only country they’ve ever known.

Don’t bet on Perry saying he agrees with the president on anything, let alone immigration.

But the Republican Party needs to study the demographic trend now underway in many states, including Texas. The nation isn’t all-native-born-Anglo, folks. Deal with it.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/268587-obama-only-two-paths-available-in-fiscal-cliff-talks

What is it about people in power in D.C. that makes them want to engage in gratuitous brinksmanship?

They’re at it again. This time it’s because of the so-called “fiscal cliff” that threatens Americans’ investment accounts – including mine. The cliff looms only if Republicans and Democrats cannot reach an agreement on ways to cut the deficit. President Obama, fresh off his re-election, makes the most sense of all: Cut the deficit with a combination of spending reductions and modest tax increases for the wealthiest Americans, those who earn more than a quarter-million dollars annually.

As Obama and his allies have noted, asking the rich to pay a little more won’t make them poor. They’ll still be rich. Meanwhile, the rest of us can keep our tax breaks and, therefore, be able to invest our own money.

What happens if the two sides don’t agree by the end of the year? Everyone’s taxes go up and the government kicks in with automatic 10 percent spending cuts across the board. That means defense. And, oh yes, Republicans don’t want to cut a dime out of the Pentagon budget. Are they paying attention here?

This nonsense must not continue. I’m quite sure I share the views of many Americans who are getting a bit antsy watching their investment portfolios shrink while the power-brokers in D.C. keep playing games with each other.

Must I remind them that they work for us – not the other way around?

You’ve heard the mantra from Republicans for many years, that local control of public policy provides the best form of government.

Texas Republicans say it all the time. I’ve heard ‘em say it. Many times. Keep “big gub’mint” out of people’s lives, they say.

And yet …

When it comes to red-light cameras, Texas legislators – again, led by Republicans who dominate the Legislature – keep trotting this notion out that the state ought to outlaw cities’ right to deploy red-light cameras to help the police stop lawbreakers from endangering themselves and, more importantly, other motorists and/or pedestrians.

My good buddy Enrique Rangel, writing for the Amarillo Globe-News, details in a story published Monday some of the ideas that the Legislature might consider when it convenes in January. One of those bright notions is a law banning red-light cameras statewide.

http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2012-11-11/pre-filing-period-opens-daunting-issues-loom

What’s wrong with these people? Do they believe in local control or don’t they?

Amarillo installed red-light cameras at several intersections around the about five years ago. They have been nabbing law-breakers by taking pictures of vehicle license plates as they run through red lights. The city sends a citation to the owner of the vehicle and orders him/her to pay the fine … or else. What’s the drawback? Well, the registered vehicle owner might not be the one breaking the law; it might be a relative or a friend behind the wheel. Still, if that’s the case, then the driver of the vehicle, if not its owner, and the owner need to figure out a way to get the pay fine paid.

The money collected goes to several places: the vendor who leases the cameras to the city, the state and, most importantly, to the city, which must, under state law, use the money for traffic safety improvements. You know, it’s frivolous stuff, like hiring more patrol officers and improving traffic signalization.

Several cities have instituted the camera-aided enforcement because their leaders have determined they have a specific need. Amarillo made that determination and acted. The state, which once banned cities from taking this action, now just might consider taking it all back.

I ask once more: Are legislators, particularly those who oppose Big Brother intruding into communities’ well-being, going to let cities and towns act in their own best interests, or are they going to let paternalistic impulses strip communities of local control everyone – especially Republicans who run things in Austin – insist on protecting?

Well?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/12/us/politics/a-vote-for-unlimited-campaign-financing.html?ref=politics&_r=0
This link tells a sad truth about the election that just concluded.
The biggest – and most welcome – victim of the outcome were the big, deep-pocketed campaign donors. But the result did not deal them a fatal blow.
President Obama’s re-election came as a surprise to the super PAC crowd, led by Karl “Bush’s Brain” Rove, who went into an apoplectic fit the moment the TV networks called “game over” when Ohio’s electoral votes landed in the president’s lap. Moreover, the super PACs that had given truckloads of cash to Senate and House candidates saw their efforts go for naught. The super PACs, namely the GOP-leaning conservative crowd, watched Democrats tighten their grip on the Senate and gain a handful of seats in the Republican-led House.
And of course, the president’s decisive Electoral College win showed that voters’ loyalty cannot necessarily be purchased with negative ads financed by anonymous benefactors.
The Citizens United ruling in 2010 unleashed this electoral monster. The Supreme Court declared that big corporations had just as much right as normal folks – people like you and me – to express their political views. The amount of their money does allow them to buy more TV air time than your Average Joe or Jane. Thus, they can speak more loudly.
It’s far from a done deal that the thumping these big spenders took at the polls last week will silence them. Indeed, now we hear that the conservative action groups are gearing for the next big fight, the 2014 midterm election, to knock off some of those traitorous moderates who just can’t stop saying nice things about the monsters on the other side of the aisle, which includes President Obama.
Still, by my reckoning, the 2012 election produced – at many levels – a most satisfying outcome.

I’ve just watched a preview of an upcoming public television special, “The Dust Bowl,” directed by acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns. And there’s a chilling message near its end.

We’d better be mindful of our water. The consequences of doing otherwise are too chilling to ponder.

The special takes note of this fundamental truth: If we lose the water we lose the land.

There are still many of our Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle neighbors who remember the Dust Bowl well. It turned daylight into dark in an instant, as black clouds of choking dirt rolled for years across the landscape, enveloping everything – and every being – in their path.

What caused it? Two factors: indiscriminate plowing of native grasslands and crippling drought.

It’s the drought that should cause us great concern today. We’ve developed better plowing techniques that help reduce soil erosion. However, we haven’t yet stopped using Ogallala Aquifer water to a degree that threatens its existence – and our communities’ survival.

One of the people interviewed in the documentary, which will air on KACV-TV on Nov. 18 and 19, says we could run out of water in sections of the Texas Panhandle in the next 20 years. Then what? Well, think of the worst, and it’s likely to happen.

Irrigated farmland is gulping huge quantities of groundwater every hour. The aquifer doesn’t regenerate nearly fast enough to replace it.

The Dust Bowl special doesn’t dwell too much on the water supply, but there’s enough of it in the broadcast to cause anyone who’s paying attention some serious concern.

Many of us now are quite aware of what occurred Tuesday evening on the Fox News Channel. It involved Fox’s call that President Obama would win Ohio’s 18 electoral votes and, thus, would be re-elected to another four years in office.

Karl Rove, aka “Bush’s Brain” and once considered the smartest political operative in all of human history, went ballistic. He questioned his colleagues’ call and said that with so few votes counted, it was at best premature to call the Buckeye State for the president. The Fox news staff tried to talk him down. They told him the numbers were right and that they were virtually 100 percent certain of it.

What drove Rove to question his Fox colleagues’ wisdom? Money. Specifically, it was the amount of money he – Rove – raised and spent in places like, um, Ohio, to defeat the president. Rove’s super PAC spent tens of millions of dollars in Ohio, and about $300 million nationally, to defeat Obama. He came up short. Therefore, I think the nation witnessed a key political operative fall into deep denial about what he had just witnessed – which was that all the effort, time and money were for naught.

The very next day, Rove was back on the air – on Fox, of course – to say that “voter suppression” was the key to Obama’s victory. He said the Obama team did a masterful job of tearing down GOP nominee Mitt Romney, discouraging voters to turn out. He just couldn’t get past the fact that the president was re-elected with a smaller majority than he got the first time. Fox News anchor Megan Kelly, to her great credit, sought to inform Rove that the size of the president’s majority didn’t matter. “He still won,” Kelly reminded Rove.

The most hilarious aspect of that exchange was that Rove was complaining about negative campaigning. Flash back to 2004 and recall Rove’s financing of the “swift boat” attack on Democratic nominee John Kerry, which sought to defame the candidate’s reputation by questioning whether he really earned all those medals for valor while fighting for his country as a naval officer in Vietnam.

Rove, 61, incidentally, never served in the military – let alone in Vietnam.

Nice try, Mr. Rove.