January 26, 2012
RIP Hugo Kenney
Hugo came from the Pioneer Kennel. I got him as a puppy in November 2000 — hence his AKC registration name: Pioneer Millennium Baby Hugo. He was an outstanding dog in every way, especially his gentle temperament. All of eleven years old he was getting old for a Black Labrador, but I'd hoped he might live another couple years. It was not to be. He'd had trouble for the past month defecating. After he'd completely stopped for two days I gave up fiddling with his diet and yesterday took him to the animal hospital. Today, for the first time, he had trouble urinating, so the hospital took some x-rays, which showed several rather large and evidently fast growing cancers, under his backbone and above his colon (very much constricting it, which had caused the constipation), on his spleen, and elsewhere. The choice was massive surgical intervention plus chemotherapy or to put him to sleep. I chose the latter. Of course I was with him during the procedure, as was Sharon. She said a prayer, he seemed calm, and it was over quickly. He was much beloved and is ever so greatly missed.
January 24, 2012
Cheap Jingoism
If tonight's State of the Union speech didn't remind you of Mr. Obama's transition, it should have done. The worthy things he called for are mostly non-starters in the Republican House while the rotten things he called for are conservative gimmes. Mr. Obama is, as always, a Republican decked out in liberal flourishes. For me, perhaps the most interesting aspects of the evening were close-up television shots of Representative Boehner and Senator McConnell, who seemed to choke inwardly at the notion that a few of their plans might be realized by the Democrats. In terms of pure electioneering the speech probably did Mr. Obama and the Democrats some good but I'll be completely shocked if he actually fights for any of the things he mentioned. And then, of course, even if he were reelected and even if the Democrats were to retake the House, and not lose the Senate, it's unlikely in the extreme — judging from recent history — that Senator Reid would try to get rid of the anti-democratic sixty vote cloture rule; in 2013, therefore, even in a "best case" scenario, obstruction plus a Republican agenda will continue to be the name of the game. Indeed, I'd guess Mr. Obama is counting on it.
January 22, 2012
More Electable?
Conventional wisdom has it that Mitt Romney would be the strongest Republican to run against Mr. Obama. Accordingly, Newt's victory in South Carolina should augur well for those who prefer a lesser rightward shift, if his victory translated into Newt's nomination. But is Mitt really more electable? I'm not so sure. In particular, one must wonder whether any Mormon is electable — because so many Americans see Mormonism as a cult. They happen to be right about that and they probably won't be changing their minds anytime soon.
January 12, 2012
Assassinations, Inc.
So — Israel tells itself nobody knows what it's doing while it busily assassinates as many Iranian nuclear physicists as it can. Meanwhile, the serious Washington set struggles to find a one-sided definition of terrorism that's sufficiently salable, at least in a media pretend sort of way. But on that nuclear issue, let's not forget the NUMEC story. For a full accounting see Victor Gilinsky & Roger J. Mattson, "Revisiting the Numec Affair," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, March/April 2010. It's behind a paywall, unfortunately, but the gist is that in the mid-1960s Israel probably surreptitiously (and very much illegally) took several hundred kilograms of highly enriched uranium from a plant in Pennsylvania, which Israel then used for its first nuclear weapons. Some "ally" — and the same applies for feverishly trying to get the U.S. to go to war with Iran...
Vacation Vicissitudes
Not to complain... Oh, hell, why not? It was more than enough my dad having a heart attack on Thanksgiving — going to see him every day, sometimes twice a day, and occasionally three times a day has taken a lot out of me. Once he finishes rehab, in a few days, I'll be his physical therapy coach at home for some time. I'm happy to do all this and I tremendously appreciate the extra time we've got together. But it hasn't been a particularly timely time for problems of my own to crop up. Namely, my teeth.
January 11, 2012
EP Podcast Schedule Late January/Early February (Amended)
The EP Podcast will start the 2012 year on Friday, January 20th, the subject being Iran, with Ambassador John W. Limbert. The week following, Friday, January 27th, talking about nuclear power, my guest will be Dr. Victor Gilinsky, a former two-term Commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. A very, very smart guy. On Friday, February 3d, my guest will be Belén Fernandez, talking about her latest book, The Imperial Messenger: Thomas Friedman at Work (Verso, 2011). And Friday, February 10th, scheduled but not yet recorded, I'm talking again — for the fourth time — with Dr. Bruce Cumings, about North Korea. I look forward to being back! Thank you all for listening!!
January 3, 2012
Miscommunications With Iran
The market for oil is a global market. Not perfectly homogenized, but global. So if the U.S. and Europe say that they plan to further "punish" Iran for its nuclear program by implementing a European boycott of Iranian oil or sanctions generally against those who buy Iranian oil, well, that's the proverbial paper tiger talking. To be sure, the Iranians understand. It was, then, a very serious mistake for Iran to threaten to retaliate by closing the Strait of Hormuz, not only because it was unnecessary but because the threat turned war from a negligible possibility (because self-evident direct costs are too great) into something much more tangible. Although Iranian Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi walked back the Iranian position on Sunday, Iran's Army Commander in Chief, Maj. General Ataollah Salehi, further stoked the dispute on Tuesday, saying "We recommend to the U.S. warship [the USS John C. Stennis] that passed through the Strait of Hormuz and went to the Gulf of Oman not to return to the Persian Gulf... The Islamic Republic of Iran will not repeat its warning." Let's hope not. Going forward the Iranians would be extremely well advised never to say anything again about disrupting the West's oil supply.
Oil has not become a higher priority than nuclear proliferation but an American decision to go to war can sometimes have less to do with principles or objective calculations than with the inertial momentum of a vast national security apparatus. Hit the right buttons and war pretty much automatically ensues.
