I have been been a fan of Howard Dean since he ran for President in the 2004 race. He would have been a better candidate than John Kerry. He had good ideas. Unlike Kerry, he spoke his mind, which may… Read More »Howard Dean Is Right On Healthcare
The fact that Obama is taking flack from both the Left and the Right indicates that his policy on Afghanistan is probably about right. The Democrats are complaining that he is the tool of the generals. If he were a… Read More »Give Obama a Chance on Afghanistan
It’s time for the US to spend its money where it’s needed, for the common people. The NYT article on debt repayment points out the problems facing the US if it borrows a ton more money for another stimulus or… Read More »Time To Change Recession Strategy
Everybody is talking about Wall Street salaries being too high, but this article in the Washington Post by the organization that runs the Rhodes scholarship program is what put me over the top. He says that the huge differential between… Read More »Wall Street Salaries Are Too High
Steve Simon now has an op-ed in the New York Times, following up on his op-ed in the Financial Times. He cranks out stuff for major papers faster than I can blog. Once again I basically agree with him that… Read More »More Steve Simon on Terror
It was a good decision to name Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary when Obama came in at the height of the banking crisis. He needed someone who knew what had happened, where the bodies were buried on Wall Street. Now… Read More »Almost Time for Geithner to Go
CNBC, which is on in the other room, is doing a story on some poker player in a Las Vegas tournament, who came from a very simply background and is winning tons of cash. First, why is this a financial… Read More »Gambling on Wall Street
Tom Friedman’s Wednesday NYT column on government contractors was once again right on the money. The US government no longer performs the functions that it is charged with and used to do itself, such as fighting wars and negotiating with… Read More »Buying Patriotism
Steve Simon, with whom I worked in State’s old Politico-Military Bureau, has an op-ed in yesterday’s Financial Times, “Pull the Plug on the Afghan Surge.” I agree with most of his reasons to oppose a surge, except the last one:… Read More »Steve Simon Against Afghan Buildup
This article from the Wall Street Journal is an apology or explanation of the claims of insider trading at Galleon and other hedge funds, but I don’t buy it. On top of the sub-prime, over-leveraging bank debacle, the Madoff ponzi… Read More »Corruption on Wall Street