One Little Victory

This has probably been my longest break away from blogging in some time. But as the old adage goes, if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything. So I took a little break.

But of course the world didn’t stop turning during the past ten days and so there has been plenty of blogging fodder, but I’ll just hit the highlights tonight, given that it is 7:18 at night and I am finally seeing my day come to a close.

Quick slants for the past week:

1. Hillary, Hillary, Hillary

This time I think we can safely say her candidacy is done. After eeking out a win in Indiana and getting buried in North Carolina, that handwriting on the wall is now in permanent ink. Add to that the fact that as of today Obama has taken the lead in superdelegates (and still has more to roll out), and it is quite clear that any hope for another Clinton presidency has died. As usual, Eugene Robinson has written a wonderful piece… this one capturing Hillary Clinton’s dismay over losing a nomination that she felt entitled to, and articulating her inability to take Barack Obama as a serious candidate.

2. Who’s Number Two?

Now the speculation has begun about Obama selecting Clinton as his running mate, and that will spark the newest media feeding frenzy. My take? It’s not going to happen. Ever. Clinton carries too much baggage and has utilized “scorched earth” campaign tactics that immediately undermine her ability to take the second chair.

The list of possibilities? Let’s start with who I think won’t be his running mate. That list would include Clinton, Al Gore, Dennis Kucinich, and John Edwards. Edwards is the most intriguing of this lot in that I think it would actually be a good career move for him if he still eyes the presidency, but he’s been down this path, and you generally don’t see a repeat of a failed vice presidential candidate. There is speculation about New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, but I think that can be ruled out as well. Finally, there is some thought that Chuck Hagel would be a good choice as an anti-war republican, but his social views likely disqualify him from any serious consideration.

So what does my short list look like? I would start with Bill Richardson, a governor of a western swing state who himself has the credentials to be president, and who would further diversify the most dynamic presidential run in U.S. history. His service as a cabinet member and ambassador make him well qualified to serve as the number two under Obama. While there is thought that Richardson can be viewed as a Washington, DC insider, the fact is that Obama will need someone with insider experience to get things done once elected.

After Richardson, I suppose Joe Biden or Chris Dodd could be considered, but the anti-Washington sentiment could be used better against them than it could against Richardson. I have also heard whisperings of Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine. Tom Vilsack (Iowa) has been mentioned, but wouldn’t be of much help where Obama needs it, in the south. Arguably, Richardson would be a much better factor as a Latino from a southwestern state. Wesley Clark has been mentioned, but that seems to me like a non-starter.

Another person of note is Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln, the 46 year old female southern conservative Democrat. Strategically, she would be a great asset to the ticket and really split up McCain’s southern base. Assuming Lincoln has no major skeletons in her closet, she seems like a pretty safe, yet still very bold choice for the vice presidency.

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, like Richardson, could have a powerful impact in the southwest, and Ohio Governor Ted Strickland could help in carrying a key electoral state. Finally, a dark horse candidate is Virginia Senator Jim Webb, who has experience as Secretary of the Navy, and was a live wire in the 2006 elections. Webb has been solid on national defense and would help chip at the southern base as well.

OK, that wasn’t a very quick slant, but this next one will be.

3. Spygate finally dying?

So former Patriots’ assistant Matt Walsh finally turned over a handful of tapes. Nothing about the Super Bowl against the Rams, and his lawyer said that Walsh wasn’t the source of that rumor. Ummm, sure. The NFL was quick to state that there didn’t seem to be anything new, though there was a mention that offensive signals were included. This is interesting, given the helmet microphones make offensive signals almost completely unnecessary. But whatever. Are new sanctions possible? I guess so, but I find it very unlikely at this point. The NFL will make its ruling, Arlen Specter will grumble, and all will again be right with the universe.

4. Stevens vents

Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens guaranteed himself some headlines when he said that the euthanized Kentucky Derby horse Eight Belles probably died more humanely than death row prisoners do

Stevens went on to say that he now believes that the death penalty is unconstitutional. It’s nice too hear that, but Justice Stevens is closer to the end of his term on the bench than the beginning, and until we see appointments from a Democratic President, this court is only going to grow more conservative. It’s ironic to me that John McCain is grumbling about activist judges; nearly two thirds of federal judges were appointed by Republican presidents. And some of the most seemingly bizarre decisions actually came from those judges. But McCain never let a little bit of reality get in his way before, so why start now?

5. Wright goes wrong

Sometimes it’s not what you say, but how you say it. Last week Jeremiah Wright was at it again, making comments to the Press Club in Washington, DC. I watched the entire speech and the Q&A session that followed. And, other than perhaps one comment, I didn’t find anything horribly wrong with what the Rev. Wright said.

But I took exception to how he said it.

The man acted incredibly arrogantly, and was exceptionally vain, even visually mimicking the person emceeing the event. I found this in incredibly poor taste. So did Barack Obama. And Senator Obama did about the only thing he could do, condemn Rev. Wright’s remarks and sever ties with him.

6. No Child Left Behind, except for these kids…

This is the legacy of No Child Left Behind. Now is it just me, or does the penalizing of schools and students who started out at a disadvantage who are also overwhelmingly composed of underrepresented students just come across as another form of institutionalized racism? Well at least Bush is consistent. He has had the same negative impact on our nation’s schools that he has had on every other part of our nation. As an educator and father of three small children I am simply disgusted.

… OK, so that’s all for tonight. But I will be back in the next day or two… I need to update the Patriots’ moves, and need to write about Myanmar. Yes, I know they don’t have oil, but we might want to think about another nation dealing with a brutal regime.

Have a great night!