National Opt-Outapalooza!

The National Opt Out Day homepage is here, and there's commentary at Memeorandum. And Voting Female's got a roundup, featuring this aggressive Speedo protester at Salt Lake City International Airport below. Plus, at London's Daily Mail, "From bikinis to Speedos to racy underwear, the passengers who claim they WANT to be 'transparent to the TSA'."

The odd stories will lead the news, but how's that opt out thingy working out otherwise?

Fox News has a report, "Many Opting Out of “National Opt Out Day”; TSA Warns Of Possible Impact On Holiday Travel." And at ABC News, "TSA Opt Out Day: Thanksgiving Travelers Quiet So Far: Airport Travelers Share Their Experiences With the Transportation Security Administration." And video from ABC, "TSA Chief's Airports Update." And the chief's at USA Today, "Why We Need TSA's Security Measures."

Recall my previous entry: "How Far on TSA Opposition?" I'd go for the body scanners since I'm worried that one of the al Qaeda freaks is actually gonna get through — and, yeah, I know the response that searches and scanners don't work, blah, blah, but until we profile Muslims ...

That said, check the additional commentary from Jazz Shaw at Hot Air, "Double Standards and the TSA Screeds." And from Glenn Reynolds, "TIME TO GET THE PUBLIC INVOLVED IN AIRPORT SECURITY CHOICES." He links to his Popular Mechanics piece out today, "The TSA, the Law and Democracy: The People's Security," with this key passage:

Today's airport security is widely regarded as a waste of time—the TSA has never caught a terrorist that we know of—and many regard it as what security expert Bruce Schneier calls "security theater," something aimed at giving the appearance of safety, as opposed to its reality.

Even if that's a bit too harsh, it's clear that American security policy is aimed at keeping objects off of planes. For the Israelis, on the other hand, profiling isn't a bug but a feature. Israeli Arabs can breeze through security, while Americans with odd stamps on their passports—as globe-hopping correspondent Michael Totten recently noted—face extensive questioning. The Israelis focus on the person, looking for signs of nervousness, stories that don't hang together and other evidence of nefarious intent. This makes sense. Ultimately, it's people, not objects, who pose the danger.

Yid With Lid has more on that: "These Are The Reasons Why Israel's Airline Security Doesn't Need To Touch Our Junk." Or your breasts: "Woman: TSA Agents Singled Me Out For My Breasts."

And the polling is changing on all of this. While Gallup reports wide public support for TSA screening procedures, WaPo indicates that half of all Americans think agressive pat-downs go too far. And LAT reports on a Zogby poll that says "61% oppose new airport security measures."

And the radicals at The Nation have offered a novel defense of Janetalia Napolitano, "The Washington Lobbyists and Koch-Funded Libertarians Behind the TSA Scandal":

So now let's take one more look at the TSA hysteria, and re-evaluate if we should continue to simply accept the surface narrative, or consider what we might learn by looking beneath the surface. Because everywhere you look, the alleged victims' stories often turn out to be false or highly suspicious, promoted by lobbyists posing as "ordinary guys," and everywhere the cast of characters is always the same: drawn from the cult-ish fringes of the libertarian movement, with trails leading straight to the billionaire Koch brothers' network of libertarian think-tanks and advocacy groups. The tea party must really be freaking out the commies, since radical leftists and radical libertarians have long been on the same side. I'll believe folks at The Nation when they come out aggressively against the Ground Zero Mega Mosque, or in favor of the Afghanistand deployment.

And I guess this is one of those extremely rare times where I agree with Glenn Greenwald: "Anatomy of a journalistic smear job."

RELATED: "As Anger Over Body Scanners Grows, Their Developer Comes to Their Defense."

*****

Added: "Travelers’ Reports: Better Than Expected."

I'm Thankful For Obama!

The Blog Prof's got all the latest: "Sarah Palin Living in Obama's Head. Rent-Free."

More at Memeorandum, and especially: "New Palin Book Offers a Road Map for a Run Against Obama." Hey, now that's really something to be thankful for!

'I'll Be Groped for Christmas'

Word. "Singer's Song About TSA Patdown Goes Viral."

Cool lady: Roxi Copland. On Twitter here.

The London Review of Bigotry

I had students in my World Politics course this semester read Mearsheimer and Walt's "The Israel Lobby." Grading the assignments, one of things that struck me was how substantially the essay's unablanced and decontextualized discussion influenced the student commentaries. The obvious problem is that students lacked sufficient background knowledge to offer full rebuttals. And a number of students had been marinated in anti-Israel propaganda, so they were down with "The Israel Lobby's" demonizations. It was an interesting experience as an instructor. I've met John Mearsheimer. Stephen Walt's balance of threat theory was fundamental to the theory I developed in my dissertation back in the day. And so while I've always avoided the anti-Semitic attacks on Mearsheimer and Walt, it's interesting to learn that The London Review of Books, where Mearsheimer and Walt's "The Israel Lobby" first appeared commercially, boasts the notorious reputation as "one of the most poisonously Judeophobic periodicals in western society." The quote's from Melanie Phillips, who points us to the new comprehensive analysis, "The London Review of Book: Ten Years of Anti-Israel Prejudice." And here's the discussion:

One of the main criticisms of the essay was that its central thesis relied upon anti-Semitic notions of disproportionate Jewish power in media and politics. Christopher Hitchens, by no means a reflexive supporter of Israel, responded to the essay in ‘Overstating Jewish Power,’ an article for Slate (27 March 2006). He criticised the way that Mearsheimer and Walt ‘present the situation as one where the Jewish tail wags the American dog, and where the United States has gone to war in Iraq to gratify Ariel Sharon,’ describing this as ‘partly misleading and partly creepy’.

On how convincing the pair’s case was, veteran Israel critic Noam Chomsky concluded: ‘not very’. He also criticised Mearsheimer and Walt’s ‘highly selective use of evidence’, offering alternative examples of US-Israel friction in which ‘Israel was compelled to back down’.

In marked contrast, the political far right was much more welcoming of Mearsheimer and Walt’s thesis. Former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan David Duke gave ‘The Israel Lobby’ his full approval, saying:

‘It is quite satisfying to see a body in the premier American University essentially come out and validate every major point I have been making since even before the war even started… the task before us is to wrest control of America’s foreign policy and critical junctures of media from the Jewish extremist Neocons that seek to lead us into what they expectantly call World War IV.’

The LRB published more of the same from John Mearsheimer in 2009 in ‘The Lobby Falters’ in which he complained that President Obama is unwilling to assert his authority over the pro-Israel lobby – ‘this is one opponent he is not willing to challenge’.

The full article is at the link.

I borrowed the title above from Melanie, who has additional commentary: "The London Review of Bigotry."

Washington Post Hires Neoconservative Jennifer Rubin!

Jennifer Rubin is one of the very best writers working today, and Commentary's losing a leading light of neoconservative analysis. She's hot.

John Podhoretz has the official announcement: "To Jennifer Rubin, the Fondest of Farewells."

R.S. McCain adds this: "WaPo Makes an Excellent Decision: Jennifer Rubin Hired as Blogger." And Ben Smith has the background, "Rubin to Post":

The Washington Post, a bit bruised from its adventures in the liberal blogosphere, has hired Commentary's prolific Jennifer Rubin, one of the hardest-line conservative hawks around on national security issues in general and Israel in particular ...

Rubin is a staunch advocate of American military action against Iran and harsh Obama critic. She's also a frequent target of the left, branded the "La Pasionara of the neocons" by Joe Klein.

Smith fails to cite the title of Klein's post, which is more indicative of the left's antipathy toward Jennifer Rubin: "Bigoted Religious Extremists."

And a TPM demonization is right behind Joe Klein: "Wash Post Loses Mind: New Hire is Muslim Hating Extremist" (via Memeorandum).

And to cap it off is epic asshole and FDL resident racist TBogg:

In the run up to Our Glorious Iraqi Adventure, Condoleezza Rice once reportedly dismissed comments by Doug “The Fucking Stupidest Guy On The Face Of The Earth” Feith by saying “Thanks Doug, but when we want the Israeli position we’ll invite the ambassador.”

I assume that the WaPo knows that this is Jennifer Rubin’s default setting.

U.S. Weighs Options After North Korean Attack

Interesting piece at Business Insider, "North Korea May Be Too Dangerous to Attack."

And at WaPo, "North Korean Attack on South Korean Island Leaves U.S. With Few Good Options," and NYT, "Korean Clash Forces the U.S. to Weigh Options."

Somali Muslim Gang Violence and Sex-Trafficking in Minneapolis

How's that assimilation thingy going?

From New York Times, "Sex-Trafficking Charges Stun Minneapolis Somalis":

When the girl now identified as Jane Doe 2 came under their control in 2006, at age 12, the Somali Outlaws and the Somali Mafia gangs set a firm rule: Their members could have sex with her free; others must pay with money or drugs.

Repeatedly over the next three years, in apartments, motel rooms and shopping center bathrooms in Minnesota and Tennessee, the girl performed sexual acts for gang members and paying customers in succession, according to a federal indictment that charged 29 Somali immigrants with drawing young girls into prostitution over the last decade, using abuse and threats to keep them in line, and other crimes. The suspects, now aged 19 to 38, sported nicknames like Hollywood, Cash Money and Forehead, prosecutors said.

The allegations of organized trafficking, unsealed this month, were a deep shock for the tens of thousands of Somalis in the Minneapolis area, who fled civil war and famine to build new lives in the United States and now wonder how some of their youths could have strayed so far. Last week, in quiet murmurings over tea and in an emergency public meeting, parents and elders expressed bewilderment and sometimes outrage — anger with the authorities for not acting sooner to stop the criminals, and with themselves for not saving their young.

The indictment was the latest in a series of jolting revelations starting around 2007, when a spate of deadly shootings in the Twin Cities made it impossible to ignore the emergence of Somali gangs. Then came the discovery that more than 20 men had returned to Somalia to fight for Islamic extremists, bringing what many Somalis feel has been harsh and unfair scrutiny from law enforcement and the news media.

“And now it’s this sex ring,” said Zuhur Ahmed, 25, who discusses Somali issues on her weekly program on KFAI community radio in Minneapolis. “Everybody is wondering what’s going to be the next thing.”

More at the link.

Natalie Portman: Healthy for Oscar Season

She was my very first Rule 5 before there was Rule 5: "Natalie Portman Gets Results!"

William Teach was in controlled escalation the other day, "I'll Raise RS McCain’s Ann Hathaway With Natalie Portman In a Thong." And Stacy responds: "William Teach Thinks He’s Got Me Beat With Natalie Portman Thong Picture ..."

And at LAT, "About (Late) Last Night: Natalie Portman, injured on set, is healthy for Oscar season."

Chalmers Johnson Obituaries

Following up my post, "Chalmers Johnson, 1931-2010."

WaPo published an obituary yesterday, "Renowned Asia Scholar Chalmers Johnson Dies at 79."

Dr. Johnson's interest in Asia began in 1953, after he graduated with an economics degree from the University of California at Berkeley and became an officer in the Navy aboard a landing ship tank, a shallow-bottomed cargo vessel.

During his wartime service, Dr. Johnson's ship ferried North Korean prisoners back across the demarcation line but often experienced mechanical trouble and was sent to Yokohama, Japan, for repairs.

While waiting for the vessel to be fixed, Dr. Johnson bided his time by learning Japanese and examining the country's culture, economy and longtime turbulent relationship with China.

When he returned to Berkeley in 1955, Dr. Johnson began studying political science and immersed himself in texts related to Asia. For his doctoral thesis, Dr. Johnson explored the rise of the Communist party in China, which he claimed was rooted in a contagious zeitgeist of nationalism shared among much of the country's poor.

To illustrate his point, he compared the rise of Communism in China to that of Yugoslavia shortly after the Germans invaded that eastern European country in World War II, where many peasants became fervently nationalistic and mobilized under the Yugoslav Communist party leadership.

He received a doctorate in 1961 and embarked on a year-long Ford Foundation fellowship in Tokyo. During that time, he revised his thesis and in 1962 it was released as a book - "Peasant Nationalism and Communist Power: The Emergence of Revolutionary China, 1937-1945," - the same year he joined the Berkeley political science faculty.

In 1982, Dr. Johnson released "MITI and the Japanese Miracle: The Growth of Industrial Policy, 1925-1975," where he reported on the Japanese government's control over the country's capitalistic market.

It was in the research to that book that Dr. Johnson said he initially became disillusioned with what he would later term "American imperialism" abroad and would lead him "to see clearly for the first time the shape of the empire that I had so long uncritically supported."

The full obituary at the link.

UC San Diego has a feature as well, "Leading Scholar on Japan - Chalmers Johnson (1931-2010) - Left Lasting Legacy at UC San Diego."

Victoria's Secret Angels Heart Katy Perry

The fashion show is coming up on November 30th:

PREVIOUSLY: "Casting the Victoria's Secret Show."

No word on this from Robert Stacy McCain, but stay tuned. The dude's been blogging the hotties of late.

Club StarZ

In the O.C.

My kid's going tomorrow night, although my wife and I have been thinking twice about it. How's this sound?

OC's ONLY TEEN MEGA CLUB:

All Club dates will be announced on our home page. There will be specific dates throughout the school year. We become weekly during the summer. Club Starz is an all age dance club geared toward the high school crowd. Club Starz is ages 14-19 only. Club Starz serves absolutely NO ALCOHOL. We do have for purchase soda, water and energy drinks. Playing the hottest in Top 40, Techno, Hip Hop, Electro, progressive, house, remixes and mash-ups. You must present your student ID, driver’s license or passport at the door. Our security staff is on duty inside and outside the club the entire evening. Everyone entering Club Starz is searched by security to ensure safety for everyone. We are open rain or shine.

Plus:

General Dress Code:

No baggy clothing of any kind
No jerseys
No long t-shirts
No excessive amounts of jewelry
No bandanas, du rags, caps, hoodies
Nothing that supports gang attire
No jersey tank tops
No lingerie
Shoes must be worn at all times.

As long as it's not a rave.

Explosive Powder, PETN, Target of Airport Screenings

Yeah, could be deadly, but sheesh.

At LAT:

Full-body scans and aggressive pat-downs now under scrutiny are designed to seek out the explosive powder that was used in several failed terrorist bombings recently, officials say.

New airport security procedures that have stirred the emotions of air travelers — full-body scans and aggressive pat-downs — were largely designed to detect an explosive powder called PETN, which has been a staple of Al Qaeda bomb makers for nearly a decade.

It was PETN that was molded into the sole of Richard Reid's black high-top sneaker when he walked onto American Airlines Flight 63 bound for Miami in December 2001.

It was PETN that was sewn into the underwear of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, authorities say, when he boarded Northwest Airlines Flight 253 for Detroit on Christmas Day 2009.

And it was PETN that suspected Al Qaeda operatives in Yemen packed inside computer printer cartridges that were shipped Oct. 28, intending to blow up planes en route to Chicago.

None of the plots succeeded in taking down an aircraft, but top U.S. officials are concerned about fresh indications that Al Qaeda remains determined to get PETN on airplanes by trying to exploit vulnerabilities in passenger and cargo screening.

Not only has the terrorist network acknowledged its role in bomb plots, it is also sharing what it knows about building bombs on the Web and elsewhere.

PETN, or pentaerythritol tetranitrate, presents some vexing problems for security experts. A powder about the consistency of fine popcorn salt, it will not trigger an alarm on a metal detector. Because of its more stable molecules, PETN gives off less vapor, making it more difficult to detect by bomb-sniffing dogs and the trace swabs used by the Transportation Security Administration.

PETN's stability makes it easy to hide and easily transformed. When mixed with rubber cement or putty, it becomes a rudimentary plastic explosive — a baseball-sized amount can blow a hole in an airplane fuselage.

"PETN is hard to detect and lends itself to being concealed," said an intelligence official who was not authorized to speak on the record. "It packs a punch."

RELATED: At The Hill, "Next step for body scanners could be trains, boats, metro" (via Memeorandum).

Janet Napolitano Thanks TSA

At Fox News, "Under Fire, TSA Gets 'Thank You' From DHS":

With transportation security officers increasingly under fire from some quarters, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Tuesday sent an email to all Transportation Security Administration employees, saying she wanted to "take a moment to personally thank you for the work you are doing to keep the traveling public safe."

"The threats we face in the aviation sector are real and evolving, and we are meeting them with a strong and dynamic response," she said. "Serving on the front lines, you ensure safe and efficient travel for the millions of people who rely on our aviation system every day" ...

"Travelers and the public realize that your job is difficult and demanding," she said. "This holiday season, I am confident you will again demonstrate your commitment to ensuring the safety of the traveling public to everyone who passes through an airport security checkpoint."

She said that as the threats against the United States "continue to evolve, the nation continues to count on you as their last line of defense against terrorism and rely upon you to execute your mission efficiently, professionally and courteously."

Meanwhile, at Michelle's, "The no-grope list: Look who gets a junk-touching exemption," and at ABC News, "Airport Pat-Downs: TSA Says it Can Fine You for Backing Out" (via Memeorandum)

BONUS: At London's Daily Mail, "'We hate obese passengers and people with personal hygiene issues:' Now 'abused' TSA staff vent their anger at patdown searches."

Korean Peninsula on Brink of War

A big write-up at WaPo, "After attack, Koreas on brink of conflagration."

North Korea launched a massive artillery barrage on a South Korean island Tuesday, killing two South Korean marines, wounding at least 19 other people and setting more than 60 buildings ablaze in the most serious confrontation since the North's sinking of a South Korean warship in March.

South Korea immediately responded with its own artillery fire and put its fighter jets on high alert, bringing the two sides - which technically have remained in a state of war since the Korean armistice in 1953 - close to the brink of a major conflagration.

RTWT.

Saberpoint has a nice summary: "North Korea Fires on South Korea." Plus, from Instapundit, "JUST WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW" (via Memeorandum). Actually, I'd like regime change, but who's to quibble? And interesting comments from John Hawkins, "Are North Korea And South Korea Going To War? Probably Not."

And at Wall Street Journal, "Japan on High Alert Following North Korea's Attack."

North Launches Deadly Artillery Attack on South Korea

At NYT, "North and South Korea Exchange Fire, Killing Two." (At Memeorandum.)

And from Yonhap News, "Foreign Ministry Accuses N. Korea of Violating Armistice":

South Korea's foreign ministry on Tuesday called North Korea's artillery attack a "clear provocation" that violates multiple agreements between the two nations and instructed all of its overseas missions to be on emergency alert.

Ministry spokesman Kim Young-sun said Tuesday's attack violates the inter-Korean armistice, the United Nations Charter and other agreements that call for non-aggression between the two sides.

Also, at WSJ, "North Korea Aggression Sets Major Test for President Obama":

When America wakes up this morning the world will look to Washington and weigh President Obama’s words. For all China’s growing power, and its status as North Korea’s principal supporter, in an international crisis the U.S. president is still in the hot seat. The situation demands a clear-throated response and a robust commitment to support South Korea that the North Korean government and the Chinese hear properly. The alternative, a load of waffling, won’t be taken seriously by the aggressor.

Well, I'm not holding my breath.

More at London's Telegraph, "North Korea shells South Korean island: Q&A." Plus, at LAT, "South Koreans wonder about North's motives," and "North Korea's mind games at the negotiating table."

'Resistance of People's Against Foreign Occupation Is a Legitimate Right'

Says the Lebanese delegation at the United Nations, to some applause.

Via Weasel Zippers:

French Police Chased From 'Muslim' Zone

At Creeping Sharia:

North Korea Nuclear Fears Grow

Reaganite Republican has the story, "North Korean Nuclear Program Advancing Rapidly, Gearing-Up for Export."

But of course this is no doubt a bunch of neocon fearmongering. Or, something: "U.S. Calls North Korea's Nuclear Revelation a 'Publicity Stunt'."

That's right. We shouldn't get too carried away. It's not like regime change would help or anything: "WikiLeaks Show WMD Hunt Continued in Iraq – With Surprising Results."

Pork51: Ground Zero Shakedown Sharif Wants $5 Million Federal Grant — From Lower Manhattan Rebuilding Fund!

At Pamela's, "Jihadist Developers of Ground Zero Mosque Hit Up 9/11 Fund to Rebuild Lower Manhattan for $5 Million Jizya to Erect Islamic Supremacist Mega-Mosque."

They're liars and scheming Islamists.

Today in History: John F. Kennedy Assassination, November 22, 1963

I just read this gripping account of that day, from Clint Hill, who was the Secret Service officer assigned to Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy.

RELATED: At ABC News, "John F. Kennedy Assassination Still Intrigues, 47 Years Later: New JFK Documentary and Motion Picture Will Probe Grim Day in Dallas."

And at Memeorandum, "The Kennedy Assassination: 47 Years Later, What Do We Really Know?"

Quinnipiac Poll: Voters Could Deny Obama Second Term — Sarah Palin Leads GOP for Nomination, Mitt Romney Runs Best Against President

At Quinnipiac, "American Voters Could Deny Obama Reelection, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; President Tied With Romney, Huckabee But Leads Palin":

President Barack Obama does not deserve a second term, American voters say 49 - 43 percent, and he is in a statistical dead heat with possible Republican challengers Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. President Obama leads Sarah Palin 48 - 40 percent.

Romney, Huckabee, Palin and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are bunched together when Republican voters are asked who they prefer for the GOP's 2012 presidential nomination, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University survey finds.

Democratic voters say 64 - 27 percent they do not want anyone to challenge President Obama for their party's nomination in 2012.

"The Democratic base remains squarely behind President Barack Obama when it comes to his re-election, but his weakness among independent voters at this point makes his 2012 election prospects uncertain," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

"The demographic splits in the electorate when voters are asked whether the president deserves a second term is a roadmap for his re-election strategists on how they need to focus their appeal. Only 39 percent of men, 34 percent of whites, 35 percent of political independents and 38 percent of those over age 35 think he deserves four more years in the Oval Office."

In trial heats for 2012, former Massachusetts Gov. Romney receives 45 percent to 44 percent for Obama, while the president gets 46 percent to 44 percent for Mr. Huckabee. Matched against Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, a virtual unknown to most voters, the president leads 45 - 36 percent.

"At this point, former Alaska Gov. Palin runs the worst against President Obama. Daniels is essentially a generic Republican because of his anonymity to most voters. Obama only gets 45 percent against him while he gets 48 percent against Ms. Palin," said Brown. "She is very unpopular among independents and although she recently said she thought she could defeat Obama, the data does not now necessarily support that assertion."

"Unlike Daniels, who is a political unknown to most Americans, virtually all voters have formed an opinion about Palin and that opinion is not encouraging for her candidacy."

More at the link.

And at The Hill, "Poll finds Obama, Romney deadlocked in 2012 matchup." (Via Memeorandum.)

Allen West on Meet the Press

Video at Mofo Politics, "'Meet the Press' Roundtable With Allen West - 11/21/10." And RealClearPolitcs, "'Meet The Press' Panel On Possible Palin Presidential Run."

The asshats at Think Progress are not pleased: "Meet The Press Uncritically Features Radical Rep.-Elect Allen West." West's not down on the progressive plantation.

PREVIOUSLY: "Allen West Wins Florida's 22nd District."

The Road to Ruin? American Profligacy and American Power

I've mentioned this piece a number of times now, from Roger Altman and Richard Haass, "The Consequences of Fiscal Irresponsibility." The introduction provides the background to America's massive fiscal overhang, and then this:

It is important to understand the impact of all this debt. As it grows, interest rates inevitably rise. As they do, the U.S. government's annual interest expense -- the cost of borrowing money -- will rise from one percent of GDP to four percent or more. At that point, interest expense would rival defense expenditures. And it would exceed all domestic discretionary spending, a category that includes spending on infrastructure, education, energy, and agriculture -- in effect, anything other than entitlements and national security. The U.S. Treasury would need to borrow a staggering $5 trillion every single year, both to finance deficits and to refinance maturing debt.

Yet the real outlook for deficits and debt is much worse than these forecasts. For one thing, the debt that the United States effectively guarantees but that is not included in official totals is almost equal to the Treasury Department's stated $9 trillion total. In particular, the debt of government-sponsored enterprises is another $8 trillion. The biggest of these are the essentially bankrupt housing finance agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. They have been placed into federal conservatorship, and for all practical purposes, their debt is equivalent to U.S. Treasury debt. The American taxpayer stands fully behind it.

State and local governments also owe huge amounts, on the order of $3 trillion. And again, Washington indirectly stands behind much or all of it. This sector is deeply distressed, with the largest state, California, recently issuing IOUs. Moreover, many state and municipal pension systems use an antiquated pay-as-you-go funding approach, which has left them underfunded by another $1 trillion.

The post-2020 fiscal outlook is downright apocalyptic, for two reasons. First, the aging of the U.S. population will drive sharp increases in health care costs (and at the same time, more Americans will be retired). Second, federal interest expense will rise exponentially, as the Treasury's borrowing costs grow with the debt. The Congressional Budget Office projects that official federal debt (excluding government-sponsored enterprises) could hit 110 percent of GDP by 2025 and 180 percent by 2035. Adjusting these forecasts for the inevitably slower growth that would accompany such quickly rising debt levels means hitting those stratospheric ratios sooner.

Why is this scenario so dangerous? One reason is that a large amount of federal borrowing would eat up the stock of private capital that is available to finance investment. A higher and higher percentage of personal savings would be diverted to purchasing government debt and away from productivity-enhancing investments in equipment and technology. This would shrink the base of productive capital and flatten GDP and family incomes. As more and more debt piled up, growth would slow and Americans' standard of living would fall.

In addition, interest expense would become so large as to crowd out whole categories of federal spending. Budgets for research, education, and infrastructure, to name but three examples, would inevitably decline in inflation-adjusted terms. Washington's capacity to respond to domestic crises, such as the recent recession, would also fade. All of this would further undermine families' incomes.

More at the link.

My problem with this piece is that it's way too pessimistic, even for a problem of this magnitude. There's no discussion of how tax receipts rise dramatically during periods of robust economic growth. So should the administration agree to the extention of the Bush tax cuts from 2003, it's possible that a surge in GDP --- with a boom in individual and corporate profits --- could send a significant windfall of revenue to the treasury. This was indeed happening by the last couple of years of the Bush administration, and it's likely to happen over the next few years, now that the GOP has retaken the House. See the commentary at Wall Street Journal, "Liberal Tax Revolt."

And refer to my bullish comments from Saturday on the international aspects of coming growth domestically: "The World in China's Orbit?"

HazZzMat on Warren Buffett

"Simpleton":

You know, I've about had it up to here with the MSM worship of Warren Buffett. With all due respect to an arch-capitalist who's made a considerable pile with his investment philosophy, Buffett is yet another lifelong Democrat who blindly supports creeping socialism without a clue as to how destructive it is. He's sort of like George Soros in sheep's clothing.

Via Memeorandum.

SNL Does TSA

And at Ruby Slippers, "SNL: A message for you from the TSA."

Watch Jennifer Grey Tonight on 'Dancing With the Stars'

I like Jennifer, but not everyone: "Bristol Palin Will Win Dancing With the Stars." Background at San Jose Mercury News, "'Dancing with the Stars' finalists ready for the last waltz."

And at Riehl World View: "Dancing with the Stars: 'If you've got a favorite couple, you've gotta pick up the phone'."

More dancing, and beauties, at YankeePhil, "Well it is Sunday, so it is time for Rule 5 Shameless Plugging."

American Music Awards Wrap at LAT

I'm still watching, but see Todd Martens at Los Angeles Times, "American Music Awards 2010: Rihanna, Katy Perry, Santana, Ke$ha and all the performances, graded":

Katy Perry, "Firework." Like the pyrotechnic toys the song takes its name from, Perry's AMA take is all bombast, no substance. All the cliches needed for a big-event moment were here. Gaggle of singing children? Check (Hey, she can be serious, too! It's not all skimpy outfits and giant fruit). String section? You betcha! At least she didn't sing that "Peacock" thing. D

I enjoyed Taylor Swift --- and she's got a hot makeover --- but follow the link for the grade.

And at Entertainment Weekly, "AMAs '10: Best/Worst Performances," and ABC News, "Justin Bieber Sweeps American Music Awards‎."

Added: My wife said she was digging on Usher, so here's this at MTV, "Usher Shows Off Fancy Footwork At AMAs."

Chalmers Johnson, 1931-2010

Professor Chalmers Johnson has died.

Steve Clemons has reflections (via Memeorandum), and see also the links at Google so far. Leftists lionize Johnson --- not to mention paleocon America-bashers --- for his research on the purported American empire. Much more important is Johnson's work in comparatitve political science.

Below I've re-posted an essay on Johnson from January 31, 2007, "Chalmers Johnson and America's Imperial Decline."

*****

Chalmers Johnson's one of the nation's foremost experts on Japanese politics and international economic competitiveness. A professor emeritus at UC San Diego, Johnson's book, MITI and the Japanese Miracle: The Growth of Industrial Policy, 1925-1975, remains one of the most important selections on Japanese politics graduate syllabi. In recent years Johnson's been writing on trends in American foreign policy, particularly the consequences of America's clandestine intelligence operations and the "blowback" from U.S. strategic reach and ambition.

Johnson's got a new book out, Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Empire, which looks at what Johnson sees are threats to the republic from the country's massive military industial complex, which emerged from our post-World War II foreign policy of containing threats to U.S. national security.

Nemesis received an outstanding review by Tim Rutten in today's Calendar at the Los Angeles Times:

The thesis proffered here is that, since the end of World War II, the United States has been undergoing a kind of creeping coup in which the growth of an imperial presidency, the development of the CIA as a secret presidential army, the bloating of an outsized military establishment, and a venal and derelict Congress have conspired to undermine the American republic — perhaps irremediably.

Much of what Johnson denounces is the Bush administration's advocacy of executive branch supremacy in the realm of national security, manifest, for example, in the adminstration's early policies on the detention and torture of enemy combatants. But Johnson goes too far in making his case, essentially equating the Bush administration's excesses with the totalitarianism of Hitler's Nazi regime. Here's what Rutten says about that analytical overstretch:

Many of the conclusions Johnson teases from his shrewdly assembled and analyzed material are not so convincing. For example, appropriating Hannah Arendt's description of Adolf Eichmann — "desk murderer" — and applying it to Cheney, George W. Bush and Donald H. Rumsfeld isn't just histrionic, it's wrong on the merits, wrong in ways so fundamental that it renders moral judgment itself a uselessly blunt instrument. However horrific events in Iraq have been, they have nothing in common with Hitlerian Germany's "final solution," and it does violence to both reason and history to carelessly suggest otherwise for mere effect.

On the other hand, when Johnson argues that America "will never again know peace, nor in all probability survive very long as a nation, unless we abolish the CIA, restore intelligence collecting to the State Department, and remove all but purely military functions from the Pentagon," he presents a case that demands consideration.

That sounds pretty fair. Rutten goes on to give additional examples of the difficulties of Johnson's analysis. For example, even if the Bush administration succeeded in elevating White House power into an "imperial presidency," the election of a Democratic majority in the November midterms has already started the process of restoring the balance of power among the branches in the federal system. The democracy's not in jeopardy of succumbing to a military dictatorship any time soon, as Rutten ably points out.

(An interesting aside here is that Johnson's book shares its title, Nemesis, with the second edition of Ian Kershaw's authoritative biography of Adolph Hitler, Hitler: 1936-1945, Nemesis. I agree with Rutten, though, that comparing Bush to Hitler -- or U.S. foreign policy to Nazi foreign policy -- defies reason. The antiwar left, nonetheless, loves to denounce the Bush administration as fascist. Whether the shared title was deliberate or coincidental is an intriguing footnote to Johnson's scholarship.)

I've been reluctant to read Johnson's latest books. Upon skimming The Sorrows of Empire at Barnes and Noble, for example, I got the feeling the work was just a dressed-up, high-brow anitwar attack on the Bush administration war policies. Rutten's cool-handed review has convinced to give Johnson's writing a second look, however. There's a growing debate on America's continued leadership of the global system -- which I have discussed here and here, for example -- and Johnson's work certainly adds an important dimension to the discussion.

Korean Air Rule 5 – Special Linkmaster Smith Farewell Edition!

Linkmaster Smith – a.k.a Smitty at The Other McCain and the conserva-sphere's babe-blog aggregator par excellence – will soon deploy to Afghanistan. Word has it that a new hipster, Wombat Socho, will be taking over the honors. Apparently the Wombat's still getting up to speed on the ways of the RSS feed, although Ruby Slippers indicates temporary workarounds are available for non-Wordpress bloggers – so as not to miss out on the festivities. (And no doubt Opus_6 will be pleased!)

And number of the Linkmaster's friends paid tribute:

• Common Sense Political Thought
• Cubachi
• DaTechguy
• Fishersville Mike
• Hillbilly Politics
• SI VIS PACEM
• Obi`s Sister
• Little Miss Attila
• The Lonely Conservative
• Mind Numbed Robot
• No Runny Eggs
• No Sheeples Here
• Point of a Gun
• Piece of Work in Progress
• Proof Positive
• The Prudence Paine Papers
• Red State Eclectic
• Right Wing News
• Stark Raving Love
• Suzy Rice
• SWACgirl
• That Mr. Guy
• theblogprof
• The Camp of the Saints
• Troglopundit really brought the love.
• The Conservative Pup
• Dustbury
• The Frugal Cafe
• Left Coast Rebel
• Parc Bench
• Red State
• The Minority Report
• Pirates Cove
• Uncoverage
• WyBlog

And other well-known regulars include the veteran William at Pirate's Cove, as well as Bob Belvedere and Irish Cicero, plus The Real United States.

Theo's been on fire lately, so don't miss that. And bonus blogging from Jimmy Bise, "Clearing the Browser Tabs – A Sunny Sunday Edition."

**********

And be sure to visit some of the other friends of American Power:

* Another Black Conservative.

* Astute Bloggers (Honorary).

* Blazing Cat Fur.

* The Blog Prof.

* Bob Belvedere.

* Classical Liberal.

* Daley Gator.

* Kathy Shaidle.

* Left Coast Rebel.

* Maggie's Notebook.

* Mind Numbed Robot.

* Not a Sheep.

* Pirate's Cove.

* POWIP.

* The Other McCain.

* Reaganite Republican (Honorary).

* Right Klik (Honorary).

* Saberpoint (Honorary).

* Serr8d (Honorary).

* Snooper's Report (Honorary).

* Stormbringer.

* Theo Spark.

* Washington Rebel.

* WyBlog.

* YankeePhil.

* Zion's Trumpet.

BONUS: Don't forget Instapundit.

And drop your link in the comments to be added to the weekly bikini roundups!

Hillary Rodham Clinton: Leading Through Civilian Power

I've been meaning to do this — and since I just posted "Hillary Clinton Says No White House Run - And No TSA Pat-Downs!" — what the heck?

From Foreign Affairs, "Leading Through Civilian Power: Redefining American Diplomacy and Development." The word "staid" comes to mind, but interesting nevertheless:

Diplomacy has long been the backbone of U.S. foreign policy. It remains so today. The vast majority of my work at the State Department consists of engaging in diplomacy to address major global and regional challenges, such as confronting Iran's nuclear ambitions, facilitating negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, enhancing stability on the Korean Peninsula, and working with other governments to bring emergency relief to Haiti. And President Barack Obama and I certainly relied on old-fashioned diplomatic elbow grease to hammer out a last-minute accord at the Copenhagen conference on climate change last December.

In annual strategic dialogues with a range of key partners -- including China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, and South Africa -- the United States aims to deepen and broaden its relationships and to establish a stronger foundation for addressing shared problems, advancing shared interests, and managing differences. The United States is investing in strengthening global structures such as the G-20 and regional institutions such as the Organization of American States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. This is part of a commitment to building a new global architecture of cooperation that includes not only the East and the West but also the North and the South.

Although traditional diplomacy will always be critical to advancing the United States' agenda, it is not enough. The State Department must expand its engagement to reach and influence wider and more diverse groups using new skills, strategies, and tools. To that end, the department is broadening the way it conceives of diplomacy as well as the roles and responsibilities of its practitioners.

The original Foreign Service, as its name implies, consisted of people trained to manage U.S. relations with foreign states, principally through consultations with their counterparts in government. This has been the main function of U.S. ambassadors and embassies, as well as the staff at the State Department. But increasing global interconnectedness now necessitates reaching beyond governments to citizens directly and broadening the U.S. foreign policy portfolio to include issues once confined to the domestic sphere, such as economic and environmental regulation, drugs and disease, organized crime, and world hunger. As those issues spill across borders, the domestic agencies addressing them must now do more of their work overseas, operating out of embassies and consulates. A U.S. ambassador in 2010 is thus responsible not only for managing civilians from the State Department and USAID but also for operating as the CEO of a multiagency mission. And he or she must also be adept at connecting with audiences outside of government, such as the private sector and civil society.

More at the link.

Hillary Clinton Says No White House Run — And No TSA Pat-Downs!

Two entries from Gateway Pundit, here and here, with video:

More at Memeorandum.

Political Scientist Charles Franklin Slams Voters as 'Pretty Damn Stupid'

This is interesting.

I wrote the other day about Ohio State communications professors Erik Nisbet and Kelly Garrett. These two have published some shoddy research on the Ground Zero Mosque controversy. The authors not only used junk "fact check" resources, but didn't report on the findings of experts on Islam. And I found the research at The Monkey Cage, widely considered one of the top political science blogs. And noted there at the comments:

No wonder many Americans are disinclined to believe the 'corrective' statements academics serve up, when so often such statements are inaccurate and slanted.

That's pretty good — and apropos to my growing disenchantment with academic political science. And now Ann Althouse is directly over the target with a couple of posts on University of Wisconsin political scientist Charles Franklin, seen below (and at his faculty homepage):

Ann's main entry is here: "A Madison liberal struggles to understand the 2010 elections and runs to the classic liberal explanation: The people are stupid." The post links to a news article at a local paper, The Isthmus, "Wisconsin Election Proves the Power of Bad Ideas." Then Ann links again to an essay this morning covering the story, from Byron York, "Top political scientist: U.S. voters are 'pretty damn stupid'." (Also at Memeorandum.)

Ann updates with a comment at the thread from Professor Franklin, who regrets shooting from the hip, and then distrances himself from the unwashed commentary at The Isthmus:

... I said it and have no complaint that it was quoted when I knew I was speaking to journalists.

But I wish what I said next had also been quoted. I went on to say that despite not knowing the details of Johnson's policy positions, the voters did NOT make a mistake in choosing Johnson as the more conservative candidate and certain to be more favorable to cutting government. That was indeed the correct connection by an angry electorate, even if the details were quite vague.

Voter's often act on little information and can be astonishingly unaware of things one might consider "facts". A post-election Pew poll finds less than half (46%) know the GOP won only the House but not the Senate. And at times voters appear to vote for candidates who are likely to take positions at odds with the voter's interests.

But in the Johnson-Feingold race, I think despite lack of details about Johnson, a majority of Wisconsin voter's picked the guy they wanted, and for basically the right reason. Dems may be astonished at the rejection of a favorite son, but in making this choice I think voter's properly expressed their preferences and matched them to the right candidate.

And that's an academic dodge.

The voters voted correctly given their ideology preferences, but with their "lack of details" those ideological preferences are indeed "pretty damn stupid."

Of course, for political scientists, "facts" never get in the way of the approved academic narrative. Confer, for just one example: "Paula McClain and the 'Duke 88'."