The People's Business

Thanks for your note. If nothing else, I have a m...

2008-11-06T16:47:00.000-05:00

Thanks for your note.

If nothing else, I have a much greater appreciation for those of you who have built your blogs from the ground up!

So long and thanks for the insight. You were very ...

2008-11-05T12:59:00.000-05:00

So long and thanks for the insight. You were very helpful cutting through some of the clutter.

Patrick, I think you're correct. At the very leas...

2008-10-07T13:22:00.000-04:00

Patrick, I think you're correct.

At the very least, the new regulations will be better tailored to meet the situation.

I'm concerned that this crisis will give people an excuse to try to push their pet ideas in the guise of helping the situation, much like we saw when we passed the stimulus bill. Everyone's favorite item all of a sudden became "economic stimulus."

Now everyone's pet idea will become (somehow) "financial stabilization."

I think there are two needs: The first is the obvi...

2008-10-07T07:46:00.000-04:00

I think there are two needs: The first is the obvious - an immediate need to stabilize the economy. The second need is to discover the root causes of how the economy went wrong and prevent a recurrence of those issues.

A Commission would make it easier to enact new regulations needed in the financial industry.

James,Just calling it like I see it. Thanks for s...

2008-09-05T22:30:00.000-04:00

James,

Just calling it like I see it. Thanks for stopping by. I look forward to seeing more of your work.

Thanks for your wonderful comments about the new M...

2008-09-05T15:18:00.000-04:00

Thanks for your wonderful comments about the new Mag Fellow* it is appreciated. I liked your summary on the conventions...and it is sad that most will vote and not have done any research...

E&E,Thanks for giving me a chance to clarify my st...

2008-09-04T06:24:00.000-04:00

E&E,

Thanks for giving me a chance to clarify my statement about the role of personal relationships in diplomacy. Specifically, I was thinking about Reagan's relationships with several European leaders, e.g., Thatcher, Schmidt (and later Kohl) and Mitterand, rather than how general populations abroad viewed the U.S.

There's a very good account in George Shultz's memoirs (pp. 352-357) about how Reagan, unsatisfied with the first two summits of his presidency, decided that the leaders needed to work more closely "face to face." The approach led to a breakthrough in creating a joint US-Western Europe position on arms control and missile deployment in Western Europe.

Of course, Reagan was helped by two factors. First, Europe was led by center-right parties that were more in touch with Reagan's views than their opposition parties would have been. Second, there was still a threat (real or perceived) to Western European nations from the Soviet Union that made them better disposed to the US and willing to take our lead than exists in our current, unipolar world.

It will be interesting to see if a resurgent Russia will have a similar effect.

Hello TPB and thanks! Funny, I always thought that...

2008-09-03T19:09:00.000-04:00

Hello TPB and thanks! Funny, I always thought that the FC's were scared to death of Mr. Reagan. Especially after that "open mike gaff." ("We being bombing in five minutes...") Wire traffic would have gone nuts...

Certainly not more cosmopolitan, per se (but thanks); definitely apolitical compared to my days (as a nobody) at ACDA. And by that I mean that I read up as much as possible on both candidates' positions and fill out a "pros and cons" list. Whoever gets more check marks gets my votes. It's awful to be so uncertain.

Keep up the good work. I find it interesting!

E&E,I'd argue that you're probably more cosmopolit...

2008-09-03T17:19:00.000-04:00

E&E,

I'd argue that you're probably more cosmopolitan now than you were in Washington. I'd certainly trust your view of how the "everyday American" perceives something before my own. And I think I have an advantage over most people here in DC because I, at least, understand how out of touch I am.

There is little doubt that history will be made in this election by the elevation. Senator McCain's VP choice guaranteed that at least.

I think an Obama win in particular would surprise many outside the US because a lot of people, especially in developing countries, don't believe Senator Obama will be "permitted" to win.

It would also shock a fair number of Europeans, who believe America to be a racist country if we were to have a minority head of state before they did.

I think you'd at least HEAR nicer things said about us in polls and newspaper interviews. I think we'd probably improve our relations with other nations (less because of Senator Obama's race, however, than the foreign policy inclinations of his administration, which likely would be more in line with European nations that the current administration's). I wouldn't want to overdo it in this regard, because nations' policies will always be based more on their own needs rather than whether they like the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but all things being equal it doesn't hurt to have good personal relations between leaders as we saw in the 1980s.

It was quite an adjustment when we moved away from...

2008-09-03T14:48:00.000-04:00

It was quite an adjustment when we moved away from NoVA and working in the District. Sometimes a little distance adds a lot of perspective. Even with C-SPAN, CNN, MSNBC and Fox. And for a real jolt, leave the country (or tune into BBC.) It is funny how un-political I've become. Provincial, I suppose you could argue.

Not to be too naïf, but do you think the coming election will change the views of the wide world towards the U.S.? Regardless of the outcome, it will be seen as historic.