Showing posts with label Cuba. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cuba. Show all posts

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Odd and Ends

++Trey Gowdy,the head of the Benghazi Committee,said he did not have the authority to subpoena Hillary Clinton's server. Was this a political game to allow questions to be raised during her campaign or simply an awareness of his limitations?

++Hillary Clinton hailed Elizabeth Warren as a "progressive champion" as we have seen she has moved more in the Warren direction on the last few days.

++Progressives are up in arms about TPP. Sherrod Brown, for one, has been hammering the Obama Administration about this one.

++The AFl-CIO is mounting a several million dollar campaign against TPP.

++The House should have a fast track bill tomorrow penned by Paul Ryan.

++Paul Ryan continues his mischief. The House voted to eliminate the estate tax. If you don't have an estate of $10 million, you have nothing to worry about now with the law still in place. This was a tremendous give-away to the rich that costs the American-taxpayer $200 billion over the next ten years.

++Harry Reid told Rachel Maddow that he would move to get Loretta Lynch confirmed . One of the most qualified persons for the position of Attorney-General in our history should has waited more time for confirmation than any other nominee for Attorney General. Today Jeb Bush asked that she be confirmed.

++Speaking of Jeb,he will be speaking at Liberty University's commencement. His brother says his biggest problem is himself--the only and only George W. Bush.

++The Imperial Post ran a piece that Jeb is burdened by the same war-like tendencies as his brother.

++The Israeli government wants the Boycott,Divestment Movement branded as terrorists.

++Conservatives have complained about Cuba harboring some of the FBI's most wanted criminals. It is interesting that Cuba itself initiated a round of talks 
on these fugitives. Particularly Joanne Chesimard.

Saturday, April 11, 2015

The Press Conference

++President Obama was asked about Hillary Clinton's announcement and whether he advised her to run on his record. He said that she had been a formidable opponent in 2008,a great supporter in his election then, and then served as an extraordinary Secretary of State and she was his friend. He thought Hillary would be an excellent President. 

++He was asked repeatedly about the Iran Deal. Reporters quoted the Supreme Leader as saying the United States was misrepresenting the deal and that sanctions had to be removed immediately. 

++He answered that we have to wait until the final deal is agreed to before we can any judgments about whether it fulfills our practical goals of preventing Iran from getting a nuclear arm. 

++He admitted that Bibi was against it but he did note that the same questions about this deal were raised about the interim agreement and that it was argued about and was implemented and it is agreed that Iran kept its side of the bargain. He said it was ironic that those same critics now want to keep the interim agreement.

++He blasted John McCain for saying that John Kerry,a Vietnam War hero and Secretary of State, was less trustworthy than the Supreme Leader, who McCain thinks is the enemy.

++He said this meant that politicization had gone way too far. He talked about Tehran Tom's letter to someone the GOP considers an enemy. 

++He pointed out Mitch McConnell letter to the UN to ignore the commitments made by the United States on climate change.

++He talked about some of the initiatives at the Summit of the Americas. 

++One reporter asked what he thought about Raul Castro's compliments about his as a person and whether he thought Raul was honest and trustworthy as Raul said about him. He avoided a direct response but said their two conversations and their meeting were candid and honest about the issues that divide them.

++Karen DeYoung went further with the Iran issue trying to portray the State Department's interpretation of the Iran Deal as set in stone. President Obama reiterated that many specifics had been worked out but there were certain elements which would require intense negotiation. He defended the State Department's interpretation.

++Karen DeYoung raised the 45 day waiting period after President Obama lifts the terrorist tag on Cuba. President Obama talked about the difficulty Cubans will have in accepting an American embassy and that we were used to re-establishing relations.

++He did say,"America is not into "regime change" with regards to Cuba",which is a dramatic change from the past.