Baseball Blog

I will be taking a break from political blogging to cover something much more pleasant. For the summer I will be blogging about baseball at http://pitbullbaseball.blogspot.com/

Kerry Doing Well At New Job

The naming of John Kerry as Secretary of State was met with little resistance in Washington. For good reason, the job is perfect for the former presidential nominee. Kerry had little problem acting presidential back in 2004. It was a role that he had coveted since meeting John F Kennedy in the early sixties. What Kerry lacked though, was a backbone to stand behind his decisions. As a seasoned Senator, Kerry had been around so long that he eventually took both sides on many key issues. He was a career politician, like most elected officials it was his job to get re-elected. Not to stick his feet in the sand and sink.

This job is different; it utilizes the skills that Kerry perfected in the so called 'backrooms full of smoke'. The art of compromise, wheeling and dealing and any other phrase you want to use is infinitely valuable in foreign relations. His recent work in Iraq is responsible and knowledgeable. Kerry is a likable guy, there is no question that he has seen the entire world and understands the international community.  So, for all the short comings and jokes from after the 2004 campaign, Kerry has resurrected himself in history's eyes. After losing a presidential bid, candidates either become the elephant in the room or in severe cases they become Al Gore. Kerry has bypassed that embarrassment and become what he should have sought in the first place. Here's to redemption.

Is Gun Control Obama's Iraq War?

The reaction from the right over the purposed gun control measure sure reminds me a lot of the lefts reaction to the Iraq War. In the long term I do not think any gun control laws that get passed will cause Obama as much trouble as a war, but there is defiantly a parallel here. Both sides will tell you that each of these cases was an overreaction to a crisis. The need to payback someone for 9-11 and the cause of keeping children safe both sound noble. It is the unintended consequences that cause the trouble though. We all know how the Iraq War played out. While this gun ban will be similar to the 1994 ban, it will not stop all violence. This will also give the right a rally cry to oppose the presidents other legislation. It is already tough to get things done in a second term. This new angle may make it even tougher. When the president looks back in four years, I can only wonder if he will still think about this issue in the same way.

Obama's Second Term Opportunity

As President Obama is sworn into a second term, he has the chance to be what most thought he would have been i.n his first term. With the economy improving, the jobs market ready to explode and war coming to an end, some of the roadblocks he faced four years ago are starting to clear. The budget will be the first battle of his second term. It will be vital for him to show just a little bit of compromise. Unlike the fiscal cliff drama, the budget is more far reaching and could hurt other negotiations in the future. Even though Boehner is not the most well liked member of his party, I believe he will keep his role as speaker. Just like Reagan was tied to O'Neill, Clinton to Gingrich and Bush to Pelosi, Obama and Boehner will go down in history as their parties leader for this decade. Here is where both men have an opportunity. By getting the budget back on track both men and the country would benefit. We are in a different place right now, a better place, for whatever reason things are better. It is times like these where good decisions and good change needs to be made.