Thursday, December 29, 2011

The imperfect revolution.

And so the "Arab Spring" continues. In Syria, the tyrant Bashar Assad, continues to mercilessly crack down on his people. And, in Washington, Hillary and company continue to do a delicate dance: Disposing of a brutal dictator which could lead to unanticipated consequences, or allowing democracy and the will of the people to take hold.

The ouster of Assad could open the door for more extremist groups (see Yemen), and, believe it or not, could lead to more instability in the region. Syria is a country of mostly Sunnis being led by a Shias who is in the minority. If the Sunnis take control of the country they might suppress the minority Shias, which could lead to a conflict with their neighbors in Iraq. A neighboring country made up of mostly Shias. Are you confused yet?

Then there is the Israeli problem: Syria shared a  border with Israel at the Golan Heights region. Not good. Believe it or not, the man everyone loves to hate recently, has actually showed that he is a moderate when it comes to Israel and has shown a willingness to sign a peace agreement over the Golan Heights region. Who knows what will happen when real democracy takes hold? 

I know one thing, Assad, like the other tyrants before him; will soon be gone as well. A-merry-cans can only watch so many images of innocent folks getting their heads bashed in on CNN before they start saying enough. The pressure is already on the Arab League to act and even Syria's other allies, such as Russia, are starting to waiver in their support. The world will not stand still while "massacres" occur in the Syrian countryside. If I were Bashar Assad I would be looking for a nice peaceful country to retire with the rest of my family.   

Finally, I, like the rest of you, have been hearing the buzz about my girl Condi appearing on the republican ticket as a candidate for VP. As Robert Traynham wrote in the Philadelphia Tribune, it would be interesting.  

"...Youthfulness, bona fide conservative credentials and diversity. Condi Rice, the first female African-American Secretary of State, brings diversity to the ticket and of course crackerjack foreign policy experience.

As I mentioned before, my money is on Mitt Romney becoming the next Republican nominee. His steadiness in the polls (yes, I know this has been a rollercoaster of a ride), his firm grasp of the issues that are demonstrated in the debates, and his ability to show considerable fundraising might compel me to believe that the primary race is still Romney’s to lose. His challenge will be whether or not he can convince conservative primary voters that he is not going to waffle on social issues if he wins the White House. Senator Rubio, as I have stated before, could be the reminder that conservatives may want in the White House; but Condi Rice could also serve in that role.

First, the drawbacks: Rice having never served in elected office, many Americans may think she is too inexperienced and naïve in the ways of the rough-and-tumble politics to actually assist Romney on the ticket.

The upside: Rice has always been and will continue to be an interesting public policy figure. She’s smart, engaging and unflappable. A debate between Rice and Biden would be must-watch television as each would be ready to better the other on hot-button issues such as North Korea, Pakistan, China and Cuba. Rice would also give African Americans a real clear choice as to which they want to represent them in the executive branch."

Calm down Robert, she would be running as the VP, not the HNIC. Besides, don't cross your fingers in anticipation of Flipper Mitt selecting the concert pianist with the shoe fetish just yet. We are still a long way from Tampa.  








   

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