Letters in Bottles

An idea so crazy it just might work

2009-07-10T14:50:00.003-05:00

You know, there are a lot of "solutions" to the "plague" of money in politics out there. Unfortunately, most of them require massive new bureaucracies or infringe upon constitutional protected free speech. But then there's this:

My conclusion: if you’re really serious about getting the money out of politics, then you’ve got to reduce the power of government. Less government power equals less incentive for anyone to spend millions of dollars trying to influence the government.

If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Lance makes an excellent point that if the goal is to discourage special interest groups from lobbying government or "buying" seats, don't make government the solution to all life's problems. It's one of those common sense ideas that sounds crazy because it's so simple.

Now, the reason I linked this post is the nice little back and forth with campaign-finance reform advocate Jack Lohman. Lance pokes a big hole in the logic of just about all campaign-finance reform proponents. Go ahead and take a look.

Empire State

2009-07-09T21:59:00.002-05:00

Blood and oil in the Orient: looking at the state of play in Central Asia today, pt 1

2009-07-09T13:25:00.000-05:00

Baku

With President Obama wrapping up a not-quite Napoleonic visit to Moscow, the moment seems right to take a long look into the shifting balance in Central Asia, and how American power stands there vis-a-vis Russia and China, the two other major players in the newest iteration of the Great Game.

The game is mixed for America right now, the players in flux as economic and political influence shifts. The shifts, though, are less than promising for American influence in the region.

The major reason for this is the economic downturn. The dollar's downturn has had nasty impacts in Central Asia, and right-wing conspiracy theories about the emerging Amero have fed into anti-American feelings and bred fear. The push by Russia and China to overthrow the dollar as the central currency of world trade is unwittingly bolstered by the likes of Lou Dobbs; currency fears are bolstering Russian and Chinese positions in Kazakhstan, a comparably Western-looking nation (if only comparably):

People still recount how fortunes were made and lost in that currency transition, and everybody wants to be on the winning side if it happens again. Secondly, the people of Kazakhstan and much of the world outside the US, always feel understandably vulnerable in their dependence on American currency. Finally, there is another important thing to mention – Russian television has jumped on the bandwagon, albeit with different motivations than those of Hal Turner and Lou Dobbs.

Analysts say that the likelihood of Russo-Chinese cooperation beyond some joint military excercises is low, but the current currency push may change that; it's not terribly likely, but it is something the Obama administration must keep an eye on as domestic stimulus efforts stagger on.

Then there's the oil game, perhaps the most volatile arena. After effectively losing control of major energy fields after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has been trying to get back control of its near abroad -- places which, psychologically, are still Russia to many Russians. The Georgia war must be read in the context of Russia flexing its muscles to remind the Caucasian countries of its strength: Russian forces are so much closer to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, the main non-Russian transit point for Central Asian gas and oil to Europe. The move has had the intended effect: Azerbaijan has agreed to ship gas to Russia in a move the Jamestown Foundation calls a wakeup call to Brussels and Washington.

Russian control of gas and oil flows to Europe has broader implications, giving it a stronger hand to meddle in Central Asian and Caucasian politics. What the Wall Street Journal calls "energy nationalism" makes Europe in many ways hostage to Russian interests; the EU becomes that much less able to respond strongly to Russian aggression as more of its oil and gas flows through Russia, and it is clear that "Russian leaders regard their energy assets as tools of foreign policy leverage and envisage a future in which resource competition may be resolved by military means."

On the other hand, the Nabucco pipeline appears to be moving ahead, creating another channel for hydrocarbons to flow to Europe through Turkey. This creates another benefit to the West, tying Turkey to Europe more closely. Building a Trans-Caspian pipeline would further bolster European energy security and create better ties with Central Asia.

As Russia continues to gather power vis-a-vis the EU, China is increasing its hand in the carbons markets of Central Asia. An Azerbaijani move to settle the issue of Caspian Sea borders may increase Kazakhstan's control of hydrocarbon reserves there; meanwhile, a new pipeline directs resources Eastward. Repressive Turkmenistan, is also building a pipeline to China. Doing deals with repressive and often corrupt regimes suits China, allowing it to move to control reserves politically out of reach of Western companies.

A last note should concern jockeying over the Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan. While the Kyrgyz originally planned to evict the US from the base, which is crucial for air support in Afghanistan, that decision has been reversed in a move seen as a blow to Russian interests in the region. La Russophobe claims that this reflects a broader pattern of countries trying to "swindle Russia in the coolest way" -- and there are significant examples of a Russian loss of control in the wake of the economic downturn. Moreover, I wonder if the Manas decision hasn't pushed Russia into its decision to open airspace to US planes bound for Afghanistan. But this doesn't necessarily play to American advantage, and as always, LR needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

coming up, part two: nukes and naivete

Be-Uighured

2009-07-09T06:58:00.001-05:00

From a friend of the blog in Beijing:

Facebook has been blocked for the past two days. All of the articles reporting on the censorship are blocked as well. Have you read an article about this? I assume it has to do with the violence in the Xinjiang province.

Why, WHY, does his last name have to be Bush?

2009-07-08T14:36:00.000-05:00

Tucker Carlson has a great interview with former Florida Governor - and unfortunately the last President's brother - Jeb Bush. I wish this man had been our president and I wish there were a way that he could actually be a leader in the GOP without the baggage of his brother's administration.

On why the GOP has lost in recent years:

We need to be talking about what the world looks like today and what it will look like going forward, rather than speaking in nostalgic terms about the past. Put the principles of our philosophy in the context of 2009 and beyond. That would be helpful.

On message:

I'm not saying abandon our principles. To the contrary: Find creative ways of expressing the principles.
This should be a renaissance time. Whether it's education or health care or energy or the environment, or whether it's the scale and scope and size of the governments all around us. This should be our time. But it isn't, is it?

On, well, just read the passage:

[Bush laughs when he hears that Joe the Plumber briefed House Republicans on Gaza. He doesn't seem to really believe it. Brother and son of recent Republican presidents, he doesn't seem to fully understand what's going on in the party his family has dominated for more than two decades. "Joe the Plumber? Really?" he says. "Well, that... Really?" In response, he mounts a defense of erudition and expertise.]

I think it's okay to have a deeper understanding of things. I think it's okay to talk in three-syllable words. The world we're living in is incredibly complex. And simplifying things to the point where you're misunderstanding where we are as a nation isn't going to help people overcome their fears or give them hope that they can achieve great things. I don't get inspired by shameless populism.

Better yet, read the whole thing.

Fisking the "Other" McCain

2009-07-08T08:35:00.003-05:00

Apparently Blog Enemy Number One has a weekly feature where he gleefully fisks David Brooks as a horrible person and enemy of all things conservative. Unfortunately, much of what McCain seems troubled by, and all of his righteous - and oddly religious - indignation, is pure nonsense. Especially if one is to look at the rest of his blog.

The column in question is the one Brad links to in the previous post, and I think it's actually a pretty well written column and makes an important point in such a confined space as a newspaper column. My thoughts on the column itself are in the comments of Brad's post.

The "Other" McCain calls out Brooks for a "cheap shot" at Sarah Palin and her resignation by lumping her in with Sanford and Michael Jackson. Well, here's the thing, in the context of reticence and dignity - the point of Brooks column - it actually does make sense (even if the inclusion of Michael Jackson does seem a little bizarre). Sanford is an obvious dolt who has no concept of the idea of keeping one's mouth shut and one's pants zipped, and Jackson is the product of much of what is wrong with our culture and the the symbol of all who refuse to grow up.

So why include Palin with these two buffoons? Well, because instead of just saying that she wanted a normal life for her family for a few years, instead of giving her press conference and then stepping aside until the circus had left town, she gave a series of interviews in on a fishing boat in waders. I don't mind the interviews themselves or the waders - I love fishing myself - but if you're tired of the insanity of the national media, why in the world would you do another round of interviews?

Let me be clear: I don't think Palin is as tone-deaf as Sanford or as creepy as Jackson, but she certainly isn't showing a lot of reticence in trying to exit the national stage. She fits the bill Brooks is talking about.

Now back to the "Other" McCain's idiotic post. He tries - very poorly - to justify his hatred of Brooks by attacking this passage from one of his books about the Library of Congress and contemporary politics (1997) as evidence that he has betrayed conservatism:

At a moment of world supremacy unlike any other, Americans are not asking big questions about their civilization, nor are they being asked anything but the sorts of things pollsters and marketers want to know. And so our politics has become degrading and boring. Political conflict appears trivial, vicious for no good reason.

Really, McCain? This is the best you've got? You then spend the next several hundred words talking about architectural style and the price of labor. In giving this "history lesson" - and I use that term very loosely - you miss the point by a mile. Brooks wasn't necessarily talking about government largesse or building actual monuments to national greatness, he was talking about what was inside the Library of Congress. The point is what the Library symbolizes. It's about what our place in the world is and should be.

The Library of Congress is home to some of our nation's greatest documents. It - along with the National Archives - symbolizes the uniqueness of our nation in that it was founded on great ideals and principles. The Library of Congress is the embodiment of reason, on which our nation is built. In this light, yes, our debates in the late 90s seem petty. It's the same problem we have now. We need to appeal to big ideas and big principles, not just slogans.

McCain's partner in crime is Smitty, who tried to one-up his friend in the comments. He points to Mrs. Sanford as a rebuttal of Brooks' thesis, but again misses the point. Jenny Sanford has indeed exhibited nothing but class in this ordeal, but Brooks was attacking politicians, not their wives. Her actions do not negate Mark Sanford's disgraceful actions.

One final point on this is Smitty's accusation that Brooks hates religious people. I doubt that very much. Certainly Washington was guided by faith in God, but he didn't talk about it in as great of detail as his published rules on civility. As for Brooks' swipe at charismatic evangelism, I suspect this comes from an upbringing in the Northeast that is dominated by older Protestant denominations that place a greater focus on one's personal relationship with God and private confession, as opposed to the more public confessions and revivals that are popular in Evangelical denominations in other parts of the country. It isn't hostile towards religion, but rather it is similar to the kind of critiques that many Evangelical Protestants have against Catholicism.

But, of course, this is all missed by a man who wants to do nothing more than get as many hits possible with headlines like "Carry Prejean Nude." In a post after this particular bout of idiocy, McCain complains about how boring diplomacy is, but hey it might be more interesting if he sees some boobies. Yep. That's really dignified.

The other side...

2009-07-08T07:51:00.005-05:00

...of "bizarre" and "rambling" from Stanley Fish.

I, too, have been thinking about Sanford and Palin's press conferences. I've actually only read the full transcripts of both "performances" without seeing the video of either at this point.

At least they were interesting episodes. The pair of remarks were very American, too - full of glimpses into more pedestrian goings on, laced with downhome phrases, pegged on distilled convictions, and glossed with religiosity.

One observer noted in this context that an actual press conference is called to answer, not create questions. So perhaps this is a new breed. The cryptic, nebulous nature of the press conferences actually caused people to engage, discuss, and ponder in a spot where there truly weren't answers at the moment - and that's something for a politician in an "any news is good news" situation where they're trying to break through the clutter.

Do I want a person engaging in one of these displays to lead me, though? Not necessarily.

It is different to see politicians unveiling so much uncertainty even as they state their certainty about some aspects of life. And it certainly cuts against the George Washintonesque rectitude that held sway for so long in American politics.

Amid the crumbling, new shoots pop up

2009-07-08T00:13:00.003-05:00

If I've been griping about the loss of some pretty cool Madison establishments lately, I'm definitely heartened by one event that seems to be sticking around: the Forward Music Festival. And they've just released a first look at who will be there this year:

Forward Music Festival 2009 will also feature local and regional bands at each of its showcases, plus more than two dozen national touring acts--many with Midwestern roots. Current touring acts confirmed include Low, Cougar, Dan Wilson (of Semisonic), Margot & the Nuclear So and So's, YACHT, Ra Ra Riot, Fruit Bats, Iran, Richard Buckner, Garaj Mahal, Pronto, Punchline, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Action Item, Kevin Barker, Between the Trees, Farewell, Davila 666, Savoir Adore, Rock Plaza Central, Princeton, Wavves, and BLK JKS.

Madison bands confirmed for FMF09 at press time include Jeremiah Nelson & The Achilles Heel, Daniel and the Lion, Blueheels, Cartwalkers, Flatbear, Homeownered, Nuclear Woods, All Tiny Creatures, Terrior Bute, Start from Scratch, This Bright Apocalypse, Icarus Himself, This Bright Apocalypse [sic], Peaking Lights, Sleeping in the Aviary, and Little Red Wolf. Regionally based acts include Collections of Colonies of Bees, Cedarwell, Maps and Atlases, Solid Gold, Denison Witmer, Joe Pug, Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Occidental Brothers Dance Band Intl., Ghetto Division, The Hue, Decibully, French Horn Rebellion, Zach Vinson, The Chairs, Pezzetino, and Pomegranates.

And their Twitter stream is here, for updates as they happen.

The budget we should have passed

2009-07-07T15:57:00.000-05:00

Over at Folkbum's Rambles and Rants, Jay Bullock mentions all there is to be impressed with in the state's budget. I agree that the budget could have been a heck of a lot worse than the one signed back on June 29, but that doesn't mean that there is anything to be impressed with.

In the comments, Jay wants some specifics about what conservatives would have done differently. No one there seems to want to take him up on the offer - and Republicans in the legislature didn't offer a lot of specifics - so I'm going to offer a few now.

First, freeze all spending. We should have started from the assumption - escpecially knowing that we would take the stimulus money - that we would not increase total spending unless absolutely necessary. Right there we eliminate $3.6 billion of the $6.6 billion dollar deficit.

From there, we should have audited every state program and eliminated the redundant or unnecessary programs and initiatives. Case in point, we should suspend the state's stewardship program for the time being, saving $120 million over the biennium. We should also eliminate the "rainy day fund" - or statutory balance - for this budget because it is most definitely raining. That move would save another $130 million. Another option is selling off the state-run Dept. of Corrections farms, or even updating communication technology in the legislature would save millions per year (I did a report on it while a legislative intern and it would save quite a bit. I just can't remember the exact number off hand.) There are, I'm certain, many other programs that could be eliminated in addition to these, but these are just a few that leap to mind.

After eliminating - or suspending, I'm willing to leave open the idea that we could bring some of the programs back when the economy recovers - the unnecessary items from the budget, I would then see what we can do with the stimulus money in order to plug the rest of the budget deficit. Obviously, it would depend on if any strings were attached to the federal money or if it was earmarked for certain purposes. However, I would concentrate the spending on the areas that need it in a recession; those areas being unemployment funds, infrastructure construction and worker training programs.

I understand that ultimately taxes may need to be increased to balance a budget. It is a reality of government spending that many are unwilling to admit, but that does not mean that we have to do it. Until we have gone through and eliminated as much waste as possible we can't say that we have to raise taxes. We need to see if we have too much government first. And of course we have too much.

Along those lines, Bullock is very careful to say that the budget doesn't raise taxes on individuals - unless you are in the top 1% of earners - so that's a big victory. Not really. This budget raises nearly $2 billion in taxes and fees. Most of them on businesses but many will still affect individuals and affect those least able to pay more to the government - you know, the poor, the people liberals love to say they are helping.

It is also important to note that the increased taxes on businesses will ultimately reach consumers and cause higher prices for us in the long run. In a way we're going to pay for the tax no matter what.

There are many other things that we should have done in terms of reform. We need to look at school funding reform and health care reform and corrections reform. Not only to save money, but to make these areas work better and more efficiently. That said, they shouldn't necessarily put it in the budget and pass stand-alone reform bills so that it isn't glossed over in a giant omnibus bill.

This would have been the right way to go about writing the budget. I would have fought for it and I wish that the GOP leadership in the legislature would have pushed for it at all. Your average Cheesehead knows that if you've got a budget problem, you sit down and cut out the stuff you don't absolutely need. It would be refreshing to see elected officials do the same thing.

The little country that did

2009-07-07T15:03:00.002-05:00

Hungary doesn't, generally, get enough credit for its role in bringing down the Soviet Union. But Michael Meyer over at Slate has a wonderful vignette that betrays just how important the Magyars were in everything that happened later:

In the Communist world, this was heresy. It had to be punished. And so it was that the Warsaw Pact's leaders assembled in Bucharest. Seated in a great hall, surrounded by banners and the full pomp of Communist circumstance, they launched their attack. Ceausescu went first, brandishing his fists and shouting an impassioned indictment: "Hungary will destroy socialism." His "dangerous experiments" will destroy the entire Socialist Union! Honecker, Jakes, and Zhivkov followed. Only Jaruzelski of Poland sat quiet, sphinxlike behind his dark sunglasses, betraying no emotion.

Good stuff.

The New Cooper Union

2009-07-07T07:06:00.002-05:00

Pretty neat.

Wisconsin economic outlook: The worst is yet to come

2009-07-06T14:36:00.000-05:00

The state's Department of Revenue released it's latest economic outlook report and though the findings are by no means surprising, they still are not good. According to the report Wisconsin will lose at least another 12,000 jobs before the recession is over and our unemployment rate will climb to 9.7% (it stands at 8.7% as of May). Obviously not very good news, but better than the national projection of 10.3% unemployment.

The problem I have with the projections - as I have with most economic and fiscal projections by government agencies - is on what information are these figures based?

This isn't to say that I am calling the report's accuracy or veracity into question. I really just want to know how this type of information is predicted. After all, this weekend Vice President Biden admitted that everyone - including the President - had "misread" the economy. There is also the March economic outlook report from the DOR that predicted the bottom to be 143,400 jobs lost in Wisconsin. Problem is that since the recession began we've already lost 143,300.

I think that it is fairly clear that predicting how the economy will be a year or two from now is extremely difficult. Very few people apparently saw the housing and financial sector collapse or even thought that making risky, bad-business loans wasn't a good idea for long-term financial stability.

It would seem to me that these numbers are based on no further bad news for the economy popping up and that state government doesn't make things worse by taking more money out of consumers' pockets or making it more expensive to create jobs. Unfortunately, that may be the only thing that state or federal government seems to be interested in right now.

We are increasing spending by 6% over the next two years in Wisconsin, increasing borrowing and increasing taxes by around $2.1 billion. This isn't exactly a recipe for economic success in a recession. I realize that the stimulus money is supposed to "create" jobs, but at most it's just going to buy us a little time by keeping people busy building infrastructure. We still need to create an environment in which the economy can recover and be stable.

Rather than sitting back and waiting for a second stimulus package, or hoping that the economy will recover on its own, state leaders need to take a much more active role than they are to create jobs and attract businesses. I know that I probably sound like a broken record, but we need to create a better business climate to make Wisconsin a competitor for the jobs that will inevitably be created in a recovery.

Unfortunately, instead of looking forward, we now have a budget that includes such job-killing measures as combined-reporting and a capital gains tax increase. I guess we'll have to wait and see what the next economic outlook predicts, but I'm betting it won't be pretty.

On Palin - Because How Could We Not Mention It?

2009-07-06T07:44:00.003-05:00

I have no idea what's going through her head.

I do know what's going through mine: If Sarah Palin runs for President, I will, in all likelihood, actively campaign against her based on what I know at this time.

"a bright spot in the current recession"

2009-07-06T07:30:00.004-05:00

Skinny jeans for men.

I've certainly noticed the trend of cripplingly tight jeans here in New York. Especially after being told point blank by some people - who eyed up my clearly insufficiently constrictive jeans - that I would fit into New York once I started wearing them.

And here, coming from an occasional familiarity with the New Orleans nightlife, I thought I was being dressy by wearing nice jeans (instead of shorts) in the summer night in the first place.

No matter how good they look, they seem awfully uncomfortable. But clearly, I'm not familiar enough with the many benefits of ultra-tight jeans:

"One day, he got caught in the rain without an umbrella and was unable to run. When his colleagues sat in a circle, the 23-year-old English teacher from Portland, Ore., couldn't cross his legs. And when he tried to jaywalk, while in Beijing for work, he couldn't hop the median divider with his friends."

Fireworks on the Hudson

2009-07-05T06:57:00.008-05:00

The crowd gathered on the rooftop at dusk.

It looked almost as if we were watching a revolution unfold off in the distance.

The watermelon slices were nice.

As the display ended, boats raced back upriver under the George Washington Bridge, tiny in the darkness, little lighted water-striders heading home for the night.

We the People

2009-07-05T03:32:00.003-05:00

Just in time for Independence Day, the Janesville Gazette has launched a new blog on its website called "We the People." The blog is written by a longtime family friend, John Eyster. John is a retired history and civics teacher at Janesville's Parker High School and an ordained minister.

I've never been able to pin him down as a liberal or a conservative and that's a good thing. John isn't a partisan, he's a patriot who believes the most important thing anyone can do is be an informed and active citizen.

I look forward to his posts and hopefully much spirited discussion.

Reflections on Independence Day

2009-07-05T03:01:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I spent my second 4th of July in the desert of Kuwait. Also, only the second time that I have not watched fireworks or attended a parade or listened to a band play a Sousa march.

Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays. Sure, I love Christmas and Thanksgiving, but there is something about the 4th of July that sets it apart from all other holidays. The joy of watching a concert of patriotic music and fireworks - all while sitting next to a loved one or surrounded by friends and family - is one of life's great joys. The spectacle of fireworks has always amazed me by its ability to bring out the child in everyone, no matter how old they are on the outside.

In my family, our Independence Day traditions are fairly simple. We go to the Concert in the Park in Janesville. We watch fireworks shot off by my Dad and my Uncle. We grill burgers and brats and just enjoy a day filled with the company of family. I missed that this year.

Even so, it isn't just the tradition of a family cookout that I miss. It's the reflection of why we get to enjoy everything there is to enjoy about this country and this holiday. We get to celebrate our nation's independence, our nation's birth, because of the courage and sacrifice of some extraordinary men.

233 years ago, 55 men risked death and the deaths of their loved ones by signing the Declaration of Independence. On that day, those men changed the world forever. On that day they created a nation that would be founded on the principles of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

The men who signed the Declaration of Independence and those who fought in the Revolution purchased for us a nation of laws and rights. A nation that would stand as beacon of freedom to the entire world. It's their sacrifice that we celebrate every 4th of July.

I am in awe of those men. Not because of who they were, but because of what they did, what they risked for Liberty.

Every Independence Day I am thankful for, and reminded of, the price paid for our great nation. As I close my eyes and think of the concerts, the fireworks, the food, I think again how lucky we are to live in a nation so prosperous and free.

Back in America

2009-07-04T15:50:00.003-05:00

There's nothing like a return to the USA on the 4th of July to ram home the meaning of Independence Day.

It's good to be back!

The Madison I knew continues its slow disappearing act

2009-07-02T20:38:00.005-05:00

I know one can never go home again, but I'm saddened by the news of so many Madison institutions of my time there disappearing at the same time -- now it's The Nitty Gritty and one of my absolute favorite spots, Cafe Montmartre. I spent my last night in Madison before leaving to the Peace Corps there with a close group of friends, who have since scattered to the four winds. And so these great landmarks too scatter, to be replaced by new ones.

So here's one more memory: New Kentucky Quarter playing their last show, on my second to last day in Madison before leaving. Sic gloria transit...

For Naught

2009-07-02T19:05:00.001-05:00

If, after expending the stimulus, racking up debt, and expanding the power of government, we end up in the same place we would have ended up anyway ...what exactly was the point?

Brevity? For politicians? That's crazy!

2009-07-02T18:07:00.003-05:00

Well, maybe. Okay, I admit that this wouldn't have much of a chance of passing as a constitutional amendment - let's be honest, politicians love earmarks and obscure amendments to omnibus bills - but the idea of a 28th Amendment, a Brevity Act, is brilliant.

We can quibble with the wording, but I think that if we are really honest with ourselves this is a good idea. The Constitution, the basic framework of our government, was laid out in 11 pages. If new bills were limited to 5 single-spaced pages, at least there's a chance someone will read the bills on which they are voting.

It would probably be the biggest step ever toward truly open and transparent government. If only it stood a chance...

After handling Iran so well...

2009-07-02T11:37:00.002-05:00

...is Obama dropping the ball on Honduras?

We mention these not so small details because they are being overlooked as the world, including the U.S. President, denounces tiny Honduras in a way that it never has, say, Iran. President Obama is joining the U.N., Fidel Castro, Hugo Chávez and other model democrats in demanding that Mr. Zelaya be allowed to return from exile and restored to power. Maybe it's time to sort the real from the phony Latin American democrats.

Oh no - not the UN! Heaven forbid an American president should agree with the UN!

In Honduras Mr. Chávez funneled Veneuzelan oil money to help Mr. Zelaya win in 2005, and Mr. Zelaya has veered increasingly left in his four-year term. The Honduran constitution limits presidents to a single term, which is scheduled to end in January. Mr. Zelaya was using the extralegal referendum as an act of political intimidation to force the Congress to allow a rewrite of the constitution so he could retain power. The opposition had pledged to boycott the vote, which meant that Mr. Zelaya would have won by a landslide.

Such populist intimidation has worked elsewhere in the region, and Hondurans are understandably afraid that, backed by Chávez agents and money, it could lead to similar antidemocratic subversion there. In Tegucigalpa yesterday, thousands demonstrated against Mr. Zelaya, and new deputy foreign minister Marta Lorena Casco told the crowd that "Chávez consumed Venezuela, then Bolivia, after that Ecuador and Nicaragua, but in Honduras that didn't happen."

Sad to see Obama, who comes from the so nuanced modern Left, blandly ignoring and glossing over the nuance of this situation.

Three Weeks in Hong Kong

2009-07-02T10:47:00.019-05:00

Things are coming to a close. Tomorrow is the last day of work here between the mountains and the sea. I'll let the pictures tell a bit of the story.

Roundup: Asia

2009-07-01T19:03:00.002-05:00

Did the King of Pop save the Ayatollah? David Rothkopf says yes: In an instant, the really important story of tens of millions struggling to be heard in Iran was swept off the air by the death of a 50 year old accused pedophile in America.

No more opium wars? The US pulls away from poppy eradication in Afghanistan.

Asians, apparently, are no longer babes. Lance Burri is probably a racist.

Is it time to call in the cavalry?

Illicit cigarrettes in China -- could one of our own bloggers be smoking them while pondering the implications of the Chinese government's decision not to implement tighter web filter?

The leader of a Fijian coup of 2006 now has a "roadmap to democracy." One wonders what was so wrong the old one that he had to scrap it.

Hong Kong Demonstration Coverage

2009-07-01T18:53:00.001-05:00

The Financial Times does a much better job of reporting the reality of yesterday's march than the New York Times.