[Pearce Godwin] Global Fear Over Swine Flu & More

[Pearce Godwin]

SWINE FLU:

WSJ: The World Health Organization's chief laid the groundwork Sunday for her agency potentially to declare a new strain of A/H1N1 swine flu a pandemic, saying such a move doesn't necessarily mean the disease is highly lethal or that it will sweep the entire globe.  More...

Pearce: The Swine Flu has dominated the news worldwide over the last week and a half as the tallies of cases and deaths continued to rise in several different countries.  Mexico, where the virus began, virtually shut down in the wake of the outbreak. While the flue appears to be waning in Mexico, the head of the WHO is now saying, "the end of the flu season in the northern hemisphere meant an initial outbreak could be milder but then a second wave more lethal, as happened in 1918." Although it is beginning to seem the worst of this first wave is behind us, it was not without several cases of alarm and drastic steps by governments around the world.  In Hong Kong, 300 people were quarantined inside a hotel. In NYC, ERs were flooded with people fearing the Swine Flu. A flight was actually diverted to Boston because a passenger was feeling under the weather. In Egypt, the government ordered the killing of the nation's 300,000 pigs. Finally, in Israel officials claimed the calling it the "Swine Flu" is offensive to Jews and Muslime, and it should therefore be renamed the "Mexican Flu" because, of course, that is not offensive. On another note, President Obama is finding it more and more dangerous to let Joe Biden out of the house as he suggested on the Today show that Americans should avoid planes and subways... unbelievable. 

In light of the flu (almost officially) pandemic, Reuters wrote an interesting article wondering if globalization has made us more catastrophe-prone. Also, David Brooks wrote an op-ed called Globalism Goes Viral.

THE TORTURE DEBATE:

Pearce: In light of Obama's release of Bush era memos justifying the use of waterboarding, the torture debate has returned to the forefront of DC dialogue. In his 100 Days press conference Wednesday night, Obama unequivocally declared that waterboarding is torture and unacceptable.  At the same time, he acknowledged that, as Dick Cheney has been saying, the practice reportedly led to critical counterterrorism intel which thwarted a planned attack on Los Angeles. The salient question now, one on which Obama has waffled of late, is whether or not he will seek to prosecute the individuals who justified and authorized the method. There are also reports that Speaker Pelosi knew about waterboarding in 2002 and said nothing. In addition, Obama has ordered the release of detainee abuse photos requested by the ACLU. Meanwhile, the patriots at the CIA feel like they have been "hit with a car bomb in the driveway" by the Obama administration. Finally, ABCNews took a look at fascinating polling on the issue that reveals that public sentiment on torture is quite a mixed bag.

Needless to say, everyone has an opinion on the issue; here are a few...

Noonan: Obama was right to resist reopening the torture debate.  More...

Krauthammer: Torture? No. Except... More...

Friedman: A Torturous Compromise.  More...

WSJ: A Tortured Rationale.  More...

WSJ: His invitation to indict Bush officials will haunt Obama's presidency.  More...

Telegraph: Don't look back? Barack Obama and Torture.  More...

BENEDICT ARLEN & THE GOP STRATEGY BOARD:

WP: Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania provided a boost to President Obama's ambitious legislative agenda Tuesday by abandoning the Republican Party in the face of shifting political realities at home and an aggressive courtship by the White House and party leaders.  More...

Roll Call: Senator Ensign says the GOP will make sure Specter loses in 2010.  More...

Pearce: Senator Jim DeMint, said, "I would rather have 30 Republicans in the Senate who really believe in principles of limited government, free markets, free people, than to have 60 that don’t have a set of beliefs." While I am a big fan of Senator DeMint, I must disagree with him on this point.  There are unique reasons, some dealing with the particular circumstances of the electoral landscape in Pennsylvania, that the Specter defection may prove to be less of a blow to the GOP than some think.  However, more generally, while it would be wonderful to have majorities in both houses of Congress comprised solely of the kind of "pure" conservatives that DeMint describes, this no longer appears realistic when looking at the electoral landscape across the country, with particular focus towards the northeast and midwest.  DeMint would rather take what we can get to keep our membership exclusive; I would rather have a majority that can turn noble conservative principles into the policies that govern this great nation.  To that end, I believe the GOP must take a more pragmatic approach and open up the perverbial tent and welcome fellow conservative with open arms, even if they don't happen to agree with us on every issue.  I agree with Peggy Noonan that shrinking to win is not much of a strategy if Republicans hope to regain the majority anytime soon.  

The following are others' thoughts and articles on the issue...

Noonan: 'Shrink to win' isn't much of a strategy.  More...

Cillizza: The Republican shrinkage problem.  More...

Rove: Republicans and the Tea Parties.  More...

WSJ: Specter's switcheroo.  More...

Rothenberg: Specter switch could send ripples far and wide for both parties.  More...

Barone: Specter's party switch is all about winning.  More...

Thomas: Good riddance Specter.  More...

Kristol: Good news for Republicans!  More...

Examiner: The trials of Michael Steele.  More...

Cillizza: Mitt Romney's quiet campaign.  More...

Cillizza: Crist nears a Senate decision.  More...

Politico: In GOP base, a 'rebellion brewing.'  More...

Politico: Romney, Cantor: What went wrong in '08.  More...

WT: Jeb Bush says it's time to leave Reagan behind.  More...

MORE NEWS:

Politico: Supreme Court Justice David Souter plans to retire.  More...

WSJ: A 'classified' photo op turns into a soaring blunder for the White House.  More...

Pearce: If I were Obama, I don't know who I would be more upset with this week, Joe Biden or the idiot who ordered this photo shoot.  Accoring to reports, the President hit the roof on this one, rightly so.

Fix: Murphy wins NY-20.  More...

WSJ: Jack Kemp, Dole's '96 VP nominee dies at 73.  More...

AP: Obama disowns the deficit he helped shape.  More...

Fix: Obama beloved, his policies beliked.  More...

Fix: 100 Days winners and losers.  More...

Reuters: Obama revelling in U.S. power unseen in decades.  More...

U.S. News: Rick Warren- From peacemaker to lighning rod.  More...

Reuters: Geithner says downturn may be easing.  More...

AP: Obama says Wall Street will play less domiant role.  More...

NYT: Chrysler's fall may help Obama reshape GM.  More...

Climate Depot: Democrats refuse to let global warming skeptic testify.  More...

AP: Capitol briefly evacuated, White House locked down.  More...

Pew: 2008 electorate most diverse yet.  More...

Rove: The internet's growing role in American politics.  More...

Slate: See when your county's jobs disappeared.  Map h/t John Taddie

Mail: Obamas fly in check 860 miles... just to make pizza.  More...  h/t Chris Mike

Media Bistro: FoxNews beats CNN and MSNBC combined.  More...

NYT: With rivals ahead, doubts for CNN's middle of the road strategy.  More...

NYT: What's a necessity?  More...

Politico: Stephen Colbert brings down the House.  More...

NYT: Seeking to save the planet, with a thesaurus.  More...

Politico: Feds investigate Edwards campaign.  More...

Telegraph: Barbie doll given make-over with tatoos.  More...

Independent: An invention that could change the internet.  More...

MORE OPINION: (As you can see, I've caught up on a few weeks worth of columns.)

THE BIG 3 POLITICAL COMMENTATORS:

Michael Barone:

U.S. moving toward Europe, but do Americans want to go?  More...

Back to the future- Obama's foreign policy.  More...

Obama lets Congress and lobbyists do the work.  More...

Like JFK, Obama brings fresh style.  More...

Beware of mandatory arbitration in Card Check.  More...

Stuart Rothenberg:

For Obama, deference is starting to become a troubling habit.  More...

Media cover Obama like he's ultimate A-list celebrity.  More...

Burr polling in perilous territory.  More...

Charlie Cook:

Watch the Independents.  More...

Who'll play defense?  More...

Deciphering early clues on 2010.  More...

Running up the tab.  More...

OTHER OP-EDS:

Rove: Obama outsources his presidency.  More...

Morris: A crisis Obama won't waste.  More...

Krauthammer: Obama's grand strategy.  More...

Friedman: Swimming without a suit.  More...

WSJ: Obama wants to control the banks.  More...

WSJ: Cramdown slamdown.  More...

Morris: Obama sows seeds of demise.  More...

WSJ: Better bad news.  More...

Noonan: Lessons from the recovery of 2001.  More...

Brooks: Yanks in crisis.  More...

Brooks: Big spending conservative.  More...

Morris: The anti-success presidency.  More...

WSJ: The liberal hour.  More...

Heritage: Why is the President smiling?  More...

WSJ: Reckless 'endangerment.'  More...

Heritage: Cap and Trade a jobs killing bill.  More...

Heritage: Cap and Trade's $3,900 per family per year price tag.  More...

WSJ: Teach for (some of) America.  More...

NOTES:

As promised, Billy Hughes offered up an excellent 'comment' on my last blog post complete with several new items of interest.  Check it out!

The Pearce Godwin blog has gone mobile!  Read PG on your Blackberry or iPhone @ http://m.pearcegodwin.com/

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Posted By Pearce Godwin to Pearce Godwin at 5/04/2009 03:38:00 AM