Year 1 - No Big Defense Changes

Obama's defense team said today there will be so significant changes in defense for his first year in office. This is hardly a shock as incoming presidents often use the last defense budget of the outgoing president to allow for smooth transitions of power and policy. If you remember, Bush's first-year proposed budget was eerily similar to Clinton's last.

Always the Optimist

Bob Woodward is one who sees the glass half full. In his Washington Post piece today, Woodward outlines what he calls "10 Take Aways from the Bush Years." Check'em out!

The Year of the Underdog

Regarding the Isreali/Palestinian conflict, Ezra Klein asks today "Where's the strategy?" I'm not so sure there is a strategy other than bombing the fuck out of Muslims who Isreal wants to stop from launching mortars into Iseali controlled territories. I understand the complexity of the problems, more specifically who should govern Gaza, but like Ezra, I'm not so sure the Palestinian Authority is the right one to do so, especially if it is perceived the Palestinian Authority is in cahoots with the U.S. and Isreal. Hamas would never allow it. However, a larger problem created by Isreal's indiscriminate bombings is that the entire Arab world views this as a classic case of David and Goliath. Many in the U.S. and Isreal may want to ignore this, but the story isn't just a story to many Gazans. It is their perceived reality regardless and makes it extremely easy for them to illicit sympathy from countries like Iran.

Waterboarding = Torture

In his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, Eric Holder clearly stated "Waterboarding is torture." Echoing the recent statments of Susan Crawford, the convening authority for military commissions, Holder gave a clear picture of how an Obama administration views this issue. It will be interesting to see how Obama will prioritize this situation and whether or not he will address it, say, prosecute Bush for war crimes.

The Man, the Myth, the Legend

Yes- that is Brian Beutler of BrianBeutler.com minutes before I took him on his first motorcycle ride of his life. Don't you think he looks like a character in an Aha video?

Accountability

A draft summary of what is now known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009 is beginning to make its rounds among House Democrats. Included in the summary is a section on accountability.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Unprecedented Accountability: A historic level of transparency, oversight and accountability will help guarantee taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and Americans can see results for their investment.

· In many instances funds are distributed through existing formulas to programs with proven track records and accountability measures already in place.

· How funds are spent, all announcements of contract and grant competitions and awards, and formula grant allocations must be posted on a special website created by the President. Program managers will also be listed so the public knows who to hold accountable.

· Public notification of funding must include a description of the investment funded, the purpose, the total cost and why the activity should be funded with recovery dollars. Governors, mayors or others making funding decisions must personally certify that the investment has been fully vetted and is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars. This will also be placed on the recovery website.

· A Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency Board will be created to review management of recovery dollars and provide early warning of problems. The seven member board includes Inspectors General and Deputy Cabinet secretaries.

· The Government Accountability Office and the Inspectors General are provided additional funding and access for special review of recovery funding.

· Federal and state whistleblowers who report fraud and abuse are protected.

· There are no earmarks in this package.

Finallly!