observations

karl rove had a conversation with obama on how to beat hillary.

kissinger said he thinks hillary would make a great secretary of state. this from a man who contributed to the destruction of southeast asia, the coup in chile, and the murder in east timor. instead of a microphone in his face, there should be some cuffs on his wrists. what does it say about our new regime that kissinger is happy with how it's going?

obama and mccain met for a chat. if obama can meet with mccain, can he also meet with labor leaders, and civil rights leaders, and anti-war leaders?

we are hearing that obama will "reach across the aisle," meaning he will work with republicans. fair enough, but will he be willing to reach the other way? is the only aisle the one that leads to republicans? will obama also "reach across the aisle" to progressive democrats, and to people outside of either party? obama has already honored conservative democrats like emmanuel and clinton with jobs. will he give progressive democrats any positions? my guess is that no one from the congressional black caucus will be given a thing from obama, though many of their members are highly qualified, and have served in government for democrats. so, don't wait up, barbara lee, john conyers, and others. furthermore, i don't expect the phones of dennis kucinich and bernie sanders to be ringing anytime soon. and what of those outside of the two parties? while it is likely that obama will tap larry summers for an economic position, joe stiglitz will not be considered. stiglitz recently wrote a book on iraq called "the three trillion dollar war." i doubt it will be required reading in an obama white house. we have a consumer protection agency in this country, but i don't expect ralph nader will be asked to assist in its running. we could use a public works program for the people of new orleans. cynthia mckinney would be a good fit to head such a program. i doubt that either the program, or a job of any kind for mckinney will materialize. few men know more about big oil than michael klare. i doubt he will be asked for his views on energy policy. who is more versed in foreign policy than chomsky? despite this, don't expect a position in government for noam. one could go on. will sharpton be rewarded for his support? will naomi klein be brought in to explain her "shock doctrine" theory, and be asked to help with the economy, along with the folks from the magazine dollars and sense? will wise, dyson, west, zinn, and others be convened for a discussion in the white house about how to begin to address the issue of systemic and institutional racism? will discussions begin about reparations for the people of iraq and afghanistan? will legal scholars such as michael ratner be invited to draw up indictments to be handed out to the war criminals of the bush administration? will amy goodman, greg palast, and david barsamian be offered positions in federal communications, and will the editors of "extra" be asked by the white house to track bias in the mainstream media? will progressive scholars and educators like the people from rethinking schools, and kozol, kohn, and zinn, be invited to create a progressive school curriculum that stresses peace and anti-racism?

for sure, none of these things will happen. i don't even think slightly left of center democrats like howard dean will be thrown any bones. what of rfk jr, respected for his work on the environment? so far, no one from the obama camp has come calling. now, it's possible that dean and jr could get positions, but right now, such comparative progressives (to clinton, that is) are being shut out.

while obama reaches across the aisle to mccain, rove, and kissinger.

oh yeah, one more thing. it has been made clear that an obama administration will not prosecute bush era officials. yes, they started imperial wars. yes, they tortured. yes, they lied to the american people. but the important thing is to move on. funny, but no one tells this to holocaust survivors. no one tells this to rape victims. yes, moving on is important, but you can't move on until you have honestly faced the past. otherwise, how is this change we can believe in? if obama is opposed to torture, and torture is illegal under international law, how can obama, as a lawyer, as a man who is supposed to represent change, not prosecute the criminals who created bush's torture policies? if the iraq war is a war of aggression, which, according to nuremberg, is the ultimate crime, how can obama not indict the architects of the conflict?

i know, i know, that change stuff wasn't meant to be taken seriously. it was just meant to make us feel good.

as oprah leans on some white guy, and ayers returns to the park where his head was bashed in, and as we all hold hands and sing folk songs.

as the bombs fall elsewhere.