The Easter week off in Washington may have stopped the Congress, but I’m getting the feeling that there are still some hidden eggs on the White House lawn.
I discovered that being a typical white woman isn’t so bad. But, according to the polls, I’m not so typical for my age. I’m not a Clinton supporter. So, maybe there’s nothing typical about any of us.
There’s no wonder getting a green card is so difficult. The rules vary from office to office and agent to agent. Oral sex would get you a green card last week. This week it was disclosed that Saman Kareem Ahmad, an Iraqi, was denied a green card after risking his life in service our country for four years because he had once been a member of a group that tried to topple Sadam Hussein. Too bad he wasn’t successful. It would have saved over 4,000 American lives. But, in the end, with lots of pressure and a little common sense, Ahmad is being reconsidered.
Bear Stearns growled loud enough to get the price of the bail out up to $10 a share from $2. Maybe we should all growl a little louder. The Bear growl came from its stockholders and apparently it worked. ”We, the people,” are America’s stockholders… well, maybe it’s our turn to roar.
The Fed is printing up money this weekend but it isn’t for the citizens, it’s for the banks. The $260 Billion the Fed loaned the banks this month wasn’t enough to satisfy their appetites, so we are handing out another $100 billion in April. Guess the big Bear wasn’t the only animal growling on Wall Street.
The candidates weighed in on the economic crisis. John McCain thinks it best to let us fend for ourselves… well, unless we are a bank facing a systemic crisis. The key word is “systemic”. Everything that relates to a bank is systemic. Nothing that relates to you or me is systemic. So, McCain’s bottom line is, feed the fat cats and let the strays eat from the garbage can.
Hillary Clinton brought the $30 billion figure to the table. She has taken the poor man’s position and vows to help the little people. I just didn’t get how adding street lights to neighborhoods would help us stay in our houses. At best, we will be able to see how to move out in the dark of night.
Barack Obama sailed right down the middle of the road. He talked about $30 billion, but he seemed to lean towards refinancing some of the homes for responsible buyers. Maybe he’s been talking to Chris Dodd.
Oh, by the way, Senator Dodd has once again stepped up to the plate. He’s going to hold hearings this coming week to get some explanations from the Fed. We will be watching.
The State Department confessed that there have been “several” breaches of privacy within its confines, but not to worry. We are safe. In addition to the three candidates having their passport information breached, it seems that some famous movie stars were on the “let me peak” list. Of course, those are the ones the department has “fessed up to.” It appears that the State Department employees have too much free time on their hands. Maybe someone could tell them that they should be processing passport applications. The department is so far behind that the deadline for passports has been moved back a year to June, 2009.
Lest we think incompetence is only housed in the Department of State, this week the Pentagon disclosed that instead of sending batteries to Taiwan in 2006, they shipped missile parts. And, it took two years for someone to discover this?
Speaking of the Pentagon and war, George Bush after meeting with some military officials early in the week spoke to a group in Dayton, Ohio, using words like “success” and “victory” in his message. He proclaimed that the surge is working. I guess he just forgot to mention that the surge that is working is the Iraqi militants’ surge, not ours.
All hell broke loose in Iraq this week, from Basara to Baghdad. But, have no fear, the Iraqi government is in control. First, al-Maliki told the Sadr militia to lay down their arms in 72 hours… then by April 7th. By the first full week in April, the al-Maliki government will be backed up to Fallujah. But, hey… whatever works for him.
The Green Zone was attacked this week, during the demonstrations in Baghdad. That’s the same Green Zone that John McCain and company were parading around in last week, touting the surge and the victory that was looming on the horizon. Bet, he isn’t going back this weekend.
An interesting video of John McCain surfaced showing him singing “Bomb, bomb, Iran”. He can’t carry a tune either. And, rhythm? Not an ounce!
Obama spoke to the issue of economics, and once again ever so briefly on The View the subject of Jeremiah Wright reared its head. In true Obama style, he put the subject to rest.
Obama picked up the endorsement of Senator Casey from Pennsylvania this week. Clinton held onto Governor Rendell’s endorsement.
Of course, Senator Clinton came under fire for her tale of being under sniper fire in Bosnia. At least she knows what it feels like now.
Throughout the week, when there was news of the candidates, the spin continued.
The shortest job duration in Washington goes to Felipe Sixto, who served as a presidential assistant for less than 20 days.
And, that said, that is the week in review.
