Posts by Satyam Khanna

Satyam Khanna is a Research Associate for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress.

Bill Kristol Loves Dick Cheney
Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress on May 16, 2009 at 11:57 AM.

While many Republicans are trying to ditch the legacy of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, one pundit is still clinging to the previous administration. In a column today titled “Don’t Wince. Fight!,” Bill Kristol offers a full-throated defense of Cheney, writing that Republicans cringing at the re-emergence of the former vice president have a “juvenile understanding of political dynamics.” Kristol then prescribes that to regain power, the GOP needs to embrace Bush’s policies and listen to Cheney:

The real question any Republican strategist should ask himself is this: What will Republican chances be in 2012 if voters don’t remember the Bush administration–however problematic in other areas–as successful in defending the country after 9/11? To give this issue away would be to accept a post-Herbert-Hoover-like-fate for today’s GOP. That’s why Republicans should listen carefully when Cheney gives a speech this week in which he’ll lay out the case for the surveillance, detention, and interrogation policies of the Bush administration in the war against terror.

Kristol concludes, “Dick Cheney probably won’t be the glamour quarterback of the Republican comeback. But he’s proving to be a heck of a middle linebacker.” Those considering taking the advice of the Kristol Ball should check out his July 2007 op-ed on “Why Bush Will Be A Winner.”

Dick Cheney Desperately Wants to Bomb Iran
Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress on May 13, 2009 at 8:45 AM.

Yesterday, former Vice President Cheney “swung quietly” through New York City to watch Liz Cheney, his daughter and a former State Department official, debate Iran policy. Continuing his long advocacy for military strikes to halt Iran’s nuclear program, Cheney said at a dinner after the debate that the only way for President Obama’s diplomacy with Iran to work is if Obama also threatens to bomb the country:

The former Vice President characterized the Iranian goal in negotiations on ending that country’s nuclear program as mere stalling for time, and the Europeans as trying to “restrain the U.S.” from military action. “Everybody’s in a giant conspiracy to achieve a different objective than the one we want to achieve,” Cheney said. The negotiations are “bound to fail unless we are perceived as very credible” in threatening military action against Iran, he said.

“If they believe the threat of military force is on the table that’s frankly the only thing I’ve seen that convinces them they’d better get serious about sanctions,” Liz Cheney said during her debate.

Obama Sends Handwritten Letter to Gay Soldier Ousted From the Military Promising to Repeal DADT
Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress on May 8, 2009 at 7:33 AM.

In January, Sandy Tsao, an army officer based out of St. Louis, MO, told her superiors that she is gay — a violation of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law. Tsao then wrote to President Obama, urging him to change the DADT policy: “I do hope, Mr. President, that you will help us to win the war against prejudice.” On May 5, Tsao received a handwritten letter from Obama with a pledge to repeal DADT at some point:

In the letter, Obama wrote that he is “committed to changing our current policy” but that “it will take some time to complete (partly because it needs Congressional action).” Yesterday, Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA), who has sponsored legislation repealing DADT, discussed the issue with Rachel Maddow, saying, “I’d like to see us move it by this summer, and I think we can.”

Civil War Emerges at Fox News: ‘We Don’t F*cking Torture’ vs. ‘Torture, My Ass’
Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress on April 24, 2009 at 8:30 AM.

Since President Obama released the Bush administration's OLC torture memos, several Fox News pundits have launched unrelenting, full-throated defenses of torture. Bill O'Reilly dismissed waterboarding yesterday, saying, "Torture, my ass." Also yesterday, Sean Hannity volunteered to be waterboarded for charity (those who have tried it have found it to be rather unpleasant):

GRODIN: We can waterboard you?

HANNITY: Sure.

GRODIN: Are you busy on Sunday?

HANNITY: I'll do it for charity. ... I'll let you do it. I'll do it for the troops' families.

Surprisingly, Fox is not all pro-torture. In fact, there are a handful of pundits who are speaking out against torture at the right-wing network. In multiple segments over the past few days, Shep Smith has been ripping the idea of government-sanctioned torture. "We are America. We don't torture. And the moment that is not the case, I want off the train!" he declared Wednesday afternoon. Yesterday, in Fox's Strategy Room, which was only aired on the web, Smith's anger culminated in an explosion:

SMITH: WE ARE AMERICA! I DON'T GIVE A RAT'S ASS IF IT HELPS. WE ARE AMERICA! WE DO NOT FUCKING TORTURE! WE DON'T DO IT!

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Afghan Women Pelted By Stones While Protesting Rape Law
Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress on April 15, 2009 at 8:35 AM.

Last month, Afghan President Hamid Karzai provoked international outrage when he signed legislation that effectively legalizes marital rape. Afghan women are trying to fight back, joining forces with women’s rights group and protesting the law. But yesterday, the women protesters were greeted by “largely male” counter-protesters:

A group of some 1,000 Afghans swarmed a demonstration of 300 women protesting against a new conservative marriage law on Wednesday. The women were pelted with small stones as police struggled to keep the two groups apart. […]

[O]thers shouted “Death to the slaves of the Christians!” Female police held hands around the group to create a protective barrier. … “You are a dog! You are not a Shiite woman!” one man shouted to a young woman in a headscarf holding aloft a banner that said “We don’t want Taliban law.” The woman did not shout back at the man, but told him: “This is my land and my people.”

Ten Conservative 'Democrats' Vote for Bill That Protects the Children of Multimillionaires
Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress on April 3, 2009 at 8:45 AM.

Sens. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) recently introduced a $250 billion amendment to slash estate taxes for the heirs of multimillion-dollar estates. Yesterday, the Senate narrowly passed the bill by a 51-48 vote. Joining Republicans in approving the bill were ten Senate Democrats:

Baucus (D-MT), Bayh (D-IN), Cantwell (D-WA), Landrieu (D-LA), Lincoln (D-AR), Murray (D-WA), Nelson (D-FL), Nelson (D-NE), Pryor (D-AR), Tester (D-MT)

As the New York Times explained, under Obama’s budget, “99.8 percent of estates will never — ever — pay a penny of estate tax. The heirs of the remaining 0.2 percent of estates are who Ms. Lincoln and Mr. Kyl are so worried about.”

How Many Iranians Saw Obama's Nowruz Message?
Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress on March 20, 2009 at 1:55 PM.

The AP reports that "Iran played down" President Obama’s new video message to the Iranian people recognizing the holiday Nowruz. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s press aide said “minor changes will not end the differences” between Iran and the United States:

“Obama has talked of change but has taken no practical measures to address America’s past mistakes in Iran. If Mr. Obama takes concrete actions and makes fundamental changes in U.S. foreign policy toward other nations including Iran, the Iranian government and people will not turn their back on him,” Ali Akbar Javanfekr told the Iranian state-run English-language Press TV satellite station.

It wasn’t clear how many Iranians were able to see the video, which was not aired on state television in Iran on Friday. It was likely shown on Farsi-language TV stations beamed in from outside of the country, but many Iranians don’t watch television in the first days of long Nowruz holiday that is normally filled with family gatherings or vacations away from home.

"Iranians could see the video on the White House Web site, but other popular video sharing sites like YouTube are blocked in Iran," the AP notes.

Flashback: In October, Obama Said That AIG Execs 'Should Be Fired' for Their Excesses
Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress on March 18, 2009 at 11:46 AM.

Earlier this week, after the AIG bonuses were revealed, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) called for the replacement of company executives. “Since the federal government … now essentially owns that company, maybe it’s time to fire some people.” Frank told ThinkProgress that, “when you are trying to undo something, it is often not the case that the people who did it are the ones to put in place.” So far, however, the administration has not embraced Frank’s call.

Last fall, as Wall Street crumbled and just one week after the federal government bailed out AIG, the firm’s executives spent $440,000 on manicures, facials, pedicures, and massages at a luxury resort in California. At the time, Obama was a vocal proponent of firing AIG executives. During an October 7, 2008 presidential debate with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), candidate Obama declared, “those executives should be fired”:

OBAMA: It means we are cracking down on CEOs and making sure that they are not getting bonuses or golden parachutes as a consequence of this package [TARP]. In fact, we just found that AIG — a company that got a bailout — just a week after they got help, went on a $400,000 junket. I’ll tell you what. Treasury should demand that money back, and those executives should be fired.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Barney Frank on AIG: 'Maybe It's Time to Fire Some People'
Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress on March 16, 2009 at 2:00 PM.

Over the weekend, the revelation that bailed-out insurance firm AIG was still doling out hundreds of millions in "retention bonuses" sparked bipartisan outrage. On NBC’s Today Show this morning, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) called for the government to fire AIG executives. "These bonuses are going to people who screwed this thing up enormously," he said:

FRANK: The federal government now is the 80 percent owner. … So, since the federal government, thanks to the Federal reserve’s use of the power under the 70-year-old statute, now essentially owns that company, maybe it’s time to fire some people. We can’t keep them from getting the bonuses, but we can keep some of them from continuing in their jobs.

"Well, if they were in high school, they wouldn’t have gotten retention, they would have gotten detention," Frank said, adding, “And yes, I think the — the time has come for the federal government to put some people in charge.”

Surprise: Dick Cheney 'Loves' Rush Limbaugh
Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress on March 15, 2009 at 10:36 AM.

In recent weeks, Rush Limbaugh has become so controversial that some top GOP leaders are trying to distance themselves from the divisive radio host. But not Dick Cheney. In his first TV interview since leaving office, Cheney said he adores Limbaugh and even said he wants to see President Obama debate him:

CHENEY: Rush is a good friend. I love him. I think he does great work and has for years. He has now offered to debate President Obama on his radio show. Hell, I’d pay to see that. … I think Rush is a good man and serves a very important purpose.

Wach it:

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GOP Civil War: Kristol Takes on Leader Limbaugh
Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress on March 6, 2009 at 4:02 PM.

In recent weeks, a growing number of conservatives have hopped on the Rush Limbaugh bandwagon, saying they agree with his repeated statements that he hopes President Obama fails. Michelle Malkin, Tom Delay, Rick Santorum, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) have all said they want Obama’s policies to fail.

The Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol, however, seems to disagree with this sentiment. In an interview with Fox and Friends yesterday, Kristol broke with the Limbaugh line. Discussing Obama’s recent actions to fix the economy with progressive blogger David Sirota, Kristol said that Americans “should” “hope” that Obama’s policies “succeed”:

Q: Are people still holding on to [their hope] thinking he will be able to change the problems we are now facing?

KRISTOL: Look, Americans wish a new president well. They hope his policies succeed, as they should.

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Sri Lankan Cricket Team Attack in Pakistan Rouses Anger Against Militants
Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress on March 5, 2009 at 2:03 PM.

On Tuesday in Lahore, Pakistan, terrorists waged a brazen attack in broad daylight against members of the Sri Lankan cricket team. The attack has roused Pakistani anger against the militants. “Cricket is so popular here,” said Imran Khan, a former Pakistani cricket legend-turned-politician. “The militants want to gather public support for their campaign. By attacking cricket, they only lose support and isolate themselves.” On The Wonk Room, Dr. Awab Alvi -- a popular Pakistani political blogger based in Karachi -- offers his perspective:

Barack Obama has naturally condemned this tragic event but the US needs to realize that the lawlessness in Pakistan cannot be quenched by the mere use of force. It must stand to be one of the biggest blunders of the Bush administration when on Nov 3rd the then-President Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf, an ally of George W. Bush, deliberately destroyed the judiciary. […]

The American forces must now continue to engage with the Pakistan Army to help empower them to cleanse the trouble spots in Pakistan, while pressure needs to be applied upon the elected government to improve and empower the independence of Judiciary in Pakistan. It is only when a society feels the security of a free and fair society will it have the will to shun terrorism and bring into accountability the perpetrators, for now the corrupt and ruthless have a far stronger hand as compared to the weak and downtrodden.

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Steele Loses, Bows Down to Limbaugh
Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress on March 2, 2009 at 3:51 PM.

Yesterday, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel called Rush Limbaugh the "intellectual force" of the GOP. "And whenever a Republican criticize him, they have to run back and apologize to him, and say they were misunderstood," he observed. Today, ThinkProgress first reported that Steele dismissed Limbaugh as an "entertainer" this weekend on CNN:

STEELE: So let's put it into context here. Let's put it into context here. Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer. Rush Limbaugh, his whole thing is entertainment. Yes, it's incendiary. Yes, it's ugly.

Limbaugh fired back on his show today, sneering at Steele’s leadership of the Republican Party:

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Vanden Heuvel Rips Rove Over Fiscal Responsibility
Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress on March 2, 2009 at 2:19 PM.

Today on ABC’s This Week, Karl Rove slammed the cost of President Obama’s new budget. The Nation’s Katrina Vanden Heuvel quickly fired back at Rove’s newly-discovered sense of fiscal responsibility, observing that Rove and President Bush “helped plunge this nation into trillion dollars of debt”:

VANDEN HEUEVEL: But, Mr. Rove –

ROVE: Call me Karl.

VANDEN HEUVEL: It’s laughable for you to talk about fiscal responsibility from someone who helped plunge this nation into trillion dollars of debt, through tax cuts for the very rich and a war we never should have fought. And also starving the beast. Starving government has been a Republican role in terms of government. And, therefore, when George asks why government hasn’t functioned, people have not seen the role of government improving the conditions of their lives for decades.

Pollster Stan Greenberg also chided Rove. “It’s a remarkable lecture considering the performance,” he said.

U.S. Troops Praise Iraq Withdrawal: 'I Don't Think We Really Had a Whole Lot of Direction.'
Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress on February 28, 2009 at 9:28 AM.

Today, at Camp Lejuene, N.C., President Barack Obama announced the withdrawal of most U.S. troops from Iraq by August 2010.

After Obama’s speech, the Associated Press interviewed several soldiers at the Marine base. While conservatives have long insisted that service members do not want to withdraw from Iraq, the troops interviewed heaped praise on Obama’s military agenda and the withdrawal timetable:

Petty Officer Ryan Junkin: All around pretty good feeling. It’s good that he gave some direction. … Because I don’t think we really had a whole lot of direction with what’s going on. It’s kind of defined now.

Sgt. Aldwin Del Rosario: My biggest takeaway is that he had dates, and he plans to meet those goals and those dates.

Lance Cpl. Codell Campbell: Iraq got all our full attention for the past years. A lot of fellow Marines have died trying to make the country better. … Afghanistan is where the real fight is.

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