Columbia students from all four undergraduate colleges (Columbia College, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, School of General Studies, and Barnard College) will vote today in an on-line survey whether to support the return of NROTC to Columbia University.
Columbia's student NROTC advocates are to be applauded. They have worked very hard as grassroots activists on campus against both the status quo and a much larger group of opponents to NROTC's return to Columbia. In 2003, a student poll conducted with the April CCSC election yielded two-third of the students in favor of ROTC at Columbia. But in 2005, the university senate voted overwhelmingly against ROTC. The majority of the university senate is composed of faculty, though, not students.
This will be interesting.
Good luck.
Eric
Monday, 24 November 2008
Saturday, 22 November 2008
Today is Victory in Iraq day?
Interesting . . .
ADD: Thanks to QandO, an interesting looking book: "A Better Country: Why America Was Right To Confront Iraq". Arthur Borden, 88 pages, Hamilton Books, 2008.
Eric
ADD: Thanks to QandO, an interesting looking book: "A Better Country: Why America Was Right To Confront Iraq". Arthur Borden, 88 pages, Hamilton Books, 2008.
Eric
Friday, 7 November 2008
Joe Lieberman for Secretary of State
A possibly vindictive Democratic national party is wondering what to do about Joe Lieberman. My recommendation is for President-elect Obama to make the the bold centrist choice, take Lieberman out of the Senate and make him Secretary of State. He has been willing to sacrifice his political status in order to support the nation at war. Senator Lieberman is dedicated, principled, measured, and right (liberal) on foreign policy and national security. With the real possibility of his being shunned in the Senate, the appointment of Lieberman would salvage his career, solve the Democrats' dilemma, comfort Americans who supported Senator McCain due to concern over Obama's anti-war record, make a strong signal of bridging the partisan divide, and place the right man in the right job at the right time under the right President.
On the other hand, the appointment of Secretary of State Lieberman would signal a foreign policy direction that would be severely disappointing to many of President-elect Obama's supporters.
Eric
On the other hand, the appointment of Secretary of State Lieberman would signal a foreign policy direction that would be severely disappointing to many of President-elect Obama's supporters.
Eric
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
Congratulations, President-Elect Obama
Congratulations to my fellow Columbia Poli-Sci/IR graduate. I hope.
Socially, there is much symbolic good in Senator Obama's election. Regardless of whether he turns out to be an effective president, his election is an important historic step for our society.
As far as the job, the next president, like the current president, has great challenges to navigate our nation through, both at home and abroad. President Bush is a good man who held the reins as well he could, better than I think most people give him credit for. Bush had the right qualities for what was needed from his office on 9/11. President-elect Obama, potentially, has the right qualities for the next stage. Now that Obama will be assuming the office, I hope very much he will transcend his leftist background and radical associations and become the President we need now. We know his impressive personal qualities, but we do not yet know him. The best thing I've heard said about him is that he's ambitious and pragmatic, which I hope to mean he will rise to the job we've hired him to do.
On an issue closer to my heart, I hope President-elect Obama means ROTC will come back to Columbia.
Eric
Socially, there is much symbolic good in Senator Obama's election. Regardless of whether he turns out to be an effective president, his election is an important historic step for our society.
As far as the job, the next president, like the current president, has great challenges to navigate our nation through, both at home and abroad. President Bush is a good man who held the reins as well he could, better than I think most people give him credit for. Bush had the right qualities for what was needed from his office on 9/11. President-elect Obama, potentially, has the right qualities for the next stage. Now that Obama will be assuming the office, I hope very much he will transcend his leftist background and radical associations and become the President we need now. We know his impressive personal qualities, but we do not yet know him. The best thing I've heard said about him is that he's ambitious and pragmatic, which I hope to mean he will rise to the job we've hired him to do.
On an issue closer to my heart, I hope President-elect Obama means ROTC will come back to Columbia.
Eric
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
Thought on the election
Here is what I thought immediately before and after the 2004 presidential election between President Bush and Senator Kerry.
My thinking is similar in the 2008, except paradoxically, Bush's success with the 'surge' in Iraq makes it easier to vote for the Democrat by lowering the risk of American surrender, locking in our commitment, and allowing for a measured assessment by the next administration. Winning the war is still my highest priority when voting for president because foreign affairs fall predominantly in the executive branch. On that issue, McCain has an edge. Obama, however, offers the opportunity to approach our foreign affairs from a very different direction, for better or worse.
For both McCain and Obama, there are compelling arguments for and against. We'll see. Either way, I feel better about this election than the last one.
Eric
My thinking is similar in the 2008, except paradoxically, Bush's success with the 'surge' in Iraq makes it easier to vote for the Democrat by lowering the risk of American surrender, locking in our commitment, and allowing for a measured assessment by the next administration. Winning the war is still my highest priority when voting for president because foreign affairs fall predominantly in the executive branch. On that issue, McCain has an edge. Obama, however, offers the opportunity to approach our foreign affairs from a very different direction, for better or worse.
For both McCain and Obama, there are compelling arguments for and against. We'll see. Either way, I feel better about this election than the last one.
Eric
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