Obama the weak

Regardless of party, I was really hoping that Obama would succeed as president but it is becoming increasingly obvious that he is a weak leader and not ready for the job. Forget the fact that his primary domestic goal of health care reform is DOA, the bigger problem is his terrible foreign policy. It's like Jimmy carter left him his playbook in the oval office and Obama thought hey it's 30 years later, maybe appeasement will work this time.

He has basically given Russia a green light to bully any of the former soviet states when he agreed to dismantle our weapons shield in Europe. The Russian's view this as weakness and know that they can now do whatever they want and we will back down. If I was Georgia I would be very, very worried.

Iran is brazenly moving ahead with the nuclear weapons and Obama can't even get economic sanctions against them much less a military option on the table. I heard his advisor say this weekend that they wouldn't even confirm that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons. Can you say Naive?

The war in Afghanistan is headed in the wrong direction and Obama looks to be folding his cards instead moving all in. He should never have changed the focus to Afghanistan before counting the cost. Now we are left with either pulling out and giving terrorists the same home base they had before 9/11 or we have to commit a lot more soldiers to fight in a part of the world that is known for outlasting their attackers.

We now have dictators freely acting abroad and a foreign policy that is afraid to confront them. What is driving this lack of confrontation? It is rooted in Obama's lack of resolve that America is right and that our enemies are completely in the wrong. He is nuanced and likes to point out our faults while giving our enemies the benefit of the doubt.

This naivete is not what the American people voted for in 2008. Many people were tired of Bush's black and white world view but frankly our enemies laugh at shades of grey. Obama has to realize that Iran, Russia, China and North Korea don't respect him. In fact, they trust that he will not respond with force. That's a bad signal to rest of the world who look to America for leadership.

Michigan football

Well if wasn't tough enough to be Rich Rod before this week, things just got a whole lot worse for him and for Michigan fans. The Free Press ran a hit piece this weekend accusing the program of violating the number of practice hours. Frankly if this were the whole story, I think the school would be ok and that they would take whatever penalty faces them for the violations. Just for the record, the limited practice hours are a joke and every football program realizes it and probably pushes the envelope on this issue. Michigan just happens to be the one that got caught.

But worse than the allegations is that the story was based on anonymous football players either on the team last year or still on the team. This is bad news for the coach. It shows just how little control and respect he has from some of his players. My best guess is that these are disgruntled holdovers from the Lloyd Carr era and they simply don't like Rodriguez. The preferred the country club mentality instead of having to compete for their playing time. But I wish they would have handled the matter with dignity by going to the coach or the AD instead of to the newspaper.

After a terrible 3-9 season last year, I was hoping to have a redeeming season to help forget about the past and lay the groundwork for future success. I am still in Rich Rod's corner and unlike many Michigan fans, I think he was the correct choice and can restore Michigan to a football powerhouse. But unless he gets his whole team on board, I can foresee a very long season ahead. If that long season includes several losses, it is hard to imagine Rodriguez keeping his job. And unfortunately it is easy to imagine the old guard bringing in a Michigan man like Ron English to replace him.

Surprised

This Wednesday was my birthday. Leading up to it I wasn't all that thrilled with yet another birthday and turning 36 seemed like nothing special. As it turned out, this birthday was one of my favorites. It started last week when Erin surprised me with my very first Ipod. I had heard of such a magical invention but I am technologically unsavvy. One week and 700 songs later I love how much fun it is.

Tuesday night my parents took me out for dinner. Jake, Dave and Vince joined us as well. The food was good and I really like it when the whole family is together. Logan's steakhouse by the way has incredible deals as I think we all ate for less than $60. My parents got me some new cooking utensils which seems kind of practical yet I was thrilled to get them. It must be a sign of getting old.

Wednesday began with a call from my Grandpa and it was a great way to start the day. Then my coworker Derek's wife baked me a cake and I had several people stop by to wish me happy birthday or more likely to grab a slice of the cake. I also had tons of happy birthday posts on my facebook page which reminded me of just how many friends I have.

That night Erin took me out for Sushi. We sat on the floor and had to take our shoes off which was cool. The sushi was good and we experimented with several new types. Most of our experiments were successful and it felt hip to be sitting on the floor of a sushi bar.

If my birthday had stopped there I would have been very happy. But unknown to me Erin had been planning a surprise party for months. We went to our friends Sam and Carrie's for what I thought was a small get together after dinner. I was instead surprised with a large group of my friends and family. It was great to see the people who are important to my life gathered in one place. It was even better to realize just how lucky I am to have a woman in my life who would organize the party. I thought that the Ipod was my favorite gift but just having Erin in my life is the best gift of all.

Bye Sarah, We hardly knew you

I was in Traverse City Friday when I got a call from my friend CJ asking what I thought of Palin's announcement. Since I hadn't seen the TV I had no idea what he was talking about and I was shocked when he told me she was resigning. Her actions have created quite a buzz in Republican circles ranging from criticism to praise. Here is my take:

Sarah Palin is most concerned about Sarah Palin. In her speech she talked about Alaska and how her resigning was good for the state. The reality is that she is no longer having fun being governor and therefore moving on. Granted she has received a lot of bad publicity but unfortunately, like her resignation, she mostly brought it on herself. She was the one who agreed to run for VP while knowing that her teenage daughter was pregnant. Did she not think that the media would care about that? She is the one who reportedly refused to prepare for her interview with Katie Couric which ended in a disaster. And now this.

Did she really think she would get positive coverage for quitting in the middle of her term? And the way she framed her announcement was preposterous and pretentious. If she was intent on resigning, the least she could have done is make the announcement with dignity and class. Most people would give her some slack if she simply said I am tired of the spotlight and being dragged through the mud and I want some time away to rebuild my family. Instead she turned her resignation into a badge of honor and noted how she was inspired by her visit with the troops. I am sorry but those troops don't quit when the going gets tough. They don't go home halfway through their deployment. If anything, her visit with them should have inspired her to stay the course. After all, wasn't her claim to fame that she was tough minded and could take on the establishment? Apparently not.

If she was really interested in helping Alaska, she should have dropped the pretense of running for president and focus on accomplishing reforms before she left office. Instead with dropping poll numbers and a tumbling economy to contend with she somehow decides it's in the best interest of Alaskans for their leader to give up and go home. It doesn't make any sense. As for her presidential aspirations, as my New York friends would say "forget about it".

One of the criticisms of her last year was that she was untested and not ready to be President. Quitting the one job that will give her the necessary experience and skills to become President is not the right plan. If she can't take the heat of Alaskan politics how is she going to handle being the leader of the free world? Leaving the Governor's office early does little to inspire confidence or build her already thin resume. She could have used her time in office to learn the issues and sharpen her ability to govern. She could have demonstrated the type of leader she would be for the country by her actions in Alaska. Well maybe she just did that.

Now what is she going to do? Write a book or join the talk radio/Cable TV circuit. Yes they pay more but they don't help prepare someone for the presidency. In the end her demise is hardly a disappointment. Less than a year ago most people in the lower 48 states had never heard of her. And outside of the first few weeks of the campaign her performance was less than impressive. With Sanford's trouble and now this, somewhere Mitt Romney is smiling.

The Pistons

I have been a Pistons fan for a long time. I grew up cheering for the bad boys and enjoyed the past several seasons and the 04 championship. That's why it is so painful to watch what is happening to the team.

Joe Dumars is making a lot of suspect decisions lately; from hiring Michael Curry last year to passing over Dejuan Blair to draft a 6'11 kid who weighs less than I do and wasn't even the third best player on Gonzaga. Now he thankfully dumped Curry who was the worst coach in the league but then to counter that smart move he just signed two middle of the road players to expensive long term contracts.

When the Pistons unceremoniously shipped off Billups it was supposedly to free up cap space so they could sign a big time free agent. Did anybody have Ben Gordon in mind as that premier free agent? Yes he is a scorer but he is also a ball hog and a terrible defender. For every three he jacks up he gives up two layups. But that isn't the worst part, he plays the same position as Rip Hamilton and let's face it Hamilton doesn't much like sharing his minutes. Just ask Curry and Iverson.

In addition to Gordon the Pistons signed Charlie Villaneuva who is a lackadaisical forward who even Milwaukee didn't want. And the Bucks are not exactly overflowing with all stars. Yes the guy has talent and it's tempting to think he might put it all together but he hasn't done it so far and there is no reason to believe he will ever reach his potential. To me he is a younger, less talented Rasheed Wallace but without the defense.

After these two signings, the roster is now officially a mess. They have three shooting guards because Stuckey is not a point guard no matter what they say. Then they have two small forwards in Prince and Villanueva plus the last 5 draft picks who may or may not work out. But there is no proven point guard and our big guys consist of only Maxiel and Kwame Brown. It might be the worst front court in the league. Add to the mix that the defense and rebounding that has been a hallmark of the Pistons is virtually gone. This reminds me of when the Steelers tried to become a passing team and skimped on the running game. That didn't work out and neither will this.

The best hope for Pistons fans is that they deal Hamilton for a big guy like Chandler or Okafur and both are realistic possibilities. I have been down on Hamilton for several years. Mostly because he complains every time something doesn't go his way but also because he is easily replaceable. There are a lot of guards who can hit a mid range jump shot. I would even consider tossing in Prince if they could land a better big man like Bosh or Stoudamire. Prince has been solid and I like him but he has capped out his potential and simply put; he is not an all star.

Hopefully I am wrong and Joe D's moves will pan out. But I am not optimistic.

Another one bites the dust

So Gov. Mark Sanford fled the country for a liaison with his mistress and then lied about what he was doing until the press found out the truth. And this was supposed to be the Republican up and coming star who was going to take on Obama in 2012?

If you google 2012 Republican presidential candidates you begin to realize the complete dearth of leaders within the party. From Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney to Sarah Palin and Haley Barbor, the list is a mix of has beens and nobodies. That's why Republicans were so anxious to promote Sanford to the top of the list. This despite the fact that nobody outside of South Carolina either knew or cared about him just over a year ago. His rise and fall is similar to Sen. George Allen who was supposed to be the conservative choice in 2008. Too bad he couldn't even win re-election in his home state.

This desperate yearning for a presidential candidate is a sign of how misguided our party has become. It won't matter who leads us as long as the party's only answer to every question is less taxes and a ban on gay marriage. Whether you agree with those issues or not, they still don't address the main concerns of most Americans.

Rather than constantly jumping from one supposed hot candidate to another who will hopefully lead us out of the wilderness we would be better off to do some soul searching and rediscover what the Republican message should be in the future. A message that addresses concerns over rising health care costs, sustainably managing our natural resources and rebuilding the nation's infrastructure. No one candidate is going to do that for us; even the ones who haven't cheated on their spouse.

Too Much Michael

It was quite unexpected to learn that Michael Jackson died earlier this week. He was definitely a tragic and fascinating person who seems to have spent the last 40 years of his life trying to reclaim his first 10 years of childhood. However, after the initial shock wore off, I am ready to move on. Unfortunately, The 24 hour cable/entertainment industry simply can't turn off the Jackson spigot. And while I am mostly just bored with the story, I am becoming increasingly frustrated by the over exuberant praise that is being heaped upon the self proclaimed king of pop. Yes, he was a great musician, creative artist and innovative dancer but he hasn't been musically relevant since the mid 90's. But not only is the news coverage heavily focused on the 1980's version of Michael Jackson but it is almost completely lacking any attention to the child abuse allegations. Regardless of the court case dismissing the charges, I remain convinced that he molested several children and I wonder how those kids and their families feel watching the coverage this week. Too bad nobody in the TV business seems to care.

Back by popular demand

So I have had a couple friends suggest I write more. To be honest, since the beginning of the year, I find myself spending more time on facebook than here. But as summer approaches I am going to begin writing more.

Now my thoughts on Sonia Sotomayor being nominated for the Supreme Court. First, let me say that I really don't care what race or gender she is. To me that kind of stuff should have nothing to do with whether or not a person is qualified to be a judge. But obviously Obama picked her because she is a Hispanic woman. To make matters worse is that she actually thinks that her "rich heritage" will make her a better judge than a typical white guy. Since when does heritage matter in interpreting the law? I thought the law was supposed to be color blind. And if I have to hear one more news story talking up her personal life story as some sort of qualification I am going to throw something at the TV. Nobody talked up Clarence Thomas' personal life story nor should they have. What truly matters in how someone views the law.

As for Sotomayor judicial record I am a little ignorant on it . The two biggest cases I know of both dealt with sports. She ruled against the baseball owners thus ending the lockout in the mid nineties and she ruled against Maurice Clarette and his bid to turn pro after only one year at Ohio State. I probably agree with her on both instances but does that make her a good judge?

I have seen the clip on YouTube of her saying that the appeals court is where the law is made. It sounds to me like she is just stating a fact and it is hard to tell if she condones that or not. My suspicion is that she does but it is hard to prove just based on that clip.

I write all this to say that Republicans are in a box on this one. Hispanics are the new swing voters and attacking the first ever Hispanic nominated to the Supreme Court spells trouble for Republicans seeking those votes. Additionally, while we can all assume she is a liberal who will create the law rather than apply it, there isn't a ton of proof to that point. We won't know the answer to that until she is already on the court and by then it's too late to do anything about it.

Personally, I wouldn't have appointed Sotomayor as I am sure most Republicans wouldn't have. But making this appointment is the president's prerogative and they should defer to his judgement. That's how it was always done until the Democrats decided to block Robert Bork back in 86. He was imminently qualified but they blocked him for purely political reasons. That unfortunately has politicized the court but it doesn't mean Republicans should sink to that level.

Besides, practically speaking I don't think Republicans can win this fight even if they wanted to so why waste what little political capital they have left. They should save it for issues they can actually win like opposing cap and trade. But then again, I am not Rush Limbaugh so they probably won't listen to me.