Zoe is 18!

This has been a particularly special time in our household.  Our daughter, Zoe, turned 18 years-old on Monday, St. Patrick's Day.  Though she is not Irish, in fact, she is Chinese, there is no doubt she was born on a very special day for us.

Zoe was 10 months old when Susan and I traveled to Hefei, China, to adopt her.  We journeyed with four other families, all from New York state.  The families have kept close, and we hold a reunion every year at our home to celebrate the day.  We have watched our toddlers become little girls, then teens.  Each has pursued their own interests and passions, including ice skating, singing and swimming.  They are now a group of fine young ladies.

Zoe has grown to be a bit taller than 5 feet tall.  She is fashion oriented, and also is a terrific writer.   But Zoe has faced some challenges that are not uncommon among adopted children.  Being a young girl in the age of social media, competitive private schools and life in a big city, life can be a bit confusing.  Adolescence is a time of personal discovery, and the search for identity can be daunting.  

Parents don't have answers to all the questions that arise in a blooming young lady.  We provide Zoe guidance, maybe too much at times, and total support.  We love her and are extraordinarily devoted to her.  We are grateful for every minute of our life with her, and we are exceedingly proud of her. 

So here's to a very special girl, now 18, and on the way to adulthood.  Happy birthday. 

                                     
                                                                  We Love You!

Crimea: The End Game

The Crimean Parliament has announced that it will hold a referendum March 16 on whether Crimea should join the Russian Federation.  If Crimeans vote to support such a move, it will give Russian President Vladimir Putin just the pretext he is looking for to annex Crimea and, therefore, to create an even bigger crisis for the West.

Of course, President Putin did not orchestrate the Ukrainian crisis as part of a scheme to retake Crimea.  He felt threatened by Ukraine's growing desire to become closer to the West, and he reacted when his puppet, former Ukrainian president Viktor F. Yanukovych, fled to Russia.  Furthermore, he defended his actions with lies.  For instance, his claim that ethnic Russians living in Ukraine were in danger.

Crimea, which had historically been part of Russia, was gifted in 1954 to Ukraine by Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. Sixty percent of the Crimean population is ethnic Russian.  Russia maintains a strategically important naval base on the Crimean peninsula, its gateway to the Black Sea.   The Crimean economy is heavily dependent on the Russians.

Given this context, it is hard to understand why some Republicans are blaming President Barack Obama for this crisis.  Could it be politics?  Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has been bitter since he lost to then Senator Obama in the 2008 Presidential Election.  He has since been harshly critical of Obama, who he calls "feckless."  "(Obama) does not understand that Vladimir Putin is an old KGB colonel bent on restoration of the Soviet empire. ...This president has never understood it," McCain said. 

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a close friend of McCain's, has lambasted the president as weak and indecisive.  For Graham everything ties back to a favorite Republican meme. "It started with Benghazi," Graham said. "When you kill Americans and nobody pays a price, you invite this type of aggression. I think Putin believes Obama is really all talk and no action. And unless we push back soon, the worse is yet to come." 

Former Republican New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani seemed truly praiseworthy of the Russian president -- as if America would be better off if Putin in charge. "He makes a decision and he executes it, quickly. Then everybody reacts. That's what you call a leader," he told Fox News.  "President Obama, he's got to think about it. He's got to go over it again. He's got to talk to more people about it."  

But this crisis is not President Obama's fault.  Nor was it President George W. Bush's fault when Russia invaded Georgia in 2008.  Nor was it President Lyndon Johnson's fault when the Soviets invaded Czechoslovakia.  Nor was it President Eisenhower's fault when the Soviets invaded Hungary.

President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry are working with Western allies to create a diplomatic solution for Ukraine and an "off ramp" for Russia.  Ukraine has been surprisingly restrained given the circumstances.  And, while a few shots have been fired by Russian soldiers, no one has been killed since the protests last month.

The Ukrainian crisis has nothing to do with Benghazi, nor is it the result of a weak American president.  Now the question is will Putin really want to take the off ramp or deescalate tensions?  Or might he be inclined to play this chess match out in a different way? 

Crimea votes to join Russia, and invites Putin to take over.  Putin sends in additional troops to "protect" the Crimean (nee Russian) people from the Ukrainians.  After much heated diplomatic negotiations and military threats, Crimea rejoins Russia, and Crimean Tartars and other minorities are suppressed.  Meanwhile, Ukraine elects a new "independent" government and receives billions of dollars in aid from the West.

Putin is an opportunist who wants to rebuild the former Russian empire.  He believes that the "...demise of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical disaster of the century."  Of course, Crimea is where legendary Russian Grigory Potemkin constructed his famous "Potemkin Villages" in 1787 to impress Russian Empress Catherine II.   They are now a symbol of deceit, something that the Russian leader has mastered.

Ukraine's Protest at Russian Consulate

Hundreds of Ukrainian protestors demonstrated in front of the Russian Consulate on New York's Upper East Side Sunday.  Demonstrators poured in from all directions, and police were force to close of the East 91st Street block, between Madison and Fifth Avenues.

The protestors chanted anti-Russian slogans.  Several times the crowd yelled, "USA, USA!"  Numerous Ukrainian flags waved over the crowd, the flag's yellow and light blue colors brightened the panorama on an otherwise cloudy late afternoon.

Some demonstrators carried signs in support of Ukraine, others signs denouncing Russian President Vladimir Putin as Hitler.  The crowd was orderly, as young and old joined in solidarity. 

Tsar Putin and Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin is escalating the stakes by intervening in the Ukraine, and effectively taking control of the Crimean peninsula.   On Saturday, the Russian Parliament gave Putin authority to use military force in Ukraine, citing the growing threat to Russian citizens and military.  The move comes one day after President Barack Obama warned the Russians that "there will be costs" if Russia violates Ukraine's sovereignty.  But America's options to deter the Russians are limited. 

Ukraine's relationship with Russia, to be sure, became complicated by its desire to move closer to the European Union and the West.  For its part, the EU sought gradual economic integration and political cooperation with Ukraine in negotiations late last year. The EU demanded reforms from Ukraine, and it appeared that country was on track to adopt them as part of an agreement.   But last November the Ukrainian government postponed signing the agreement, which led to massive, ongoing protests.

Meanwhile, last December, Ukraine's President, Viktor Yanukovich, agreed to a $15 bailout from Russia, for which protestors accused him of selling their country out to Russia.  Putin had thrown Yanukovich a lifeline to help Ukraine avoid defaulting on its debts.  But opponents, enraged that he had turned away from the West and embraced the Russians, called for his resignation.  More than 80 protestors have been killed so far in the unrest, and last week President Yanukovich fled the country for Russia. 

A new Ukrainian government suspended the Russian bailout and has turned to the International Monetary Fund for help.  Crimea, which operates autonomously from Ukraine, did not recognize the new government.  Meanwhile, Yanukovich declared from Russia that he is still Ukraine's president.  

The name Ukraine means borderland, and it shares a 1,500-mile border with Russia.  About 17% of the 45 million people who live in Ukraine are Russian.   Crimea is a peninsula in the southern portion of Ukraine on the Black Sea.  Crimea became part of Ukraine when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and that lead to tensions with Russia.  Nearly 60% of the Crimean population, about 2 million people, is Russian.  The Russian Black Sea Fleet is based at Sevastopol, on the Crimean peninsula, and the base is leased from Ukraine through 2042.   

Putin rules his country with an iron fist.  Many Russians favor his strong, Tsar-like leadership.  But Putin's Russia has struggled to regain is superpower footing since the collapse of the Soviet Union.  Corruption, onerous restrictions on free speech, and human rights abuses in that country have embolden Putin's opposition.  Moreover, many of the former Soviet states are pulling away from Russia's orbit; moves that will further weaken that country's influence and economic stability. 

In August 2008, Russia sent its troops into Georgia to "protect" its citizens in separatist South Ossetia and Abkhazia.  A ceasefire was negotiated after four days of fighting, and many Russian troops were withdrawn.  But Russian troops are still stationed in Ossetia and Abkhazia as a result of bilateral agreements with each government. 

In 2005, President Putin said, in an interview, “First and foremost it is worth acknowledging that the demise of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.” He added, “As for the Russian people, it became a genuine tragedy. Tens of millions of our fellow citizens and countrymen found themselves beyond the fringes of Russian territory."  And speaking about separatist movements in Georgia, he said, “The epidemic of collapse has spilled over to Russia itself.” 

Now Putin has decided to take on the immense challenge of trying to control the outcome of Ukraine's future.  But instead of giving the former Soviet state the right to democratically decide its own future, he may, instead, divide the country in two, and perpetuate an ongoing war.  And his preoccupation with Ukraine is certain to spill over into negotiations involving the future of Syria and Iran's nuclear weapons program. 

The Sochi Olympics are already a distant memory, and any goodwill Russia received from them has been erased by Putin's blatant and outrageous actions against Ukraine.  

It is time for the free world to rise up in support of Ukraine and to denounce Tsar Putin.   

Senator Paul on the Attack

Hillary Rodham Clinton is the overwhelming front-runner to be her party's standard-bearer in the 2016 Presidential Election, and the Republicans know it.  Even though she has not announced her intentions, Republicans are already taking political shots at her.  But their personal attacks are shrill and feeble, and reveal a party without a vision for the country.

A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll shows former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with a commanding lead among likely Democratic presidential candidates.  The former First Lady has been in the national spotlight for more than two decades.  In that time she has been a formidable political presence on the national stage, and has displayed tremendous energy and resilience.  Secretary Clinton enjoys great affection and respect from her loyalists, and endures immense disdain from her detractors.   While she is a polarizing figure, her overall personal favorability ratings are very high.  And her great political skills will make her a strong presidential candidate, should she decide to run.

Republicans fear a Clinton candidacy, in part because they do not have a clear front-runner for their party's nomination.  And nearly half the Americans polled in a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll have an unfavorable view of the Republican Party.  Nonetheless, potential GOP candidates are already jockeying for position in the nomination race.

None has been more outspoken than Tea Party favorite Senator Rand Paul (R-KY).  And Senator Rand Paul has focused his most recent attacks on Secretary Clinton.  Paul pushed back on the charges that Republicans are engaged in a "war on women." "The Democrats can't say, 'We're the great defenders of women's rights in the workplace'...when the leader of their party, the leading fundraiser in the country, is Bill Clinton, who was a perpetrator of that kind of sexual harassment," Paul told C-Span, referring to the Monica Lewinsky affair.  He continued, "Someone who takes advantage of a young girl in their office?  I mean, really.  And then have the gall to stand up and say, 'Republicans are having a war on women?'"  He concluded, "Now, that's not Hillary's fault...but it is a factor in judging Bill Clinton is history."

Senator Paul's comments got a lot of attention, no doubt as he had hoped.  It was clearly an effort to dredge up old headlines about the Clinton-era dramas in the White House.   His attack received support from GOP party boss Reince Priebus, who told MSNBC that "everything is on the table."  Priebus explained, "I think we're going to have a truckload of opposition research on Hillary Clinton, and some things may be old, and some things may be new.  But I think everything is at stake when you're talking about the leader of the free world."

Priebus is the man who commissioned an autopsy of the Republican failure to win the White House in 2012.  In announcing the results last year, he said, "The way we communicate our principles isn't resonating widely enough...focus groups described our party as 'narrow-minded,' 'out of touch,' and 'stuffy old men.'"  Well, Mr. Priebus?

But not all Republicans think that Senator Paul's approach is the way to win the White House.  Republican strategist Karl Rove told Fox News, "This can't be 'I want to run for president'-It's got to be about something bigger than that, and frankly Rand Paul spending a lot of time talking about the mistakes of Bill Clinton does not look like a big agenda for the country."  He added, "I'm not certain again that beating up on Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky is a particularly good thing to strengthen your skills for the 2016 contest."

Former Republican congressman and current MSNBC television host Joe Scarborough told his audience he'd “never bring that stuff up in a gazillion years.”  But he did pivot, saying that if Secretary Clinton attacks Republicans as anti-women it's fair game.  “Does this not compromise Hillary Clinton’s ability to bash Republicans as being terrible towards women," he said.

Perhaps that is the ultimate Republican strategy.  But it risks energizing Clinton supporters, alienating independent and women voters, and reinforcing the negative perceptions of the party as "out of touch." 

GOP Traffic Jam

Governor Chris Christie has finally gone on the offensive to defuse "bombshell" revelations that he knew about the Ft. Lee lane closures at the time they were happening.  "The Governor first learned lanes at the George Washington Bridge were even closed from press accounts after the fact," the 700-word email from the governor's office said Saturday.  

The email attacked the press for publishing the story, and attacked the story's source, former New York & New Jersey Port Authority official David Wildstein, who is seeking immunity in the investigation. "Bottom line -- David Wildstein will do and say anything to save David Wildstein," the email said.  But the attack on Wildstein got unusually personal, "He was publicly accused by his high school social studies teacher of deceptive behavior."  Really?  This schoolyard retort reveals a frustrated and desperate man.    

Even if Governor Christie's story stands up through the rigorous legislative and federal investigations the incident has triggered, in the end his 2016 presidential aspirations will be snuffed out.  Questions about the way he ran his office, about the people he surrounds himself with, and his management style will dog him for years.  Conservative Republicans already did not support him for higher office.

So, with Governor Christie out of the mix, the race to be the Republican presidential nominee is wide open.   Whomever they choose will likely face a difficult challenge in the 2016 election. A recent Washington Post poll shows Hillary Clinton has a 6 to 1 lead among Democrats over all other potential candidates for the party's nomination.  Further complicating the Republican's task are the divisions within the party between the Tea Party faction and those who hew closer to the center.

The Hill reported that Florida Senator Marco Rubio is now getting a lot of attention, especially since Representative Paul Ryan said he would not run for the White House in 2016.  "A group of Republican fundraising heavyweights and wise men in Washington's business community are solidly behind Rubio, and see him not only as someone who could win the White House, but someone they can work with," The Hill said.  Senator Rubio, who counts himself a Tea Party member, has had his eye on this prize for some time.  He has recently amplified his positions against President Barack Obama, Obamacare, immigration and education.  Ultimately, his role in the immigration debate will have an important impact on whether he can secure his party's support.

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul has been outspoken on everything from Obamacare to NSA surveillance.  He is a proud libertarian, and aligns himself with the Tea Party on most issues.  But he has recently made controversial statements, and has been accused of plagiarism for lifting parts of his speeches from Wikipedia.  He may prove to be too independent minded for the ever buttoned down Republican Party.

The Republican Party has several governors who could rise to the challenge; Ohio Governor John Kasich and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker are among the strongest.   But neither has a national profile, and both have taken controversial positions on state issues.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush would probably be the favored candidate if he decides to throw his hat into the ring.  Last week Bush said, "I'm deferring the decision to the right time, which is later this year."  A recent Washington Post poll shows him only behind Ryan among Republicans as the favored candidate.  Former First Lady Barbara Bush has said she doesn't believe her son should run.  Despite the fact that he is getting a lot of calls from top Republicans urging him to announce, he seems reluctant.  Should he decide to stay on the sidelines, Marco Rubio will benefit most.

Former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney has been appearing everywhere.  Even though some of his supporters have called for him to run again in 2016, he has said he won't.   His running mate in 2014, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, would be a long shot for obvious reasons, as would former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz has thrust himself into the national limelight on issues like Obamacare, immigration and raising the federal debt ceiling.  The Harvard educated and overly ambitious Cruz is distrusted by many of his colleagues, especially Republicans.  His failed tactics led to last year's government shutdown.  His "never in doubt" attitude makes him a polarizing figure in Washington.  While the Canadian born senator is a darling of the Tea Party, it is unlikely that he could win his party's nomination.

At this point, the field of candidates for the Republican presidential nomination is wide open.  Governor Chris Christie's plight may not have altered the outcome of the Republican presidential nominating process, but it sure has led to another major traffic jam.

Glenn Beck's Reflections

No one was a more outrageous and divisive figure on Fox News than the controversial Glenn Beck. The man, who once called President Barack Obama a "racist," anchored his own Fox News broadcast for more than two years before leaving the network in June, 2011.

Beck's show came under heavy criticism for his antics and inflammatory comments.  In July, 2009, he declared, "The president is a Marxist."  That same month he told his audience, "everything that is getting pushed through Congress, including this health care bill, are transforming America and they are all driven by President Obama's thinking on one idea: reparations."  He continued, "His goal is creating a new America, a new model, a model that will settle old scores through social justice."

In February, 2011, Beck ranted for six minutes that if "radical Muslims" took over in Egypt they could build a caliphate that would spread to countries around the world.  While standing at a map showing several countries in green, he said, "You have Somalia and Iran already in green.  Now, let's add Tunisia...The poor and angry demanded changes...Most dangerous scenario is that radical Muslims seize power and put Sharia law into place.  Same thing now in Egypt."   He then pointed to Europe.  "Let's talk about 22 percent unemployment in Spain...They have high Muslim populations," he observed.  Then he raised similar questions about France, Italy and England, which also have large Muslim populations.  

Beck already had a long history of making inappropriate remarks on television, as well as his radio program.  In 2005, he spoke of the victims of the September 11 terrorist attack on the United States.  "When I see a 9/11 victim family on television, or whatever, I'm just like, 'Oh shut up' I'm so sick of them because they're always complaining."  He once called President Franklin Roosevelt a dictator.  In 2007, when fires destroyed several homes in California, he said, "I think there is a handful of people who hate America. Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today."

Glenn Beck thrives on making controversial statements.  He is a high school graduate from Mount Vernon, Washington, who says his mother committed suicide when he was a teenager.  He began his radio career right out of high school.  But from these humble beginnings he has gone on to amass a fortune, estimated at $65 million in 2011.  He now is a media mogul, beginning his own television network, The BlazeTV, along with a website, in 2011.  

Beck is smart, driven, and a shrewd businessman, who knows how to appeal to his audience.  Now, however, he is sounding more introspective.  At least, that's what one might conclude from his interview earlier this week, with Fox News host Megyn Kelly, about his run at Fox News.

"I remember it as an awful lot of fun, and that I made an awful lot of mistakes," he said.  "I wish I could go back and be more uniting in my language because I think I played a role, unfortunately, in helping tear the country apart."  He added, "And that's not who we are.  I didn't realize how really fragile the people were.  I thought we were kind of a little more together."  

"I remember it as an awful lot of fun, and that I made an awful lot of mistakes, and I wish I could go back and be more uniting in my language because I think I played a role, unfortunately, in helping tear the country apart," he said to Kelly. "And it's not who we are. I didn't realize how really fragile the people were. I thought we were kind of a little more in it together."  He then concluded, "I look back and I realize if we could have talked about uniting principles a little more, instead of just problems, I think I would look back on it a little more fondly. But that's only my role."  

Yes, Beck did play a role in helping to tear the country apart.  Yes, he should have been more uniting in his language.   Yes, he did make mistakes.  And, yes, advertisers stopped supporting the show.  Given Beck's body of work, it's hard to believe his comments now to Kelly are at all genuine.  He knew exactly what he was doing then at Fox News.   So it's hard to believe that this interview is little more than another publicity stunt from Glenn Beck.