Tuesday, August 05, 2003

John Edwards just made his first foray into weblogging (below). I hope it’s a trend. It’s still not true blogging, and he lacks the loose-limbed rhythm of a blogger at ease on some questions, but he’s got some style on the 9/11 answer and a couple of others. C’mon back anytime, Senator – and I’d love to visit you at a weblog of your own. 3:48:42 PM    comment []   trackback []

Senator John Edwards has responded to some questions submitted to his office by EdCone.com. Here’s what he has to say in a weblog-exclusive email interview.   Senator Edwards has announced his support for the fair trade petition by textile makers. Is there any realistic hope of fair trade protection for the textile and furniture industries from offshore competitors that benefit from fixed currencies, state investment, etc? So far, there doesn’t seem to be much traction, and time is running out.   I believe that North Carolinians can compete with anyone in the world as long as they have an even playing field.  I have worked hard since I came to the Senate to pass legislation to give our workers a fair shake and to help those who loose jobs through no fault of their own.  For example, last year I introduced a series of bills to help workers and communities struggling from trade-related job losses, to bring new investment to these areas, and to make our trade policy more balanced and fair. Several of these measures passed the Senate with strong bipartisan support. However, the president and the House of Representatives strongly opposed these measures and many were stripped before final passage.  I will continue to fight for North Carolina workers and communities, but it is an uphill battle with this administration.     What is the Senator’s position on releasing the redacted portions of the 9/11 report?     I served on the committee that produced the 9/11 report, and I believe the American people have a right to know the results of our investigation.  I think President Bush is wrong to keep this information secret.  The redacted portions of our report should be released except in the extremely rare instances where disclosure could harm our national security.     The Winning the Peace act calls for a practical approach to post-war policy. What are the implications for Afghanistan and Iraq? How long does the US need to be involved in those countries? What is the ultimate goal of our presence there in terms of remaking the region and countering terrorism?    In the coming months and years, America faces the enormous challenge of helping the Iraqi and Afghan people rebuild their lives in peace and prosperity This challenge presents an extraordinary opportunity for the United States as well. If we do this right,  we will not only make the American people safer, but we will help to ensure that the United States occupies a place of respect and admiration in the world. We must take advantage of this opportunity to strengthen relationships with our core allies, to revitalize the United Nations, and to demonstrate American leadership through engagement with the rest of the world. We must make a major commitment to help rebuild Iraq. It is in America’s national interest to help build an Iraq at peace with itself and its neighbors, because a democratic, tolerant and accountable Iraq will be a peaceful regional partner. Such an Iraq could serve as a model for the entire Arab world.   What is the state of the post-Whitman EPA? The Senator’s Clean Air amendment suggests that he says environmental policy as a real problem. How serious this problem?   The EPA under President Bush has been bought and paid for by the energy lobby.  At every turn, they have sought ways to help out big industry at the expense of our health and our environment. That is especially evident in their efforts to weaken the Clean Air Act.  The EPA is trying to create new loopholes in that law to allow industrial plants to pollute more.   I have fought those efforts and have introduced a number of amendments to stop the EPA.  I believe support for clean air is growing and plan to continue my fight.   Unfortunately, clean air is only one front on which the EPA is trying to scale back environmental protections. Now we are learning that the EPA has been manipulating scientific evidence to promote Bush's pollution agenda.  That is unacceptable.  It was bad enough under Governor Whitman. Now that she is gone, I am afraid it will get even worse.     Weblogs are widely credited with playing a role in keeping Trent Lott under scrutiny for his remarks about Strom Thurmond. How did this look from the Senate? Did the word “weblog” get spoken in the Senate cloakroom, or wherever Senators meet and greet?   We get information from a variety of sources including the Internet. 3:36:47 PM    comment []   trackback []

Several people are blogging about the decision by the N&R and other papers to edit the word “sucking” out of last Friday’s “Doonesbury.” Romenesko and his readers weigh in (still no permalinks to individual letters, ugh), Plastic has a take and plenty of comments, too.    Not much support out there for the editors.   Meanwhile, it appears that the trackback feature I added to this site last night is not retroactive, because the number of inbound pings to my original post is still at zero. 12:38:59 PM    comment []   trackback []

Will Greensboro’s downtown City Club survive the summer? A letter to what its website refers to as "distinguished members" (I’m not one) says that things are looking bleak.   Too many corporate jobs have disappeared, and the place is still a bit stuffy even after efforts to loosen things up a bit. Maybe it’s time is just past. Greensboro has too many good restaurants to compete with club food.   Surely someone could come up with a good use for that prime space atop the JP building. A high-end restaurant (no pun intended) might do very well in such a nice location. 10:28:33 AM    comment []   trackback []

David Hoggard: “With all of that talent we could have laid out a plan for conquering the world, but all we focused on was getting me elected to City Council.” 8:22:40 AM    comment []   trackback []

Yesterday I interviewed David Weinberger for my newspaper column, which this week will focus on campaign weblogs. Here’s a teaser from my conversation with the good doctor -- Howard Dean’s Senior Internet Advisor -- about the differences between the old broadcast model of campaigning and the emerging weblog style:   “This is more than a cultural clash, bellbottoms versus three button suits, it’s epistemological. How do we learn to believe stuff? This question has touched everything the Web has touched. For medical information, how do you understand the sometimes lethal advice you get on the Net? How is it vetted? How do you know to trust sources? It’s going to happen very soon in the political realm.”   More on Sunday. 7:43:18 AM    comment []   trackback []