Thursday, April 08, 2004

Posted here Thursday, April 08, 2004 at 9:34:19 PM     We are right on course, if you predicted, as many did, that the threat to empire would escalate and Bush would ride that pony. We see increasing trouble between now and the election. How much? What kind? Increasing militarization outside the country is plausible. Blair's visit next week, which might have been a confrontation, now might be a new alliance in desperate times. But then, how much militarization inside the US? Watch Bush tendencies to cast the Kerry campaign as "Illegal", as in its use of campaign funds for ads. The hope is that cool heads will prevail throughout the governance, business and media world, but we can't count on it. There is lots of work to do. Oswald Spengler, in his "Decline of the West" written in Germany between the wars, said that an empire must act tough inside and out, because any sign of weakness and it will be torn apart but those who see the possibilities of arbitrage (the parts are worth more than the whole.) In order to understand what is happening, it is also important to grasp the depth of division within the country. Then, read history, and then think of drama. What is going on is Shakespearian. ********

Posted here Thursday, April 08, 2004 at 12:51:13 PM     Thoughts on the Rice 9/11 testimony Two issues emerged for me. First, how much more like a bureaucrat she is than any member of the panel, even Thompson and Lehman have a touch of humanity in their voice and cadence. A humane mind rather than a technocratic one is essential to good government. The second was the deep one of managerial philosophy. If the people (like the principals) are in the room together, they learn from listening and increase the spread of their understanding. If it is just passed along the bureaucratic line, there is no cross learning. Since Bush is, apparently, not a learner type and likes it digested and short, that culture has moved down the line to isolate everyone. ********