I’m at a loss to understand this trade.
It may be true that Brian Schneider is a solid backstop with a good arm, but to give up Lastings Milledge for him and a mid-level, platoon outfielder like Ryan Church — well, that seems foolish, unless this is part of a series of moves that nets the team a starting pitcher.
I’ve been loathe to question Omar Minaya up to now, but this is odd.
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Home sick and watching the news — crazy stuff going on in New Hampshire today. Man who says he’s got a bomb strapped to his chest walks into the Clinton campaign office and takes hostages. Watched for a while — MSNBC, CNN — and it is pretty clear that the 24-hour cable news culture offers viewers little more than speculation. Updates have pretty much been a repeat of the previous update, with an occasional bit of new info. I’ve stopped watching for the moment and instead have a rerun of “King of Queens” on in the background as I work on some poems.
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I would like to be hopeful about the Middle East peace negotiations, but it is truly difficult. The show of conciliation offered by the principals yesterday was nothing more than political theater, as this description by New York Times reporters Steven Lee Myers and Helen Cooper, shows:
Flanked by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, Mr. Bush cast peace between Israelis and Palestinians as part of a broader struggle against extremism in the Middle East.
It was a moment of diplomatic theater, endorsed by the attendance of a member of the Saudi royal family and framed by many participants’ concerns over the increasing influence of Iran and Islamic radicalism in the region.
The moment was orchestrated by Mr. Bush, who pledged that the United States would “monitor and judge the fulfillment of the commitment of both sides.” The agreement, cast as a “joint understanding” between the Israelis and the Palestinians, fell short of the detailed five-page document that Palestinian officials have been seeking. But it went somewhat further than the Israelis had wanted, calling for an immediate start to wide-ranging talks aimed at reaching a final accord within 13 months.
“We agree to immediately launch good-faith bilateral negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty, resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues without exception, as specified in previous agreements,” the joint understanding said. “We agree to engage in vigorous, ongoing and continuous negotiations, and shall make every effort to conclude an agreement before the end of 2008.”
Robert Fisk, writing in The Independent, sums up my thoughts perfectly:
Reading the speeches – especially the joint document – it seems like an exercise in self-delusion. The Middle East is currently a hell disaster and the President of the United States thinks he is going to produce the crown jewels from a cabinet and forget Afghanistan and Iraq and Iran – and Pakistan, for that matter. The worst element of the whole Annapolis shindig is that once again millions of people across the Middle East – Muslims, Jews and Christians – will believe all this and will then turn – after its failure – with fury on their antagonists for breaking these agreements.
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Just an observation but, has anyone noticed that it is New Jersey people advocating for marriage equality and that it is the national groups that are advocating most vocally against it?
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These kins of stories are popping up more and more about America’s mayor. Bernard Kerik, extramarital affairs and budgetary chicanery, unsavory connections — Republicans, this is your presidential candidate.
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Hank Kalet 