Opinion: In today’s pages: The GOP, the O.C., and GIs
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Columnist Rosa Brooks reminds everyone that despite the attention on the Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton mudslinging, it’s the GOP that’s losing ground:
Although Democratic Party infighting makes good copy, the intense media focus on the Obama-Clinton battle obscures the fact that it’s the Republican Party that’s in deep doo-doo. The very factors that make us wish we could forget about the war in Iraq are driving a seismic shift in the American political landscape: the likely reversal of years of GOP electoral dominance.
Speaking of the GOP’s losing ground on war issues, former NATO commander Wesley K. Clark and Iraq vet Jon Soltz wonder why John McCain isn’t stepping up to support a new GI bill. Columnist Patt Morrison remembers when ethnic campaigning was as simple as eating a knish and spinning pizza dough. And author Daniel Imhoff says the farm bill is too porky.
The editorial board hopes for stronger rule of law in Pakistan, takes a look at shocking inmate conditions in Orange County jails, and says the Senate’s housing relief plan is a mixed fix:
The tax breaks in the Senate bill would help home builders that profited handsomely during the boom. They would also prop up the price of foreclosed properties with $7,000 subsidies for the purchase of those homes. But the goal isn’t to stop the boom-and-bust cycle from running its course or causing losses. It’s to prevent the bust from being so sudden and severe that it chokes off credit, stifles consumer spending and wrecks the economy.
Readers react to Gen. David H. Petraeus’ and Ambassador Ryan Crocker’s testimony before Congress. Bob Constantine of Placentia has a suggesetion: ‘Next time Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker are scheduled to report to Congress, skip the personal appearances and merely play the tape of the previous testimonies.’