Has Obama Played A Role In America's Downfall?

Why did God put Barack Obama on this earth? If you had asked that question between his 2004 convention address and his 2008 campaign, the answer could have been summarized in a short elevator speech.

Obama was here to heal our politics, to move us beyond the stale debates and the childish partisanship that lead to stagnation, futility and silliness.

This purpose did not survive contact with reality. But President Obama found other clear missions. In 2009, his mission was to avert the worst of the financial crisis. In 2010, it was to expand health insurance coverage.

During this time, you knew what Barack Obama was about, where his priorities lay. But, since 2010, that has not been the case. Since then, Representative Paul Ryan has been driving the Washington policy debate with his plan to cut spending and restructure entitlements. President Obama, meanwhile, has produced a string of budgets so inconsequential that members of his own party have not even noticed them.

More: GOOD OBAMA, BAD OBAMA

Obama has been reactive. He has been defined by the various negotiating positions he has taken in his confrontations with Congress. He’s used a more partisan political style to mask his small-bore policy substance. It’s not clear what he is passionate to do if he is elected for another four years.

The Democratic convention is his best chance to offer an elevator speech, to define America’s most pressing challenge and how he plans to address it.

He has three clear options.

First, global warming. President Obama has occasionally said he’d like to do something about climate change if he gets a second term. Given the country’s immediate economic and fiscal problems, this seems obtuse to me. But if this is really where Obama’s passion lies, he should go for it.

He could vow to double down on green energy and green technology. He could revive cap-and-trade legislation that would create incentives for clean innovation. He could propose a tax reform package that would substitute gasoline and energy consumption taxes for a piece of our current income taxes. He could say that his No. 1 international priority will be to get a global warming treaty ratified by all the major nations.

This would be a big, intellectually serious agenda, designed to address a big problem.

More:  THE DARK SIDE OF OBAMA WHITE HOUSE

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Second, broken capitalism. Obama could go before the convention and say that there has been a giant failure at the heart of modern capitalism. Even in good times, the wealth that modern capitalism generates is not being shared equitably. Workers are not seeing the benefits of their own productivity gains.

Obama could offer policies broad enough to address this monumental problem. He could vow to strengthen unions. He could promise to use federal funds to pay for 500,000 more teachers and two million more infrastructure jobs. He could cap the mortgage interest deduction, cap social security benefits, raise taxes on the rich, raise taxes on capital gains and embrace other measures to redistribute money from those who are prospering to those who are not. He could crack down on outsourcing and regulate trade. He could throw himself behind a new industrial policy to create manufacturing jobs.

This agenda wouldn’t appeal to moderates, or people like me, but it’s huge, it’s serious and it would highlight a real problem.

More: OBAMA'S DOWN AND DIRTY CAMPAIGN TACTICS

Third, Bowles-Simpson. Everybody pays lip service to the Bowles-Simpson plan to reduce the deficit, but neither campaign really embraces it.

Obama could use his convention to throw himself wholeheartedly behind the general Bowles-Simpson approach. He could argue that America is weighed down by rotting institutions and faces fiscal ruin. He could vow to push through tax reform that would lower rates and reduce loopholes. He could endorse a 22 percent cap on government spending. He could commit to limiting the growth of domestic and defense spending. He could double down on his health care cost containment ideas. He could restructure Social Security and make it more progressive.

This, too, is a big, serious agenda, addressing a real national need. This, too, is an agenda commensurate with the size of the problem that confronts us.

Personally, I wish Obama would use this convention to embrace Bowles-Simpson. That would lay the foundation for decades of prosperity. It would galvanize a new center-left majority.

But, mostly, I wish he’d be for something. I wish he’d rise above the petty tactical considerations that have shrunk him over the past two years. I wish he’d finally define what he stands for. A liberal populist? A Clintonian moderate? At some point, you have to choose.

Four years ago, Obama said we could no longer postpone tackling the big problems. But now he seems driven by a fear of defeat. His proposals seem bite-size. If Obama can’t tell us the big policy thing he wants to do, he doesn’t deserve a second term.

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Romney's Federal Tax Records Reportedly Stolen

FRANKLIN, Tenn. - The Secret Service said Wednesday that it is investigating the reported theft of copies of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's federal tax records during a break-in at an accounting office in Franklin. Someone claiming responsibility demanded $1 million not to make them public.

An anonymous letter sent to Mr. Romney's accounting firm and political offices in Tennessee and published online sought $1 million in hard-to-trace Internet currency to prevent the disclosure of his tax filings, which have emerged as a key focus during the 2012 presidential race. Mr. Romney released his 2010 tax returns and a 2011 estimate in January, but he has refused to disclose his returns from earlier years.

Report: THE DETAILS OF ROMNEY'S BAIN DOCUMENTS UNFOLDED

Mr. Romney's accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, said there was no evidence that any Romney tax files were stolen. "At this time, there is no evidence that our systems have been compromised, or that there was any unauthorized access to the data in question," PricewaterhouseCoopers spokesman Chris Atkins said.

In Washington, Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan confirmed that the agency was investigating. The Romney campaign declined to comment, referring all questions to the accounting firm.

Franklin police said there were no recent alarms or break-ins reported at the site. "We've had nothing from that address in August," Police Lt. Charles J. Warner said.

There was no sign of forced entry at the five-story building that housed the accounting firm's local office, not far from the Cool Springs Galleria, a large mall about 20 miles south of Nashville.

The building does not restrict access during business hours and has no guard. After-hours access to the doors and elevators appears to be controlled by keycard. A spokeswoman for the building manager, Spectrum Properties, said the company would not speculate on the burglary claim. "All of the tenants operate independently, and the building is highly secured," spokeswoman Beth Courtney said.

The data theft was claimed in letters left with political party offices in Franklin and disclosed in several Tennessee-area newspapers. Jean Barwick, executive director of the Williamson County Republic Party, said employees in the GOP office found a small package Friday with a hand-written address. The package contained a letter and a computer flash drive, she said.

More: ROMNEY INVESTED MILLIONS IN CHINESE FIRM THAT PROFITED ON U.S. OUTSOURCING

Peter Burr, chairman of the county's Democratic Party, said he received a version of the letter and a thumb drive Aug. 27. "I have no way of knowing this is real or not," he said. "I doubt it is, but I suppose it's conceivable."

An anonymous posting on a file-sharing website said the returns were stolen Aug. 25 from the accounting firm's office. After "all available 1040 tax forms for Romney were copied," the posting said, flash drives containing encrypted copies of his pre-2010 tax records were sent to the firm and to Republican and Democratic party offices.

The group threatened to divulge the tax files by Sept. 28 unless it was paid $1 million.

Ms. Barwick and Mr. Burr said they turned over the materials to the Secret Service.

"The agents said there wasn't a whole lot they could say, but they agreed that bizarre stuff during campaign season isn't exactly unusual," Mr. Burr said.

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In High Stake Convention Speech,Ann Romney Wins Hearts (Video)

(Reuters) - Ann Romney had one major goal in her nationally televised speech at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday: Make America understand the side of her husband, Mitt, that she knows and loves.

After a nervous start, the wife of the Republican nominee for president delivered a heartfelt address that repeatedly brought sign-waving Republican delegates to their feet with cheers and applause.

Using a Teleprompter for the first time in her life, Ann Romney, 63, told the convention delegates that she wanted to talk about love. And she wanted to give insight into her husband, who just hours before was officially nominated to oppose Democratic President Barack Obama in the November 6 election.

The speech was viewed by Romney's campaign as a crucial part of a convention plan to make Mitt Romney seem likable, approachable and in touch with the concerns of middle-class Americans.

For months, Obama and his allies have been able to define Mitt Romney as a wealthy private equity executive with little sympathy for the less fortunate.

In Tampa, a priority for Republicans has been to portray the candidate as an effective business executive and caring family man who will lead the United States into an economic turnaround.
More: Obama's down and dirty campaign tactics

Tuesday night, Ann Romney recalled meeting her husband at a high school dance and described how he had attacked every challenge he has faced - from reviving the struggling 2002 Salt Lake Olympics to helping her battle multiple sclerosis and breast cancer.

"At every turn in his life, this man I met at a high school dance has helped lift up others," she said. "He did it with the Olympics, when many wanted to give up.

"This is the man America needs. This is the man who will wake up every day with the determination to solve the problems that others say can't be solved, to fix what others say is beyond repair."

After a rocky start in which she giggled and seemed to rush through her lines, Ann Romney delivered a 20-minute speech. By the end, she was in command of a supportive, enthusiastic crowd of party delegates.

She received a standing ovation as she urged the crowd - and the TV audience across America - to "look into your hearts," trust her husband and vote for him in the November 6 election against Democratic President Barack Obama.

Ann Romney made a special effort to praise the "moms of this nation ... who really hold this country together," and veered from her planned text to yell out, "I love you, women, and I hear your voices!"

Mitt Romney, who will give his convention-ending speech on Thursday night, made a cameo appearance on stage after his wife finished her speech. He gave her a kiss on the podium and waved to the roaring crowd before leaving as a band played "My Girl."

"I thought it was exactly what people needed to hear, which was his personal life and his story," said Kevin Fulton, a cowboy hat-wearing delegate from Texas.

HUMANIZING HER HUSBAND

"Ann Romney did a near perfect job tonight humanizing Mitt Romney, as only the key character witness can," said Republican consultant Matt Mackowiak. "This is a real woman who convincingly talked about their 'real marriage' in a way that was unquestionably appealing to women everywhere."

More Americans like Obama than Romney; a recent Gallup Poll indicated that 54 percent considered Obama likable compared with just 31 percent for Romney.

Ann Romney is hoping to change that and to chisel away at the advantage that Obama has with female voters. Though Romney and Obama are running neck-and-neck nationally, opinion polls show a sharp gender gap with women much more likely to support the Democrat.

Republicans clearly are aware of their need to improve their standing among women, and they rolled out a series of Republican women speakers before Ann Romney took the stage. One, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, called Ann Romney a "silver bullet" for the Republican campaign.

SUPPORT WHEN SHE WAS SICK

Ann Romney, who increased her public appearances during the two weeks before the convention, has shared details of her battles with multiple sclerosis and breast cancer.

In an interview this week with CBS, she gave new details about miscarriages she had, including when she was in her 40s that was particularly hard on her youngest son, Craig.

On the campaign trail, she has detailed how her husband, who has been criticized at times for being too stiff and stoic, was supportive when she was debilitated by fatigue from multiple sclerosis.

Anita McBride, chief of staff to former first lady Laura Bush, said Ann Romney had to risk giving too much information about her personal life because she was still not well known by many Americans.

In a recent Gallup Poll, nearly a quarter of those surveyed said they had no opinion of Ann Romney while about 42 percent said they had a favorable impression of her. In contrast, First Lady Michelle Obama is viewed favorably by about two-thirds of Americans.

"You almost are forced to expose a little bit more because people are trying to connect to you," said McBride, an executive-in-residence at American University, where she specializes in the roles of first ladies in U.S. history. "That's a role she partly has to play right now."

In her speech, Ann Romney also tried to dispel the belief that she and her husband - a former private equity executive who made millions before entering politics - had never struggled in life.

"I read somewhere that Mitt and I have a 'storybook marriage,'" she said. "Well let me tell you something - in the storybooks I read, there were never long, long rainy winter afternoons in a house with five boys screaming at once. And those storybooks never seemed to have chapters called MS or Breast Cancer.

"A storybook marriage? No, not at all. What Mitt Romney and I have is a real marriage.

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Supreme Court Gives Clean Chit To Chidambaram In 2G Case

Swamy had moved the Supreme Court challenging the trial court order which had held that P Chidambaram did not indulge in any criminal conspiracy in the 2G scam and refused to make him an accused in the case.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday gave absolute clean chit to finance minister P Chidambaram in the 2G spectrum allocation scam.

The apex court said that there was absolutely no evidence to link him to any conspiracy in the 2G spectrum scam.

The SC said there is no evidence presented to infer that Chidambaram had a role in under pricing of spectrum.

The apex court said mere meeting of Chidambaram with then telecom minister A Raja is not sufficient to infer a conspiracy to lower the price of spectrum or their alleged irregular allotment.

The SC bench also said there is no evidence to infer that Chidambaram had either abused his official position to earn pecuniary benefit to himself, A Raja or anyone.

The SC said mere meeting of ministers among themselves or with the Prime Minister can not be cited as evidence to suggest wrong doing.

The apex court also asked for affidavit from telecom secretary promising that the government will implement 2G judgment directing auction off 122 spectrum licences.

The court sought the affidavit before entertaining the Centre's plea to extend auction deadline from August 31 to November 13.

The apex court dismissed Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy's petition seeking CBI probe against Chidambaram in the 2G scam. It said Swamy's petition is devoid of any merit.

Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy had moved the court challenging the trial court order which had held that P Chidambaram did not indulge in any criminal conspiracy in the 2G scamand refused to make him an accused in the case.

More About: India      Scams      Pak     Indian President   2G Scam      Chidambaram

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President Gives Permission For Yasser Arafat's Exhumation

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has given his permission for the exhumation of the remains of his predecessor, Yasser Arafat, a top aide said Monday, days after a Swiss institute reported finding elevated traces of a radioactive substance on the late leader's belongings.

The findings by Switzerland's Institute of Radiation Physics were inconclusive, but revived speculation that Arafat was poisoned.

The legendary Palestinian leader died Nov. 11, 2004 in a French military hospital, a month after falling violently ill at his government compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

The Swiss institute has said it would need to examine Arafat's remains for conclusive findings, though a clear-cut outcome is not assured because of the decay of the substance, polonium-210, over the years. Last week, Abbas said he was willing, in principle, to allow an autopsy, provided he receives permission from religious authorities and Arafat's family.

Arafat was buried in a mausoleum that has become the centerpiece of the Ramallah compound where Abbas's headquarters are located. The exhumation would create a huge spectacle that could upset some devout Muslims, though there seems to be a widespread desire among Palestinians to determine the cause of death.

Abbas aide Saeb Erekat said Monday that the Palestinian president has decided to invite the Swiss experts to Ramallah in order to examine the remains. "We are on the way to an autopsy," Erekat told The Associated Press.

Erekat said a Palestinian medical expert would contact the Swiss institute later Monday or Tuesday to offer the invitation. Erekat said an autopsy could be conducted as soon as the Swiss team arrives. There was no immediate comment from the institute.

Arafat's widow, Suha, has repeatedly called for exhuming the remains. She worked closely with the Arab satellite TV station Al-Jazeera, which conducted an investigation into Arafat's death and received permission from her to submit her husband's belongings for testing. The top Muslim cleric in the Palestinian territories has also given his blessing to exhuming the remains.

However, Arafat's nephew, Nasser al-Kidwa, has been cool to the idea of an autopsy but signaled he will not stand in the way.

"Our belief was always that it was an unusual death, and most likely he (Arafat) was poisoned. Now all indications say he was poisoned," al-Kidwa told AP.

It was not immediately clear whether al-Kidwa would or could block attempts to exhume the remains. Al-Kidwa, a former Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, heads the Yasser Arafat Foundation and is the custodian of Arafat's memory.

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Egypt's top court says ruling on parliament closure final

View of the building of the Supreme Constitutional Court of EgyptCAIRO: Egypt's Supreme constitutional court said on Monday that all of its rulings were "binding," in response to a presidential decree reinstating parliament after the court ruled the house invalid.

"All the rulings and decisions of the Supreme Constitutional Court are final and not subject to appeal... and are binding for all state institutions," the court said in a statement.

Several people have gone to court to challenge President Mohamed Morsi's decision ordering the return of parliament, and the Supreme Constitutional Court said it would look into these cases.

The court also stressed that it was "not a part of any political conflict... but the limit of its sacred duty is the protection of the texts of the constitution."

The Supreme Constitutional Court had said certain articles in the law governing parliamentary elections were invalid, annulling the Islamist-led house.

On Sunday, Morsi in turn annulled the court's decision, putting himself on a collision course with the judiciary and the military that enforced the ruling when it was in power.

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Y S Jaganmohan Reddy moves Supreme Court over denial of bail

       Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy NEW DELHI: Y S Jaganmohan Reddy  on Monday filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme court  challenging the dismissal of his bail application by the AP High court. 

In the SLP, Jagan said his bail application was dismissed by the high court for the sole reason that he was wealthy and hence could interfere with the process of investigation, influence witnesses and tamper with the evidence. Further, Jagan stated that the high court had held the petitioner guilty when it said: "This Court is of the opinion that individual right of the petitioner for bail cannot have precedence over larger interests of the society which is stated to have sustained wrongful loss by way of deprivation of public money of larger magnitude for development and welfare of the people of the state." 

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Ansari set to get second term as Vice-President

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NEW DELHI: Vice-President Hamid Ansari, who was blocked from being president, is set to get a second term in office with Congress veering around to supporting his candidature and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh initiating consultations with allies and other political parties.

Ansari will be only the second person after Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, India's first vice-president, to be elected to two consecutive terms in office.

The vice-president was on UPA's shortlist and ran head-to-head with Pranab Mukharjee until he was tripped by SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav  and Trinamool boss Mamata Banerjee. However, he featured on the top of the probables' list for vice-president. Rajasthan governor Margaret Alva, former Maharashtra governor S C Jamir and Union minister for renewable energy Farooq Abdullah were also in the race.

Congress started consulting allies and other supporters after Singh secured Ansari's consent.

As in the case of the presidential election, UPA's nominee appears to be a shoo-in, with even the BJP-led opposition indifferent about contesting an election whose outcome is known.

BJP has not shown its hand yet, its best hope is that Mamata and Mulayam may inject an element of excitement.

Left, which endorsed Ansari for the post five years ago, has promised its support again. So has the BSP. Mamata, who opposed Ansari as president because of his proximity to Left, remains an imponderable this time too. However, Congress circles are optimistic that Mulayam, who opposed Ansari in the race for Rashtrapati Bhavan, may support him for vice-president if only because opposing a Muslim from UP a second time may not go down well with his secular constituency.

In fact, with indications encouraging hopes of support for Ansari also from unlikely quarters- Telangana Rashtra Samiti, TDP and even Jagan Mohan Reddy, Congress managers expect support of 60% of the electoral college which consists of all elected members of Parliament.

Congress is hoping to garner the support of the around 460 MPs. While not spelling out UPA's exact numbers, parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Bansal said, "No names have been formalized but UPA's candidate will win comfortably."

There was no official word but significantly, a report quoting Janata Dal (S) leader H D Deve Gowda in which he said the PM sought support for Ansari, was not contested either by the government or Congress.

"Let there be a formal announcement. Talks happen. What transpired between the Prime Minister and some others can be answered by only them. As far as the party is concerned, no final decision has been taken. There is a consultation process underway. When a decision is taken, it will be communicated to you," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters.

The main Opposition BJP does not have a candidate of its own in mind and its key ally Janata Dal (U) said the vice president's election would be discussed by the alliance. "The matter will taken up by the NDA and a decision will be arrived at soon," said JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav who is also the alliance convenor.

The Congress leadership hopes the successful completion of the vice-president's election will set the stage for some energetic action in government with a set of reform-oriented measures and legislative action intended to revive the economy and shake off a persistent impression that the Manmohan Singh government is in the grip of a policy paralysis.

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Barack Obama launches anti-offshoring ads on TV

          (Photo credit: Wikipedia)BANGALORE: Some had predicted that the anti-offshoring campaign in the US would become more intense closer to the  presedential elections in November. That's indeed what's happening.

The Democrats under US president Barack Obama have just launched a 30-second TV campaign titled 'Believes', which talks about how Obama insourced jobs, while Republican rival Mitt Romney  shipped them to low-wage countries during his tenure at Bain capital. The narrator in the ad says Obama kept jobs in the US by saving the auto industry and gave tax breaks to companies that kept jobs there. The ad is currently being aired in nine states.

The US Congress is also set to vote on a bill called the Bring Jobs Home Act, which will end tax breaks for firms that move jobs overseas and provide an incentive for those moving jobs back to the US by giving them a tax credit equal to 20% of the cost associated with bringing the jobs and business activity back to the US. The bill is sponsored by two Democratic lawmakers and supported by the largest federation of trade unions in the US.

The US's offshoring concerns relate both to the manufacturing side, where the country has lost out to China in particular, and to the services side, where the Indian IT-BPO industry has been a big beneficiary.

Phaneesh Murthy, CEO of iGate, says corporate America would react to the offshoring campaign in three ways: "Some enterprises will not bother about the campaign and will continue to outsource their requirements to India. Some will offshore, but will keep it quiet. And some will stop all offshoring till the elections are over."

Som Mittal, president of IT industry body Nasscom, dismisses the campaign saying such campaigns had been happening for many years. "They are mostly targeted at the opposition. We need not take much notice of these things. Rather it is important for us to concentrate on how to be competitive in a tough, highly volatile economic scenario, how to improve customer relationships and how to enhance the quality of our deliverables.''

Amneet Singh, VP at global outsourcing advisory Everest Group, says Indian companies are much more resilient today and don't get swayed by such campaigns.

But Indian companies have already been hit in some ways. In August 2010, the US government passed a bill that raised fees for H1-B and L1 visas by $2,000 to fund its Mexican border security costs for five years. This raised costs for Indian IT companies that use these visas to send employees to the US on work.

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