Jay began writing politically themed commentary and founded his blog, Swimming Freestyle, in October 2007. Here he'll write about politics from a progressive perspective.

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Some Have Sense

2 comments

May 21, 10:35 AM

by Jay McDonough, Progressive Politics Examiner

James Baker served as the Chief of Staff in President Ronald Reagan's first administration, Secretary of the Treasury from 1985-1988 in the second Reagan administration, and Secretary of State in the administration of President George H. W. Bush. He helped to construct the 34-nation alliance that fought alongside the United States in the Gulf War. Baker served as chief legal adviser for George W. Bush during the 2000 election campaign and oversaw the Florida recount. He was instrumental in getting the Supreme Court to intervene in the Florida vote recount. He is a highly regarded and loyal Republican. (Wikipedia)

Given Baker's stature within the Republican Party and his experience at diplomacy, maybe it's worth a look at how Mr. Baker views negotiating with countries like Iran.

Secretary of Defense Gates, Secretary of State Rice, former Secretary of State Baker....all concur negotiations with Iran is the smart and prudent course for the U.S. It's strange that Senator McCain chooses to support a course that's without widespread acceptance in established Republican circles. It's particularly odd given John McCain's past statements on James Baker's expertise in this area:

A McCain administration, alongside his close supervision from the White House, would send "the smartest guy I know" to the Middle East. And who is that? "Brent Scowcroft, or Jim Baker, (Link)

Topics: McCain , Iran , Baker

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A Picture for the Day

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October 11, 7:37 PM

Belgrade, Serbia: Supporters of FC Timisoara light flares during their team's Uefa Cup match against PartizanPhotograph: Srdjan Ilic/AP ... Read More

Khaled Hosseini on the McCain/Palin mobs

9 comments

October 11, 11:46 AM

Khaled Hosseini, author of "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns", has an relevant op-ed piece in tomorrow's Washington Post in response to the (hopefully subsiding) display of rancor and ugliness at John McCain and Sarah... Read More

Some loose ends on Troopergate

6 comments

October 11, 11:24 AM

Now that the Troopergate report has been released, there's quite a bit of spin going on. This is from the McCain campaign:Today’s report shows that the Governor acted within her proper and lawful authority in the reassignment of Walt Monegan.... Read More
Topics: Troopergate

How is a GM/Chrysler merger smart?

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October 11, 10:45 AM

There's news today that embattled auto manufacturers, General Motors and Chrysler, are in preliminary talks to merge the two corporations.The talks between G.M. and Cerberus Capital Management, the private equity firm that owns Chrysler, began more than... Read More

North Korea removed from terror list

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October 11, 10:17 AM

Hoping to salvage one of a very few success stories for the Bush Administration, the President is set to remove North Korea from the list of terrorist sponsoring nations. Just a couple weeks ago, the U.S. arms negotiator, Assistant Secretary of... Read More
Topics: Bush Administration , North Korea

A PIcture for the Day

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October 10, 7:12 PM

Palestinians covered their bodies with mineral-rich mud on the shores of the northern part of Dead Sea, in the West Bank, as they enjoyed the last day of the Muslim festival of Id al-Fitr. (Photo: Menahem Kahana/Agence France-Presse — Getty... Read More

Troopergate report released

7 comments

October 10, 5:50 PM

The Republican dominated panel overseeing the investigation into charges Governor Sarah Palin "abused her powers" when firing Alaska public safety commissioner Walt Monegan was released today, finding Ms. Palin did, in fact, abuse her powers... Read More

McCain got the message

4 comments

October 10, 5:29 PM

A lot of people were afraid, including members of McCain's campaign. Afraid it was creeping out of hand. The crowd feeding off itself, the jeers escalating and getting uglier and more frequent. Thankfully, John McCain apparently heard... Read More