Someone to admire

Charlie Rose had Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on for the full hour last night. To be honest, I’d never thought much about him nor heard much more than a sound bite from him before the program. But after the avalanche of news about crooked, self-serving politicians and grave-robber, Wall Street thieves, it was really refreshing and even uplifting to listen to Gates for an hour. He has a PhD in Russian Studies, and will have served eight Presidents once Obama takes office. What kind of man can serve both Nixon and Carter, Clinton and Bush? A thoughtful, intelligent, humble man who sees the world in all its complexities, and despite his role running the world’s biggest military machine, a man who clearly sees diplomacy as our most valuable and effective “weapon.” The term “devoted public servant” is grossly overused, but I think it is well-deserved in his case. The interview has not yet been posted on the Rose web site yet, but when it is, I’ll put in a link.

There were a couple of really interesting pieces in the New York Times today. The first, a front page story on how drastically major news organizations are reducing their investments in original Washington reporting. In 2000, Cox Newspapers (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Austin American-Statesman, plus 15 additional) had 30 reporters in Washington to cover the transition to George W. Bush’s administration. This year they are will have zero; they have closed their Washington bureau. There are many other dramatic examples like this. Just when we need an independent eye watching over politicians and the money-men behind them more than ever, they are being washed away in the frenzy to make all media free and every idiot with a blog (cough) equal to Edward R. Murrow.

Finally, the Times digs, also on the front page, into the outrageous bonuses paid to Wall Streeters based on profits that never existed in the first place. While I think there should be bankers hanging from every lamppost, the Times is at least asking why shareholders aren’t suing to claw back the fraudulent bonuses. (I guess we could string them up after getting the money back.)

Who would have believed oil would ever sell well below $40 a barrel just a few short months ago?