I am overwhelmed by fascinating news.

Clinton in N. Korea
This isn't from the papers quite yet, but I cannot applaud the Obama administration enough for sending Bill Clinton over to N. Korea. It is a bold move, given Bill's inability to keep his mouth shut when he should. He went over there, and despite N. Korea state sponsored news, Clinton didn't have any messages other than, "give us our people back."

Now, I am a still extremely pissed at the journalists for sending themselves into harm's way, for them putting Obama in a position where he needed to negotiate with the moronic N. Korean administration. However, I do applaud the administration for actually going out and fixing this problem. They did it as quietly as possible, they did it in a way that I think won't set a precedent, and it looks like the reporters will come home. I think they should never leave their houses, and I think it should be a crime to be an American and visit certain countries, seriously, but I am happy they are safe.

But what a cool additional Chapter to the Bill Clinton story - his job may have been easy as he was requested personally by Kim Jong-Il....but it's awesome that he goes over there, gets the job done, pats Obama on the back, and goes back to jogging in stupid hats. Awesome.

Now, the 3 American Hikers who were detained in Iran, they are a different story. It may sound like the same situation, and as much as I think the Reporter's reasoning is idiotic, the fact that these kids admittedly were just curious and wanted to get a better feel for the reality in Iran/Iraq...well, they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar. They weren't on any kind of sponsored business as Ling/Lee were, they were just, essentially, bored. I don't think the situation is the same in Iran as it is in N. Korea, not enough to the extent that Obama needs to send Jimmy Carter to save them. I think, as horrifying as it is, these kids are on their own, to an extent.

From Monday's Times:
Two Sides Take the Debate Health Care Outside Washington
So there have been other developments, but this next month is going to be fascinating given all these Senators going home for August. They are going to get completely huge earfuls all month from constituents. The reality is the public will, I believe, overwhelmingly tell their Senators that the Gov't should have less, not more, control over the Health Plan. People see the Gov't as a beast, thanks to Bush, Palin, Reagan and the misinformation from guys like Rush, etc.

I said this before, but Obama has been trying to push this through before the August recess for this exact reason - he didn't want to leave this in the hands of the American people shouting into the ear of their Lawmakers. Obama couldn't afford to let this get to an informal shouting poll, and that is where we are, unfortunately.

It comes down to a vision for this country that Obama has, and a lot of left-leaning people out there have, and wear as a badge of honor. Conversely, it has gotten to the point where the reality is the Right-Wing simply doesn't believe this following statement, and its a sad thing. But Obama's vision simply is to ask the question, "What kind of country do we want to be?" Obama does see us, as the richest country in the world, committing a moral crime every day by sending so many American's (47M) out there, uninsured, vulnerable, moments from lifelong destitution should an accident hit them by surprise.

Obama does have a vision where we simply take care of each other, to a degree that wouldn't even require all that much change. The simple exercise you can take part in yourself is this: Look at your paycheck, see how much you + your company send to Health Insurance every month. Look at how much of your total income that is - and compare that to 12-16% which the Gov't would want to control.

Then, look at the differential, 2, 3, 4 (tops) percent, and think about if you are the kind of person who is okay with that percent of your income, a miniscule %, working towards making the country healthier, safer, more responsible. The decision is completely yours, really. Tell your Senators and Congresspeople what you think.

From Tuesday's Times:
Spurring Sales, Care Rebate Plan Is Left Up In Air
I am completely fascinated by the 'Cash for Clunkers'. I cannot believe how awesome it is that something like this can exist. Forget the politics for a few lines, but just think about how awesome it is that there is a program that overwhelmed the Gov't, Car Dealers and consumers that, by any measure, is something that is being done to purely help the environment. So awesome.

250,000 cars were sold this weekend with the program in place. 1/4 Million. First, we own a large percentage of the car companies via the bailout, their health is ultimately tied into our health, we need them to work. That's a first. Secondly, I think this is another example of Obama making large jumps with an eye on the future. This may cost us $$ now, up to $3B, but at least we know it is going to benefit us in the future.

The common phrase we heard over and over in the past few years is that dependence on foreign oil is our most dangerous and expensive problem. Health Care has obviously overtaken that problem with the change in the economy, but for heaven's sake, 1/4 Million gas guzzling craphole cars are being replaced by more fuel efficient vehicles - how can that not help?

So the thing that baffles me is that Republican Lawmakers are now saying they are going to have to really think about, and will possibly reject, and additional $2B for this program. Now keep in mind, this isn't a pure stimulus, it's not just giveaway money. This is money that is being given towards the trade-in of the car, but we will all see a return in this by more fuel efficient vehicles.

The main reason I am baffled is that the GOP, who were part of the approval process in the first place for the first $1B, now feel like an additional $2 doesn't make sense. So, in theory, they wanted the first $1B to do exactly what it did, work out great, sell out fast, but at the same time they thought it was a horrible idea and a waste of money. Am I making any sense? Essentially, if it was a good idea to invest $1B, and it worked out great and was a huge success, how come it isn't good to invest $3B?

These a-holes keep calling it a bailout, but it isn't...it isn't a bailout, it's an incentive program that is working, keep it going!