BloggeRhythms

Over the past few days, a recurring theme has been how critical applicable experience and knowledge are to those holding public office, particularly regarding governorships and especially, the presidency. That's because it’s not public speaking ability alone that’s required for job effectiveness, it’s hands-on prior similar success and proven capability.   

 

Furthermore, as also mentioned previously, performing the managerial requirements of effective governance not only prepares individuals for similar, or bigger, jobs but teaches those in those positions about what’s needed in support personnel and associates. Because, if one’s holding office have no personal expertise or experience, they can neither choose, evaluate or assess subordinates at any level below them effectively.

 

That premise became quite clear this week, when State Dept. Deputy Spokesperson, Marie Harf  said on MSNBC's Hardball, regarding terrorism. "We need ... to go after the root causes that leads people to join these groups, whether it's lack of opportunity for jobs, whether –. We're killing a lot of them, and we're going to keep killing more of them. ... But we cannot win this war by killing them.”

 

Now, as a practical matter, Ms Harf’s suggestion that a solution to defeating ISIS might be offering jobs to terrorists -perhaps flipping burgers or washing cars- her idea may be presently impractical. Since at the moment half the nation here is also unemployed as well.

 

However, on a personal level, Ms Harf may well go down in history as having uttered words similar to others remembered well world-wide, supposedly spoken by "a great princess" upon learning that the peasants had no bread.

 

According to Wikipedia: “The quotation, as attributed to Marie Antoinette, was claimed to have been uttered during one of the famines that occurred in France during the reign of her husband, Louis XVI. Upon being alerted that the people were suffering due to widespread bread shortages, the Queen is said to have replied, "Then let them eat brioche.”

 

On another issue, the media’s still reporting full blast on the coldness that’s developed between the White House and Bibi Netanyahu, who will be addressing Congress in March at the invitation of Speaker John Boehner.

 

However, while support of Israel shrinks regarding the administration, Adam Kredo of foxnews.com/politics, reports that, “A controversial U.S. Muslim leader who has been highly critical of Israel and said that the Jewish state should be on the "suspect list" in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks participated on Tuesday in a White House summit on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) that featured Vice President Joe Biden.

 

“Salam Al-Marayati, founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), tweeted out a photo of himself at the White House with Biden and bragged, "We joined VP @JoeBiden for a discussion at the @WhiteHouse #CVESummit which kicked off today." 

 

“Al-Marayati has been viewed as a controversial figure due to past statements characterized by his critics as anti-Israel and soft on terrorism.” Such as, “"If we're going to look at suspects [for 9/11], we should look to the groups that benefit the most from these kinds of incidents, and I think we should put the state of Israel on the suspect list because I think this diverts attention from what's happening in the Palestinian territories so that they can go on with their aggression and occupation and apartheid policies," he said in a radio interview shortly after the attacks in 2001, according to the Los Angeles Times.” 

 

So, all its taken the administration is six short years to displace Israel as a U.S. favored nation in the Middle-East. A relationship that began under Harry Truman in 1948.

 

And then, today’s update on Bill Clinton’s wife.

 

The Wall Street Journal reports that, “The Clinton Foundation reportedly is seeing an increase in contributions from foreign governments after ending a self-imposed ban on such donations, raising new ethical questions as Hillary Clinton prepares for a possible 2016 presidential campaign.

 

“Citing the foundation's online database, recent donors to the foundation include the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Oman, Australia, Germany, and a Canadian government agency promoting construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. 

 

“The foundation instituted a foreign gifts ban in 2009 after Hillary Clinton was named Secretary of State by President Barack Obama. The Journal reports that the ban was not a total one, and some donations were permitted after receiving the approval of State Department ethics officials. Hillary Clinton re-joined the foundation after leaving the State Department in 2013 and has fronted a $250 million endowment campaign.”

 

The most interesting aspect of the short  article is that the word “ethics” appears twice. Because usually when that word is used regarding either Bill or his wife, it has an “un” in front of it.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios