Maybe the treasury secretary was kidding

Not too many people think the Bush administration is trying to be funny, but what else could explain Sunday's comments by U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson that the banking system is sound? Paulson told Sunday morning television news programs that the U.S. economy would recover in several months and that problems in the banking system, exemplified by the July 11 federal takeover of IndyMac Bank, were "manageable," according to the Reuters international news service. "Our banking system is a safe and a sound one," Paulson told the CNN program "Late Edition." But earlier, Paulson told CBS that the number of banks in trouble would be growing, but was under control. "This is a very manageable situation ... our regulators are focused on it," Paulson said. That could have been reassuring, but not after Paulson said he was sure Congress would pass legislation to help shore up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, long mainstays of the housing industry that props up the economy. News about how strong the economy is would make more sense if banks weren't tanking, Fannie and Freddie weren't broke, gasoline wasn't $5 a gallon and the dollar was holding its value. The IndyMac Bank failure was the third largest in U.S. history and did not happen because everything is fine. The only question is whether Paulson believes his own rhetoric or understands, like most everybody else does, that it is bull.

Maybe this guy should run for president

Thursday's speech by former Vice President Al Gore about renewable energy raises one big question: Is this the same guy who ran for president against George W. Bush in 2000? It looks like the same guy who won a Nobel Prize last year for his work publicizing the perils of climate change and an Oscar for his film on the same subject. The question has to asked because the Al Gore who ran a lackluster campaign and lost to Bush in 2000 after being part of the successful Clinton administration should still be embarassed. Gore spoke Thursday at an energy conference in Washington and challenged the United States to switch completely to renewable sources of electricity wtihin 10 years. His comments have been hailed by environmentalists and panned by others who consider the goal unrealistic. But this is not a zero-sum game. We already have the generation system we have; replacing even some fossil-fuel generating capacity with renewables will have broad dividends for the economy and the environment. The question is why Gore was unable to articulate his vision during the 2000 campaign.

Shoddy construction in Iraq? Who would have thought?

The surge might be succeeding, but news that five U.S. senators have asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates for an independent review of electrical work by KBR Inc. at U.S. bases in Iraq after the electrocution of more than a dozen soldiers is another reminder of the incompetence and waste that has characterized the 2003 invasion. The Reuters international news agency reported Friday that the five senators -- Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Maria Cantwell of Washington, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota -- have called on the Pentagon to employ an independent overseer to review the contractor's work. KBR Inc., the largest private contractor operating under contract to the U.S. military in Iraq, was spun off last year from Haliburton Inc., Dick Cheney's employer before he became Vice President. KBR has previously been accused overbilling and providing unsafe water to soldiers, Reuters said. In a letter to Robert Gates, the defense secretary, the senators said Houston-based KBR should not be inspecting its own work but that inspection responsibility should be given to a "well-qualified and objective" party. The Pentagon acknowledged that KBR was inspecting its own work, Reuters said, but said the Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies also reviewed the work. Dorgan said KBR should be suspended. A KBR spokeswoman said the company had found no link between its work and the electrocutions, Reuters said. The New York Times said the Pentagon knew about problems with KBR's work but did little to respond to them until a member of the Green Berets was electrocuted while taking a shower in January.

War crimes trial reveals a lot about ourselves

Thursday's decision by a federal judge to allow the first military trial of a Guantanamo Bay detainee, after lengthy pretrial proceedings, shows the strength of the U.S. system of justice. Even facing the opposition of U.S. leaders and contradictory legal precedents, the judiciary has forced an overly aggressive executive branch to respect the rights of the accused. This is a basic American value. As a result, the trial of Osama bin Laden's former driver, scheduled to begin next week, is probably going to be nothing like what the administration intended when it convinced Congress to establish a tribunal system for detainees captured in the war on terror. Detainee Salim Hamdan is going to be able to see the evidence against him and bring in other detainees as witnesses as a result of the legal process, over the objections of the Bush administration. U.S. citizens can be proud of upholding this nation's founding principles in the face of White House opposition cloaked in false patriotism, whether Hamdan is guilty or not.

The battle for control of the United States

The political battle over the White House's refusal to comply with a subpoena from Congress to turn over documents in the CIA leak case may seem like game-playing, but it really is a fight for control of the U.S. government. The Bush administration is already notorious for expanding the power of the president on control of the military, the budget and legislation in general; its attempt to wrest subpoena power from Congress is more of the same. But this time, especially, the risk of permitting an unchecked presidency is plainly obvious. Somebody, or some people, violated the law by revealing the identity of a CIA agent in 2003 and compromising the country's intelligence-gathering ability. President Bush promised to fire whoever did it; federal prosecutors might have other ideas about enforcing that particular law. An adviser to the vice president was convicted and pardoned by the president. But it appears obvious that the decision to expose the agent's identity was made in the upper reaches of the executive branch, perhaps by the vice president or the president or both, as retribution for criticism of the White House leveled by the agent's husband. There is no gain for the country if the leaker's identity is protected; only Bush's inner-circle profits from the refusal to turn over evidence. The House Oversight Committee must stop merely threatening a contempt citation against Attorney General Michael Mukasey and go ahead with the indictment; Congress may have to dispatch soldiers to the White House to get the documents. The people of the United States have a right to know -- once and for all -- who is the government employee or employees who compromised the nation's security for political gain.

Decision time for Beijing

With the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing fast approaching and its international presence fast expanding, China is going to have to make a decision about what kind of contribution it wants to make to world affairs. Beijing weighed in Tuesday with "grave concern" over the genocide charge leveled against Sudan's president by International Criminal Court, but not in the way you'd think. China's "misgivings" are not about the 35,000 killed by Sudanese forces or the 2.5 million forced to flee their homes in the Darfur region but are about being called on by Western nations to temper support for Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. China is a top investor in Sudan's oil industry and is the country's largest arms provider. An arrest warrant for al-Bashir is expected to be issued shortly, obligating China or any other country to arrest him if he visits. The Chinese do not want to have to do this to such a good customer, and have been fighting the imposition of more severe sanctions against Sudan. But stopping genocide is the very essence of international diplomacy, and China must join the civilized world in doing so. China recently used its veto power on the United Nations Security Council to join Russia in blocking sanctions against the murderous and illegal Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe. But China is no longer a rogue regime -- it is becoming a superpower, and it's time it started acting like one. If China wants respect on the international stage befitting a world power, it will have to do a lot more than provide a venue for sporting events.

Administration's crude shell game

U.S. President Bush's decision Monday to lift an executive-level ban on offshore oil drilling effected by his father in 1990 and to increase pressure on Congress to lift a legislative ban is nothing short of demagoguery. Bush is trying to harness frustration over rapidly rising gasoline prices -- the result of his administration's inept handling of energy and foreign policy -- and use it to despoil the coastline and even further enrich his greedy friends in the oil industry. "Failure to act is unacceptable -- it's unacceptable to me and it's unacceptable to the American people," Bush said at a White House event, according to the Associated Press. Bush called on the Democratic Party majority in Congress to "facilitate responsible offshore exploration." Of course, Bush made no mention of his administration's failure to develop a comprehensive energy policy, failure to encourage the use of solar energy and failure to encourage domestic output from existing oilfields and leased lands. He also failed to mention why Congress failed to act when his Republican Party allies were in control.