Evans set for next week – Brady set to announce for Mayor December 20th
NEWS FLASH:
Bob Brady, Democratic Congressman, will announce for the Democratic nomination for Mayor on December 20th. His announcement will follow by nine days the announcement by State Representative Dwight Evans that he will seek the nomination. That will make five in the battle – Chaka Fattah, Michael Nutter, Tom Knox, Evans and Brady.
Jon Saidel was ready to run, but decided to pull out, apparently because of Brady’s plans.
Now, on to the big story of the week:
President Bush’s first reaction to the Baker-Hamilton recommendations on Iraq was a bit surprising. Mr. Bush seemed to have an open mind about looking at the options, declaring that they will be studied carefully.
Another surprise was the report itself. The commission basically called for hard face-to-face diplomacy in that region, preferring dialogue with our arch-enemies Syria and Iran, and seeking a wider peace plan for the greater middle east region.
It is, frankly, hard to imagine that the White House would do a complete turnaround, and begin a dialogue with Iran and Syria, but stranger things have happened. Bringing the other Islamic nations of the region together would also have a possible calming effect. The fact remains that Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and the Emirates ,all fear insurgencies similar to the one currently ripping apart iraq. It has always been in their interest to try and generate peace in the region. In fact, the combined power of those nations and the European allies we can trust, could serve as even more powerful force to keep Syria and Iran in line.
Another factor is the new Democratic congress and how it handles the timing of this report, expected congressional hearings, and the Defense Department’s own recommendations under the incoming Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The fact that Gates played a major role as a member of the Baker-Hamilton group before he was nominated as Defense Secretary, is also significant.
History has shown that powerful Presidents have ruled by a fierce idealism, along with an ability to face reality when those leaders have a sense that they are headed in the wrong direction.
For the President, this is an overwhelming amount of input. Outside input has been rarely welcomed in this administration. But sometimes being inclusive is refreshing. As we have learned, a lack of inclusion in big-time decison making can be very dangerous.
