Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:
May 5, 2008
Akron Beacon Journal, on the fifth anniversary of President Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” declaration:
Thursday (May 1) marked five years since President Bush landed on the deck of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, declaring, under the banner “Mission Accomplished”: “Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.” On that day, the toll of American dead in Iraq stood at 140. Today, the count exceeds 4,000. That moment, the president so full of himself, has become representative of a White House arrogant, unknowing and ill-prepared.
More, the scene has become emblematic of an attitude of loose optimism. Capture Saddam Hussein, and the tide would turn. Or hold elections. Or craft a constitution. Or launch the “surge,” which for all the “breathing space” achieved has yet to yield the necessary political reconciliation among Iraqis.
The strategy still amounts to waiting for Iraqis to do their part. What the Bush team failed to understand is how difficult that would prove in such a fractured country. Count the days, 1,874 since the president’s carrier declaration, and you revisit the concern: What has the Iraq mission accomplished overall, with Iran emboldened, American influence diminished — and most telling, al-Qaida and the Taliban regrouping in what has become a haven in western Pakistan, along the border with Afghanistan? ...
May 1, 2008
Houston Chronicle, on the children of the Yearning for Zion Ranch:
It’s the largest custody case in U.S. history. With almost 500 children separated from their parents, members of a religious sect in West Texas, the challenge for the state courts and child welfare officials will be to strike a critical balance between ensuring each parent and child’s right to due process under the law and protecting vulnerable children from immediate danger. ...
Separated from their parents, the children might be more willing to talk about whether they’ve been hurt. However, authorities also must ensure that lawyers appointed to represent the children have appropriate access to their young clients. Barring that, state officials might exert their own undue influence on these vulnerable youngsters, perhaps subtly encouraging them to provide questionable testimony to support the controversial decision to separate parents and offspring. ...
State officials must not shift the too-stingy resources allocated to protect those already in state care to this huge new group of children, but instead must bring new funding to bear. And the public should demand that every allegation of harm to a child receive the same urgent attention and care that have been given to the unfortunate children of the Yearning for Zion Ranch.
May 1, 2008
The Durango (Colo.) Herald, on interest rates and inflation:
As expected, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates again April 30, by another quarter of a percentage point. It is the seventh such cut since August. As The Wall Street Journal had predicted, Fed officials appear to want some “insurance against a deeper recession.”
With that, however, the Fed also suggested that this might be the last such cut for the time being and that it will monitor inflation carefully. That is welcome news, for while recession is a concern, perhaps the greater need now is for increased protection against inflation. ...
Artificially low interest rates ... both encourage excess borrowing and discourage savings — neither of which help the economy in the long run. Much of the subprime mess dragging down the housing industry stemmed from too-easy money. And much of the debt hobbling families nationwide is a reflection of our negative national savings rate.
Higher interest rates could also dampen the rising price of oil, by bolstering the sagging dollar. That alone might counter any negative effect on borrowing.
The Fed is right to take a break from its rate-cutting spree. It has done what it can to stimulate the economy and should now focus on keeping inflation in check.
