Here are excerpts from editorials in newspapers around the world:
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Sept. 1
Dagens Nyheter, Stockholm, Sweden, on German elections:
Germany would benefit from an election result that dissolves the big coalition between CDU and SPD. Voters deserve a more open and straight debate.
Germany's leading politicians haven't made it easy for voters. When there is less than four weeks left until the elections on Sept. 27 there are still no clear election issues.
Of course there is the financial crisis. But since the country is ruled by a big coalition, the main opponents in the election _ the Christian democrats and the social democrats _ share the responsibility for the current government policies. ...
In this situation there was a longing for something that could breathe new life into the German election campaign. And sure enough ... state elections in Sachsen, Thuringen and Saarland offered drama: CDU lost nearly 13 percentage points in Saarland and nearly 12 in Thuringen. ...
The winner of the state elections was FDP and the left, Die Linke. If that trend would last in the parliamentary elections it is a bigger problem for SPD than for CDU. Because while the Christian democrats hope for a coalition with the liberals, SPD has categorically rejected a collaboration with Die Linke on a federal level. ...
The main problem with the current big coalition isn't policy-related but the fact that it creates an unhealthy political climate. When the main opponents are governing together a dead hand is placed on the political debate.
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On the Net:
http://www.dn.se
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Sept. 1
The Daily Telegraph, London, on Afghanistan:
The metaphor chosen by General Stanley McChrystal to describe America's plight in Afghanistan is both graphic and depressing. The commander of US and Nato troops likened his force to a bull charging a matador (the Taliban) and being weakened with every sword thrust. He also warned that the Allied strategy was not working, because areas cleared of insurgents were not then held; meanwhile, the Afghan people were undergoing a "crisis of confidence" because their lives were not being made better after eight years of fighting.
It is a bleak assessment, and will no doubt pave the way for a request for even more soldiers to be deployed, in addition to the extra 30,000 President Obama has already sent in. The general said that while the situation was serious, success was achievable, but only if there was "increased unity of effort" a lightly coded reproof to those NATO members, notably France and Germany, that have failed to pull their weight. The general's strategic approach is sound. ...
Alongside the security effort, the notion of negotiating with the more malleable Taliban leaders is beginning to gain traction. David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, has raised it with Hillary Clinton, and Downing Street was pushing the idea during Gordon Brown's weekend visit to British forces. An accommodation is probably inevitable if order is to be established, though in a land run by tribal warlords, it will not be easily achieved. Meanwhile, with public opinion in this country and the U.S. turning against the war, General McChrystal may not have as much time as he would like to achieve his objectives.
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On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/llye4u
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Aug. 31
Jerusalem Post, Israel, on the indictment of former prime minister Ehud Olmert: You know what's really distressing about (the) indictment of former prime minister Ehud Olmert on graft charges? It's that the news was anti-climatic. That Israeli society has reached the point where one mass-circulation tabloid devoted more front page coverage to Madonna's visit to the Western Wall than to the historic indictment of an ex-premier.
Israelis were not shaken. We did not feel betrayed. And therein lies the heartbreak.
Part of the blase reaction can be explained by the fact that Olmert has been under investigation for so long. ...
Former president Moshe Katsav and now Olmert have been indicted. Former finance minister Avraham Hirschson and former Shas MK Shlomo Benizri both start their prison sentences today. Ariel Sharon and Ehud Barak both escaped indictment - just. Police have recommended indicting Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
The charges, circumstances, and personalities may vary but the lingering impression is that those who ought to be paragons of probity too often treat the law with contempt. Their greatest offense is making the rest of us cynical about our country.
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On the Net:
http://tinyurl.com/qtf975
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Sept. 2
The Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo, on changing the government:
The main challenge now facing the Democratic Party of Japan is to sort out its priorities during its transition to power following its landslide victory. ... This is an issue of great concern and interest to the public, which is about to confront the first full-fledged change in government.
The nation cannot afford to be thrown into a political void concerning urgent issues that affect people's daily lives. ...
While Hatoyama has good reasons to carefully prepare for the start of his administration, there are issues that cannot be delayed, such as how to respond to the new swine flu epidemic.
The government estimates that some 380,000 people will be hospitalized, with about 38,000 developing serious symptoms. The peak could come as early as late September, immediately after Hatoyama takes office.
Still, vaccine for the new swine flu virus will not be ready in time. ...
The global economic crisis is another issue that calls for seamless policy efforts. ...
What is vital for the DPJ is to first distinguish between challenges that must be addressed immediately and those that require more time and then act swiftly.
The party cannot afford to waste a single minute during the coming two weeks.
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On the Net:
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200909020044.html
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Aug. 27
Daily Herald, Arlington Heights, Illinois, on the late Sen. Ted Kennedy:
Which Ted Kennedy shall we remember today? It is perhaps an overriding commentary on the late senator's life that millions of Americans will be making that choice as they reflect on the political career of one of the nation's longest-serving and most prominent public figures.
For many, the image that remains from Kennedy's tenure is that of the Senate playboy, the wealthy youngest son of a political family beset by nation-shattering tragedies whose hard drinking and romantic romps were nearly as legendary as his speeches from the Senate floor.
For many others, the memory is of the tireless so-called liberal lion who, while raised himself in the most opulent splendor, devoted his career and tireless energies to helping and protecting the nation's most vulnerable citizens, its elderly, minorities, sick and poor.
In one sense, of course, the two pictures cannot be separated. Ted Kennedy the man was an amalgam of all the aspects of his personality and ambition. And it cannot be ignored that the event that permanently crippled his presidential aspirations _the mysterious tragedy at Chappaquiddick _was shrouded by questions of his judgment, his sexual morality and even potentially criminal behavior.
Yet, Ted Kennedy the man was also a formidable public servant, and it likewise cannot be ignored that he placed his imprint on every significant piece of social legislation over the past 40 years. ...
Kennedy's reflexive liberalism and ties to special interests were, it must be said, too strong politically for our tastes. Still, political and social contributions come from all sides, liberal and conservative, those who compromise and those who stand fast. In that regard, his mark was unmistakable and considerable. ...
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On the Net:
http://www.dailyherald.com.
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Aug. 29
Minot Daily News, Minot, North Dakota, on space exploration:
Should the United States continue space exploration with a plan to return to the moon by 2020 and to explore Mars in the future?
From a scientific standpoint, the answer is yes. From an economic standpoint, the answer could be much different.
The plan to return to the moon is projected to cost at least $108 billion, and perhaps as much as $140 billion. And who knows how much a mission to Mars would cost. There are no more millions when discussing space exploration missions everything, it seems, costs billions of dollars.
In today's economic conditions, are those costs something the United States can justify? ...
Unless President Barack Obama changes course, NASA will continue to operate under a plan set forth by then-President George Bush in 2004 that calls for returning to the moon by 2020. But a special independent panel commissioned by Obama has already concluded that the mission cannot succeed without additional funding as much as $30 billion.
The question for citizens, then, comes down to this:
Can the United States afford to continue an aggressive space exploration plan?
Can the United States afford not to continue an aggressive space exploration plan?
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On the Net:
http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/531562.html nav 5004
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Aug. 28
The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke:
President Barack Obama's decision to reappoint Ben Bernanke as Federal Reserve chairman has been criticized as being the "safe choice." But "safe" is what we want.
Bernanke is one of the chief architects of the strategy to pull the country out of recession, which seems to be working, even if not as fast as most would like, and it makes sense to let him see it through. He is generally credited with yanking the country back from the brink of depression.
His re-nomination provides continuity and keeps together a team that has worked well together, Obama's Treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, and chief economic adviser, Christina Romer.
The White House and congressional budget offices released an estimate of a record deficit this year of $1.6 trillion. The White House forecasts a 10-year cumulative deficit of $9 trillion. Both see unemployment peaking at 10 percent and averaging 9.8 percent in 2010, a half-point higher than this year. Both foresee a long, slow recovery. Chairman Bernanke, you have your work cut out for you.
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On the Net:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/aug/28/continuity-at-t e-f ed/
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Aug. 31
Asbury Park Press, Neptune, New Jersey, on the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant:
This is no way to run a nuclear power plant. Especially a 40-year-old plant that was recently relicensed to operate for another 20 years.
Last week, the Oyster Creek nuclear plant in Lacey was forced to run at half its operating capacity after it was discovered a pipe was leaking water containing tritium, a radioactive isotope, at the rate of five gallons a minute. It was the second time in four months that the plant sprung a tritium leak.
Two pipes found to have been leaking tritium in April have since been replaced. But a full "root cause" report on the April incident has been pledged but not delivered to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, let alone the public. There's no telling how long citizens will have to wait for a report on the most recent leak, which was repaired late last week. It's imperative the NRC compel Exelon, Oyster Creek's owner, to publicly release full details about this ongoing problem _ one that should have been identified and addressed prior to the plant's re-licensing earlier this year _ and to spell out plans for ensuring the recent leak was the last.
What kind of inspection and review process fails to discover pipes so old that leaks seem inevitable? Apparently the sort the NRC conducts. ...
The public is owed assurances that the tritium leaks will cease, and those that have occurred will be aggressively contained. ...
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On the Net:
http://www.app.com/
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Sept. 2
The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, North Carolina, on a video to discourage texting while driving:
The video is shocking and makes your heart race: A girl distracted from driving by texting on her cell phone crosses the center line and runs head-on into an oncoming car, then is rammed by another car. The video takes you inside her car, and with computer animation shows her friends' heads crashing into the windshield and windows, then shows the fatal, gory aftermath.
It's disturbing. It's meant to be.
The video, produced by a local police department in Wales, was created for use in schools there. But an excerpt got posted on YouTube, and now it has gone viral, with more than 4 million viewings.
It's a controversial approach. But we applaud it as one more tool in the toolbox for convincing teens, and all of us, of the dangers of texting while driving. Some safety advocates question whether graphic scenes are the best technique. That shouldn't be the only approach humor, reason, technology, laws and emotion are others but if this video strikes fear in the heart of even one person, and we're sure it has, it might save lives. ...
Legislation helps, but ultimately each driver has to make his own choice. That's why the Welsh video might pay off. Drivers know it's dangerous, but need something more to quit. The images from this video linger, and make you think twice.
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On the Net:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/story/921532.html
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