Security Bloggers Meet-Up
Intel Dump‘s Phil Carter arranged a dinner with several L.A.-area security bloggers, including Marc “Armed Liberal” Danziger of Winds of Change, Noah Shachtman of Defense Tech, and Mark Kleiman of Reality-Based Community. Since I was in the neighborhood, I got invited to join them. Kerry Dupont of the seemingly defunct Literal Thoughts had to bow out at the last minute.
We had a great conversation over a couple bottles of pinot and good food at Hal’s Bar and Grill in Venice which, in hindsight, was a little noisy for that kind of thing.
There was plenty of consensus on the facts on Iraq but little about where to go from here. None of us think pulling out now makes any sense and none of us is convinced that any policy will work fast enough to satisfy public opinion here at home.
On the domestic front, it appears that Barrack Obama is substantially more plausible as a presidential candidate than I had previously thought. A couple of the attendees are quite high on him for his brains, charisma, and leadership ability and think his lack of experience is overrated; indeed, I’m the only one who thinks he’s less qualified than George W. Bush was in 2000.
Politics and posturing aside, I’m curious as to the presidential qualifications this august group believes Senator Obama to have in excess of those held by George Bush in 2000. I’m trying to keep an open mind here, so I’ll be patient.
What does he have in excess of Bush back in 2000? Character, integrity, belief in the rule of law, understanding of and suppport for the legislative process, understanding of and support for the concept of the separation of powers, and a track record in the Senate of being able to identify and craft legislation to address in a realistic fashion real problems ( mostly didn’t get anywhere due to Republican obstructionism during their majority).