Wednesday, February 27, 2008

From Tokyo


I had a nice dinner with colleagues from the FH Tokyo office. Delightful evening. Went to an "out of the way" little restaurant that is the favorite of our general manager, Shin Tanaka (seated next to me). Stick to your ribs, homemade Japanese food, many courses.

The work ethic here is astounding. The two men pictured below at the ends (Hiro on left and Ko on the right), left the dinner at 10 pm, went back to the office and worked all night, rejoining us for meetings the next morning. Explains why I didn't get much sympathy over my whining about my jet lag and restless sleep.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

View from my window - Tokyo


Here's the view from my hotel room in Tokyo. The wooded area is the Imperial Gardens.

Reasonably pleasant flight, but my body clock is all screwed up. Landed at 3:30 pm, got to the hotel and 5 and dinnner at 7.
Tomorrow, Beijing.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

She's done and she knows it

All the Hillary haters that I know are convinced that she will refuse to concede defeat in the primary until, to coin a phrase used by her husband, "the last dog dies." I am convinced otherwise. She simply cannnot win enough delegates to beat Obama in pledged delegates won in the primaries and caucuses. And, if she tries to steal the nomination with superdelegates and/or the "ghost delegates" from Michigan and Florida, she will wreck the party, ensure our defeat in November and permanently alienate the new voters that Barack as attracted. She may be ambitious, but she's not that stupid or destructive.

Today's Washington Post has a story that, I believe, conclusive demonstrates that both she and her campaign are fully aware that they are about to lose. It only remains to find a respectable way out. If you weren't convinced by her gracious gesture at the end of the Texas debate, read this Post story, will multiple leaks from inside the campaign.

It's over.

Obama and "Substance"

Rick Pearstein had an excellent piece in yesterday's Washington Post debunking the accusation that Obama is all style and no substance.

Check it out.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Obama at UMD

I went to the Obama rally at the University of Maryland today. It's become so commonplace to expect thousands and thousands of people at his rallies that we sometimes forget how remarkable it is. The Comcast Arena was packed, 20,000 people, after waiting for hours on the coldest day of the year, so far.

He rocked the house.

Here are some scenes.

Saturday, February 09, 2008

We're Doomed


The New York Times has a devastating front page expose' that is going to destroy Obama. It seems he exaggerated the extent of his cocaine use as a youth. In his book, Dreams From My Father," he claimed that he used drugs, including cocaine in his early 20's. The headline says it all:

Friends Say Drugs Played Only Bit Part for Obama

Highlighting a serious contradiction from what Obama says in his book, the article reveals,
"Mr. Obama’s account of his younger self and drugs, though, significantly differs from the recollections of others who do not recall his drug use."
Oh crap! It's over. Wait until Rush (someone who knows about lying about drug use) and Drudge get a hold of this.

On a more serious note, I have not read Obama's book, but I have to say this passage describing Obama's account of his involvement in a campaign to promote divestiture from South Africa takes my breath away:

In his book, Mr. Obama said that his role in the divestment push started as kind of a lark, “part of the radical pose my friends and I sought to maintain.”
The self-awareness required to admit this motive, and to reveal it to the world, is extraordinary in any human being. Most of us who get involved in "good causes" congratulate ourselves on how morally superior we are. We don't spend a lot of time examining our own motives, particularly when such examination might find our motives something less than pure. Now, consider that idea of a politician admitting as much. Yes, I know the book was written a long time ago. Still, this quote reflects an honesty and depth that is truly remarkable.

The more I learn about this man, the more fervantly I believe his - and our - time has come. He is the perfect antidote to Bush.