The View from Right Field

How Big Does the Navy Need to Be?

President Obama is giving his eighth State of the Union address tonight (too many for some, just right for others), so let me do a bit of counter-programming and talk about the size of the Navy.  (With respect to another bit of counterprogramming, I wonder what the ratings will be for “Big Bang Theory” on TBS tonight.)

Last week, Seth Cropsey, a former deputy undersecretary of the Navy, wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal arguing for a substantial increase in the size of the Navy, from 272 ships to 350.  Mr. Cropsey included a detailed list of the additional ships should be built, including more aircraft carriers, supply ships, submarines, and more.

Last month, Defense Secretary Ash Carter sent a public memorandum to the Secretary of the Navy making significant changes to the kinds of ships the Navy should have and, therefore, should be building.  Secretary Carter is proposing a smaller Navy than Mr. Cropsey wants, 308 ships versus Mr. Cropsey’s 350, but they have some concerns in common.

Is “No Boots on the Ground” in Iraq the New “If You Like Your Doctor, You Can Keep Your Doctor”?

In 2009 and 2010, President Obama famously (or was it “infamously”) said that under his new healthcare plan, “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.”  Obviously, it wasn’t true.  It is pretty clear that President Obama either knew or should have known this statement wasn’t true when he said it, which is pretty much the definition of lying.  The President, however, wouldn’t admit it.  Here, for example, is one of his attempts to explain what he really meant when he said it.

Which brings up the question of President Obama’s pledge that there would be “no boots on the ground” in Iraq.  Now that we have troops undertaking combat missions in Iraq – and people dying, what about this pledge?  Was it a lie, too, like “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor”?  I don’t think so, though I am not sure if it helps all that much. 

I think President Obama really didn’t want to send combat troops back to Iraq and he was not planning on doing it.  What happened, however, was that the situation in Iraq kept getting worse and worse.  Eventually, he had to send combat troops. 

Sammy Sosa Isn’t Going to the Hall of Fame. Why Can’t He Come to the Cubs Convention?

The annual Baseball Hall of Fame voting came out Wednesday.  Ken Griffey, Jr., received a record 99.2%.  Sammy Sosa got 7.0%.  For Sosa fans, the only good thing about that was that Sammy was above the 5% cutoff to stay on the ballot for next year.  Sammy has a maximum of six more years, but he isn’t going to make it.  For those who remember 1998, it’s amazing.  But it’s true.

What I don’t understand, however, is why the Cubs keep refusing to invite Sammy to the annual Cubs Convention.  (The list of attendees for that came out today.)  Every year Tom Ricketts is asked why Sammy hasn’t been invited.  And every year he gives the same gobbledygook answer about Sammy having things to address before he can come back.  Mr. Ricketts doesn’t say what Sammy is supposed to address; it’s just something. 

It can’t be the drug allegations – or at least it shouldn’t be.  How can the Cubs have Manny Ramirez coaching in the minors and not invite Sammy to the Convention?  Are they worried Sammy’s going to give kids ‘roids in an autograph line?

Head of the RNC Says He Can Unify the GOP Behind Donald Trump or Ted Cruz. He’s Wrong.

Last night, Reince Priebus, head of the Republican National Committee, said that he would be able to unite the party behind either Donald Trump or Ted Cruz.  Of course, he has to say that, but he’s wrong.  The party will not unite behind either one of them, but especially Donald Trump.

I would vote for Ted Cruz if he were the nominee, but I wouldn’t work for him.  If he got the nomination, he would lose.  Basically, if you want Hillary Clinton to be president, nominate Ted Cruz.  The only thing you could do would be to try to limit the down ticket damage.

As for Donald Trump, I’m with Jeb on this one:

“Earlier Thursday, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush declined multiple times to commit to voting for Trump if he was his party’s nominee.

Why Do We Have So Many Bitter Partisan Divisions?

Gerald Seib in The Wall Street Journal last week wrote about the growing ideological divide between Republicans and Democrats.  For example:

• 69% of Republican primary voters support marriage being between a man and a woman; 25% of Democratic primary voters do.¹
• 59% of Republicans support the right-to-life movement; 23% of Democrats do.
• 62% of Democrats support taking immediate action to address climate change; 13% of Republicans do.²
• 46% of Democrats support the Black Lives Matter movement; 6% of Republicans do.

Perhaps most significantly (and this is not just primary voters), 94% of Democrats are more liberal than the median Republican (up from 70% in 1994), and 92% of Republicans are more conservative than the median Democrat (up from 64% in 1994).

All of which may explain the bitter partisanship in Congress.  Still, the division might not be so great – or so bitter – if government wasn’t seen the as the solution to so many of our problems (or the cause of them).  But then, I suppose that is a political statement, too.
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¹ A person is deemed to “support” something if, on a scale of 1-10, they rate the statement as describing themselves at 8 or above.
² In some cases, I do believe in taking immediate action with respect to climate change.  For example, when it snows, I shovel right away.

Iran’s Ballistic Missile Tests: Is Another Red Line Disappearing?

Remember President Obama’s “red line” on Syria’s use of chemical weapons.  It looks like he may be in the process of doing it again.  Since the nuclear agreement with Iran was signed, Iran has launched two ballistic missiles in violation of UN Security Council resolutions against such tests.  In one case, even a United Nations panel said Iran violated the Security Council resolution.

Senators, including even senators who voted for the nuclear agreement with Iran, have called for the United States to issue new sanctions against Iran because of these tests.  Finally, on Wednesday, the Administration notified Congress that it would be imposing new sanctions against Iran because of the violations.  They wouldn’t be big, just financial sanctions against a few companies and individuals.  But Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that any new sanctions on Iran, whether relating to the nuclear agreement or anything else, would violate the nuclear agreement.