Conventional wisdom in foreign policy is crippling the United States

By Diane Silver

One thing I've noticed as I've looked at the news media from a changemaker's point of view is that the biggest truths are often buried within a piece.

Today New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, I think, got it right in his entire piece about the need for politicians to learn to admit mistakes. However, what struck me the most about his column was a paragraph in the middle. It highlights the differences between conventional wisdom (call that the "water" I was discussing here) and the change we need to see in our foreign policy.

Krugman writes:

If we want to avoid future quagmires, we need a president who is willing to fight the inside-the-Beltway conventional wisdom on foreign policy, which still — in spite of all that has happened — equates hawkishness with seriousness about national security, and treats those who got Iraq right as somehow unsound.

The emphasis is mine because I think that's an important point. I contend that knee-jerk hawkishness does not, in fact, denote seriousness about national security. Instead, it denotes an inability to see the world as it actually is and an inability to respond with actions that will solve real problems.

Unfortunately, Krugman's full column is hidden behind the Times paywall, but if you get a chance to look at it, do read it. I have to admit that access to Krugman's work is one reason why I shelled out the $50 for TimeSelect.

The sun rises on a new life

By Diane Silver

That's the sun peeping over the horizon of Lake Ontario as a new day dawns on the Great Lakes.

And yes, although I grew up on the lakes, I now live on the Prairie. However, I wanted to mark today with what for me is a beautiful image of a new dawn. That is because this Monday is a new dawn for me personally and for this blog.

Today marks my return to full-time writing and activism, and I couldn't be happier. What this means for me personally is that I get to tackle projects I've been putting off for years. I also get to work harder and longer than ever before, but oh, the satisfaction of being able to do what matters to me. And yes, I suppose I am that selfish.

What this means for Becoming the Change and the other Hope & Politics blogs is that I'll have the flexibility to update more frequently and to pursue independent reporting. In some ways, Becoming the Change is one of the most important projects I've ever started. I look forward to putting more time into contemplating, reporting and seeking a true understanding of how we can bring about the change we want to see.

Is Barack Obama a real changemaker, or is he just a slicker-than-usual politician?

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has taken the first step toward running for president, and I am left wondering if he is for real.

Is he truly a changemaker? Can he help us break out of politics as usual? On the surface, he certainly sounds like he a true seeker after change. He knows the right things to say. For example, in yesterday's announcement that he is forming a committee to explore running for president, Obama said:

"I've been struck by how hungry we all are for a different kind of politics."

That is most decidedly an understatement.

I am starving for politics that go beyond conservative or liberal, left or right. I am starving for politicians that care more about good government than power. I am desperate for leaders who have dealt with enough of their own hang-ups to act authentically and courageously.

Is Obama such a person? I think the jury is still out, but there are some positive signs. For example, PlanetOut news reports:

In 1996, he was elected to the Illinois state Senate, where he earned a reputation as a consensus-building Democrat who was strongly liberal on social and economic issues. He supported gay rights, abortion rights, gun control, universal health care and tax breaks for the poor, but set himself apart from others by working with opponents to resolve policy disagreements and refusing to become a rubber stamp for his allies.

Those are all good signs, at least to me. However, only time will tell if Obama really is who he claims to be, and if he has the wisdom and maturity to be the leader we need.

By the way, you can watch Obama's video statement at his campaign web site.

What is a changemaker's perspective?

In my first post, I talked about how one of the regular chores of this blog will be to look at the news from a changemaker's perspective.

The next thought that popped into my head, of course, was: So, what the heck IS a changemaker's perspective?

There are several answers to that question.

1. Honestly, I have no frigging idea. You do realize, don't you, that I'm making this up as I go along.

2. Different folks will probably have different, and equally valid, ideas about such a perspective. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the subject.

3. Given that I've assigned this task to myself, though, I really do have to make a first attempt to define the phrase. Thus, my first, best guess is that a changemaker would view the top stories of the day with a skeptical eye and would ask herself the following.

• Is the lead -- the angle or theme -- of the story what's really happening, or is the true story being missed?
• What questions should have been asked, but weren't?
• What is the frame of the story, and is that the only way to think about whatever events are being reported?
• Is this the most important news of the day, or is the real top story being missed?
• Based on the information in this story, should I take action? If so, what should or can I do?

Am I on target? Do I have rocks in my head? What do you think?

The problem with water, & why I started this blog

We are all fish.

Some of us are little fish, darting past the lumbering giants known as corporations, the government, the military. Sometimes we attach ourselves to one of those giants in the hope of nibbling enough off of them to survive. Sometimes we fend for ourselves, flitting here and there to glean what we can.

But some of us are the giants. We are the political leaders, the CEOs, the vice presidents, the generals, the executive editors and big-time journalists, the middle managers climbing the corporate ladder.

A tiny few of us are even the hated CEOs who lead our companies to failure, but take hundreds of millions of dollars with us when we leave. We are the people with the power – the presidents, both Republican and Democrat; the speakers of many houses of many state legislatures, not to mention the fact that some of us are the leaders of Congress.

All of us, though, no matter how powerful, are struggling. We may succeed, but never quite the way we want. Often, we don’t even get close to doing what we set out to do when we were idealistic youngsters. Even worse, we may well decide that idealism is suited only for children.

As practical adults, we give up the idea that we can live in a society where all can get a fair deal and all can live an authentic life. It’s simply the way it is, we think, that some are poor, some are desperate, some are second-class citizens and many (most?) of us are struggling to put meaning into lives that seem to be without purpose or connection.

We accept limits. We make our paychecks.

We live in such a way that we know we’re poisoning the world, yet we can’t figure out how to stop. We know about the genocides (Darfur today; where else tomorrow?). We know about war and death and dismemberment (Iraq today; where else the day after?). We know about terrorism ( New York and DC on 9/11, Madrid and London after that; where else next?) We know about torture. (Guantanamo Bay today; where else next month?) What can we do, though? We yearn to break free, but our lives are constrained by the water we swim in.

We believe the problem isn’t the water itself, but our closeness to it. As metaphorical fish, all we truly know is water. Day in, day out, we swim round and round in our culture, and even though we feel constrained and yearn for something different, we can’t fully imagine what that other thing could be. Because we are immersed in our culture, we can’t get enough perspective to see how to create the change we all need.

That’s why I created this blog. Call it the audacity of a lowly fish who wants to see what the ocean really looks like.

This blog is an attempt to leap straight out of the water of our culture and to look around. By doing so, I hope Becoming The Change will provide the perspective us dreamers so desperately need, along with giving us a safe haven where we can discuss ideas, tactics, frustrations and successes.

Becoming the Change will:

• Review the news from a changemaker’s perspective;
• Provide resources on political issues and links to organizations and individuals engaged in creating change;
• Provide a forum for discussion.

Among the topics this blog will tackle are:

• Changing Politics (How can our civic life be transformed so that it is fair and representative of all the people?)
• Changing the News Media (How can journalism morph itself so that citizens get a more complete and accurate view of our culture?)
• Changing Ourselves (How can we learn to step beyond our own fears and issues? How can we participate in civic culture in a constructive and effective way?)

Read. Comment. Email me your thoughts.

Right now, I will be the primary blogger at Becoming The Change. Writer and attorney Nancy Jane Moore, a woman of perspective and great humor, will post periodically.

I'm also looking for other bloggers to help with this project. If you want to get involved, please email me directly at hopeandpolitics@yahoo.com.

As many of you may know, I’ve been blogging for more than a year now at a little place called In This Moment. I intend to continue to keep In This Moment going. Now, though, that blog will include links to posts on Becoming The Change, as well as In This Moment originals.