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PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, AUGUST 14, 2015 KeizerOpinion KEIZERTIMES.COM Serving up generosity Jim Marshall celebrated the one year anniversary of Delaney Madi- son Grill at Inland Shores this week. He did more than toot his own horn, though. He opened the res- taurant to treat people assisted by Hope Station Community Services led by Pastor Marcia Mattoso. Early this week he served dinner to three large groups of people who look to Hope Station for help be- cause they are not eligible for gov- ernment assistance. He prepared a select menu of choices. Hope Station serves people from its large facility in Salem, offering food, clothing, computer training and money management. Marshall is a generous support- er of Hope Station and by serving free dinner, he gives a bright spot to those who live too precariously near the poverty line. Dozens of businesses support Hope Station with their services, products and fi nancial help. Each is worthy of recognition and heart felt thanks. Keizer is a generous community and Jim Marshall and his restaurant are but another example of people helping people. —LAZ 2020 starts in 15 months By LYNDON ZAITZ How exciting! The 2020 presidential cam- paign will begin in only 15 months. The day after the 2016 election there will be speculation about who will run for president four years from then. It happens after ev- ery national election. And we can start predicting not only who will run but who will win. That is an exercise in craziness, no? No crazier than what is un- folding today. Six months ago Hill- ary Clinton was all but coronated as the next president. Jeb Bush was the hands-on favorite to win the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Now? Not so much. Jeb Bush’s poll numbers decline in proportion to Donald Trump’s rise. Unthinkable only six weeks ago, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, an indepen- dent from Vermont is polling ahead of Clinton for the fi rst-in-the-nation primary in New Hampshire—which is seven months away. That’s an eter- nity in American politics. The leaders in polls this early don’t always go on to win the presi- dency, let alone their party’s nomi- nation. Just ask President Gary Hart, President Mike Duakakis or Presi- dent Mitt Romney. It is pure enter- tainment for political afi cionados to hear pundits breathlessly talk about why this or that poll is so important and a portent of the future election. Fans of Donald Trump are already thinking of who his running mate should be. Trump leads in polls, just as Bush and Scott Walker did be- fore him. Some say that Trump will fl ame out long before the fi rst cau- cus or primary votes are cast. Others say that he is mirroring a frustated and angry electorate and will ride that sentiment straight to the White House. There are so many things that can happen in the country or in the world that can upend this en- tire campaign season. Jimmy Carter was barely a blip on the radar 15 months before the 1976 election. Barack Obama was known because of his 2004 Democratic convention speech, but he still trailed Hillary Clinton 15 months before the 2008 election. Anyone who claims they know who the two fi nal candidates will be in November, 2016 is just being fan- ciful. We won’t know who the two nominees will be until next spring. We will have a new president in 15 months. But whoever wins will have to start thinking about re-elec- tion immediately. Potential oppo- nents will already be setting up their exploratory committees and political action committees by then. Ain’t politics grand? on my mind (Lyndon Zaitz is publisher of the Keizertimes.) Real journalism, fair and balanaced By DEBRA J. SAUNDERS “Conservatives Furious at Fox, Say Trump Wasn’t Treated Fairly,” read the Newsmax headline last week.Talk-ra- dio show host Mark Levin told Bre- itbart News it was “outrageous” that moderator Megyn Kelly questioned Donald Trump about his coarse lan- guage—“fat pigs, dogs, slobs”—refer- ring to women. Levin complained it was “a National Enquirer debate, not a Republican debate,” with too much “opposition research.” Political analyst Dick Morris detected a “disturbing” trend at Fox. The conservative blog Media Equalizer offered that many conservatives “thought they might have been watching MSNBC by mis- take.” So this is what happens when Trump meets up with the “news” part of Fox News. Conservatives frequent- ly complain about liberal media bias. Then they complain when conserva- tive media practice journalism. The Trump-Kelly feud is like crack for cable TV news. CNN’s Jake Tap- per started Monday’s “The Lead” by noting that conservatives wanted the media to cover such stories as Demo- cratic politicians turning on Presi- dent Barack Obama’s Iran deal, a trip made by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Qa- ssem Soleimani to Russia in defi ance of a U.N. Security Council ban or “black lives matter” activists shouting down Democratic presiden- tial hopeful Bernie Sanders. But after The Donald told CNN on Friday that he could see the blood coming out of Kelly’s eyes—and “wherever” —Tap- per suggested he had no choice but to lead Monday’s show with Trump’s tirade. To keep the vapid story alive Mon- day, Trump the Bombast trash-tweet- ed Kelly. He sent out a link to a 2010 Howard Stern interview in which Kelly talked about her sex life: “Oh re- ally, check out innocent @megynkelly discussion on @HowardStern show 5 years ago—I am the innocent (pure) one!” Translation: She had it coming. Mayhap Trump wants fans to forget the opening question of the prime- time debate. Fox moderator Bret Baier asked the 10 GOP hopefuls to raise a hand if they were unwilling to pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee and not run a third-party campaign. Trump alone raised his other views hand. Many in the audience booed Trump. (In a 2011 GOP primary de- bate, Baier asked hopefuls to raise a hand if they would accept a budget deal with $1 in tax increases for each $10 in spending cuts. Not one Re- publican raised a hand—a stark signal that compromise would not be on the GOP menu.) All three Fox News anchors asked questions that begged to be asked. Fox News moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump about his four corporate bank- ruptcies. “Four times, I’ve taken ad- vantage of the laws,” Trump answered. “And frankly, so has everybody else in my position.” All three moderators asked probing questions that explored each candi- date’s weaknesses. That was a service to Republicans who want a nominee who can win in November. Fox News would have been remiss to not include a question about Trump’s big mouth. I can only hope that the know-noth- ings who trash Fox News Channel without watching its news programs tuned in. And I can only hope that CNN asks equally pointed questions at the Democrats’ fi rst primary debate, which will be on Oct. 13. (Creators Syndicate) U.S. needs guidelines for entering war Keizertimes Wheatland Publishing Corp. • 142 Chemawa Road N. • Keizer, Oregon 97303 phone: 503.390.1051 • web: www.keizertimes.com • email: kt@keizertimes.com SUBSCRIPTIONS NEWS EDITOR One year: $25 in Marion County, $33 outside Marion County, $45 outside Oregon Craig Murphy editor@keizertimes.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Eric A. Howald news@keizertimes.com PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY Publication No: USPS 679-430 ADVERTISING Paula Moseley POSTMASTER advertising@keizertimes.com Send address changes to: PRODUCTION MANAGER Andrew Jackson graphics@keizertimes.com LEGAL NOTICES Keizertimes Circulation 142 Chemawa Road N. Keizer, OR 97303 legals@keizertimes.com EDITOR & PUBLISHER Lyndon Zaitz publisher@keizertimes.com BUSINESS MANAGER Laurie Painter billing@keizertimes.com Periodical postage paid at Salem, Oregon RECEPTION Lori Beyeler OFFICE INTERN Allie Kehret facebook.com/keizertimes twitter.com/keizertimes As things turned out, one could argue with fairness and accura- cy that Barack Obama’s campaign promise to end U.S. warring in the Middle East was half-hearted. Many an American thinks he should have stood by his word while perhaps too many others want war now and, ap- parently, forever. The debate over U.S. involvement in the Middle East is currently in debate in Washington, D.C. over negotiations with Iran to stop their making of the bomb. With implications for U.S. war- ring overseas, a dozen years ago au- thor Micheal Lewis wrote Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, the story of how Billy Beane of Oakland A’s fame used his wits to build a win- ning franchise. Beane questioned old assumptions, every sacred cow, and all that was familiar to create a success- ful team. In foreign policy, the ideas cited in Moneyball relate to America’s role in the world in a new way that’s deigned to maximize the returns on taxpayer dollars. It recognizes that the U.S. has some global responsibilities that no other nation can handle well. Then, too, with overseas ventures, the U.S. must now better husband our ever-dwindling fi nancial resourc- es to continue as world cop. The best path for the U.S. is to promote our value at keeping the world from im- ploding not our values as the “better way” when they’re imposed on others who are less and less receptive nowa- days. George H. W. Bush did not initi- ate a war with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Rather, he organized and led an in- ternational coalition against Saddam and his forces after Saddam invaded Kuwait with intent to overpower it and thereby control its oil and gas re- sources so he could acquire a position of dominance over a huge part of the world’s oil and gas reserves. Bush and his advisors demanded that Saddam get out of Kuwait, which he refused to do, threatening that his army would be the mother of all armies and would crush the U.S. if the Americans tried to oust him from his new prize. Bush responded with the U.S. military and four months later Sad- dam’s legions were sent back in- side Iraq. Bush wisely fended off those who want- ed him to send U.S. forces into Iraq to occupy Baghdad and the entire na- tion. He responded that he would not do that because it would spill a lot of blood with no sure advantage for the U.S. since the oil fi elds of the Middle East were no longer threatened by a Saddam takeover. For reasons that have never been fully disclosed by offi cial explanation George W. Bush, on the pretext that Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction that he would use on Americans in Ameri- ca, “W” took us into a war that’s lasted 11 years, remains unfi nished and led to the establishment of the Islamic State (ISIS). Our future leaders need a clear and workable set of guidelines to address as quickly as possible when war is the last but only means of defending our interests. Although Colin Powell did his reputation serious harm when he spoke on behalf of the George W. Bush administration to defend going into Iraq, he, along with contribu- tions from former defense secretary Caspar Weinberger, have developed common sense principles that piggy- back on Moneyball thinking. These principles must be observed gene h. mcintyre by our leaders in all future deci- sions regarding going to war: Is a vital national security interest threatened? Do we have a clear and attainable ob- jective? Have the risks and costs been fully and frankly analyzed? Have all other nonviolent policy means been fully exhausted? Is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entan- glement? Have the consequences of U.S. action been fully considered? Is the action supported by the American people who are openly and honestly informed? Do we have broad interna- tional support? If any one of these questions re- ceives a “No” answer, war is not the answer. And if any kneejerk hawks or automatic appeasers are among the decision making group, he and she should be dismissed from the delib- erations and replaced by persons not voting for war due to hidden agendas supporting war profi teering or wear- ing to meetings a costume like the one Napoleon wore at Waterloo. Mean- while, it’d be in our best interest, as a nation that wants a future, for those in D.C. to take a long and hard look at the negotiations with Iran before slamming the door on what’s been worked out with a blind determina- tion to go to war when the salient questions as listed above have not been thoroughly, exhaustingly an- swered. (Gene H. McIntyre’s column ap- pears weekly in the Keizertimes.)
