June 9, 2009
Japan's Indispensable Role in the World (Kathy Kemper)
Last week I hosted an IFE/INFO breakfast with Fujisaki Ichiro, Japan's ambassador to the U.S.; Robert Samuelson, economics columnist for The Washington Post; and David Smick, a global economics consultant.
During breakfast, Samuelson briefly discussed his book, The Great Inflation and Its Aftermath, in which he argues that American economic history gives us reason to fear the inflationary impact of President Obama's bailout packages and stimulus plans. Smick discussed his new work, The World Is Curved, which has been hailed as one of the most prescient books in light of the global financial crisis. We had both books available to be purchased and signed — they make great Father’s Day gifts! > Read More
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What's This May 14, 2009
China and the U.S. Coming Together (Kathy Kemper)
On May 5, the Institute for Education hosted an opinion leaders dinner forum at the new Chinese embassy — it's a marvel to behold, yet another one of I.M. Pei's exquisite creations. The theme of the event was "China and the United States: Our Vital Partnership." IFE gave its highest honor, the Civility Award, to Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong in recognition of China's extraordinary performance in the 29th Olympiad and its rapid emergence (re-emergence, some would say) as a great power on the world stage. > Read More
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What's This April 27, 2009
Q-and-A with Tiger Woods (Kathy Kemper)
Last week Tiger Woods came to the Congressional Country Club (CCC) to promote the third annual AT&T National, a tournament that he founded to honor his father, Earl Woods, as well as our country's troops and veterans.
Tiger announced that he will play on the historic blue course on June 30. He told me that our capital city "is a great golfing town. This is a great sport town in general. We want to come back and play here as long as Congressional wants us. I mean, this is such a great golf course and such a special area, that of course you want to come back. It is a very historic golf course and one that players love to play." > Read More
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What's This April 13, 2009
G-2: United States and China (Kathy Kemper)
The big takeaway from the G-20 summit, in the eyes of many, is that the G-20 has become the G-2, consisting of the United States and China.
European countries were bickering with each other, yet again, and traditional heavyweights like Japan and Russia didn't inspire much confidence. China recognizes how influential it has become — not just in reality, but also in the eyes of the world. When the head of the People's Bank of China says that the world needs an alternative to the dollar as the currency of last resort, you know that the tides have turned. China has also been increasingly vocal in calling for the reform of international economic institutions and has said that it should be given a greater voice in that process. > Read More
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What's This March 23, 2009
Jim Lambright on the Job (Kathy Kemper)
According to Larry Summers, the White House's top economic adviser, $50 trillion in global wealth has vanished in the last year and a half because of the global financial crisis. Some are even saying that 2009's going to be a year of negative growth — that’s how bad things have gotten.
In light of such sobering numbers, it's no wonder that Jim Lambright is a busy man these days (he likes to joke that the financial crisis accounts for his lack of hair). He wears two hats, serving as chief investment officer of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and as president of the Export-Import Bank. > Read More
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What's This February 27, 2009
Rummy the Rider (Kathy Kemper)
Donald Rumsfeld rides the bus, The Washington Post's Reliable Source reported today.
That's refreshing.
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What's This February 23, 2009
Hillary Sends a Message in Asia (Kathy Kemper)
Hillary Clinton has sent a powerful message by making Asia first on her list of places to visit.
It would've been perfectly reasonable of her to visit our allies in Europe first or to make it a priority to visit the chaos-ridden Middle East. In going to Asia, though, she announced to the world that she recognizes the most important trend of the 21st century: the shift of power from West to East. Although her trip received a lot of press, it would've gotten far more if discussions of the stimulus package and economic turmoil didn't dominate the front pages of the world's leading newspapers. > Read More
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What's This February 17, 2009
Civility and Bipartisanship: Jefferson to Obama (Kathy Kemper)
According to my liberal friends, partisanship is when Republicans work to wreck America.
My conservative friends insist with equal vehemence that just the opposite is true: partisanship is code for Democratic attempts to eviscerate the country.
I cannot but conclude that bipartisanship must be when the parties can bridge their differences and work to destroy America together. > Read More
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What's This February 14, 2009
Civility: A Big Winner in the Stimulus Package (Kathy Kemper)
Barack Obama's on fire right now. His approval rating stands at 69 percent and he has just won his first major battle, getting a whopper of a stimulus package passed by Congress.
A lot of the plan's supporters say that it doesn't go far enough and criticize him for compromising in a time of economic crisis. It's true that Obama had envisioned a larger stimulus package, but $789 billion is nothing to sneeze at. Second, Obama was smart to ignore those who said that he should've rammed his original proposal down Congress's throat. Having handed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) a resounding defeat in the election, he would've come across as arrogant and hypocritical — in light of all his post-partisan rhetoric — if he'd followed that advice. > Read More
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What's This January 21, 2009
The Parallels Between the Inauguration and the Olympics (Kathy Kemper)
Barack Obama's Inauguration parallels China's Olympics in a lot of ways.
Obama's Inauguration was the most expensive in American history ($150 million). The Beijing Games were the most expensive in Olympic history ($43 billion).
No Inauguration has ever had such high security — all bridges crossing the Potomac River into D.C. were closed off and 3.5 square miles of downtown were closed. No Games have ever had such high security — Beijing deployed 1 million video cameras and 100,000 anti-terrorism volunteers to quell potential unrest. > Read More
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