All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

Pity the poor historian a couple hundred years from now, at a loss to figure out why Barack Obama, an American president at the start of the 21st century, was photographed meeting in the Oval Office with – a pirate.

What kind of unexplained policy initiative was being played out in this photo, the historian might wonder, perhaps confusing it for something other than what it was: a gag – one of dozens – for the president's remarks at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner.

The joke was the idea of three top presidential aides including senior advisor David Axelrod.

They would have Mr. Obama refer to his recent meetings with world leaders.

“There I am with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso,” he would say, followed by, “there I am with Gordon Brown.”

But the punch line was his assertion that he was living up to his campaign pledge that “we can’t just talk to our friends.” And with that, up would pop the photo of President Obama with a pirate.

Read full post…

Speaking at the Naval War College today in Newport, R.I, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that companies that paid ransom to Somali pirates impaired the United States' ability to properly address the recent spate of ship hijackings.

"Part of the problem is that the number of companies, not countries, companies that are prepared to pay the ransoms as part of the price of doing business and clearly if they didn't pay the ransoms we'd be in a stronger position," Gates told the audience.

Gates said that reducing the number of hijackings and hostage takings will require the combined efforts of the private and public sector and will necessitate the both military and diplomatic efforts.

"We can put a lot in jail and we can kill a lot but there will still be more," Gates said. "Until we can do something to provide some kind of stability on land and some prospects for these people it's going to be a tough problem."

At the heart of the issue, is that the people living in many Somali villages are "unspeakably poor," according to Gates. This makes piracy one of the only attractive options for young men who lack prospects.

Read full post…

Before we even learn the name of the Somali teenage pirate we are reportedly about to bring to trial in the United States, and with Al Qaeda reportedly urging the sea-faring criminals to become genuine terrorists, its time for a brief refresher course on America and its long, rich history hounding and being hounded by with pirates. The following is courtesy of historian George C. Herring’s George C. Herring’s masterful work, “From Colony to Superpower, U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1776,” which is part of the Oxford History of the United States.

Much has been written about how Thomas Jefferson was the first American president to confront African pirates. That’s true. But did you know that in 1783, before the Constitution was drafted and enacted, the United States Congress offered to pay $80,000 in ransom to pirates who commandeered three American ships? That’s the equivalent of roughly $38 million today. In the end, a treaty saved us from having to fork over the money.

Read full post…

The bad news for the so-far unnamed teenager qua pirate-hijacker captured Sunday during a now-famous firefight is that he’ll almost certainly be convicted in an American court if and when he is brought to justice here in the States. The good news for the young man is that his time in confinement—both before and after his likely conviction—will be far more humane than he would receive were he to face charges in Kenya or some other African nation.

It doesn’t matter much that the suspect evidently is under 18 years old. Federal law permits the indictment of boys and girls for non-capital crimes. And since no victims died during the hijacking/piracy episode the death penalty would not be an option anyway following a conviction. Moreover, the circumstances surrounding any post-capture comments he may or may not have made shouldn’t be a big deal, either. The feds won’t need a confession here to be able to string together a very strong case. Captain Richard Phillips’ testimony, alone, with the help of a little Navy videotape, would probably be enough to generate a conviction.

Read full post…

At the outset of his remarks at the Department of Transportation today, President Obama addressed yesterday's rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips from Somali pirates.

"His safety has been our principal concern, and I know this came as a welcome relief to his family and -- and his crew," the president said. "I had a chance to talk to his wife yesterday. And as she put it, she couldn't imagine a better Easter than seeing his -- his safe return."

"And I am very proud of the efforts of the U.S. military and many other departments and agencies that worked tirelessly to resolve this situation," he continued. "I share our nation's admiration for Captain Phillips' courage, and leadership, and selfless concern for his crew."

The president went on to discuss efforts to deal with the situation in the future. Though he mentioned "privacy," he presumably meant to say "piracy."

"And I want to be very clear that we are resolved to halt the rise of privacy (sic) in that region," said Mr. Obama. "And to achieve that goal, we're going to have to continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks. We have to continue to be prepared to confront them when they arise. And we have to ensure that those who commit acts of piracy are held accountable for their crimes."

The president, who was joined by Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, also announced what the White House says is the 2,000th transportation project funded by the stimulus package, the widening of an interstate and rebuilding of an overpass in Michigan.

Read full post…

Between pirates, Easter services and Portuguese Water Dogs, President Obama had a very busy weekend.

On Saturday morning the president wished Americans celebrating Easter and Passover happy holidays and called for international peace during his weekly radio address.

In a Washington Post exclusive, the White House announced in Sunday morning’s paper that a six week old Portuguese Water Dog, a gift from Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), would be the next First Puppy. Sasha and Melia Obama quickly named the black and white pooch Bo and the White House posted several pictures of the first meeting between the Obamas and Bo.

On Easter Sunday morning, the first family attended church services at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lafayette Square in Washington, DC. White House officials tell CBS News the choice of this church for Easter services does not indicate that the First Family has chosen a permanent place of worship. He attended a private service at St. John’s the morning of his Inauguration.

And in an auspicious ending to Easter Sunday, Mr. Obama learned Sunday afternoon that Richard Phillips, the U.S. captain held hostage in the Indian Sea by Somali pirates since Wednesday had been rescued by U.S. Navy Seals. Sunday afternoon the White House released a written statement from President Obama congratulating Captain Phillips, his crew and the U.S. military for their bravery in the standoff and rescue.

“I am very pleased that Captain Phillips has been rescued and is safely on board the USS Boxer. His safety has been our principal concern, and I know this is a welcome relief to his family and his crew,” Mr. Obama wrote. “I am also very proud of the efforts of the U.S. military and many other departments and agencies who worked tirelessly to secure Captain Phillips’s safe recovery.”

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that the pirate drama may be one of Mr. Obama’s first tests in office.

Counterterrorism expert Juan Carlos Zarate said on CBSNews.com's "Washington Unplugged" Friday that the United States cannot stop an outside party from paying the pirates holding Richard Phillips off the coast of Somalia for the captain's release.

"The U.S. government does not get in the way of private citizens making arrangements," Zarate told guest moderator John Dickerson.

The American government, he noted, "does not offer concessions to hostage takers or kidnappers." But "if the shipping company were to want to pay ransom, the U.S. government may not be in a position to actually stop that."

Watch:



Zarate, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the growth of a "pirating-culture" has led to the current situation.

Read full post…