Fox Business reporter Peter Barnes began his televised interview with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner last week with this question: “Is there a risk that the United States could lose its AAA credit rating? Yes or no?” Geithner’s response: “No risk of that.” “No risk?” Barnes asked. “No risk,” Geithner said. It’s enough to make you wonder: How could Geithner know this to be true? The short answer i

April 25, 2011

He was a frustrating patient, a retired field worker with poorly controlled diabetes and hypertension. I’d warned, I’d pleaded, I’d explained, but nothing had worked. He ignored dietary advice, didn’t exercise and failed to use his medication rigorously. We grew to dread his visits. Then one day he came to the office early for medication refills. His pot belly was almost gone, and his blood sugar

April 25, 2011

So Naoto Kan is a goner. That’s the word in traumatized Tokyo. Japan’s prime minister had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get his mojo back in the five weeks since a record earthquake and tsunami. He failed, and pundits wonder if he will make it to his first anniversary in office in June. Kan would be the fifth to go in five years. Investors harbor a well-honed cynicism about Japanese leaders. They

April 24, 2011

If you wanted to leave your job and your boss asked if you could stick around until your replacement was chosen, how long would you be willing to wait? A week? A month? Well, Daniel Hurley has been waiting two years.That would not be any concern to most of us except that Hurley is a federal judge. And his plight reflects a growing national problem: vacancies on the federal bench at a time when cas

April 24, 2011

Napping on the job will be strictly forbidden. Sounds reasonable, but is it?Following the discovery of several air traffic controllers caught sleeping on duty in recent weeks, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood handed down a no-napping edict this past weekend.But can a government edict prevent bone-tired air traffic controllers working the midnight shift, the swing shift or two shifts in a r

April 24, 2011

North Korea has recently made a desperate international appeal for food aid. Reports from aid workers and international nongovernmental organizations warn of a major food shortage. As the United States deliberates whether to restart a food aid program in North Korea, it must consider the following questions: Is there a true humanitarian need, can we address the potential risk of food diversion and

April 24, 2011

The desire to “do something” about the situation in Libya drove the U.N. Security Council to authorize use of all possible measures ― diplomatic language for military force ― to protect civilian populations in that troubled country. The consensus behind that vote quickly evaporated as Russia and China, holders of permanent seats and vetoes on the Security Council and which abstained on the decisio

April 22, 2011

With no end in sight the situation is turning into a humanitarian disaster with far-reaching consequences After weeks of seesawing firefights, the Libyan conflict seems to have fallen into a stalemate. The Western allies have assumed that they could intervene and oust Libyan ruler Muammar Gadhafi through air strikes. But even with the aid of the allied bombardment the rebel forces have been unable

April 22, 2011

Concern over the degradation of the ecological system in and around the Mekong River ― which flows through China, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam ― has grabbed the attention of a leading lawmaker in the United States. Senator Jim Webb, chairman of the powerful Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and its Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, issued a statement recently saying he wa

April 22, 2011

The South China Sea has long been a contention among many littoral states. China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Viet Nam claim all or part of the Spratlys, which are believed to sit on vast mineral resources.Indonesia has no such claim. However, part of its Exclusive Economic Zone on the Natuna Islands protrudes into this vast ocean. More importantly, any instability in the area wi

April 22, 2011

One year after China introduced measures to cool the property market, which were described by some as the most draconian in history, tentative signs of cooling are only to be expected. Latest statistics show that month-on-month prices for new homes declined in 12 of 70 Chinese cities and remained flat in another eight cities in March while 29 cities saw smaller rises in property prices than in Feb

April 22, 2011

Some political candidates campaigned last fall with a promise to “Take Back Our Country” and urged states to follow Arizona’s lead in enacting state immigration laws that would fill the void left by a neglectful federal government.The fervor grew intense as they whipped up a lather of fear. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer talked about headless bodies being dumped near the border with Mexico (which she lat

April 21, 2011

The fighting in Libya has reached a stalemate: Moammar Gadhafi has proved far more resilient than his adversaries anticipated, and he has also exposed the limits of what can be accomplished by war from afar. If NATO decides to end the standoff by attacking his forces with greater ferocity, there’s only one nation (you guessed it) with the requisite power.This much is evident. What remains unclear

April 21, 2011