tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post1552823098836646983..comments2024-03-28T10:25:22.825+01:00Comments on Robert's Stochastic thoughts: Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455788499385673507noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post-92110372687431058032020-11-25T23:21:37.534+01:002020-11-25T23:21:37.534+01:00Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon yo...Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your weblog and in accession capital to assert that I get in fact enjoyed account your blog posts. Anyway I'll be subscribing to your feeds and even I achievement you access consistently fast.erectile dysfunction pillshttps://besterectiledysfunctionpills.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post-77968426547276646762009-08-24T20:13:02.888+02:002009-08-24T20:13:02.888+02:00http://www.juancole.com/2009/08/obamas-fate-as-muc...http://www.juancole.com/2009/08/obamas-fate-as-much-in-balance-as.html<br /><br />August 22, 2009<br /><br />Obama's Fate as much in the Balance as Afghan Presidential Candidates<br />By Juan Cole<br /><br />The Financial Times argues that the final judgment on how upright the Afghan elections were matters enormously to the Obama administration. * If the US public decides these election results were phonied up, it will turn, FT argues, even more against the war than it already is (51 percent oppose the Afghanistan war in the US).<br /><br />I don't think the US public cares so much about these elections. I think support for the Afghanistan war depends on the administration effectively tying it to concerns about Americans' safety and security. And since that argument is so hard to make convincingly, I can't see how public support for the war is going to come back. With dozens of US troops killed in July, moreover, people are hearing more bad news than good.<br /><br />What I think is true is that a poorly executed Afghanistan policy could turn Obama into a one-term president. It is too early to judge exactly what Obama's policy will be in Afghanistan, but it should become clear within a few months. So far, Obama has not made the case and hasn't explained what the end game is.<br /><br />* http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/128698b4-8e8d-11de-87d0-00144feabdc0.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post-27630502567735127502009-08-24T20:12:27.316+02:002009-08-24T20:12:27.316+02:00http://www.democracynow.org/2009/8/24/headlines#7
...http://www.democracynow.org/2009/8/24/headlines#7<br /><br />August 24, 2009<br /><br />Census: Contractors Outnumber Troops in Afghanistan<br />By Amy Goodman<br /><br />New figures meanwhile show military contractors in Afghanistan are now far outnumbering US troops. A Pentagon census shows there were nearly 74,000 contractors in Afghanistan in June, compared to the estimated 58,000 troops there at that time. * In Iraq, there were nearly 120,000 contractors and around 132,000 US troops.<br /><br />* http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125089638739950599.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post-87791288186052403942009-08-24T20:12:00.768+02:002009-08-24T20:12:00.768+02:00http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/world/asia/23mar...http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/world/asia/23marines.html<br /><br />August 23, 2009<br /><br />Marines Fight Taliban With Little Aid From Afghans<br />By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr.<br /><br />KHAN NESHIN, Afghanistan — American Marines secured this desolate village in southern Afghanistan nearly two months ago, and last week they were fortifying bases, on duty at checkpoints and patrolling in full body armor in 120-degree heat. Despite those efforts, only a few hundred Afghans were persuaded to come out here and vote for president on Thursday.<br /><br />In a region the Taliban have lorded over for six years, and where they remain a menacing presence, American officers say their troops alone are not enough to reassure Afghans. Something is missing that has left even the recently appointed district governor feeling dismayed. “I don’t get any support from the government,” said the governor, Massoud Ahmad Rassouli Balouch.<br /><br />Governor Massoud has no body of advisers to help run the area, no doctors to provide health care, no teachers, no professionals to do much of anything. About all he says he does have are police officers who steal and a small group of Afghan soldiers who say they are here for “vacation.”<br /><br />It all raises serious questions about what the American mission is in southern Afghanistan — to secure the area, or to administer it — and about how long Afghans will tolerate foreign troops if they do not begin to see real benefits from their own government soon. American commanders say there is a narrow window to win over local people from the guerrillas.<br /><br />Securing the region is overwhelming enough. The Marines have just enough forces to clear out small pockets like Khan Neshin. And despite the Americans’ presence, Afghan officials said 290 people voted here last week at what is the only polling place in a region the size of Connecticut....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post-74063300773202176942009-08-24T20:11:40.457+02:002009-08-24T20:11:40.457+02:00http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/weekinreview/23b...http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/weekinreview/23baker.html<br /><br />August 23, 2009<br /><br />Could Afghanistan Become Obama’s Vietnam?<br />By PETER BAKER<br /><br />WASHINGTON — President Obama had not even taken office before supporters were etching his likeness onto Mount Rushmore as another Abraham Lincoln or the second coming of Franklin D. Roosevelt.<br /><br />Yet what if they got the wrong predecessor? What if Mr. Obama is fated to be another Lyndon B. Johnson instead?<br /><br />To be sure, such historical analogies are overly simplistic and fatally flawed, if only because each presidency is distinct in its own way. But the L.B.J. model — a president who aspired to reshape America at home while fighting a losing war abroad — is one that haunts Mr. Obama’s White House as it seeks to salvage Afghanistan while enacting an expansive domestic program.<br /><br />In this summer of discontent for Mr. Obama, as the heady early days give way to the grinding battle for elusive goals, he looks ahead to an uncertain future not only for his legislative agenda but for what has indisputably become his war. Last week’s elections in Afghanistan played out at the same time as the debate over health care heated up in Washington, producing one of those split-screen moments that could not help but remind some of Mr. Johnson’s struggles to build a Great Society while fighting in Vietnam....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post-28795001694958183342009-08-24T20:11:21.885+02:002009-08-24T20:11:21.885+02:00http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/world/asia/24mil...http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/world/asia/24military.html<br /><br />August 24, 2009<br /><br />U.S. Military Says Its Force in Afghanistan Is Insufficient<br />By HELENE COOPER<br /><br />Despite the recent addition of 17,000 American troops and extra security efforts surrounding the presidential election, the situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post-84110937556264617092009-08-24T20:10:54.049+02:002009-08-24T20:10:54.049+02:00Misspelling Posner several times was simply carele...Misspelling Posner several times was simply careless and in no way intentional.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post-16676937172291192442009-08-24T20:09:16.879+02:002009-08-24T20:09:16.879+02:00Poser has repeatedly demeaned Paul Krugman, with t...Poser has repeatedly demeaned Paul Krugman, with the evident intent of intimidation. Please do not miss this. Romer is of no special concern, but Krugman is. These autocratic and repressive folks are frightened by Krugman.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post-55185631540347666032009-08-24T20:06:58.118+02:002009-08-24T20:06:58.118+02:00Well done, but Poser was after insulting and belit...Well done, but Poser was after insulting and belittling and intimidating and if in any way possible censoring Paul Krugman above all.<br /><br />Poser is simply writing as an academic Joe McCarthy, in regard to Krugman and for a lawyer and judge to write so is chilling.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post-37905934722539430892009-08-23T17:30:59.117+02:002009-08-23T17:30:59.117+02:00Uh-oh.
Failure to acknowledge a 16-fold arithmeti...Uh-oh.<br /><br />Failure to acknowledge a 16-fold arithmetic error with abject apologies?<br /><br />Posner just discredited himself as any sort of academic whatsoever! I'm afraid post-tenure review would be appropriate!neroden@gmailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07475686367097445497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post-33081160821817763582009-08-23T16:48:30.973+02:002009-08-23T16:48:30.973+02:00This word be more persuasive if you knew how to sp...This word be more persuasive if you knew how to spell speech.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post-69308544865203177702009-08-23T15:42:42.664+02:002009-08-23T15:42:42.664+02:00"Speach"?
I think at one point "Ro..."Speach"?<br /><br />I think at one point "Romer" is written where "Posner" is intended.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10559337725063627254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post-53342242087546444242009-08-23T10:55:18.847+02:002009-08-23T10:55:18.847+02:00a year from now the only thing i'll remember a...a year from now the only thing i'll remember about this flap is posner's name, & as a result, i'll probably link to everything he writes...rjshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15681812432224138582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post-9927754355733209592009-08-23T10:47:12.705+02:002009-08-23T10:47:12.705+02:00"The relatively fancy IV part would be the cr..."The relatively fancy IV part would be the cross state and cross national comparisons which Romer ignored entirely in his critique"<br /><br />Posner, right? Geez, everyone is making whoopsies lately.Uncle Billy Cunctatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post-48003619038069901592009-08-23T04:27:32.716+02:002009-08-23T04:27:32.716+02:00"fancy IV part would be the cross state and c..."fancy IV part would be the cross state and cross national comparisons which Romer ignored entirely in his critique."<br /><br />I believe that should be "...Posner ignored entirely in his critique."<br /><br />But other than that, and your spelling of speech, that seems a painfully accurate analysis. (The part about NGM being polite is left as an exercise.)Ken Houghtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01440837287933536370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post-8667658098540153112009-08-22T18:32:50.483+02:002009-08-22T18:32:50.483+02:00The bit on U Chicago and U Minnesota was indeed mi...The bit on U Chicago and U Minnesota was indeed missing a "not". Sorry.<br /><br />The NOT was intended. I was desribing Posner's view which is made very clear in the little bit I quoted later.<br /><br />Yeah, I think that Posner is a prominent microeconomist. I don't mean that he has done any research outside of the law and economics stuff applying micro-economics to legal analysis, but I consider that in itself to amount to being a prominent micro-economist.<br /><br />He is often cited in the economics literature. <br /><br />I honestly have no idea why Posner was not totally humiliated by his arithmetic boo boo. His reaction boggles my mind.<br /><br />Yes I too was very offended by his dig at Krugman. Krugman's columns, blog posts, and popular books are outstanding contributions to the debate. For one thing, many of them addressed issues which were, at the time, controversial in the academic literature and he proved to be right (I am thinking about the California energy crisis).<br /><br />I'd say that, even knowing Krugman's academic work, I was very plesantly surprised at the extreme excellence of his columns and his incredible ability to explain economic theory in plain English.<br /><br />As with C Romer's approach to macroeconomics, I think Posner tossed out his accusation against Krugman, because he thinks that everyone worthy of respect agrees that Krugman's column is no good. The problem is that everyone who he takes seriously is part of the same academic clique (or not to put too fine a point on it insane sect).<br /><br />I have discussed Krugman with 2 of them. One just said (with a snear) "you probably like Krugman's column." I just said yes. He considered some point to be proven. The other was outraged when I asserted that Krugman's claims of fact are all correct. He said of course Krugman makes false claims of fact all the time, but couldn't name one (in the second case it's personal -- he's hated Krugman since the 80s).Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14455788499385673507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3621026.post-61971083834995791072009-08-22T16:01:28.019+02:002009-08-22T16:01:28.019+02:00" because he was sure that a speach she gave ..." because he was sure that a speach she gave on the effect so far of the stimulus was NOT "responsible academic analysis.""<br /><br />Did you intend my "NOT"?<br /><br />Is it correct to say that your view is that Posner was not bothered by his weak grasp of arithmetic because nobody who is anybody does arithmetic anyway, somewhat like an ancient Greek who believes that free men are to be served by slaves would not be ashamed of not knowing how to cook?<br /><br />Is the claim here:<br /><br />" think it very likely that Romer's speach and her academic work is considered to be "responsible academic analysis" by top economists working at the economics departments of the Universities of Chicago and Minnesota. "<br /><br />missing a "not," or are you saying that the U of C crowd think it's responsible academic analysis, just not economics?<br /><br />Does this:<br /><br />"a lawyer, law professor, judge and top notch microeconomist" mean you consider Posner a top notch microeconomist? I'm not familiar with Posner's work, but I didn't know he is a economist at all.<br /><br />Finally, I found Posner's casual, completely unsubstantiated condemnation of Krugman (my number two hero in economics (#1 is Sen)) quite offensive.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com