Be careful what you wish for

We all recall ,,The Arab Spring'' and the Encouragement which was offered, particularly by Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton to the Forces which toppled Regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Lybia.  Traditionally, some Long Term Thinking and Analysis of what the Consequences might be when one undertakes a particular Course in Foreign Policy are indispensable.  Many Historians and Political Scientists compare Foreign Policy to a Game of Chess, where thinking several Moves in Advance is essential.

Thus, the Statement reported to have been made today by Egypt's relatively freshly elected President, Mohamed Morsi is quite insightful, we believe:

In a speech that was by turns defensive and conciliatory, he ultimately gave no ground to the critics who now were describing him as a pharaoh, in another echo of the insult once reserved for the deposed president, Hosni Mubarak.

“God’s will and elections made me the captain of this ship,” Mr. Morsi said.

 

(as reported by The New York Times - Emphasis added)

Full Article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/24/world/middleeast/amid-protest-egypts-leader-defends-his-new-powers.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20121124&_r=0
 

 

Traditionally, Secretaries of State have been notably apolitical.  A Secretary of State strived, sometimes more succesfully than at other Times, to further the Interests of the United States to be served for the current and future Administrations, regardless of which Political Party were to come into Power.  Secretaries of State did not harbour Presidental Aspirations.

 

However, all this Amalgamation of Developments in the Middle East already combined with Talk about ,,2016'' and how long Mrs. Clinton will stay on the Job as Secretary of State after having announced her Announcement to leave, for so long and so many Times, might be Ground for one to give thought to the Adage:

 

,,Be careful what you wish for.''

 

To this, we should consider the Thought that Events in Syria and Gaza, not to mention Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and even Turkey, are still unfolding.

Six Seconds that changed the Course of America

22 November 1963 - 22 November 2012

Six Seconds in Dallas that changed America and the Outlook of America

Today, 22 November 2012, Thanksgiving Day 2012 marks the 50th Anniversary of this horrific Event, the full Impact of which on future Events, one would think, we have yet to fully understand.

 

Thanksgiving Eve Present for the Working Class in New York

Folks,

As this By Line is going On Line (,,In Print'' as it were), Tens of Thousands of Commuters in New York are stuck in New York's Main Travel Station.  The Reason, a Power Outage.  This, on Thanksgiving Eve.  Imagine the Main Waiting Room (See Illustration below) overflowing with People (People who are trying to get into the Station are not being allowed to do so.  They are being kept outside).

Pennsylvania Station, Manhattan, New York

The Reason given:  a Power Outage by Con Edison, which is the Local Power Company in New York.  The People affected by this are by and large the Working Class People in New York who depend on Public Transportation and who live, also by and large, in Long Island (Long Island Rail Road, ,,LIRR'' Trains and Amtrak Trains have been affected by this but Amtrak states it hopes to have the Power back in ,,90 Minutes.''  More realistically, the LIRR states that it has suspended the service indefinitely).

We say the Working Class People because all of the busy Executives working on Wall Street and Corporate Upper Floors have long left for home in Private Limousines (called ,,Livery'' in New York), or, if they live nearby, in Mahattan's toney Districts, by Taxi.

We further ask the Question, coming on the Heels of the Hurricane Sandy Disaster, is this any Way to run a Railroad?  Of course, Con Edison is likely to blame for such a horrible Event to occur on Thanksgiving Eve.  However, Responsibility is when Blame is allowed to go around, not only to Amtrak and the LIRR, which should be asking themselves, ,,Is this any Way to run a Railroad?'' but also to the New York City and other supervisory Officials, starting with Mayor Bloomberg, who should feel a greater Sense of Responsibility towards the Working Class People of New York, who shoulder the Burden of creating Wealth in this, one of the most chaotic Cities in the World.

 

Pennsylvania Station, Manhattan, New York, before World War II, once the Greatest Railroad Station in the World

 

The Danger of War

Fifty Years ago, if one were to ask someone on the Street, be it in New York, Washington, Moscow, Paris, London and, yes, probably even in Beijing (then referred to as Peking or Pekin), People would have said, most likely, that the greatest Danger of the Possibility of a War comes from Berlin.  There were good Reasons for this Line of Logic.  Although the Devastation of World War II which killed, according to some Estimates, 45 Million People (25 Million of them Soviets/Russians) in total had ended, there was no Peace Treaty formally ending World War II.  The City of Berlin was divided by a terrifying Wall, Germany was divided by an equally terrifying Fence and East and West (in Europe and in Asia, too) faced each other, in many Spots, through the Barrel of a Shotgun.

As of today, there has still been no Treaty signed formally ending World War II.  Technically, the United States, Russia (as Successor to the Soviet Union), England and France are still at War with Germany, Japan and Italy.  But nobody takes seriously, or even in Jest the Possibility of a Conflict in this Theatre.

In historical Terms, 50 Years is a short Time but in this Span of a little more than 50 Years, the increased and continuing Danger of Conflict in The Middle East has been widening not only in Amplitude but also territorially.  This Conflict which was initially (after the End of World War II) a Conflict basically encompassing the Debate between Israel and the Palestinians has now, under the Banner of Allah and Islam enveloped Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan, Lybia and, with perhaps more concern that has been accorded until now, Turkey as well.

Ethnically, the Mix is extremely diverse, involving not only Israeli Jews on the one Side but Pakistanis, Turks, Kurds, Persians and Arabs of various Colourations (including but limited to Sunnis and Shiites), to mention just a Few.  Wars costing Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, if not more, severalfold the Cost of World War II have been fought by Western Powers, including but not limited only to the United States.  Is there an End in Sight?  The current Conflict between Israel and the Hamas Faction of the Palestinians casts Doubt on that Hope.

We hear Talk about one Comprehensive Solution after another, grandiose Achievements, even Nobel Peace Prizes but, all these Things have proven, in Retrospect, to be, at best, just Band Aids.

Is there a Solution?  There doesn't seem to be one in Sight.  However, all Sides should think about the Fact that the gradual broadening in these Conflicts, now not just limited to the Israel/Palestinian Situation but also involving Countries, such as Egypt and Lybia which have basically become unstable after an ill thought out Policy of ,,Arab Spring'' pursued by Mrs. Clinton and others has simply succeeded in making the World a more dangerous Place to be.

The Cadence of these Conflicts is so rapid that one Event overshadows another and we can no longer even focus on some of the Conflicts which are still going on.

The Flareup of the Israeli Situation with Hamas in the Sinai Peninsula has just overshadowed Events in Syria where not much Attention is being paid anymore to what is going on.  Earlier, Syria overshadowed the Instability in Egypt and Lybia (where an American Ambassador lost his Life).  The Goings on in those Countries have pushed to the Back Stage whatever may be going on in Afghanistan, where, the Italians have left long ago, the French left this Week and the Germans as well as the British are getting ready to leave shortly.

A Dialogue, a serious Dialogue on what is going on and what may yet develop is indispensable.  We can only hope that the next Secretary of State President Obama will choose, will be more interested in opening and attracting Voices from All Sides to such a Dialogue, rather than ordering a new Airplane and focusing on setting a Record on how many Foreign Countries he or she will be visiting.

Happy Thanksgiving

The Vitznau News Team would like to wish all of our Readers and Friends

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Connections...Connections...Connections...just what is going on here?

Folks,

Let's try to understand this.

Paula Broadwell, is now being reported, has been a White House Visitor a Couple of Times (as far as we know, so far).

Mrs. Jill Kelley and Mrs. Paula Broadwell, both privileged Visitors to The White House

 

 

Mrs. Jill Kelley has been a Visitor to The White House as well, also numerous Times and even took her Sister, Mrs. Natalie Khawam, Esq. along, recently, just Days before the Scandal broke out.

 

 

Mrs. Kelley, it would also appear, considers herself to have a Modecum of Power and certainly, Lots of Connections...

 

Connections...Connections...Connections...amongst them...

 

General Petræus, General Allen, numerous other Generals, the Mayor of Tampa, Senator Marco Rubio (thusly, establishing her Bi-Partisan or ,,don't put all of your Eggs in one Basket'' Credentials) South Korean Officials, The King of Jordan (whom she met at The White House)...the List goes on and on and on...

 

Shades of the Salahis, now long faded into Memory who crashed a White House Reception?

 

 

Tareq and Michaele Salahi

 

 

Mrs. Kelley, so far as we know, a Private Citizen (other than her recently acquired Capacity as Honorary Consul of South Korea) appears to have acquired far more Ability that it is possible for any ordinary Private Citizen to come into contact with a broad Range of Public Officials and become involved in Matters of Public Policy.

Yet, Mrs. Kelley is now on a Campaign expressing vociferous Protests at having her ,,Privacy'' being invaded.

Should we be wondering about Mrs. Kelley's Logic, trying to have it both Ways?

 

 

 



Honesty and Integrity - The ,,All In'' Case

In Light of the sordid Petræus Affair, there has been a growing Chorus of Voices being raised in the Interest of Internet Privacy for the average Citizen.  Particularly of Concern to these Voices has been the Fact that the FBI has been able to access IP Addresses and track down Writers of eMails without a Court Warrant (although, it might quickly be added, if the FBI were to go before just about any Judge and raise National Security Concerns, it would take the lesser Part of 5 Seconds for most Judges to sign such a Warrant).  These Concerns carry a great Deal of Legitimacy.  Where these Concerns do not apply, however, is in the Area of Privacy for Public Officials.

Being a Public Official, especially a High Level Public Official has traditionally carried the Implication that such a Person surrenders his or her Privacy because of the High Level Position he or she holds (this is Public Service, not an Executive Position at General Motors, whether it be pre or post Bailout).  This Legal Principle has extended to Presidents, such as but not only Mr. Clinton, Senators, Representatives and other High Public Officials as well.  We do not believe we need to cite additional Examples.    Therefore, to argue, in this Circumstance, that General Petræus or General Allen might enjoy some Level of Privacy, especially, as it happens to be in this Case, where the Issues do not involve Intra Family Communications (,,Honey, what's for Dinner tonight,'' or ,,Honey, how are the Kids,'' etc.) is simply disingenuous.

It is also evident that he Communications that General Petræus had with Mr. Broadwell were salacious enough to where both he and Mrs. Broadwell went to great Lengths to maintain them remain secret.  The Focus of these Communications was not some covert CIA Operation or a Mission in Benghazi or something going on in Afghanistan, Iraq or elsewhere.  These were simply Communications involving an Extramarital Affair and, it must be emphasized, Mr. Petræus was and knew he was on Government Payroll; unless he would maintain now that he was writing and reading these complicated eMails involving Things such as Draft Folders and Cross Accessing Mrs. Broadwell's Account at home, while Mrs. Petræus was watching TV or something.

The other Personages involved in this Affair are deeply problematic.  Mrs. Natalie Khawam, who is Mrs. Jill Kelley's Twin Sister and a Lawyer, is involved in a nasty and bitter (Divorce) Custody Battle.  According to Court Records, she took her infant Child out of State without Court Authorisation or Permission, changed the Name of the Child and was found by a Judge to have a

 “stunning willingness to say anything, even under oath, to advance her own Interests.”

Attorney Natalie Khawam, Mrs. Jill Kelley's Twin Sister, here, from a Larger Photo showing Mrs. Khawam, Mr. and Mrs. Kelley and Mr. and Mrs. Petræus in the Kelleys Mansion

Those are pretty strong Words a Judge would use when referring to an Attorney.  The same Judge found Jill Kelley to be a

"patently biased and unbelievable Witness"

Ms. Kelley also seemed to have invoked, at least on one Instance, ,,Diplomatic Immunity.''  She seems to have recently gotten hold of the Title ,,Honorary Consul'' for, all of Places, South Korea.  Honorary Consuls do not enjoy the Privilege of Diplomatic Immunity except when they are on Official Business, which they rarely are.  Mrs. Kelley appears to have quickly developed an interest in pursuing Business Deals involving South Korea and, according to some Reports, began asking for Fees amounting to Tens of Millions of Dollars.  Earlier Reports that Mrs. Kelley was acting as some sort of a ,,Generals' Consul'' (which would have been inconsistent to Consular License Tags on her Automobile) have been proven false and were, more likely, an inept Plant.

Therefore, now, when we come across the Fact that General Allen wrote to the Court a Letter of Support on Behalf of Mrs. Khawam (Mrs. Kelley's Twin Sister), we can legitimately raise the Issue whether General Allen doesn't have his Hands full worring about the Taliban and the Future of Afghanistan, rather than why and how Mrs. Khawam, a Lawyer, took a Child across Interstate Lines without notifying any Court.

It would just seem that requiring a higher Standard from Public Officials, rather than a lower Standard (or the same Standard applicable to ordinary Citizens) is not unreasonable and neither is putting under Scrutiny any of their ongoings is unreasonable either.

Just a Couple of more Points.  Unconfirmed Reports have it that Mrs. Khawam, the Lawyer who should know better than taking a Child across Interstate Lines without Court Permission, lives in Mrs. Kelley's Mansion.

Ah, yes and also, while we are not able to definitively confirm, Mrs. Broadwell's Security Clearance has been revoked.

The one additional Personage who has just emerged was the mysterious FBI Agent to whom Mrs. Kelley went in the First Place, complaining about Mrs. Broadwell's anonymous eMails.  His Name is Frederick W. Humphries II, 47 and he has had a distinguished Career with the FBI.  Why Mr. Humphries would have sent shirtless Photos to Mrs. Kelley is yet to be revealed; however, Common Sense appears to suggest that, given the many Self Serving Statements which have been made by the various Individuals who have taken Part and still are in this Tragico/Comic Soap Opera with National Security Implications, it is best to wait out and see what emerges next.

Stay tuned.


 

ALL IN!!!

The Unfolding of the Story surrounding General Petræus continues at a dizzying Pace.  Senator Diane Feinstein from California compared it to ,,Peeling an Onion'' with one Revelation more startling than the one before unfolding before our Eyes.

Where all this will lead, nobody knows and, those who might possibly know are likely far more interested in ,,Damage Control'' than revealing what has been really going on.  Mika Brzeziński, Daughter of former distinguished Presidential Adviser, Zbigniew Brzeziński, a Man of, some would say, considerable Gravitas, expressed as much on her intellectually worth listening to TV Program today.

Most of us would agree that the rapidly unfolding Facts allow no Conclusions to be drawn at this Point; however, here at The Vitznau News Team, we thought we would highlight Compilation of some of what is known or believed to be known so far, along with the Concerns which these Pieces of Information raise:

§ Mr. Petræus and Mrs. Broadwell, both married, had an Extramarital Affair.

 

General Petræus and Mrs. Broadwell

 

§ Mrs. Broadwell appears to have been in Possession of some Classified Information, the Extent of which we do not know.  She did not have a Security Clearance.  How Mrs. Broadwell obtained this Information has not been revealed yet.

 

§ Mrs. Broadwell has made unverified Statements regarding ,,CIA Prisoners'' being held in Benghazi, Lybia at or around the Time of the Attack which killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.

 

§ Mrs. Broadwell perceived, correctly or incorrectly, that Mrs. Jill Kelley (née Khawam) was, or was about to become her potential Rival.

 

Mrs. Jill Kelley (née Khawam)

 

§ Mrs. Broadwell sent anonymous eMails, possibly as many as 20.000 to Mrs. Kelley, apparently in an Attempt to disrupt the Social Relationship which Mrs. Kelley states existed between the Kelleys and the Petræuses.

 

§ Mr. Petræus sought to convince Mrs. Broadwell, unsuccesfully, it would appear, from sending this Avalance of eMails to Mrs. Kelley.

 

§ Mrs. Kelley knew an FBI Agent who had sent to her shirtless Photographs.  She turned to this Agent (after she had received the shirtless Photographs) in an Attempt to have Mrs. Broadwell, (whose Identity she did not know because the eMails were sent anonymously or using fictitious eMails), stop what she considered to be Harassement.

 

§ Apparently not calculated in Mrs. Kelley's Consideration was the possible Emergence of, some say, 30.000 eMails or 30.000 Pages of eMails which she had exchanged with General John R. Allen, ISAF (Allied) Commander in Afghanistan, who was in Line for a Promotion.

 

 

General John R. Allen

 

§ General Allen has stated that there was no ,,Inappropriate Relationship'' between him and Mrs. Kelley but, at least for the Time being, his Promotion as Commander in Chief for NATO has been put on Ice.

 

§ Mrs. Kelley is a wealthy Socialite and, undisputedly, well connected in Military Circles.  Her Husband is a Surgeon.  Together they have 3 Children.  Either Mrs. Kelley or someone in the Kelley Family serves as an ,,Honorary Consul'' for somebody or something.

 

 

Mrs. Kelley and the Florida License Plate on her Mercedes Benz

 

§ All of the Principals in this bizarre unfolding Story have, understandably, gone ,,Under the Radar'' and made themselves unavailable for Press Interviews.  Some have hired Agents or Representatives to speak on their Behalf.  Mrs. Kelley has hired as her Spokeswoman Judy Smith, who represented, yeah, Monica Lewinsky and Abby Lowell, who represented John Edwards.

 

Judy Smith, here seen with Monica Lewinsky

 

§ We need not tell you, President Clinton is ,,Under the Radar'' on this one.

 

§ Nobody ,,knew'' anything about this until after the Election.

 

Stayed tuned and, to any and all Readers of this Column; any News or developing Stories on this Saga, which appears to be quickly becoming more than just a little ,,Story'' about Sexual Escapades, please drop us a Note.  We welcome, indeed, seek to hear from all of you.

 

N. B. The Title of Mrs. Broadwell's Book about General Petræus is ,,ALL IN'' (whatever she meant by that) and, while we do not know if this is ,,ALL IN'' yet, neither does it appear to be ,,ALL OUT.''

 



 

We have a Little more to show you (but, from this Source, it is going to be for free...)

Ah, the iPhone 5.  Apple was hoping that everyone would want to have the new iPhone 5 the Moment it hit the Market.  Without doing some advanced (and totally useless) Research as to how adept Apple has become at creating percieved ,,Shortages'' we cannot know exactly what happened but, in any Event, the ,,Shortage'' of iPhone 5's did not materialize.  You can buy an iPhone 5 wherever you want, even bargain over the Price but, either Way, it is still going to mean that you will need to fork over a considerable Sum of Money which will be good only until the ,,next Generation'' iPhone 5 1/2 or iPhone 6 or who possibly knows what Number.  But, anyways...one of the Reasons why the iPhone 5 is presumably considered so ,,cool'' is because of that new Apple Clock...sleek...21st Century Design...all black with a red Second Hand which has a round little Dot on it.

iPhone 5 showing the SBB-CFF-FFS Clock designed by Swíss Electro Engineer and Inventor Hans Hilfiker in 1944

 

Folks, if that Clock was one of the main Reasons if not the main Reason why you would have wanted an Apple Clock, we have a Money Saving Solution for you.  Without interfering with any of Apple's grandiose Plans, such as the little Boat (Yacht) that Steve Jobs ordered and had built before he died.

 

,,Venus,'' the Yacht Steve Jobs ordered to be built while he was still alive and which was just recently finished, in October 2012.

 

And, without violating any of Apple's fiercely guarded Patents, either.  As a Matter of Fact, the so called ,,Apple Clock'' is not an Apple Invention at all, nor is it sleek 21st Century.  The Clock is a Railroad Station Clock, dating back to the 1940's and belonging to the Swiss National Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS).  Apple ,,mistakenly'' adopted the Design.  So much for Observing other People's Trademarks.  However, you/we need not worry.  For one Thing, apparently Apple has quickly reached a Royalty Agreement with the Swiss National Railways whereby it can use the SBB-CFF-FFS Clock by Permission.

 

 

The Good News we have to give you is, if you want an ,,Apple Clock,'' or, more correctly, an SBB-CFF-FFS Clock, developed in 1944 by Swiss Electro Engineer and Inventor Hans Hilfiker, you need not buy an iPhone 5 or even get in touch with Apple.

 

The Swiss National Railways offers one for downloading at no Cost; all you need to go is go to the following Site:

 

http://www.sbb.ch/freizeit-ferien/allgemeine-informationen/wallpaper/sbb-uhr.html

 

A large, small and even a Mac OS System Clock are available.  Keep your Money and maybe next Time when Apple will have ,,a little more to show you'' it won't be from 1944 or, who knows, may be it won't be from Apple at all.

 

 



 

High Class and, let's not forget, President Clinton

General David H. Petræus has just announced his Resignation as Chief of the CIA, not particularly because he was involved in an ,,Extramarital Affair'' with another Woman, also married, Paula Broadwell, but because an FBI Investigation into the Incident suggested that



Security Breaches might have been involved.  Details into what exactly happened are still unfolding but, apparently, another Woman (not Mrs. Petræus), may have played a Role in blowing the Lid.

Mrs. Broadwell, who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, seen above in a not too spartan Government (possibly military) Executive Jet, together with Mr. Petræus, gives expanded Meaning to the all too oft heard Phrase, ,,Your Tax Dollars at Work,'' Rosewood Paneling and all.  So far as it is known until now, the Decision to resign was Mr. Petræus's own and he received no Pressure from the President to do so.  If this is true, Mr. Petræus is to be commended for doing so in a Responsible Manner, even though, his Decision may not help very much the Explaining which he will have to do to Mrs. Petræus (who also just happens to come from a military Family with a distinguished Lineage which stretches all the Way back to the Civil War).

What is lamentable, we believe, is not only the Appearance (if not the Actual) Breach(es) of Security which may have ocurred, but also the Intertwining of such Relationships between current and former Government Officials.  Mrs. Broadwell worked for the Military for 15 Years and is a West Point Graduate.  Mrs. Petræus works for the Government, too.  So far, this Column has not been able to find out who the ,,Third Woman'' works for or what her Identity is.

What is possibly even more lamentable, though, is the Lavish and Praise that former President Clinton currently enjoys (still), despite having been involved in a Situation which was not all that different than the ,,Pickle'' General Petræus suddenly finds himself in.

So far as we know, General Petræus did not call and ask President Clinton how he might have been able to handle the Situation.  Is it possible that President Clinton's salacious Relationship with Monica Lewinsky, whatever it was, was such that President Clinton was just ,,Too big to fail'' and, thusly, General Petræus decided to forego such Advice?

 

Help APPLE Stock recover! Help China! Help Retail Sales by buying an iPad at Walmart! and GOOD LUCK!!!

http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/walmart-ipad-throwing-employee-video-it-made-us-wince-1C6979906

 

Who cares?

We want to write in this Column about Things that use, abuse and irritate our Minds.  For those who want to and those who care about such Things, of course.  And we invite, actually want both critical and vigorous Agreement and Dissent from all of you, because we value the Opinion of everyone who reads or glances at this Column.

The Subjects that capture our Attention are those which appear in the News and which, we believe, are likely to have a short or long Term Effect on our Lives and the Lives of those around us.

It stands to Reason that, due to obvious Limits, not all Subjects which could be addressed are.  They simply cannot be.  And, although the Subjects chosen for Discussion are chosen on the Basis of some Modecum of Importance, we want to emphasize, there is no particular Effort to assign a Ranking Order.

Still, one must ignore, dismiss, many Subjects which deserve some Discussion and, sadly (fortunately?), many, many more which do not deserve either Discussion or Attention, in our Opinion.  Of those which do not, it sometimes makes us wonder, just how some Things even rise to the Level of meriting Attention from the News Wires.

Today, one such Example just fleetingly paraded across.

http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2012/11/10/15075019-justin-bieber-and-selena-gomez-break-up-source-says?lite

Folks, who cares, who should really even care what Justin Bieber does?  Who cares who Selena Gomez even is?  Why are these People important and why should they even be annointed with a Modecum of Importance?  What Effect has what they do or do not do in Bed, or outside of their Bedrooms on your Lives?  Don't we have more important Things to do?  Are you better off today than you were 4 Days ago, 4 Months ago or 4 Years ago, as a former President formulated the Question a few short Decades ago and just how does Justin Bieber and whoever his Girlfriend/Sexual Partner might be, past, current or present have anything to do with it?

Let us concentrate on the Issues which need our Attention, Understanding and Action and let Justin Bieber Distractions and the Like to just fend for themselves.  They are not Part of the 99% nor do they have any Intention to become Part of it anytime soon.

Cordially,

The Vitznau News Team
 

Correction: $ 4 Billion, not $ 1 Billion

In our last Writing, we reported that Cost of the Presidential Election (counting Money spent by both Parties), exceeded $ 1 Billion, an Amount most People would simply find as staggering.  However, as more Figures keep pouring they are suggesting that the Amount spent most certainly was closer to $ 2 Billion.  Some Estimates put the Amount spent (including the Money spent by Political Action Committees, which are not directly tied to the Campaigns) to $ 4 Billion.

Still other Reports suggest that, on the Average, approximately $ 20,00 was spent for each Vote Cast.

Some of us may remember Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen, who hailed from a Town with the improbable Name of Pekin, Illinois and who was also a Playwright (notably, ,,Chinese Love'') who said, ,,A Billion Dollars here, a Billion Dollars there, pretty soon you are talking abour real Money!''

These Kinds of Sums of Money, wantonly spent, some might say, by both Candidates and those who supported them, sometimes call into Question the Resolution and Determination which will be required by the winning Candidate, Mr. Obama, to deal with the Challenges ahead.

The immediate Issue facing the Nation at this Time (and we are not dismissing further ones down the Horizon) is the so called ,,Fiscal Cliff'' which must be dealt, rather than ,,kicking the Can forward'' which is what most likely will happen.

Mr. Romney, despite his Rhetoric, did not really have a Plan for dealing with the financial Challenges which face this Country.  However, Mr. Obama does not have one either.  And, neither does the Republican House of Representatives which is determined to fight him Tooth and Nail on allowing the 10% Cut for High Income Tax  Brackets to expire.

In recent Years, ,,Borrow from China'' has been the Solution.  In a very real Sense, China has even financed the ill fated and poorly thought out Wars that Mr. Bush initiated in Afghanistan and Iraq and which, although being wound down, still represent an enormous Drain on the Economy.  When it comes to certain Things, Costs are not really so easy to cut, even when the Project is brought to an End (Take, for Example, in Iraq, an Embassy employing 15.000 People, the largest Embassy in the World for any Country).

But the Strategy ,,Borrow from China'' may be fraught with Peril.  The Chinese have been willing to lend and they may still be willing to lend, even at ,,Basement'' Interest Rates.  However, it may well be that the Chinese may soon come to the Point where they cannot lend anymore in order to feed such a voracious Apetite for Deficits, simply because, they won't have any more Money to lend, no matter which Way they ,,manipulate'' their Currency.