Roger Duncan

Podcast: Local politics 10/29

Jim Boren and Bill McEwen say, "Let the Parra-Florez fued begin" in this week's political chat.

[LISTEN TO PODCAST] | [ARCHIVE ON ITUNES]

Still rings true

Recent developments at the state and national levels seem to confirm what James A. Farley, late postmaster general, wrote in 1948:

"The hazards of politics come not from campaigns and elections, as might be supposed, but rather from the nature of the creature that engages in politics. Ambition, love, jealousy, hate and the many emotions and reactions man is heir to frequently affect the course of nation and world more than principles or circumstances or events."

Philip Tavlian

JOHN RAINEY

Age: 61

Home: Lemoore.

Occupation: Retired Caltrans land surveyor.

Editorial Page Editor and Vice President

Jim Boren, a 35-year employee of The Fresno Bee, is the newspaper's editorial page editor, overseeing production of the opinion pages. He also writes a column that appears in the Vision section of Sunday's Bee. Boren covered politics for The Bee for 15 years prior to moving to the editorial pages in 1995. He has covered every level of politics, including city council elections, governor races and presidential campaigns. Boren's current column focuses on politics and government policy. One of his columns led to the creation of the annual Rose Ann Vuich Award for Ethical Leadership, which recognizes local elected officials who have met high ethical standards. A native of Fresno, Boren graduated from California State University, Fresno, with a degree in journalism.

'Rash foolishness'

Sen Harry Reid said the "war in Iraq" is lost. He is wrong. We won the war in Iraq. It's over. In May 2003, when President Bush declared "mission accomplished," he was right. The Iraqi government was successfully overthrown and the weapons of mass destruction were not there.

What is "lost" or failed, if you will, is the occupation. Our military cannot be defeated, but as the generals have said, there is no military solution, only a political one. There is no defined enemy to "defeat."

President Bush cannot seem to understand that and appears only capable of thinking in terms of a military solution.