GPS with Fareed Zakaria - A Must Watch Show!

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If I've said it once, I'll say it a thousand times - GPS with Fareed Zakaria is a MUST WATCH show for anyone interested in a balanced and refreshingly global take on current events. It is also an excellent source for reading material, first hand international reporting, and excellent interviews - all accessible on-line (http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/fareed.zakaria.gps/)

His most recent shows have been focusing on both the current paralysis in the US government and the Iran dilemma.

Regarding the state of affairs at home, he has a particularly on-target assessment of the public's role in producing the government paralysis at hand - and at the same time railing against it for abstract reasons. Echoing many posts on The Cohen Side, Zakaria also is exasperated over the desire of so many to have government DO and SPEND less, yet without the accompanying specifics and without the will to sacrifice the government benefit that is their own "sacred cow." He is also perplexed and amazed at the way this has somehow re-positioned the Republicans as "champions" of certain government programs - like Medicaid - that for years has been on the chopping block for them, like so many other human service related entitlements.

And regarding Iran, Zakaria has always had a more reasoned approach than many in government. When most simply portray Iran as being ruled by a set of demonic clerics and an insane President, he explains the very real goals an aspirations of Iran - based on years of mistrust of the West, a desire to have a hegemony over their sphere of influence in the region, and a defiance of the double standards of the United States that make complete sense. (Why can't we have Nukes if Israel and Pakistan can?) What he explains is that we need to embrace those realities and understand them - as we make the case for containing Iran - with REASONED ARGUMENTS - like telling them they maybe could have nukes if they didn't do things like threaten the destruction of Israel, or destabilize the globe by selling arms to Hezbulah and Hamas - which Israel and Pakistan really don't do.

To be critical for one moment, he had a fascinating interview with James Baker this past weekend, but I wish he had hit him harder. Baker was on as the senior statesman criticizing Washington paralysis - yet made two glaringly partisan digs that I wish had been followed up on. When Zakaria was trying to get Baker to criticize the approaches of both parties, all he did was follow the Republican party line about how bad spending was. When asked to also comment on the inadvisability of Tax Cuts - at this time, all he was willing to say was "Well you will get the deficits down more quickly." Its like when conservatives agree that cutting green house gasses will certainly help the environment - yet don't really support them in political practice. And to follow that one, when asked about how obstructionist the Republicans have been about health care, he joked about not knowing much about it but not liking it because he "heard" that it meant granny and grandpa would have the plug pulled on them. Huh? The eminent statesmen doesn't know any details about the most contentious debate in years and then drops a Palin- esque "death panel" bomb like that - in a joke? It was all calculated and well executed. Get on the show by appearing to criticize everyone - and then once you're on - only REALLY criticize the policies of the left. Nicely done James.

I will expand more with these lines of thought in subsequent posts. But please, if you haven't already, give this show a try. (DVR 10am Sundays on CNN)

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