Monthly Archives: July 2008

McCain’s “Knowledge Gap”

By Ray Watkins | Published: July 21, 2008
Indeed, there are plenty of sharp policy wonks on the wrong side of any issue. The President doesn't have to be a master of detail. He has advisors. But he has to at least learn enough from his advisors to be able to make an informed decision. McCain doesn't seem to be able to do this, and his mistakes seem to be more about ideological blindness and political deception than a lack of education. McCain's nonsense about Al-Qaeda is remarkably similar to one of the major deceptions that got us into Iraq in the first place, when the Bush administration managed to convince the majority of Americans that Saddam Hussein was tied to Al-Qaeda and even to the September 11 terrorist...
Posted in Economics, Writing | Comments closed

Think Again RPCVs: Robert L. Strauss Revisited

By Ray Watkins | Published: July 18, 2008
Most Peace Corps volunteer placements will be in soft positions where big steps towards progress are not feasible. I have sent some students into Peace Corps. One gave up after 6 months. The other stayed an extra year and when her project failed because of local government interference it broke her heart. The idea of bringing high school students to rural Haiti is ridiculous. I have been with undergraduate and graduate students. They have to be mature enough to deal with what they have to live in. College grads are just barely mature enough to be away from home in a strange country. Not to sound like I am a Pollyanna for the Corps, but I do think that Volunteers have a...
Posted in Autobiographical, Economics, Online Places, Professional, Writing | Comments closed