Why Barney Frank's Campaign For Senate Didn't Work

Governor Deval Patrick introduces Mo Cowan at a press conference in Boston on Wednesday. Image by Brian Snyder / Reuters

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick's appointment of Mo Cowan, his former chief of staff, to the interim Senate seat vacated by John Kerry came as a surprise to many who expected the governor to choose retiring Rep. Barney Frank. But among the Massachusetts political class, the pick wasn't a shock: Frank's campaign never worked on the only person whose vote he needed.
"I predicted Mo Cowan weeks ago," said Mary Anne Marsh, a Boston Democratic operative and political analyst. "I've been hearing it for weeks."
"Here's what happened to Barney," Marsh said. "His campaign peaked too soon and he pissed Patrick off by campaigning."
Frank had been telling reporters he would be open to taking the interim Senate seat made available by Kerry's nomination as Secretary of State, and had built up a sense of momentum among progressive activists. It was a momentum that was more D.C. myth than reality, even despite a boost from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who called Frank an "extraordinary" option for the job and referred to him as "my tutor, my guide."
"The governor had been clear that what he really wanted was a person who would be a caretaker, make sure the clocks run on time, and vote the way Kerry would have," said one Democratic operative in Boston. "Those are all the things Barney would have done, but it's the extra stuff he would have done that, the extra flair he would have brought to things, that the gov didn't want."
"Everything that Mo's going to do has a big stamp on it that says 'approved by Deval Patrick,'" the operative said. "Barney has his own agenda."
"It ended up being two completely closed circles operating: One around the gov making the pick, and then the frenzy around picking Barney. But I don't think it was ever very serious here — to the extent that you can lobby for the job, I don't think Barney really did it."
Patrick has been trying to push a number of policies through in the last two years of his term, and was recently holding multiple press conferences each week, where reporters would inevitably ask him about Frank. The questions were viewed as a distraction that Patrick didn't want. "He doesn't want to have to talk about everything Barney says," said the operative.
Three weeks ago, Doug Rubin, who ran both of Patrick's gubernatorial campaigns and served as his chief of staff before Cowan, tweeted in favor of picking someone other than Frank: "I respect Cong. Frank and what he has accomplished, but there are better options for MA Senate interim appointment," Rubin wrote. The tweet was viewed in Boston as a signal from Patrick's camp that he wouldn't be picking Frank.
Frank could have also become a liability in the upcoming race to fill the Senate seat for real: "While Frank might have been a positive force for the Democrat running this spring, he almost certainly would also have served as a rhetorical whipping boy for the Republican candidate, providing a handy way to rally the conservative base," wrote Jerold Duquette, a political science professor.
At this point in his career, Patrick has nothing to lose politically if he picks who he wants.
"There's no political downside for Patrick in picking Mo because he's not running for reelection," Marsh said.
Democratic activists "will be disappointed," Marsh said, a prediction that's already being borne out: The Progressive Change Campaign Committee released a statement on Wednesday morning that said, "With Social Security and Medicare on the line, Massachusetts needs a senator who will work hand-in-hand with Elizabeth Warren to oppose any cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security benefits. We hope Sen. Cowan will be that strong senator, especially since his actions will reflect back on Governor Patrick."
But regardless, Cowan isn't expected to try to run for the full term this spring.
"This is going to be a very short political career," he told a reporter at a press conference announcing his appointment on Wednesday.

North Korea warn South over UN sanctions

North Korea has issued another warning, a day after announcing plans for a third nuclear test.

In a statement, Pyongyang pledged "physical counter-measures" against South Korea if it participated in the UN sanctions regime.

The threat came 24 hours after North Korea said it would proceed with a "high-level" nuclear test in a move aimed at "arch-enemy" the US.

The White House condemned the move, labelling it "needlessly provocative".

North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests in the past, in 2006 and 2009. It gave no time-frame for its third test.

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Regional media coverage

North Korea's tirade against the UN Security Council resolution has not been received kindly by media commentators among its key neighbours.

The editorial in China's Global Times took a stern tone warning that if nuclear tests took place, "China will not hesitate to reduce its assistance to North Korea". And the People's Daily urged calm and sobriety.

South Korea's JoongAng Daily labels the posture as "Pyongyang's over-the-top hawkishness", arguing that it shows Kim Jong-un is having trouble settling in. The Chosun Ilbo predicts that those "doves" who support dialogue will lose ground.

Japan's Asahi Shimbun reserves its fire for China in the event of a "lenient attitude" by the regional power to nuclear tests, saying such an approach will only serve to destabilise the region.

Its announcement followed the adoption by the UN Security Council of a resolution condemning North Korea's recent rocket launch and extending sanctions.

North Korea says its rocket launch was for the sole purpose of putting a satellite into orbit; the US and North Korea's neighbours say it was a test of long-range missile technology banned under UN resolutions.

'Declaration of war'
The second warning in two days came in a statement from the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, carried by KCNA news agency.

"If the puppet group of traitors takes a direct part in the UN 'sanctions', the DPRK (North Korea) will take strong physical counter-measures against it," it said, referring to the South Korean leadership.

"'Sanctions' mean a war and a declaration of war against us."

The UN resolution, passed on Tuesday, expanded existing sanctions against Pyongyang that were imposed after its previous nuclear tests and rocket launches.

Washington has also expanded its own sanctions against North Korea, with targets including a Hong Kong-based trading company and two North Korean bank officials based in Beijing.

On Thursday, it spoke out against a third nuclear test.

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North Korean nuclear tests

Two underground nuclear tests have been carried out by North Korea, in 2006 and 2009
They were believed to have used plutonium, but experts believe the planned test could use highly-enriched uranium as the fissile material
Analysts say a new test tunnel has been prepared in Punggye-ri, the site of the previous tests
North Korea is thought to have enough nuclear material for a small number of bombs, but not the technology to make a nuclear warhead
Multiple rounds of multi-national talks have failed to convince Pyongyang give up nuclear ambitions
North Korea's nuclear tests
Q&A: North Korea's nuclear programme
"Further provocations would only increase Pyongyang's isolation, and its continued focus on its nuclear and missile programme is doing nothing to help the North Korean people," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.

Beijing has called for dialogue, urging all parties to act with restraint and "look at the long-term interest".

But an editorial in China's state-run Global Times appeared to hint at exasperation.

"If North Korea engages in further nuclear tests, China will not hesitate to reduce its assistance," the editorial said.

Both North Korea's previous nuclear tests followed long-range rocket launches.

Breaking badge

The signatures
In recent years, the car industry has assimilated some unwritten rules. For one, automakers must produce blockbuster commercials around major sporting events, lest their financial health be questioned by Monday-morning quarterbacks. Just as ironclad is the rule that their marketers must champion their clients' adherence to "brand DNA".

And at some point, whether by a cabal of industry executives and designers or by the will of the free market, it was decided that all new cars would wear a circular badge on the centre of their trunks - or "boots" in the UK. If a brand did not happen to have a corporate badge handy, tough tarmac; it was high time to go get one.

Branding gurus on New York's Madison Avenue are convinced that companies can conjure a badge as iconic as the Coca-Cola logo, Apple emblem or Ford blue oval. They are wrong, but it does not stop them from trying.

There are, however, rumblings of rebellion against the badge dictate. Non-conformity is afoot particularly in the studios of carmakers like Volvo, Chrysler and Ford. These are brands that have long been on board with the centre-badge practice, but are beginning to release products that chart new, iconoclastic courses.

Royal massacre of Nepal

US Mumbai attacks plotter given 35 years in prison

A US man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for his key role in plotting the deadly Mumbai attacks in 2008.

David Coleman Headley, 52, was sentenced on 12 counts, including conspiracy to aid militants from the Pakistani group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) who carried out the attacks.

Headley pleaded guilty and co-operated to avoid the death penalty and extradition to India.

More than 160 people were killed by gunmen during the assault.

After initially denying the charges, Hadley eventually pleaded guilty and admitted to scouting potential target locations in Mumbai.

He also confessed to helping plan an aborted plot to behead staff at a Danish newspaper that had published a cartoon many Muslims deemed offensive.

'Unfathomable damage'
Headley had faced life imprisonment but US District Judge Harry Leinenweber said he had taken into account the American's co-operation in the case, even if "the damage that was done was unfathomable".

"I don't have any faith in Mr Headley when he says he's a changed person and believes in the American way of life," Judge Leinenweber said during Thursday's verdict.

Headley was born Daood Gilani to a Pakistani father and American mother but changed his name to David Coleman Headley in 2006 "to present himself in India as an American who was neither Muslim nor Pakistani", prosecutors said.

Headley is alleged to have told prosecutors that he had been working with LeT since 2002.

He was arrested by FBI agents in Chicago in October 2009 while trying to board a plane for Philadelphia.

Earlier this month, Canadian-Pakistani businessman Tahawwur Rana was jailed in Chicago for 14 years for his role in the 2008 attacks.

Headley had been the government's star witness against Rana, an old friend from their days in a Pakistani military school.

On 17 January, Rana was found guilty of providing material support to LeT and helping to plan an aborted attack on Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. He was, however, cleared of playing a role in the Mumbai attacks.

The 60-hour assault on Mumbai began on 26 November 2008. Attacks on the railway station, luxury hotels and a Jewish cultural centre claimed 166 lives. Nine gunmen were also killed.

The only surviving attacker, Pakistani Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, was executed in India last November.

Pentagon ends ban on women in frontline combat

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has lifted the military's ban on women serving in combat roles, potentially opening hundreds of thousands of frontline positions to women.

The ruling, officially announced on Thursday, overturns a 1994 rule barring women from small ground-combat units.

But the military will have until 2016 to argue for any specific posts they think should remain closed to women.

President Barack Obama welcomed the "historic step".

At a Pentagon press conference, Mr Panetta said: "Female service members have faced the reality of combat, proving their willingness to fight and, yes, to die to defend their fellow Americans."

'Valour knows no gender'
He acknowledged a complaint frequently voiced by women denied combat roles - that military careers are hindered by a lack of combat experience.

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Analysis


Paul Adams
BBC News, Washington
General Martin Dempsey and Defence Secretary Leon Panetta made it clear that this move is about recognising reality: women have been serving in combat for years. But while historic, the fact that the two men have rescinded the 1994 rule doesn't herald an era of automatic changes throughout the military.

Gen Dempsey's 9 January memo noted that the time had come to eliminate all "unnecessary" gender-based barriers to service. It follows that there may be plenty of "necessary" barriers. It is now the job of service chiefs, over the next three years, to identify where those barriers lie.

The expectation is that a large proportion of the 237,000 positions now closed to women will open. But even if certain units (special operations, for example) remain off limits, Gen Dempsey says he thinks today's move will have wider benefits, including tackling the military's problem with sexual harassment.

"I fundamentally believe that our military is more effective when success is based solely on ability and qualifications and on performance," said Mr Panetta.

Military chiefs will be asked to report back to Mr Panetta by 15 May on their initial plans to implement the new policy.

A senior defence official said about 237,000 jobs would be newly open to women "who can meet the standards".

President Barack Obama said: "This milestone reflects the courageous and patriotic service of women through more than two centuries of American history and the indispensable role of women in today's military.

"Many have made the ultimate sacrifice, including more than 150 women who have given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan - patriots whose sacrifices show that valour knows no gender."

Mr Panetta hopes to have the process complete by 2016.

The US is likely to have withdrawn all combat troops from Afghanistan well ahead of that time.

Some jobs are expected to be opened to women this year, while others - including for special forces such as the Navy Seals and the Delta Force - could take longer.


Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth is a high-profile US combat veteran
One of the most high-profile female combat veterans in America is US Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat who lost her legs when the Army helicopter she was piloting in Iraq was shot down.

On Thursday, she quipped on NBC's Today show: "I didn't lose my legs in a bar fight. I'm pretty sure I was in combat."

Restrictions were first eased a year ago, when the Pentagon opened up 14,500 roles, closer to the frontline, which had previously been off limits to female personnel.

In November, a group of four women in the military sued the defence department over the ban, arguing that it was unconstitutional.

One of the plaintiffs, Marine Corps Capt Zoe Bedell, said existing rules had blocked her advancement in the Marines.

During the Iraq and Afghan wars, US female military personnel have worked as medics, military police and intelligence officers, sometimes attached but not formally assigned to frontline units.

As of 2012, more than 800 women were wounded in those wars, and more than 150 have died.

Women comprise 14% of America's 1.4 million active military personnel.