Intelligencer

O’Hare Gets Visa Back

Rita O’Hare, Sinn Fein’s U.S. representative, has been granted a visa to travel here after being refused one a few weeks back when she wanted to accompany Martin McGuinness on his trip to New York and Washington, D.C.

The visa denial caused a major stir as it was the first time in years that a senior Sinn Fein figure had been blocked from the U.S. Sinn Fein opponents said the denial was a major blow for the party and was the beginning of a much tougher policy towards the Irish Republican political wing.

O’Hare was scheduled to come to the U.S. this week after receiving the visa, but a death in the family will prevent her from traveling.

However, she will be back in the U.S. in the near future, especially as major developments are expected from the IRA in that time frame.

Sinn Fein will certainly be happy that the visa has been restored. There was much puzzlement after the visa was denied because both U.S. special envoy Mitchell Reiss and U.S. Ambassador to Ireland James Kenny had both been in favor of it.

Obviously Sinn Fein’s access to the U.S. will depend on what the IRA says in its upcoming statement. There is no doubt that whoever blocked the O’Hare visa on the last occasion was trying to send a message to that effect.

King Cooling on IRA?

IS Congressman Peter King cooling faster than a boiled egg in a blizzard on the IRA?

That was certainly the implication from a lengthy article in the New York Sun last week, written by long time Northern commentator Ed Moloney.

The headline said it all — “Rep. King and the IRA: The End of An Extraordinary Affair?” The gist of the article was that since September 11 King had begun distancing himself from his old Republican (in the Irish sense) colleagues and had become disillusioned with them.

King, the article noted, had also soured on Ireland generally since September 11 because of anti-Americanism there. “I don’t buy that it’s just anti-Bush. There’s a certain unpleasant trait that the Irish have, and it’s begrudgery ... and resentment towards the Americans,” he said in the interview.

King has harsh words for the IRA, saying he might feel obliged to speak out against them if they do not call a complete cessation soon.

The article set tongues wagging in the Irish community, as it has been clear for some time that King no longer embraces the Irish issue as he once did.

However, on closer scrutiny, King is saying in the article what other Irish American politicians have been saying for some time — that the IRA needs to go out of business, and that Sinn Fein needs to forge a political path alone.

The spin in the article may also have come in part from the writer, Moloney, well known as a Gerry Adams critic, who moved to the U.S. a few years after the peace process began.

Of course, it would do King no harm to keep his distance at present, given the fact that he is in line for a major job running the Homeland Security sub committee in the House.

King is that rarest of politicians, a maverick who is not afraid to speak his mind, such as when he voted against his party on the Clinton impeachment. We may be witnessing another contrarian move by the Long Island representative.

When Will Statement Come?

The rumor mill is already rife in Ireland as to when the IRA statement of their intent will be made. There was much speculation it would be before the end of June, but then the marching season trouble began and it was speculated that any statement would come after the worst of the season was over.

In the past few weeks Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have certainly being giving signals that there was an immediate expectation of a statement. However, long experience has shown that the IRA decides their own timing, and even current events do not shape their thinking.

It is a long-term game for the IRA, but they are not necessarily adept at the political game. Often times they have made statements that did not go far enough, were ill timed or just plain made little sense.

There is no question on this occasion they are taking every opportunity to get it right, which is as it should be. The timing ultimately, is not nearly as important as the statement itself. Getting it right is much more important than getting it quick.

Gov Race Heats Up

New York Governor George Pataki is expected to announce soon whether he is going to seek a fourth term as governor of the state. Given his low poll ratings, the experts seem to think it is a long shot that he will go again.

All of which sets up an interesting scenario for two Irish American politicians, the aforementioned Peter King and Albany area Congressman John Sweeney, who is particularly ambitious to take a crack at the governor’s mansion.

Indeed, Sweeney is so keen that he recently made a public statement urging Pataki to make up his mind, believing as many Republicans do that the race now is frozen, with Democrat Eliot Spitzer as the odds on front runner and no named Republican in sight.

Is it possible King could run for governor? It is a long shot, but the Long Island rep is one of the few Republican politicians in the state with name recognition.

If the powerful Long Island lobby, led by former Senator Al D’Amato, were to get behind him, it could become an interesting proposition.