Intelligencer

Kelly in Control

AMIDST all the claims in recent weeks about the latest terrorist warnings, it was hard to find a sane voice about where things exactly stood.

There was one, however — New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, who has more and more become the figure that the experts go to discover unvarnished truth rather than hype, political grandstanding or speculation.

Apparently the White House thinks so, too. Senior officials now trust his opinions so much that he is part of the top-secret daily briefings on the terrorism threat. Kelly now has access to every scrap of information and has become a major voice in the White House on how to handle the terror threat in New York City.

Such access would have been considered impossible before September 11, but it is a measure of the esteem that Kelly now enjoys that he is such an integral part of the decision making process.

So when Kelly stood beside New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg last week and agreed with him that a major threat existed, it was enough for many experts to assume that it was indeed a real crisis.

Unlike many in the White House or indeed in the opposition, Kelly is not going to use the threat of terrorism in any political way. He is the ultimate straight cop, doing his duty to the best of his ability.

Ironically, perhaps as a result of that there are some who believe he could easily become mayor of New York City at some point. Kelly has denied any political ambitions and he certainly has his hands full at present but comes the time, comes the man, and some are not ruling it out in a post-Bloomberg era.

Flynn on the Outs

TWO columnists for the Irish Echo, Michael Quinlan and Terry Golway, lamented that former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn appeared to have very little chance of catching on with John Kerry’s campaign despite his undoubted role in securing Kerry’s first major victory in his U.S. Senate race in 1984. The clear indication was that Flynn deserved consideration for a position of influence.

Such an argument flies in the face of a major reality, however. Flynn campaigned for George W. Bush in 2000 after a fierce falling out over the issue of abortion with Democrats. It would be near impossible for the Kerry team to consider him for any position in the campaign as a result of that.

Both articles appeared to soft-peddle the Flynn role in 2000 on behalf of Bush, but anytime you have a former ambassador to the Vatican appointed by a Democratic president working for the opposition, it is bound to leave bad memories on the Democratic side – and it is proving that way, we understand.

Reiss Can’t Catch a Break

POOR Mitchell Reiss! The Bush special envoy to Ireland can hardly catch a break since his appointment.

First he made a statement that Nationalists should join the new police service in Northern Ireland which caused uproar, and now he has annoyed Unionists just as much.

Reiss actually spoke the truth last week when he stated that Orange marches through Nationalist areas were exercises in provocation and were very damaging for the peace process.

Judging by the Unionist reaction you would believe Reiss had said that Gerry Adams was a saint.

The amount of bluster and posturing from leading politicians was stunning despite the fact Reiss told the simple unvarnished truth. Demanding to walk through Catholic areas where they are not wanted is the worst kind of supremacist behavior imaginable. Reiss was merely stating the obvious.

Perhaps the special envoy may now have retrieved his reputation as an equal opportunity offender in Northern Ireland which may make him acceptable ultimately on both sides. Certainly, neither side can now claim that he is only partial to the other point of view.

Reiss’s statements and the subsequent reaction make it clear what a minefield Northern Ireland is for an American envoy. That makes it all the more remarkable that the men who preceded him, Richard Haass and Senator George Mitchell, in the main appeared to avoid such pitfalls.

GOP Seeks to Match Dems

IRISH American Republicans will have to stage quite a show at the upcoming convention in New York to match what was done at the Democratic convention in Boston.

The Irish American Democrats had a hugely successful get together on the Sunday before the event. Senator Hillary Clinton came along to speak, and there was a sense that the organization has now become a key player in the ethnic outreach efforts of the party.

Then there was Senator Edward Kennedy’s bash, which was also a huge success. Star guest was rock star Bono, and he personally thanked the Massachusetts senator for all he had done for Ireland.

On the Wednesday of the conference the main ethnic organization headed by New York lawyer Brian O’Dwyer held a very successful gathering in the city center. Again the sense was that Irish concerns were being listened to, and that the ethnic outreach this time was far better than it was in the Gore campaign.

Now it is the turn of the Republicans, and doubtless the coterie of Irish around Mayor Bloomberg and Governor George Pataki are planning events that will outdo or match the efforts of the Irish American Democrats. It will certainly be interesting to see how it works out.

Kerry’s Immigration Promise

PERHAPS even more interesting than his statement on Northern Ireland in his election book of promises is John Kerry’s advocacy of immigration reform. Kerry promises that within 100 days of assuming the presidency he will introduce a major immigration bill.

It is not hard to see why Irish advocates would welcome such a step. It is becoming increasingly clear that strong opposition within President Bush’s party has doomed any efforts at immigration reform this year.

However, if Kerry were to assume office and deliver on his pledge we could be in an entirely different position by March or so of next year. That could not come soon enough for an Irish community suffering more than most from the September 11 fallout.