What Might Have Been

David Trimble must really be thinking a lot about his years in power in Northern Ireland when he failed to clinch a deal with Sinn Fein and the SDLP.

Trimble, of course, was lukewarm in his support of the Good Friday Agreement and always found a way at the end of the day to put off a final settlement.

Now he must watch the Reverend Ian Paisley with a strong sense of what might have been. Paisley is essentially negotiating the same deal that Trimble had with a few extra aspects such as actual photographs of decommissioning.

Trimble had a deal in his hands in October 2003 but pulled back at the last minute. Paisley may well settle for that deal if not now, then sometime in the near future.

These days, of course, Trimble is painting himself as a major supporter of the Good Friday Agreement and a man who lost out because of his integrity in demanding full and verifiable decommissioning. It must gall him to see Paisley at center stage while he is relegated to a minor role. It was not like he didn’t have his chance, however.

Spitzer’s Race

New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s announcement that he will seek the governorship of New York in 2006 will have sent shivers down the spine of many Republicans who were contemplating a run at the same office –- none more so than Congressman John Sweeney from upstate New York.

Republicans were hoping that Spitzer and Senator Charles Schumer would tear each other up in a hotly disputed primary and make it easy for a Republican challenger to come in and mop up. That is not now going to happen, as Schumer has stated he’ll be staying put in the Senate. 

Sweeney fancies himself as a George Pataki clone, an upstate moderate Republican who could appeal across the board in a state that has swung heavily Democratic.

That seems unlikely now, and it appears that Spitzer will start as the overwhelming favorite –- unless, of course, Pataki decides to run for a fourth term which would certainly upset the Spitzer bandwagon. 

Even against the incumbent, however, Spitzer would likely be favored.

Pataki’s White House Bid?

Speaking of Governor Pataki, it appears that options are running out for the big man who desperately wants a national profile. 

He apparently turned down a few jobs offered by the Bush administration and appears to be holding out for a run for the White House in 2008. That will be a difficult road to hoe. 

Like former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani Pataki is very much to the left on issues such as abortion and gay rights from the national party. In addition, Pataki does not have Giuliani’s visibility — sometimes it seems September 11 happened so we could see all Rudy all the time on our television screens.

Pataki may be looking at a vice presidential slot, but there is no question with the hard right in control of the GOP even that could prove difficult for him. 

Pataki is that rare exception, a principled politician who may be too honest to ever run for president, but time will tell.

New Flights Expected 

The announcement that American Airlines will be flying direct to Ireland, including Shannon, in 2005 will set off a flurry of activity on the trans-Atlantic route.

The American move and a similar commitment by Ryanair to base a new fleet out of Shannon may finally put to rest fears in the town on the Clare/Limerick border that their airport will become a white elephant if they do not insist on a percentage of trans-Atlantic flights stopping there.

If the Shannon issue were solved there is no doubt that there would be an explosion in travel from the U.S. to Ireland. Direct flights to Florida, and direct flights from the U.S. to many smaller airports, including Cork and Knock, would almost definitely follow.

There is a pent-up demand for travel between the two countries and the Irish government has approached the issue gingerly because of the Shannon issue. It appears now that may be changing.

Irish Center May Close 

The Irish Cultural Center in San Francisco is going through hard times and is closed at present, according to reports. The center, situated in the city’s Sunset District, is a magnificent building built entirely with voluntary Irish labor. For decades it was the center of Irish activity in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Now, however, hard times have come. The neighborhood the center is located in is almost entirely Asian now, making it less likely that Irish will travel there for functions. 

In addition there are the usual squabbles among committee members as to what the future of the center should be. It would be a great shame if it were to close its doors for good.