Surprise Appointment To Senate

THE appointment of journalist Eoghan Harris to the Irish Senate by Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern certainly raised eyebrows.

Harris, who writes for the Sunday Independent, was a bitter opponent of Sinn Fein for most of the period of the Troubles and was seen as a key figure in the neo-Unionist movement that sprung up in Dublin in the 1980s and '90s.

Under his tutelage the Sunday Independent became a virulent critic of John Hume among others, and played what can hardly be described as a constructive role during the beginning period of the peace process.

But Harris was nothing if not attuned to public sentiment, and as the peace train gathered momentum he reinvented himself several times.

He grew close to David Trimble, then the embattled leader of Ulster Unionism, and decided to throw in his lot with the relatively small group of Unionists who were supporting the process.

He wrote much of David Trimble's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, but as the Trimble star dimmed Harris began to shift in favor of other politicians.

He had also grown very close to John Bruton, the leader of Fine Gael who became taoiseach for a brief period in the 1990s and whose mishandling of the decommissioning issue in particular almost brought the peace process to a halt.

In recent years Harris has shifted again and has become a convinced supporter of Ahern, a man whose politics on Northern Ireland were once anathema to him.

During the recent election Harris was a key supporter of Ahern during a tough period for the taoiseach, who was under fire in much of the media for alleged financial indiscretions.

Harris's support has certainly paid off and completes one of the strangest journeys in Irish politics from the far left to far right, and now back somewhere in between.

His elevation to the upper house is certainly a surprise, as it was predicted that Ahern would name a Northern Unionist figure. Instead he has done the next best thing and promoted the head of the neo-Unionist tribe in Dublin to the Senate.

Interesting insight into Ahern too, who was clearly grateful for the support during the trying period of the election and wasn't beyond sticking it neatly to Sinn Fein in the process.

Mooney a Big Loss

AMONG those who were not selected by the Taoiseach to his 11 member Senate seats was Senator Paschal Mooney, a highly committed supporter of the Irish undocumented in the United States.

Mooney, from Leitrim, failed in his election bid to the Senate but was hopeful that Ahern would appoint him as Leitrim had been left without a representative of any kind in the recent national elections.

However, Ahern decided to promote a fellow Leitrim colleague, John Ellis, instead.

Mooney had attended the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform rallies in the U.S. and had been outspoken on the issue from his own time as an emigrant many years ago.

It is a sad loss for the emigrant community which was once again not on any short list for a emigrant Senate candidate as had been proposed.

Obama's Missteps

RECENT bizarre comments by Senator Barack Obama on possibly invading Pakistan and meeting with scorned world leaders have sent a frisson of anxiety through his support base.

The opinion polls have certainly reacted, with the latest USA Today poll showing Senator Hillary Clinton sprinting ahead to a 20 point lead nationally.

The key question is where Obama is getting the bad advice from. His chief foreign policy aides number Tony Lake, national security advisor to President Bill Clinton and a key figure in the American role in the peace process, as well as Samantha Power, the Dublin-born Harvard professor and expert on foreign policy.

It seems inconceivable that they would be offering advice to Obama to contemplate attacking Pakistan, at least for public consumption. Lake in particular is the ultimate canny operator who rarely put a foot wrong on foreign policy when in the White House.

It seems the candidate himself is showing his inexperience, not a surprising fact given the nature of his length of service in the Senate.

He appears to be more and more a Howard Dean type figure, very popular with the grassroots, capable of raising lots of money but ultimately failing the smell test when it comes to national and broad based support. However, it is still far too early in the process to write him off.

Democrats Abroad Rally

DID you know there are at least 300 members of Democrats Abroad in Dublin, and they are contemplating major involvement in next year's election?

Head of the organization is Kate FitzGerald, San Francisco-born but living in Dublin since early adulthood. She says the organization has never been more vibrant and includes many returned emigrants as well as Americans who moved to Ireland for work.

They are seeking speakers form the U.S. who are involved in the political process in America, especially people connected to the major campaigns of Democrats.

"There is massive interest in the election, especially in Obama and Hillary," says FitzGerald, whose parents, Tom and Sally FitzGerald moved back to Ireland from San Francisco.