News Nuggets 53

Quote of the Day

Question [From Jack Cafferty of CNN]: Why is there so much interest in Sarah Palin?

Answer: [From Andrew] "There are two reasons: 1) She’s attractive. For better or for worse, people listen when pretty girls talk, no matter what nonsense may come out of their mouths. 2) Incompetence, by itself, is not entertaining. However, when the incompetent are supremely self-confident, full of certitude, and absent of insight, it’s absolutely compelling."

Life With the Secret Service from Newsweek

"They were christened with their recently-released official Secret Service code names: Renegade (Barack), Renaissance (Michelle), Radiance (Malia), and Rosebud (Sasha)."

Obamaism from New York Magazine

"It’s a kind of religion. But one rooted in a deep faith in rationality. Last week, New York rejoiced in its promise. And sang the National Anthem in the streets."

Where Obama Can look for Help on the Hill from National Journal

"A look at the members of Congress who could serve as allies to the new president."

Learn or Languish (Charlie Cook) from the National Journal

"The GOP's focus on social, cultural, and religious issues cost its candidates dearly among upscale voters." 

Jihadist Messages to Obama Reflect Their Uncertainty from Congressional Quarterly

"From the Taliban to al-Baghdadi’s Islamic State of Iraq, the messages welcome and wag fingers at the president-elect, carrying conflicting statements that show these groups have now found it difficult to figure out the next play."

Obama's Winning Formula: Education, Responsibility from the Chicago Sun-Times

"I hope two other issues get as big a boost from their association with President-elect Barack Obama as his Hartmarx suits."

In Obama, Brand America has a new salesman, and a very good one at that from the Standard [of Kenya]

"As a brand, America has never faced a qualitative problem. What it faces perennially are a number of average salesmen who occasionally defaced the brand. Even though America is a superpower, it is ideas and ideals more than might that have defined its place on the global stage. When it relies on might, it goes off rail. When it shows fidelity to the ideals that formed the foundation for its independence, America regains its greatness and rightful place in the world."

This Was Not King's Dream from the Guardian [of London]

"Debating whether Britain could elect a black PM distracts from the true purport of Obama's win."

Drama Club: How Obama Handles People from the New Republic

"His years as a law professor have made Socratic dialogue his chief intellectual reflex. "The most awkward moment on a conference call is when he says, 'Okay, anybody disagree?' and there's just silence," says the aide. "He wants to make sure he's fully explored the issue before we move on." "

Bill Ayers Talks Back (Walter Shapiro) from Salon

"After appearing on ABC's "Good Morning America" last Friday, Ayers sat down for a 55-minute interview with Salon's Washington bureau chief, Walter Shapiro."

Freedom Agenda in Flames (Jackson Diehl) from the Washington Post

"Ayman Nour, the popular young leader of that party, challenged Hosni Mubarak in Egypt's first contested presidential election in 2005. He did so in large part because of Bush, who called on Egypt to "show the way" in the democratization of the Middle East. Mubarak won the election handily, then used a handpicked judge to sentence Nour to prison on trumped-up charges."

How Obama Won from Rolling Stone Magazine

"Two leading political experts on the historic election – and how it could usher in "a brand-new nation""