News Nuggets 57

SATURDAY CARTOONS! from Bob Geiger

Time for Him to Go (Gail Collins) from the New York Times

"Thanksgiving is next week, and President Bush could make it a really special holiday by resigning."

The Closest of Frenemies (John Heilemann) from New York Magazine

"In all the dizzying personal and political complexities of Hillary at State, one thing is clear: Obama has nerve."

It's My Party, But I Don't Feel Part of It (Sophie Nelson) from the Washington Post

"But as a black Republican, I was chagrined that the political party I've belonged to for 20 years had just suffered a blistering electoral defeat. And that along the way, it had lost 96 percent of the black vote and 67 percent of the Hispanic vote -- the worst showing for the Republican Party among minorities in its 150-year history."

Obama's Win a Nightmare for Al-Qaida (Cynthia Tucker) from the Atlanta Journal Constitution

"While it’s a bit irritating to have an atavistic mass murderer presume to dictate appropriate politics for a black American, Zawahiri’s diatribe is good news."

Clinton Pick a Bold Expression of Obama's Strength from Die Welt [of Germany in English]

"Barack Obama would be taking a wise step if he were to nominate Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State. She has the international experience, which he lacks, and she would be a strong and credible supporter."

'It's OK to be an American Now' (Derrick Jackson) from the Boston Globe

"IN CALLING President-elect Barack Obama a "house Negro," Al Qaeda missed the memo from Grant Park."

Great Expectations Await Nation's Next First Lady from the Chicago Sun-Times

"The moving trucks haven't even arrived, and already Michelle Obama's being touted as the next Jackie Kennedy, the woman who'll infuse Washington with a sense of style and vigor not seen since the days of Camelot."

For Obama, a Brief Taste of Normalcy at Home from the Chicago Tribune

"While offering more routine, his existence is also more surreal, as he moves through Chicago largely sequestered in a security bubble even more robust than at the end of the campaign. Still, Obama seems to be savoring his time between Election Day and the move to the White House, one of the longest stretches he has had at home in five years."

Missing: Seller's Remorse (Charlie Cook) from the National Journal

"Over time, Republicans have repositioned their product and, in the process, badly damaged their brand."

The Lieberman Lesson (Eleanor Clift) from Newsweek

"Keeping the independent aboard shows Obama's pragmatism."

SCIENCE NUGGET!

Resurrecting Mammoths Gets One Step Closer from Newsweek

"In their paper, the scientists emphasize the value of the study for understanding the evolution of elephant species (by comparing the mammoth DNA to that of living African pachyderms), but let’s face it: what we want to know is whether the genome sequence can be used to resurrect mammoths."

Put this one (REALLY) in the "OH MY GOD!!" file.

Is Obama the Antochrist? (Lisa Miller) from Newsweek

"In this world view, "the spread of secular progressive ideas is a prelude to the enslavement of mankind," explains Richard Landes, former director of the Center for Millennial Studies at Boston University."

Requiem for a Maverick (Matt Taibbi) from Rolling Stone Magazine

"John McCain ran one of the most incompetent, schizo campaigns in history — and for that we owe him big-time"

CULTURE NUGGET!

Can Love Conquer Caste? from the Washington Post

"My family was completely aghast," Singh recalled, sitting with Pharti in their cozy living room, where they have helped clandestine inter-caste couples elope. "My father said he wouldn't let it happen. But I felt so sure about Anita. We were able to fight back. But we were the lucky ones. Many still get murdered for this."

Lessons From Across the Pond from the Guardian [of London]

"The Labour party should study Barack Obama's election tactics if it wants to regain the upper hand in British politics"