News Nuggets 124

A European beaver, completely wiped out in the UK, hundreds of years ago, 

is being reintroduced.  See the ENVIRONMENT NUGGET below.

EXTRA SPECIAL UP-FRONT VIDEO NUGGET!!

Michelle Obama's Unedited Speech at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Girl's School in London on April 2, 2009.

You have NO IDEA what it took to find this unedited version -- it is really good and quite inspiring!

Obama Stands Firm on Sweeping Agenda from the New York Times

"“It’s more than most Congresses and most presidents have to deal with in a lifetime,” Mr. Obama said. “But we have been called to govern in extraordinary times. And that requires an extraordinary sense of responsibility to ourselves, to the men and women who sent us here, to the many generations whose lives will be affected for good or for ill because of what we do here.”"

Civilians Reassert Themselves in US Foreign Policy from the New York Times

REALLY good article on this topic and the changes Obama's people are making in foreign policy.

"Mr. Holbrooke — relentless, experienced, charismatic — seems the embodiment of a new paradigm, one that includes military force but emphasizes a wider range of tools, like diplomacy, persuasion and money."

Obama's Economic Sermon on the Mount (Katrina Vanden Heuvel) from the Nation

"As President Obama approaches the 100-day mark of his presidency, he delivered a speech Tuesday at Georgetown University in which he laid out what he sees as the foundation of a new economy. Using this crisis--and his gift of oratory--Obama signaled that the fight for the next economy begins now."

More Humility from Obama (Dan Froomkin) from the Washington Post

"As by far the most commanding presence on the international stage, Obama can easily afford a little humility. This is especially the case in Latin America. No one will mistake the U.S. role there as anything less than dominant. Obama will be both star and alpha dog everywhere he goes."

How the Port of Spain is Not Prague (Terence Samuel) from The Root

"In Europe, Barack Obama was the one asking for help. At this weekend’s Summit of the Americas, the president will be the one asked to deliver."

The Tea Parties (Ross Douthat) from the Atlantic

INTERESTING observations from a very conservative columnist!

"They do have all of the weaknesses of the anti-war marches: Their message is intertwined with a sense of disenfranchisement and all kinds of inchoate cultural resentments, they've brought various wacky extremists out of the woodwork (you know, like Glenn Beck), and just as George W. Bush benefited from having opposition to his policies identified with peacenik marchers in Berkeley and Ann Arbor, so Barack Obama probably benefits from having the opposition (such as it is) associated with a bunch of Fox News fans marching through the streets on Tax Day, parroting talk radio tropes and shouting about socialism."

Mad as Hell at Teatime (Eugene Robinson) from the Washington Post

"Opposition to the Obama administration is coalescing into what I would call a Howard Beale Faction, in honor of the choleric anchorman in the movie "Network" whose signature line now seems to have been elevated into philosophy: "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!""

For Gov. Palin, a Rough Return to the Day Job from the New York Times

As I've noted before, Palin has some major Republican artillery trained on her ass.  While certainly no fan of the Governor, I don't entirely buy the "oh, she's not around enough" meme that this article starts with.

"There is the pervasive sense among many lawmakers, Republican and Democrat, that a new political reality has overtaken this remote government seat.  “The source of the greatest tension this year between the Legislature and the executive has been certainly the appearance that the executive is prioritizing her national image, her national brand, over the day-to-day operations of state government and the interests of the State of Alaska,” said Mike Hawker, the Republican co-chairman of the House Finance Committee."

"LIFE IMITATING ART" NUGGET!!

Baby Pythons Escape During Flight in Australia from the Associated Press

"Four baby pythons escaped from a container aboard a passenger plane in Australia, leading to a search that forced the cancellation of two flights, the airline said Thursday."

ENVIRONMENT NUGGET!!

I'm not sure quite what to make of this story -- I suspect this may not be a good idea.

Unleash the Critters from Newsweek

"Conservationists hope to turn back the clock on Europe's wilderness by more than 11,000 years."

ANOTHER FOLLOW-UP NUGGET [from the last two days]!!

The Triumph of Susan Boyle from Salon

"The audacity of someone like her, someone who is not 25 or beautiful, someone who has never had a professional musical career, who admits to never having even been kissed getting out there and belting one out intrigues us."