News Nuggets 129

WHAT A HOOT!!  Obama reading Maurice Sendak on Easter.  Question though -- is there some connection between Easter and Sendak or Where the Wild Things Are that I don't know about?

NOTE: I will be out of town between the 23rd and the 27th -- so nuggets will come on a less frequent basis on those days but will resume their regular schedule on Tuesday, the 28th.

National Service Bill to Get Obama's Signature from the Associated Press

"The AmeriCorps program started by President Bill Clinton will triple in size over the next eight years, and tens of thousands of other Americans will soon see new opportunities to give back to their communities."

Diplomacy Isn't What We See (Robert Dallek) from USA Today

"But what Obama, like FDR, seems to understand is that good intentions and soothing rhetoric might not be enough to reduce tensions and acts of violence aimed at the United States and its allies. "

Latin Americans Will Sooner or Later Come 'Crawling' to the US from Gazeta [of Russia in English]

An interesting take on US-Latin American relations from a Russian perspective, a mix of assurance about US decline with a greater amount of contempt for Latin Americans' ability to govern themselves -- but perhaps I'm misreading it.

"The current American elite say to Latin America, 'We love everyone, all is forgiven, and we will no longer impose on anyone.' Translated into simple language, this means the following: 'We are deathly tired of lecturing you and caring about democracy and human rights in your countries. You will come back to us yourselves (or crawl back, if repentance is belated).'"

Raul Castro's 'Singular' Response to the Gesture Offered by Obama from Estadao [of Brazil in English]

"Cuban leaders are certainly not prepared to discuss with the United States things which, in the final analysis, are the essence of their dictatorial regime. But the mere pronouncement of the rights and freedoms that have been suppressed in the country and of the repression of opponents of Castroism, in addition to breaking a taboo, is a political response to Obama, an oblique way of engaging the White House."

White House Cheat Sheet: The Gore-acle's Influence (Chris Cillizza) from the Washington Post

"Gore's influence is felt in large and small ways -- from providing his thoughts and strategic guidance to President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) to aiding his friend Al Franken in the ongoing Minnesota Senate race to fundraising for the party campaign committees."

Senate Race Rankings from National Journal

"Handicapping the most competitive Senate races for next year, the big number for Democrats is one. That's what they need to hit 60 seats and a filibuster-proof majority. But Democrats have three of their own seats in danger, meaning the number they'll ultimately need to find is four. Here's the first crack at the seats most likely to switch."

How Jack Bauer's TV Violence Set Tone for Policymakers from the Times [of London]

WHERE does one even begin with a story like this?  

"It is easy to forget how the atmosphere in Washington after September 11, 2001, allowed policymakers to cite Jack Bauer, the fictional hero of Fox TV's 24, as some sort of moral compass."

Obama Skates While Right Fumes from Politico

"The outrage is definitely there, in certain precincts of Republican politics. What’s notable, however, is that it mostly has stayed there — with little or no effect on Obama."

Young Voters, GOP, and Race from Pollster.com

"So what does this mean for a Republican Party that has been branded (fairly or unfairly) as a party of "old white guys"? Put simply, the party cannot survive with this label attached."

Republicans Pushed to Political Margins from the Financial Times [of London]

"The Republican party, which is increasingly dominated by fiscal and social conservatives, continues to sink ever deeper in the public’s estimation. In contrast, opinion polls show that Mr Obama’s approval ratings remain where they were when he took office, at 60-67 per cent."

It's the End of the World as They Know It (Paul Waldman) from American Prospect

"They cried "socialism!" and no one seemed to care. Now they cry "fascism!" and still their words do not cause the whole nation to rise up. It must be terribly frustrating. But that's the thing about democracy -- it can be pretty frustrating, particularly when you lose. What the right doesn't seem to get is that the more extreme and shrill their rhetoric grows, the less convincing they become to the broader public. And the more ridiculous they seem."

President Looks Forward with Audacious Compromise (Editorial) from the Boston Globe

Audacious -- and loaded with a lot of peril for Obama as David Ignatius points out today.

"If a compromise can truly be audacious, President Obama's split-decision to release memos detailing the past use of allegedly torturous interrogation tactics, but also to promise to vigorously defend those who followed the (possibly illegal) rules was one of his most audacious so far."

'100 DAYS' RETROSPECTIVE NUGGETS!!

Obama Begins Leading America in a New Direction from the Los Angeles Times

"He closes in on 100 days as president, having handled the highs and lows with a sense of urgency and his characteristic calmness."

Gorbachev: The Model for the Obama Doctrine from the Independent [of London]

"In the first of a series of articles marking his first 100 days, Rupert Cornwell assesses his foreign policy.  Some already talk of an 'Obama Doctrine'. Others, sensing that everything may end in tears, compare him to Mikhail Gorbachev, who set out to change the image of Communism and ended up by destroying Communism itself. One thing however is incontestable. Barack Obama has set a new imprint on his country's foreign policy – and far more quickly than the last Soviet leader ever did."