News Nuggets 138

The Surinam horned toad -- from National Geographic.

Report: 98 Detainees Died in US Custody from TalkLeft

A concise roundup of the sources on this subject.

"Sifton's article on his report is at Daily Beast. It's based on a 2006 Human Rights First report and follow-up investigations."

The Surprising Ferocity of Obama's Response to the Crisis in Sri Lanka from the New Republic

"It is the first man-made humanitarian crisis of the Obama era. So far, the Obama administration's response to the crisis in Sri Lanka is encouraging to those who believe that human rights--in name and deed--should enjoy a prominent place in American foreign policy."

100 Days: Setting the Tone for America (Michael Tomasky) for the Guardian [of London]

"By inviting Americans to play a role in shaping their own destiny, Obama has transformed the nature of US politics."

Obama, the Enemy of Economic Inequality (Robert Reich) from the Salon

"The "ruthless pragmatist" is actually passionate about a central moral issue of modern American life -- the lopsided distribution of political and economic power."

Unlikely Allies Invited to the White House for Education Chat from the New York Times

"President Obama is turning his attention to education on Thursday, acting as host to a White House meeting with three unlikely bedfellows: New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the Rev. Al Sharpton."

Republicans in the Wilderness: Is the Party Over? from (Michael Grunwald) from Time Magazine

"That's the problem. The party's ideas — about economic issues, social issues and just about everything else — are not popular ideas. They are extremely conservative ideas tarred by association with the extremely unpopular George W. Bush, who helped downsize the party to its extremely conservative base"

Keep on Whining, Republicans (Gene Lyons) from Salon

"A funny thing happened on the way to the Tea Party. The more furiously the party out of power denounces President Obama, the more confident Americans appear to be that voters made a wise decision last November. That would be the Republican Party. Remember them?"

Contam-i-Nation: the Psychology of Partisan Dead-Enders from The Nation

"What sort of psychological bent would lead people to want to be part of a dead-end political party like the GOP?"

A VERY GOOD QUESTION!  I've been wondering this myself for some time.

How Likely is Another GOP Defection? from the National Journal

"After Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter's surprise defection last week, some Democrats have let their thoughts roam to another tantalizing possibility: What if Maine's moderate Republican senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, could be enticed to jump ship?"

Palin Still an Easy Target from the Boston Globe

"They all act like she has a real chance to win the White House, when they all know the truth. When it comes to be taken seriously by the general electorate as a potential president, it's as over for her as it was for Dan Quayle."

Dan Quayle never had the grassroots support that Palin has.  She may never be president -- but I think she has a base of support that will have to reckoned with by the GOP in 2012.  We'll see.

The Stakes at Notre Dame for President Obama (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post

"We now know that the reaction of right-wing Catholics to Notre Dame's invitation to President Obama falls into the category of "more Catholic than the pope.""

INTERNATIONAL NUGGET!!

Next Generation of Gandhis has Eye on Power from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]

"The Gandhi siblings, the heirs of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, are the stars of India's massive parliamentary elections, whose fourth phase was held Thursday. The ruling Congress Party hopes to groom Sonia Gandhi's son Rahul to become a future prime minister."