News Nuggets 144

Green tea plantation in South Korea

A Tale of Two Wars: An Interview with Richard Haass from Real ClearPolitics

“Haass retells of his experiences with both administrations, and how they differed in dealing with Iraq. RealClearWorld met with Mr. Haass to discuss his new book, the future of Iraq, Afghanistan, and America's reputation abroad.”

Torture Debate Prompts Evangelical Soul-Searching from the Associated Press

"Among evangelical leaders, debate over the use of harsh interrogation techniques against suspected terrorists has prompted introspection about faith, ethics, the Golden Rule, just wars, Jack Bauer and Jesus."

Pelosi, Torture and the Year America Lost Its Moorings (Walter Shapiro) from Politics Daily

"It requires tortuous logic (and hours of practice before a mirror keeping a straight face) for Republicans to use this single congressional briefing to argue that, in effect, Pelosi was the Bush administration's enabler on waterboarding."

If Only Our President Would Have Dinner with Reporters from El Universo [of Ecuador in English]

"When I see Obama at his dinner with reporters, I wonder if we could start a similar tradition - an event that would join the president and media in brotherhood and mutual respect. But we shouldn't kid ourselves. With this government's lack of respect for the work of the media, one can expect a notification of suspension before an invitation to dinner."

Humility Makes Call for Action Loud and Clear from the Editorial Board of the Arizona Republic

His Arizona speech will reverberate and inspire young people across the country because it was no less ambitious than a call to remake American culture. To turn our society from one that reveres celebrity and wealth to one that admires meaningful achievement..”

Two Roads to the Supreme Court from the Los Angeles Times

"As President Obama's search for a Supreme Court justice progresses, it appears the White House has locked in on two competing sets of nominees: those who have traditional judicial and academic backgrounds and another group that comes from what might be called the "real world.""

The Massive Expansion of America's 'Hard Left' (Glenn Greenwald) from Salon

"Unlike the establishment-revering, prosecution-opposing pundits who are the true partisans -- loyal spokespeople who fiercely defend Beltway culture and legal immunity for political elites above all else -- Ventura is doing nothing more than expressing definitively independent and non-ideological political principles, ones that were quite obviously ingrained in him over the course of decades as an American and a veteran."

Crist's Senate Bid Represents Ideological Struggle for GOP from the Los Angeles Times

My early sense is that Christ is not only going to lose -- but be destroyed by his own party.  One thing I will have to give him -- he has guts for throwing his hat in now.

"Crist, who has bucked the GOP's conservative wing on voting rights, global warming and other issues, enjoys high approval ratings. But with the governor facing a conservative in the primary, Republican leaders across the country have seized on Florida as a battleground in the larger philosophical war over the party's future."

As Cheney Seizes Spotlight, Many Republicans Wince from the Washington Post

“Today Cheney is the most visible -- and controversial -- critic of President Obama's national security policies and, to the alarm of many people in the Republican Party, the most forceful and uncompromising defender of the Bush administration's record.”

Republican War of Words Highlights Lack of Fresh Talent from the Financial Times [of London]

"The war of words is part of a broader battle for influence over the party as rival factions seek to fill the leadership vacuum left by former President George W. Bush and Mr McCain after November’s election."

A Florida Test for the GOP from the Washington Post

“Party insiders, fearing another difficult year in 2010, see Crist's moderate image and warm personal style as just what they need to hold a Senate seat that became vulnerable with the retirement of incumbent Mel Martinez.  But conservatives, who have long mistrusted Crist, now loathe him for committing the cardinal sin of enthusiastically endorsing President Obama's stimulus plan this year. Among right-wing stalwarts, even using the word "stimulus" is a wicked act.”

Republicans' Family Feud Goes National from the National Journal

"As they endure a protracted internal debate to redefine themselves, Republicans around the country are bracing for a series of potentially brutal Senate primary battles that say more about their national standing than about any individual campaign."

The Obamas, Living Out Loud from Politics Daily

“The Obamas mean to stretch us, and not simply in how we think about food.”

Warning: Worshipful Obama Post Below (Michael Tomasky) from the Guardina of London

The title alone is worth the posting!

"So I say it's pretty awesome that the Obamas sponsored a poetry event at the White House last night. And from the looks of things it included all kinds of bohemian weirdos (words I use, of course, as tribute)."