As President, Obama is Unafraid to Disappoint His Allies from the Washington Post
"The decisions underscored an important facet of Obama's decision making, which is his capacity to rethink positions and to change his mind as he learns more or conditions change. And he tends whenever possible to seek consensus. Those on the left and right often overlook this aspect of his governing style, though it was one of the factors that drew many people during the campaign."
Obama: 100 Days, 100 Ways from the Independent [of London]
"From closing down Guantanamo and banishing lobbyists, to dressing down in the Oval Office and planting vegetables on the South Lawn, the Obama presidency is reshaping America."
Obama's More Effective 'War on Terror' from the New Republic
"Almost all of the Obama changes have been at the level of packaging, argumentation, symbol, and rhetoric. This does not mean that the Obama changes are unimportant. Packaging, argumentation, symbol, and rhetoric, it turns out, are vitally important to the legitimacy of terrorism policies."
Obama's Message to Israel: Seize This Moment from the Independent [of London]
"While the tone after their White House summit was friendly, there was no mistaking the pressure that Mr Obama was applying to his Israeli guest with so bluntly spoken words delivered before the cameras. "We have seen progress stalled on this front, and I suggested to the Prime Minister that he has a historic opportunity to get a serious movement on this issue during his tenure," President Obama said."
Middle East Peace: Obama's Mission Impossible from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"Obama isn't distancing himself from Israel, nor is he making advances towards Palestine. He wants to force both sides to get off the hamster wheel and take some real steps forward."
Hit Obama for the Right Reasons (Dimitri Simes) from the National Interest
"Richard and Liz Cheney’s offensive and nonsensical statements damage the Republican Party by reminding the American people of the narrow-minded viciousness that was far too often associated with the George W. Bush Administration. A smart course for the Republicans is to run away from this legacy rather than advertising it on every television talk show as something that may represent not only Republican leaders’ troubling past, but also their future."
Getting to Know Obama: The Sides We're Just Starting to See (Jacob Weisberg) from Newsweek
"After four months in office, here are some emerging themes."
Obama's Stealth Campaigning (Amy Walter) from National Journal
"Behind the scenes, the President begins to assume the role of campaigner in chief."
You'll Simply Love Azerbaijan from Slate
"The great American tradition of sending your political rivals overseas."
Club for Growth Wears on Some Republicans from the Wall Street Journal
"Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter's switch to the Democratic Party underscores the clout of Club For Growth, a conservative group that targets Republicans it brands insufficiently committed to low taxes and small government. The move also has inflamed a debate within the party: Are the group's tactics good or bad for Republicans?"
New Survey Reveals Obama Closing the Democrats Historical National Security Gap from Democracy Corps
"A new Democracy Corps poll released by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner today shows that after 100 days in office, President Barack Obama has, at least for now effectively erased doubts that Americans have historically harbored about the Democratic Party’s vision and competence on national security."
The Cheney Dare (Lanny Davis) from the Washington Times
"I have changed my mind about the need to indict former Vice President Dick Cheney for complicity in illegal torture. His insistence on putting himself on multiple TV programs and conservative radio talk shows, not only defending torture but offering the defense that it worked, has changed my mind."
The GOP Needs Its Own 'Secret Speech' Repudiating the Cheney Era (Jacob Heilbrunn) from TalkingPointsMemo
"This is a big week for the GOP. Two events suggest that it isn't detached from reality. It's oblivious to it."
FOREIGN POLICY NUGGET!
An interesting "big picture" view of the US's international relationships and why the US will be difficult to "unseat" as the world's big power.
A Subversive on a Hill (Lawrence Freedman) from the National Interest
"DESPITE REGULAR reports of terminal decline, the United States continues to hold on to its preeminent international position. It has been able to do this because of two features which distinguish it from the dominant great powers of the past: American power is based on alliances rather than colonies and is associated with an ideology that is flexible, potentially universal and inherently subversive of alternative ideological forms."
MOVIE NUGGET!!
Spielberg to Chronicle Martin Luther King's Life from the Independent [of London]
"Martin Luther King is to receive perhaps the ultimate recognition of his standing as a modern American icon: a Steven Spielberg film chronicling his life and times."
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