A so-called "mothership" cloud that usually spawns tornadoes. This one is in Texas -- wouldn't want to be driving into one of these on the freeway. From National Geographic
Our Crumbling Foundation (Bob herbert) from the New York Times
"I’m not sure that the catastrophic job losses of this recession, the worst since the Great Depression, have really sunk into the public’s consciousness. And that would mean that the ground has not been prepared for the kind of high-powered remedies needed to get the economy back into some kind of reasonable shape."
The CIA's Torture Untruths from the Guardian [of London]
"The CIA wants to suggest Democrats such as Nancy Pelosi were complicit in using torture – but its case keeps falling apart."
Selective Lion (Robert Kuttner) from Huffington Post
"This week, we learned that President Obama really is capable of political courage and idealism, as well as calculation. The question is how he will apply these gifts to the financial crisis as well as to issues closer to both his heart and to the strengths of his intellect, such as defense of the Constitution."
Obama Picks Sotomayor for High Court from the Associated Press. Interesting analysis from Chuck Todd HERE and some background on the pick from the New York Times HERE.
"President Barack Obama tapped federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court on Tuesday, officials said, making her the first Hispanic in history picked to wear the robes of a justice."
The Supreme Court Pick of Obama's Dreams (Joe Conason) from Salon
From a May 1 essay.
"Sotomayor represents everything that a president choosing his first justice in his first term could desire. As a female her elevation would begin to bring gender equity to a forum where historically men have exercised far too much unchallenged power over the lives of the women."
The Urban President (Mike Madden) from Salon
"More than any of his predecessors since Boston native John F. Kennedy, he is an urban president."
Obama's Wreaths: Afro-Amer., Confed. from the Chicago Tribune
A good recount of Obama's Memorial Day activities plus the text of his speech at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
Obama Cum Laude: What His Commencement Speeches Reveal About Him from Politics Daily
"There's often no better window on presidents and their times than what they say each year at college commencements."
Obama Ruined My Game (G'Ra Asim) from Salon
"For the lesser known, underappreciated demographic of black male intellectuals, the commander in chief is doing something terribly wrong: This dude is destroying our street cred. ... In the salad days of being the only African-American male in Advanced Placement U.S. History, I could generate a palpable sense of awkwardness by stopping the lesson to quiz my instructor on the specifics of Cointelpro; my scholarly younger brother may never get to experience that perverse thrill."
This is pretty funny and says a lot about black academics and how they're perceived and how they perceive themselves.
Obama and Bush vs. Cheney (Clarence Page) from the Chicago Tribune
"Watching the dueling torture speeches by President Barack Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney (A rumble in the video jungle?), I was reminded of last year's campaign flap over Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. In each case, Obama was caught off guard by an eruption that provoked the politics of fear and he responded with a big speech that treated us like grown-ups."
In my view, this is how Obama USUALLY deals with political eruptions like this one.
Where the Right Is from the New Republic
"Roughly four months into Barack Obama's presidency, it's possible to make a few observations about the factions forming on the intellectual right as it adjusts to life in the political wilderness."
Cheney's Charge Up the Molehill (Robert Shrum) from The Week
"Republicans have to say something to fill the time allotted to the opposition. Imagine being trapped in the Republican debris, amid a poverty of ideas, and you can understand why they’ve spent the past week trying to conquer a tactical molehill."
CULTURE NUGGET!
Africa Reverie from the Root
"A back to Africa movement that comes with white sand beaches, great wine and incredible diving. Who knew history looked so good?"
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