News Nuggets 171

UP-FRONT AFRICA NUGGET!

President Barack Obama's Triple Heritage (Ali Mazrui, a noted Kenyan academic) for the Standard [of Kenya in English]

A fascinating, wide-ranging analysis of Obama's first months in office from a well-informed African perspective.

"There are great expectations of his presidency among Muslims and people of African descent, both within the United States and worldwide.  The basis of such expectations have to rely on three kinds of credentials Obama may have."

The Vote in Lenanon from The National Interest

"A victory for March 8 would have been a slap in the face for the West, and lent evidence to the theory that Iran is slowly taking over the Middle East. But, happily, this didn’t happen, and March 14 (the pro-Western one; it’s all very confusing) won the day. "

Three Tests for Obama After 'The Speech' (Robert Dreyfuss) from the Nation

"A top Hamas official, Ahmad Yousef, an adviser to Ismail Haniya, the Hamas leader and prime minister, said: "The things he said about Islam and the Palestinian suffering and their right to have a state is great. It is a landmark and a breakthrough speech."  Now comes the test of Obama's sincerity"

US Wants Urgent Mideast Peace Talks from Hurriyet Daily News [of Turkey in English]

A follow-up from yesterday's story, this one from a Muslim paper.  It certainly sounds like they are working off of a VERY ACCELERATED time table here.

""We all share an obligation to create the conditions for the prompt resumption and early conclusion of negotiations," Mitchell said ahead of talks with Israeli President Shimon Peres. "We're now engaged in serious discussions with our Israeli and Palestinian and regional partners to support these efforts," he was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying."

Coalition Partners Should Feel Ashamed After Obama's Speech (Editorial) from the Standard [of Kenya in English]

"Obama implored leaders to put the interests of their people above those of their political parties. Given our recent political experience, one would be forgiven for thinking while his body was in Egypt Obama’s mind was fixed on the political wrangling in Kenya."

Obama the Transformer (Robert Shrum) from The Week

"This president is breaking the mold—revolutionizing policies and perspectives in Washington and around the world."

Obama Type Needed for Third Liberation (Editorial) from the Standard [of Kenya in English]

This editorial from the Standard of Kenya is quite moving and sad in terms of this person's assessment (accurate I suspect) of what Kenya has lost in the decades since its independence.

"Here was a man [Obama giving his speech in Cairo] who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and was willing to risk eggs or shoes thrown at his face.  Paradoxically, one cannot help but ponder how America’s gain is truly our loss. While we pride ourselves in his achievements, it is hard not to imagine how different our leadership and country may have been had he been elected president in Kenya."

Blue Dogs Backsliding on Anti-Health Care Reform Backsliding from the Huffington Post

Democratic backsliders on health care ... are backsliding ... back to where they started.  (Sigh).  These folks are going to be political shuttlecocks for the rest of the summer on health care, cap-and-trade and God knows what other key Obama initiatives that are coming down the pike.

O'Reilly and Fox News Will Have More Right-Wing Vigilantism to Explain (Eric Boehlert) from Media Matters

"The militia-style vigilante rhetoric has become a cornerstone of the conservative media movement in America, and it's now proudly championed by Fox News on a nearly hourly basis."

John Arovosis of AmericaBlog makes some additional salient points HERE.

Capital Day Out as Michelle Obama and Her Daughters Enjoy London from the Times [of London]

"Motorcycle outriders, armoured Chevrolets and bullet-headed men in raincoats criss-crossed London yesterday as Michelle Obama and her daughters spent a second day on an unofficial visit to the capital."

See related stories from the Times on Michelle's visit with the Sarkozys HERE and her visit to Westminster Abbey HERE.

Palin Beginning to Irritate Some Senate GOPers from The Hill

REALLY!? You don't say!  Who knew!?  Just "beginning," eh?  The latest installment in the Palin Pulldown Project from her own Party.

"Sarah Palin has begun to get on the nerves of Republican senators who say the former GOP vice presidential nominee is taking her own White House aspirations entirely too seriously. "

Poll: One-Third of Republicans View Party Unfavorably from USA Today

ONLY A THIRD!?  Conclusion: two-thirds of Republicans [those that think their party is doing good] are completely delusional.

"In thinking about the Republican Party's troubles, consider this: One-third of Republicans now say they have an unfavorable opinion of their party.  There's no such dyspepsia among Democrats. Just 4% have an unfavorable view of their party."

IT'S-A-LITTLE-LATE-ISN'T-IT? NUGGET

Bush's Dallas Home Becomes Site of War Protest from the McClatchy News Service

"During the more than half-hour protest, which included a nearly mile-long march to the neighborhood, protesters yelled, "Don't wait, investigate." Pro-Bush supporters chanted "USA" for the former president whom they say did a good job."

IRANIAN ELECTION LONG-FORM NUGGET!

Divided Iran on the Eve from the New York Review of Books

"The Iranian regime's embrace of messianic Shi'ism has long contended with a highly-educated and secularized society. Despite the revolutionary rhetoric, its leaders may be less concerned with obscure scriptural dictates than with a rational pursuit of power."

BOOK NUGGET!

Off Camera: Civil Rights in the North from the Nation

Thomas Sugrue is a MAJOR award-winning historian worth paying attention to.

"It might seem incongruous to lump together bootleggers, madams, gangsters and upwardly mobile black Americans, as if black wealth were a form of ill-gotten gain, but that bitter absurdity sits at the heart of Sweet Land of Liberty, Thomas J. Sugrue's panoramic account of the civil rights movement in the North."

HUMOR NUGGET!

Republican Senatorial Committee RSVP from Sarah Palin from the DCCC