A Humboldt's Penguin at a zoo in Germany.
UP-FRONT "KEEP-A-COPY-IN-YOUR-WALLET" BUDGET NUGGET!
America's Sea of Red Ink Was Years in the Making from the New York Times with ann essential graphic HERE.
"There are two basic truths about the enormous deficits that the federal government will run in the coming years. The first is that President Obama's agenda, ambitious as it may be, is responsible for only a sliver of the deficits, despite what many of his Republican critics are saying. The second is that Mr. Obama does not have a realistic plan for eliminating the deficit, despite what his advisers have suggested.
Reaching Out to the Muslim World (Editorial) from the Japan Times
"Talk of "legitimate grievances" widened the gulf between the U.S. and the Muslim world. Mr. Obama sought to close that gap. Few Americans, much less presidents, have been better positioned to succeed. "
Muslims' Great Fears: Obama Can't Do It from de Volkskrant [of the Netherlands in English]
"Bush never baffled Muslims. They saw in him the wrong leader and felt that his invasion of Iraq and the crimes of Abu Ghraib legitimated their hatred for him. When it comes to Obama, Muslims are confused."
Iran Awakens Yet Again (Roger Cohen) from the New York Times
"Iran, its internal fissures exposed as never before, is teetering again on the brink of change. For months now, I’ve been urging another look at Iran, beyond dangerous demonization of it as a totalitarian state. Seldom has the country looked less like one than in these giddy June days."
Obama Wins an Election in the Middle East (Juan Cole) from Salon
"Lebanon's voters gave the White House the victory it wanted -- with a lot of help from Hezbollah. ... Whatever the size of Obama's influence, the election has already had a direct impact of the future of Arab-Israeli negotiations and on the realization of U.S. aims in the region."
Ballots Over Bullets (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
"I confess. I’m a sucker for free and fair elections. ... [and] in Lebanon it was the real deal, and the results were fascinating: President Barack Obama defeated President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran."
Iran's Presidential Election: What to Watch For from the Brookings Institution
"Coming on the heels of a change in American administrations and a shift in U.S. policy, Iran’s presidential campaign has featured a remarkably frank discourse about engagement. While no election outcome will single-handedly transform Iran’s relationship with Washington – in part because Iran’s presidency is not its ultimate authority in any case – the conclusion of this week’s election will shape the outlook for diplomacy in ways that are unlikely to be straightforward."
Democrats Nearing Consensus on Health Care from the New York Times
"A broad consensus on the contours of legislation to remake the nation’s health care system appeared to be developing among Democratic leaders on Tuesday as three House committee chairmen outlined a bill generally similar to one being written in the Senate."
Large Majority Backs Major Overhaul of Health Care from Diageo/Hotline Poll via Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
"The latest Diageo/Hotline Poll finds that 62% of voters support "the President enacting a major overhaul of the U.S. health care system," with 38% of voters strongly supporting a major overhaul."l
The Six Top Republicans Obama Listens to (Marc Ambinder) from the Atlantic
"Regardless of whether the President's bipartisan outreach is producing legislative results, there is a handful of conservatives and Republicans that the president and his White House team respect. By respect, I mean, quite simply, the degree to which the White House responds to their worries and needs and believes that the time spent responding is useful and necessary."
Half Baked Alaska (Kathleen Parker) from the Washington Post
"Sarah Palin's Dysfunctional Organization May Be Her Undoing"
Obama vs. the Deniers (Michael Gerson) from the Washington Post
"Obama's intensity and clarity on this issue were unexpected -- and needed. Holocaust denial has long been a staple of Middle Eastern anti-Semitism. But it has grown more pervasive since the 1990s ... The political purpose of Middle Eastern Holocaust denial is to delegitimize the state of Israel."
The Next Obama: Six Rising Black Political Stars from the Daily Beast
"From Newark’s Cory Booker to Alabama’s Artur Davis, a new generation stands poised to follow in Barack Obama’s footsteps. The Daily Beast profiles six up-and-comers who have big elections ahead of them."
A Republican Ice Age from Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
"Republican strategist Mike Murphy in the latest issue of Time magazine: "Despairing Republican friends have been asking me what I think we should do to rebuild the GOP and begin our certain and inevitable comeback. My answer disappoints them: 'Build an ark.'"
Coach Obama: Shape Up Now from Politico
"From the White House garden to his picks for top health jobs, Obama is telling America’s McDonald’s-loving, couch-dwelling, doctor-phobic populace that things are about to change. "
VIDEO NUGGET!
In DC, Obama's Buns Stimulate Burger Business from TMZ Celebrity Video
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