News Nuggets 193

I'm not sure really what to make of this image from Berlin taken by Der Spiegel.  Is the water really THAT polluted?  It strikes me as rather odd.

Fool Me Twice (Jacob Heilbrunn) from the National Interest

"On Iraq, the Bush administration and the neoconservatives and liberal hawks who supported the invasion didn’t just get it wrong. They got it exactly backwards. In every way possible and then some, they invented a threat that simply did not exist."

Iran Awash in Mistrust and Despair from the Asia Times

"A feeling of anger, despair and mistrust of government prevails among Iranian citizens, which has only deepened after the Guardians Council's announcement."

In Iran, Conspiracy Theories Flourish as Regime Tries to Win Back Legitimacy from Time Magazine

"The Islamic Republic has been busy in three main ways since the presidential elections of June 12."

Most Americans Back Obama on Iran Election, CNN Poll Finds from the Times [of London]

"John McCain may have tried to cast Iran as Barack Obama’s first foreign policy failure, but America remains overwhelmingly behind the President, rejecting the pressure to weigh in further on the post-election crisis."

Let the Usurpers Writhe (Roger Cohen) from the New York Times

"Think of normalized relations with the United States as the big prize. Who gets to deliver it? One thing is certain: Iran’s ruthless usurpers are determined to ensure reformists are never in a position to claim the breakthrough."

Iran Presents Obama a Quandary fit for Chicago (Al Hunt) from the Bloomberg News Service

"Barack Obama in dealing with Iran, brings some expertise as important as his lack of foreign policy experience: a background in Chicago politics."

Russia's Grand Inquisitor (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post

"Human beings would happily trade their freedom for food and security, Dostoyevsky wrote in the novel's famous chapter, "The Grand Inquisitor." In place of this anarchic freedom, the Inquisitor offered the people "miracle, mystery and authority. ... There's a palpable sense here that Putin has brought "miracle, mystery and authority" to a Russia that was severely traumatized by the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s."

Obama's Trip to Russia (Editorial) from RealClearPolitics

"While Russia under Putin (and his not-quite-elected successor, Dmitry Medvedev) eschews communism, it does have a semi-formal state ideology revolving around its self-image as a "great power.""

The New Energy Politics (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post

"That some highly vulnerable Democrats in the House were willing to face tens of thousands of dollars worth of Republican attack ads as the price of supporting a bill to curb global warming is the untold story of what, so far, is the year's most dramatic legislative showdown."

White House Plans Flu Summit Next Week from CNN

"CNN has learned that the Obama administration is planning to convene a "flu summit" next week to make preparations for the fall, as officials in Argentina declare a health emergency because 35 people have died in the Latin American nation from swine flu."

WHY is he WASTING his time on this when he could so easily PROCRASTINATE until the Fall when ... when ... it'll be too late?  After all, that's the way politicians USUALLY operate.  All kidding aside, such a rare demonstration of foresight.

Majority Leader Shines in the Shadows from Congressional Quarterly

This is like the FIRST somewhat positive article I've read concerning Reid's leadership.

"Other majority leaders have relished the spotlight — working to shape the party agenda from a television studio or a desk in the front row on the Senate floor — but Reid is most in his element when he roams the shadows in the rear of the chamber, homing in on fellow Democrats who are wavering on the question of the moment."

The GOP: Poised for Another Comeback? from the VA Center for Politics

"The current state of the Republican Party is a good-news, bad-news situation. The good news is that the GOP has gone through several debilitating elections over the last generation and each time has recovered quickly.

The bad news is that the conditions may not be as ripe this time for a fast Republican comeback as they were after the elections of 1964, 1976 and 1992."

House of Pain: GOP's Class of '94 from Politico

"As it turns out, the pressures and demands of political life have inflicted devastating damage not only on the Ensign and Sanford families, but on the families of many of the 71 other freshmen who formed the vanguard of the Republican Revolution."

The Sarah Palin Chronicles Mask Deeper GOP Troubles from the Washington Post

OH GOOD!  More troubles!

"The Palin controversy highlights personal enmities and strategic disagreements among Republicans. The victory by Democrat Al Franken over Republican Norm Coleman for a U.S. Senate seat representing Minnesota, though long anticipated, drives home the degree to which Republicans are now a true minority party. Together, the controversies are another double blow to the weakened party."

Michelle Obama to Russia, Ghana, and Italy (Lynn Sweet) from Politics Daily

"First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia, along with her mother, Marian Robinson, will join President Obama when he travels to Russia, Italy and Ghana next week."

RARE BIRD NUGGET!!

A CBS News Exclusive!  When was the last time you saw one of those?

Palin E-Mails Show Infighting with Staff from CBS News

"CBS News' Scott Conroy and special contributor Shushannah Walshe, who are writing a book about Palin, reveal just one example of how the mutual frustrations went even further than what has been disclosed so far."