News Nuggets 203

Baby Fennec Foxes -- from the Chicago Tribune

Is Obama Changing Arab Public Opinion? (David Pollock) from RealClearWorld

"Several new polls suggest that the United States is gaining ground in the "Arab street," and that President Barack Obama's latest overtures, specifically his June 4 speech in Cairo, were well received by some important Arab constituencies. Although a great deal of skepticism remains, students of Arab public opinion would regard these numbers as surprisingly encouraging."

Obama Takes Small Steps in Moscow (Editorial from former Indian diplomat) from the Asia Times

"Something seems to have changed on two tracks, which might provide an impetus to the relationship. The first steps have been taken towards a new strategic arms limitation treaty. They are small steps and they are not very confident ones, but the fact is they have been taken. The second track is the agreement on Afghanistan."

An interesting examination of the Russia-US relationship -- from the perspective of a third party.

Ahmadinejad 'Must Be Offered Something' from the Gazeta [of Russia in English]

"Concerning improved relations between Iran and the U.S. and what role Russia might play, Victor Kremenyuk, the deputy director of the Institute of the USA and Canada at the Russian Academy of Sciences, spoke to Gazeta."

For Our Own Good (Editorial) from the Jerusalem Post

"The unwritten understanding between these leaders went more or less as follows: Because of the structure of Israeli politics and the influence of right-wing elements, it is easier for a government to negotiate peace than to remove settlements or even freeze their growth, especially when no final status agreement appears likely in the near term."

Kenyans Appreciate Obama's 'Slap in the Face' from the Handelsblatt [of Germany in English]

"Worried that the country might be drifting toward civil war, many Kenyans appreciate seeing their deeply-divided 'unity' government reprimanded by the one man who, by virtue of his ancestry, already commands an unprecedented level of respect."

May Obama Herald Era of 'Peace and Honest Dealings' from Modern Ghana [of Ghana in English]

"Mr. Barack Obama, you are most welcome to Ghana. We hope, along with [President] Professor Mills, you find the right distance to keep in relations between Ghana and the U.S., which will maintain real mutual benefit for both of our peoples for years to come."

For Clinton, '09 Campaign is for Her Turf from the New York Times

"Mrs. Clinton has told colleagues about a recent phone conversation with Henry A. Kissinger, a secretary of state who was not sidelined, in which he told her he could not recall a time when there appeared to be less friction between the State Department and the White House. Mr. Kissinger confirmed the account. At the same time, however, the White House has exercised a tight grip on critical foreign policy issues, particularly Iran."

The White House Strikes Back from Politico

"On the defensive over the economy and health care, the White House is shooting back with a double-barreled message for its critics and skeptics. To Republicans who say the stimulus isn’t working: Back off.  To moderate Democrats wary of health care reform: We’re watching you. "

Socialized Medicine? Bring it on (Richard Cohen) from the Washington Post

"How things could be worse than they are now, I cannot imagine.  In the past two months, I have spent many hours accompanying a loved one to hospital emergency rooms -- all of them privately operated. The rap on what is sometimes called socialized medicine is that if the government ran the system, the wait would be interminable. Well, I am here to tell you that even when the government does not run the system, the wait can be interminable."

Cohen nails the reality of health care today.

Health Care Arises From the Dead (Editorial) from The Root

"For those of us who questioned how hard the White House and its congressional allies would fight for health care reform, the answer is here. The devil remains in the details, of course, but in the last couple of days Barack Obama has put Republicans and conservative Democrats alike "on notice": Get on board or get left behind."

Now I'm Pissed (Editorial) from The Root

"As I watched the second day of confirmation hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor, I grew closer and closer to the stereotype. Angry-black-woman syndrome—hard to get along with, excitable, overly aggressive, difficult, a bully and a badgerer—began to set in."

Down the Mississippi: Barack Obama Effect Ends White Rule in Deep South Town from the Daily Telegraph [of London]

"A tiny Mississippi delta town has elected its first black mayor after the white incumbent, unopposed for 30 years, faced a young challenger inspired by President Barack Obama's feat in winning the White House."

Whose Identity Politics (Eugene Robinson) from the Washington Post

"The only real suspense in the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is whether the Republican Party will persist in tying its fortunes to an anachronistic claim of white male exceptionalism and privilege."

Takeover Opportunities Grow for House Dems from the Hill

"The troubles House campaign committees face when their most vulnerable members run for higher office is a familiar topic for Backroom readers. But, in this cycle, Republicans are getting hit hard. "

A Word to the Wise, Republicans (editorial) from Truth/Slant

"Racism isn’t about what people say. It’s about how people think. And when you look at how some Republicans are thinking about Sotomayor (and the black and brown peoples of this country), that is where they do themselves some real damage."

Poor, Persecuted Sarah Palin (Thomas Frank) from the Wall Street Jornal

"if political figures stand for ideas, victimization is what Ms. Palin is all about. It is her brand, her myth. Ronald Reagan stood tall. John McCain was about service. Barack Obama has hope. Sarah Palin is a collector of grievances. She runs for high office by griping.  This is no small thing, mind you. The piling-up of petty complaints is an important aspect of conservative movement culture. "

I've been struggling to identify why I've still been posting on the Palin meltdown two weeks after the fact.  Frank's analysis captures why: there is so much about her brief time in the spotlight that speak to the fundamental orientation of the GOP these days -- she seems to represent it all.