News Nuggets 214

A school of great blue fin tuna in an aquarium in Tokyo -- from the Chicago Tribune

A Waiting Game with Iran (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post

"The neighborhood troublemaker has driven his car off the road and is stuck in a ditch. He is gunning his engine but just spinning his wheels. What should we do? Personally, I would wait for the dust to settle. I would want that cocky driver to ask for help before throwing him a rescue line. If he needs a tow, he should offer an attractive deal -- starting with a promise that he will stop terrorizing the neighborhood."

GREAT analogy!

Iran, US Do a 'War on Terror' Somersault (Editorial) from the Asia Times

"The fierce raid this week by Iraqi military and police units on Camp Ashraf, a base for the militant Iranian dissident outfit - Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK) or "People's Holy Warriors" - was a game changer in Iran's quest to control the banned organization. The timing of the intense two-day siege of the camp, ..., is clearly linked to the progressive transfer of security operations from American to Iraqi troops."

A Reporter's Diary: Making a Tricky Exit from Iran from Time Magazine

"Although the training manuals at Langley likely do not recommend it, I spent the better part of my final days in the Islamic Republic debating whether or not to convince my own grandmother to discretely include a pair of flash drives with her luggage."

Talking to the Taliban from (GASP!) Fox News

"A top Western diplomat in Kabul tells Fox News “reconciliation” with elements of the Taliban insurgents  will be a key way to resolve the conflict in Afghanistan. "

Free Marriage Counseling (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times

"Israel and America are having one of those periodic marital spats they have had over the years, replete with “I-am-not-taking-any-more-of-your-guff” outbursts by Obama officials at American Jewish leaders, ... Having been to this play before, and knowing both families, I’d like to offer some free marriage counseling."

Forget the Great in Britain (Editorial) from Newsweek

"Its fall was inevitable, but the economic crisis will shrink the last pretenses of empire faster than anyone expected."

With Health Care Talks Uncertain, Democrats Consider a Last Resort from the New York Times

"With bipartisan health care negotiations teetering, Democrats are talking reluctantly — and very, very quietly — about exploiting a procedural loophole they planted in this year’s budget to skirt Republican filibusters against a health care overhaul."

Lawmakers Head Home Divided, Empty-handed on Health Care from the Miami Herald

"The House of Representatives adjourned Friday for a five-week summer recess with conservative and liberal Democrats still at odds over the cost and the government's role in any health care overhaul, putting off a floor vote until at least September."

Obama's Legislative Approach: Pragmatism (Michael Scherer) from Time Magazine

"Six months into the Obama Administration, a clear pattern of legislative pragmatism has emerged: focus on winning the big votes and don't fret too much about losing some of the details."

A Healthy Competition (David Broder) from the Washington Post

"Here's an irony for you: The health-care bills in Congress are getting better even as support for them diminishes around the country."

Pelosi Outlines August Plan of Attack from Politico

"Speaker Nancy Pelosi outlined a doubled-edged message for selling health care reform in August: one part pro-consumer and the second, attacking the health insurance industry with the same passion she took on George W. Bush’s Social Security privatization plans four years ago. "

The Drive for Faster Trains from The Week

"President Obama has pledged $13 billion to ‘jump-start’ a high-speed rail system. Is it too little, too late?"

Small Beer, Big Hangover (Frank Rich) from the New York Times

"THE comforting thing about each “national conversation on race” is that the “teachable moment” passes before any serious conversation can get going."

Concerning the media's role in this story, Rich hits it squarely here.

The Real Lesson of Obama's Moment (Editorial) from the [Toronto] Globe and Mail

"We've had the Beer Summit and its teachable moment. If nothing else it put an end ... to the Michael Jackson coverage. Well if it was, in the Oprahesque formulation, a teachable moment – what was being taught? And what has been learned? Well, among other things, we've learned once again what a smooth politician Barack Obama is."

Paul McCartney Dedicates Beatles' Classic 'Michelle' to First Lady Michelle Obama from Politico

"Before playing the Beatles classic, "Michelle", McCartney told the packed audience that he was dedicating it to the first lady."

HISTORY NUGGET!!

World War I: We are Still Lost in the Mystery of that War (Simon Heffer) from the [London] Daily Telegraph

Hits on one of the biggest differences between Europe and the US, one that continues to play out today.

"Nothing changed us more, or demanded so incomprehensible a sacrifice as the conflict that ended in November 1918."