News Nuggets 225

Bilbies in Currawinya National Park in Australia -- from the Global Post.  See the Animal Nugget below.

Waking From Its Sleep from the Economist [of London]

"The Arab world has experienced two decades of political stagnation, says Peter David. But there is a fever under the surface."

Africa's New Path (Fareed Zakaria) from Newsweek

"President Obama was right to give his recent address in Ghana, highlighting an African success story rather than casting his speech against the backdrop of poverty and pity. One of the great underreported stories of the last decade has been the rise of this new Africa."

Cedar Evolution from the National Interest

"The relationship between Syria and America has been on the mend. With American and Arab envoys making more frequent trips to Damascus, Syrian influence in the region is rising, and Jumblatt jumped ship to mend his fences with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. ... Jumblatt realizes that the regional and international winds have been changing."

New Momentum - But No Clear Goal - for Iran's Street Protests from Time Magazine

"In recent days, despite the regime's heavy-handed efforts to stifle the resistance, public demonstrations have become more decentralized and frequent as protesters become increasingly bold and defiant."

The Sun Also Rises from the Economist [of London]

"The president pleaded for the passage of a massive fiscal stimulus, insisting that “doing nothing is not an option.” By the time he returned to Elkhart on August 5th he was quite a bit sunnier. Local factories are “coming back to life”, he proclaimed. A few days earlier he had declared the economy to have done “measurably better” than expected. Mr Obama’s good spirits are well grounded: America’s recession appears to be coming to an end."

Guide to the 2010 House Races from the Congressional Quarterly

"Democrats have a virtual lock on 198 seats for November 2010, and in another 31 districts the opportunities for a GOP upset are tenuous at best. Put those groups together and you have 229, well above the 218-seat majority threshold."

GOP at War with Itself in Florida Senate Race from Time Magazine

"Crist's crossover appeal — along with his powerhouse skills as a fundraiser and campaigner — has made him a heavy favorite to join the Senate in 2010. To some observers, his success in the largest swing state could be a national model for a GOP in the wilderness, proof that the party still appeals to independent voters.  But those observers do not tend to be Republicans, much less the conservative partisans who tend to dominate closed Republican primaries."

This is a preview of most Republican primaries next year.

First Thoughts on Obama's N.H. Town Hall (from Chuck Todd et al.) from MSNBC

"As it turns out, one of the most striking things watching the town halls yesterday -- Obama's, Specter's, and McCaskill's -- was how misinformed the public was about the health-care debate."

Has the GOP Blown Health Care? from The Week

"Why the raucous town hall protests may be undermining conservatives’ chances of derailing health care reform."

A more in-depth examination of this issue is made HERE from The Moderate Voice

"This has been the problem with the GOP in recent years: most of its pitches, when the rubber meets the road, eventually boil down to arguments that seem aimed at wavering Republicans and the style and tone of the rhetoric is — as we have called it here — the confrontional, angry and demonizing talk radio political culture."

Easing the 'Death Panel' Fear (Kathleen Parker) from the Washington Post

"We do need to turn down the rhetorical heat lest we miss important issues in the proposed House health-care bill.  Unfortunately, Palin's more thoughtful comments followed a made-for-the-tabloids Facebook post suggesting that under President Obama's health-care reform, a "death panel" would kill her elderly parents and her Down syndrome baby.  Once upon a time, radical reformers could only dream of such helpful enemies."

ANIMAL NUGGET!!

Bring Back the Bilbies from the Global Post

"On a 7,100-acre patch of land in a remote corner of Australia, a furry little long-eared animal that might well have been designed in Stephen Spielberg's animation lab is edging back from the brink of extinction."