News Nuggets 233

Autumn is almost upon us -- A moose in Minnesota

Iran is Ready for Nuclear Talks, Official Says from the Huffington Post

“Iran's top nuclear negotiator said his country is ready to hold talks with world powers to ease fears over its nuclear activities and has prepared a revised package of proposals for Western countries, state TV reported Tuesday.”

NSA Advisor Says Obama Having Better Success Against Terrorists from ABC News

“Responding to criticism from former Vice President Cheney that President Obama is making the nation more vulnerable to terrorism, the president’s National Security Adviser, Gen. Jim Jones (Ret.), told ABC News in an exclusive interview that actually the reverse is true: President Obama’s greater success with international relations has meant more terrorists put out of commission.”

Who Gets the Blame for the Deep Deficit? From the New York Times

“While Mr. Obama has proposed nothing to reduce the nation’s red ink, he also has not deepened it — yet.”

The Courtship of David Brooks from the New Republic

“In the spring of 2005, New York Times columnist David Brooks arrived at then-Senator Barack Obama’s office for a chat. Brooks, a conservative writer who joined the Times in 2003 from The Weekly Standard, had never met Obama before. But, as they chewed over the finer points of Edmund Burke, it didn’t take long for the two men to click.”

The New Old Guard (Matt Bai) from the Sunday New York Times Magazine

"We now have a visual sense of the kind of voter who is militantly opposed to Obama’s health care agenda and, more broadly, to the president himself. The typical anti-Obama activist tends to be white, male and — perhaps most significant — advanced in age."

Pride and Power (Richard Pipes) from the Wall Street Journal

Russia is caught between continents and haunted by its past. Richard Pipes on the need to convince a nation to dial back its aggressive tendencies and join the West.

Imbalance of Trust (Charles Blow) from the New York Times

"Liberals are flummoxed by the fact that obviously false and widely discredited claims about health care reform have not only taken root, but appear to be growing in acceptance. .. What gives? Is it partly the utter gullibility of some people? Sure. Is it partly deep-seated resentment of the black man in the White House? No doubt. But it’s also about something more fundamental: fluctuations of basic trust in the federal government."

Heartless Conservatives Unite (Lee Siegel) from the Daily Beast

Normally, I don't go in for "bash one party or the other" kind of books but this book looks REALLY interesting! NPR interviewed the author yesterday. See the 13th story HERE.

“Lee Siegel talks to Sam Tanenhaus, author of the era-defining The Death of Conservatism, about his Buckley fetish, Sarah Palin's culture war, and why the right wing abandoned politics.”

Where's the GOP's Ted Kennedy? (Editorial) from the Washington Post

"The problem is not that there is no Ted Kennedy among the Democrats who understands the art of compromise. The problem is that there is no Republican willing to provide, for health reform, the kind of bold leadership that Kennedy provided to help pass controversial legislation when George W. Bush was president."

One Kennedy, Two Americas (Kathleen Parker) from the Washington Post

“Reaction to Sen. Ted Kennedy's death suggests that there really are two Americas. One side sees in Kennedy a liberal lion who fought for the greater good; the other sees a sinner lionized by the morally blind.”

HISTORY NUGGET!!

Hitchhiking the Hudson from the New York TImes

"To mark this year’s 400th anniversary of Hudson’s historic exploration, the fall calendar is filled with a flotilla of festivals and food fairs, exhibitions and expositions, panel discussions and plays, tours, readings and concerts. I probably won’t make it to any of them. Instead, I decided to retrace his rout."

BOOK NUGGET!!

A site showcasing Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide

If you are a fan of Nicholas Kristof, (which I am becoming) check out this book. There was a wonderful preview of the book in last week's NYT Sunday Magazine.

TWO SMACK-THE-GERMANS NUGGETS!!

Germany Recalls Myth That Created the Nation from Der Spiegel

In September 9 AD, Germanic tribesmen slaughtered three Roman legions in a battle that marked the "big bang" of the German nation and created its first hero -- Hermann. The country is marking the 2,000th anniversary with restraint because the myth of Hermann remains tainted by the militant nationalism that would later be associated with Hitler.

We must not forget the real causes of the war from the [London] Independent

"One might have thought that 70 years was time enough to work out what really happened in 1939. It isn't the case. Misunderstandings and misinformation abound."