News Nuggets 234

A balloonist in southwest England

Is It Time to Negotiate with the Taliban?: A Forum from the New York Times

If not now, the time is coming real soon.

"The latest assessment once again raises the issue of whether the coalition should negotiate with the Taliban. How might talks be carried out? What are the risks involved?"

A Forced Breakthrough in the Middle East (Editorial) from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]

"US President Barack Obama is serious about his new Mideast policy. He is urging Israel to halt its settlement activities in the occupied territories and is pushing Europe to impose tougher sanctions on Tehran. Israel, Iran and even Hamas are already reacting to the new policy. Does it present an opportunity for compromise?"

Putting Leadership into Words (Joseph Nye) from the [Toronto] Globe and Mail

Nye is a real foreign policy big shot at Harvard.

"Perhaps the most impressive current example of leadership based on the ability to communicate is Barack Obama, who has given three times as many interviews as George W. Bush and held four times as many prime-time press conferences as Bill Clinton at this stage in their presidencies. ... Good rhetorical skills help to generate soft power."

Russia's Nightmare Century (Editorial) from the Moscow Times

"There are many unresolved problems within the EU, but the project has been a major success. It will probably be a matter of years before remaining laggards join, including Ukraine and Turkey. This will leave Russia entirely on its own. Russia seems to have drawn the wrong conclusions from its own history and Europe’s experience."

House Dems Plot Health Care Comeback from Politico

"The comeback for Democrats — if there is one — will begin in an all-important closed-door caucus meeting next week in the basement of the Capitol, where House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her top lieutenants will try to undo the damage of the August recess and convince their wobbly members that a vote for health care reform will not cost them their jobs in 2010. "

Obama Takes Realistic Approach on Health Care (Norman Ornstein) from the Washington Post

"Having watched the lawmaking process in all its glory (and messiness) for 40 years, as well as having watched the meltdown of the Clinton health plan up close, I am seeing from the administration signs of savvy, not weakness. ... the issue is actually on a fairly predictable path that fits both the realities of public opinion and politics in an age of sharp partisan and ideological conflict."

Stronger Prospects for the President on a Health Care Bill from the New York Times

"Other factors suggest that President Obama still has stronger prospects for achieving his health policy goals than surface impressions of the Congressional recess indicate. He lags behind his own timetable for action, but remains ahead of presidential predecessors who pursued the same objective."

Conservative Democrats Expect a Health Deal from the New York Times

"Even after the tough town-hall-style meetings, unrelenting Republican assaults and a steady stream of questions from anxious voters, interviews with more than a dozen Blue Dogs and their top aides indicate that many of the lawmakers still believe approval of some form of health care plan is achievable and far preferable to not acting at all."

The Doomsayers are Wrong About Obama, Again (Robert Shrum) from The Week

"The press, Republicans, and frustrated progressives think Obama is struggling and his health plan "on the precipice of defeat." That just proves that those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat their own mistakes."

Failure is Not an Option on Healthcare (Froma Harrop) from RealClearPolitics

I usually don't care much from Froma, but here she is right on-the-money! The Dems have NO CHOICE but to cough up and pass a substantive bill ... or they are SO doomed next year!

"By Nov. 2, 2010, the reform, or lack thereof, will be clear to everyone. And the lies about how certain changes would play out will have been rendered toothless. That's why Democrats should forge ahead and do what they must to make coverage universal, contain costs and ensure a high quality of care. And that's why foes of reform are in a frenzy to stop it now. "

The AARP and Seniors: Clashing on Health Care from Time Magazine

On this issue -- to hell with the members.

"No one can be more surprised, or put in a more uncomfortable position, than the organization that supposedly represents their interests, AARP. The 40 million–member advocacy group, after all, signed on early as a key supporter of President Obama's health-care-reform plan, and now it finds itself on the defensive, scrambling to win back much of its own membership.."

Did Obama Underestimate His Critics? from CNN

A well-known historian's interesting view.

"The first two weeks of September will be absolutely crucial to determining whether the president can win back public opinion"

Justice Department to Recharge Civil Rights Enforcement from the New York Times

VERY GOOD NEWS!

"Seven months after taking office, Attorney General Eric Holder is reshaping the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division by pushing it back into some of the most important areas of American political life, including voting rights, housing, employment, bank lending practices and redistricting after the 2010 census."

What Richard Cohen Omits [Concerning Torture] (Andrew Sullivan) from the Atlantic

"One more point that Cohen simply ignores. Torture is illegal. It is a war crime. You cannot get to the point of debating its pros and cons until you have changed the law, removed the US from Geneva and the UN Convention on Torture and placed the US legally on the same ground as the enemy."

The "Intolerance" Party? GOP Strategists Worry Ideologues Are Bad for the Party's Future (Thomas Edsall) from the Huffington Post

"A major rift has emerged within the Republican Party. On one side: Ideologues who are inciting the base with wild rhetoric and banking on a "great American awakening" that will sweep conservatives back into power. On the other: Strategists, who see the party's growing intolerance as a prescription for minority status. So far, the ideologues are winning."

HISTORY NUGGET!!

Why Wasn't Hitler Stopped? from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]

This is part of a three-part overview of the Germany attack on Poland (from the modern German perspective) which happened 70 years ago earlier this week. The other two parts have links here also.