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Friday, October 23, 2009

News Nuggets 243

Polar bears in Alaska -- an appropriate image given the environment nugget below.


'Live American Shields' are Better than Bush's Missile Defense System from Dziennik [of Poland in English]

"An agreement will be signed on stationing U.S. Army troops in Poland … it pays to have the Americans on our soil. Let the potential aggressor know that an attack on Poland would incur the wrath of the most powerful nation in the world."


The Hard Sell from the New Republic

"President Obama faces an enormous political challenge [1] in figuring out how to respond to General Stanley McChrystal's request for more soldiers in Afghanistan. One the one hand, resisting troop requests from the military during a time of war is difficult for any chief executive--particularly for Democratic presidents. On the other hand, Americans are showing little stomach to once again commit more troops to a distant, war-torn region: No recent survey [2] has found majority support for the idea."

A VERY GOOD Question! I've sure this is at the core of the whole Afghanistan military buildup question.


In Wake of Deal, House Dems Say They Have 218 from the National Journal

"House leaders say they have at least 218 votes for liberals' preferred public option in the wake of an agreement to address regional disparities in Medicare reimbursement rates, Democrats said Wednesday."


Public Option has Enough Votes to Pass in the Senate from ABC News

"I am told that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is leaning toward including the creation of a new government-run insurance program – the so-called public option – in the health care reform bill he will bring to the full Senate in the coming weeks."


The Quiet Revolution (David Brooks) from the New York Times

"The news is good. In fact, it’s very good. Over the past few days I’ve spoken to people ranging from Bill Gates to Jeb Bush and various education reformers. They are all impressed by how gritty and effective the Obama administration has been in holding the line and inciting real education reform."


Douthat: Why Gay Marriage is Inevitable from the New York Observer

"He added that the conservative opposition to gay marriage is "a losing argument," and asked rhetorically if committed homosexual relationships ought to be denied the legal recognition accorded without hesitation to the fleeting enthusiasms of Britney Spears and Newt Gingrich."


South Carolina embarrassed by politicians behaving badly from the Los Angeles Times

Gov. Mark Sanford and Rep. Joe Wilson are just the latest examples. Late-night jokes aside, some fear the shenanigans are paralyzing state government and causing visitors and businesses to stay away.


White Whine (Editorial) from the Progressive

"Republicans treat President Obama as if he were a substitute and they are just waiting for the real deal to come back in the room. That would be a white Republican male."


ENVIRONMENT NUGGET!!

Critical habitat in Alaska is proposed for polar bears from the Los Angeles Times

In what would be the largest habitat zone ever established in the U.S. to protect a species from extinction, the federal government on Thursday proposed designating 200,541 square miles on the coast of Alaska as critical habitat for polar bears.

Score one for the bears!!


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