News Nuggets 246

A red squirrel in Northumbria in the UK -- from the Chicago Tribune

Obama's Foreign Policy Report Card (Juan Cole) from Salon

"Despite the charge by critics from both the right and the left in the wake of his winning the Nobel Peace Prize that he has accomplished little so far, in fact he has already set in motion significant change on several of these fronts -- despite the enormous domestic tasks that have inevitably preoccupied his administration."

Stiffing the Revolutionaries (Reza Aslan) from the Daily Beast

"Obama may be cutting off money for groups that promote democracy for Iran, but Reza Aslan says he and most other young Iranians struggling for change there are glad the U.S. is keeping its measly $85 million."

Don't Build Up (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times

"It is crunch time on Afghanistan, so here’s my vote: We need to be thinking about how to reduce our footprint and our goals there in a responsible way, not dig in deeper. We simply do not have the Afghan partners, the NATO allies, the domestic support, the financial resources or the national interests to justify an enlarged and prolonged nation-building effort in Afghanistan."

Take Your Sweet Time, Obama (Andrew Sullivan) from the Daily Beast

"The landscape has changed dramatically since Gen. McChrystal called for a major surge in March. Andrew Exum, who helped draft that report, on the strategic upsides of Obama taking his time."

The Lethal Politics of the Opt-Out Public Option (Andrew Sullivan) from the Atlantic

A two-fer day for Mr. Sullivan!

"[With the opt-out provision] there has to be a debate in every state in which Republicans, where they hold a majority or the governorship, will presumably decide to deny their own voters the option to get a cheaper health insurance plan. When others in other states can get such a plan, will there not be pressure on the GOP to help their own base?"

The Road to Health-Care Reform (Eleanor Clift) from Newsweek

"For the millions of newly engaged voters who supported Obama and believed his promises about change, the process is taking too long. Everything takes too long on Capitol Hill, but for once, time is on Obama's side. Congress is poised to pass major reform. And in a stunning turnabout from the summer when conservative critics ruled, it's becoming evident that legislation will not pass Congress without a public option in some form."

A Senator in a Hostile Climate (Dana Milbank) from the Washington Post

"It must be very lonely being the last flat-earther. Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, committed climate-change denier, found himself in just such a position Tuesday morning as the Senate environment committee, on which he is the ranking Republican, took up legislation on global warming."

Is Missouri GOPer Chuck Purgason the next Marco Rubio? from Americablog

"The pundits look at the anger among the GOP teabagger crowd and think it's aimed mostly at Democrats. But, as we're seeing in New York's 23rd CD, they're fighting among themselves more. It's the D.C. GOPers vs. the teabaggers up there -- and the teabaggers are wreaking havoc."

2010 Congressional Battleground: Stable and Within Normal Limits from DemocracyCorps

"There is no evidence that anything historic or beyond the norm is currently in the works. If the election were tomorrow, Democrats would likely lose about 20 seats in the current 55-seat battleground, offset by some further Republican losses – resulting in a net loss near 15 to 20 seats."

Pelosi has Go-to-Gang on Big Votes from The Hill

"Here are some of the key Democrats Pelosi is likely to turn to as the voting on healthcare reform comes down to the wire, along with two hard-to-get votes."

How Will Michelle Obama Make Her Mark? from Newsweek

"African-American women in particular followed her every move—from her attention-getting wardrobe choices to her brief remarks on domestic policy. The truth is, she's done pretty much what she said she'd do. "

ENVIRONMENT NUGGET!!

Rethinking Laundry in the 21st Century from the New York Times

"Should Americans have the right to hang their laundry outdoors, even if many of their neighbors oppose it and community rules ban clotheslines as unsightly threats to property values?"

Some more elaboration can be found HERE.

HALLOWEEN NUGGET!!

Extreme Pumpkins: Which Would Make You Scream This Halloween? from Huffington Post

The pumpkins shown here are AMAZING!!

FINANCES NUGGET!!

Dodd Introduces Bill Meant to Freeze Credit Card Interest Rates Immediately from The Hill

"Dodd will introduce the bill in response to concerns that the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act, enacted earlier this year, has done little to block credit cards from raising interest rates before the remaining provisions of the CARD Act go into effect."

COLD WAR NUGGET!!

Fidel Castro's Sister Spied for CIA Against Cuban Leader's Regime from the Times [of London]

"Within two years of the Cuban revolutionary’s victory over the dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959, Ms Castro had turned traitor, betraying her brother to his arch enemy, America’s Central Intelligence Agency."