Commemorating Obama's election victory one year ago yesterday, here's this image of him campaigning in Iowa. Hobson's Choice in Iran from Newsweek
"The antigovernment protesters in Iran, who had been careful to distance themselves from America, have just asked the West not to sell them out."
A Year On, Has Barack Obama Met the Hopes of the World? from the [Manchester] Guardian
"Last November, in Chicago's Grant Park, world politics was transformed by the arrival of America's first black president. But has he made good on his groundbreaking promises?"
Quiet Progress Made in US-North Korea Talks from Foreign Policy Magazine
"An administration official told The Cable that substantial progress was made in behind-the-scenes talks between Sung Kim, the State Department's special envoy to the six party talks, and Ri Gun, North Korea's lead negotiator."
Obama's Strategy of Buying Time (Op-ed) from RealClearWorld
Excellent statement on what Obama is confronting around the world.
He seems to be fighting to create new choices, not liking what is on the menu. He may succeed. But it is important to understand the overwhelming forces that shape his choices and to understand the degree to which whatever he chooses is embedded in U.S. grand strategy, a strategy imposed by geopolitical reality."
Obama's First Year: A Record You Can Believe In (Eugene Robinson) from the Washington Post
"It's been a year since a healthy majority of American voters elected Barack Obama to change the world. Which is precisely what he's doing."
A Glimpse of the Future? (Bob Herbert) from the New York Times
"Mr. Obama delivered an upbeat speech that offered a glimpse of a broader overall vision and a practical way forward on the crucial issues of energy and jobs."
How the Economic Crisis Has Changed Us from Parade Magazine
Yes -- this is the first appearance in the Nuggets of Parade Magazine
"The changes in the economy over the past 18 months have had profound effects on the lives of people across the country. Now, for the first time, a new PARADE survey shows just how dramatically Americans’ goals, hopes, spending habits, relationships, and even their attitudes toward trusted"
No Difference Between President Obama and Candidate Obama (David Plouffe) from the Huffinton Post
"I remain confident in the president's unique ability not just to lead us through the many challenges and crises of the moment, but also to accomplish the tough, smart, long-term projects of energy and health care reform -- problems that Washington has long ignored but that will secure a more equitable and prosperous future for all Americans."
The Writer-in-Chief: The Inside Story of Publishing Obama's Memoir from the Huffington Post
""What's his name?"
"Barack Obama."
"Sorry. What is his name?"
"Barack. Obama." He'd graduated at the top of his class at Harvard Law School, she explained, and was the first Black President of the Harvard Law Review. His educational credentials were impeccable and I was going to love his writing, she felt confident.
Dems Want to Seize Historic Moment from Politico
"Health care is big for House Democrats: big like Social Security in the ’30s and civil rights in the ’60s, big like the war stories retold now in party caucuses as lawmakers grapple with the floor vote that is just days away. "
Uncivil War: Conservatives to Challenge a Dozen GOP Candidates from Politico
"In what could be a nightmare scenario for Republican party officials, conservative activists are gearing up to challenge leading GOP candidates in more than a dozen key House and Senate races in 2010."
GOP Trails in Money Chase from Politico
"Whatever success they achieve today, the likelihood of Republicans seizing that momentum and scoring a congressional comeback remains dim. And the biggest reason they still face an uphill fight is the oldest one in the campaign playbook: money. "
The GOP Dumps the Gipper (Robert Shrum) from The Week
"Mired in anger and vituperation, seemingly hell-bent on becoming a small-tent faction rather than a big-tent governing party, Republicans have betrayed the leader they ritually canonize. The GOP is now the party of malaise."
It Doesn't Mean Squat (Joshua Green) from the Atlantic
I totally agree with Green here concerning the off-year elections.
"A lot of people believe they can divine hidden meaning from the results of off-year elections, like the ones in Virginia, New York and New Jersey on Tuesday. I'm skeptical. For one thing, nobody bothers to wait for the polls to close anymore--the "meaning" of the results has been hammered out in advance."
Why Democrats are Smiling (Eric Alterman) from the Daily Beast
"The elections may have been a mixed bag for the White House, but they certainly didn’t signal a Republican renaissance. Far from it—the party’s “grassroots patriots” are now headed for war against the moderate apostates."
Relax Democrats (Ruy Teixeira) from the New York Times
"TO hear Republicans tell it, Tuesday’s elections, in which their candidates captured the governorships of Virginia and New Jersey, were a repudiation of President Obama and indicated a voter shift toward their party. They should calm themselves down. The results don’t show this and, in fact, suggest some rather daunting challenges for the Republicans."
INTERVIEW NUGGET!!
Al Gore and "Our Choice" from the New Yorker
"Al Gore’s new book, “Our Choice” which comes out today, puts forward a series of proposals for taking on global warming. He spoke to Elizabeth Kolbert recently about what he learned in the course of his research, the rise of Chinese environmentalism, and the current debate over cap-and-trade in Congress. This interview covers, in part, why he’s optimistic about the climate crisis."
COLD WAR NUGGET!!
Newsweek has a series of interesting articles on the 20-year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. See HERE and HERE and a video link HERE.
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