News Nuggets 252

The Tennessee River plateau, a seasonal image from National Geographic

UP-FRONT VIDEO NUGGET!!

President Obama's Heartbreaking Speech at Fort Hood from Daily Kos

A very moving speech..

The Fort Hood Shooting and the Role of Muslim Clerics (Editorial) from Hurriyet [of Turkey in English]

"The maturity shown the vast majority of American society will not be sufficient unless Muslim clerics and religious leaders assert their constructive role more often to step up and educate the masses with a modern view of Islam."

Russia-Iran Relations Flair from the Voice of America

"The head of the Iranian parliament's national security committee, Alaedin Borujurdi, is warning Russia that any further delay in fulfilling a contract to sell an anti-aircraft missile-defense system to Tehran would "seriously damage" relations between the countries."

A Short Guide to the Public Option Fight, and the 75-year History of the Battle Over Universal Health Care (Robert Reich) from Huffington Post

"With Congress returning from recess to consider health care legislation and the President set to deliver a major address on the subject to both chambers tomorrow, it's more important than ever to get word out on why a public option is so important and what can be done to push for it. ... In addition, it's useful to know how long America has been wrestling with universal health care, and how hard the battle has been, so a bit of history may be in order"

Clinton: 'We Are Winning' - Inside Clinton's Lunch with Senate Dems from Politico

"Former President Bill Clinton told a room full of Democratic senators Tuesday that passing health care reform — which he failed to do 15 years ago — is not only a moral issue but also “an economic imperative."

For Health Care Bill, Pelosi Had to Leave Left Coast Behind from the Los Angeles Times

"The Speaker is a lot more pragmatic than her opponents admit. "Pelosi's impulse to tilt at windmills disappeared and her pragmatic heritage came to the fore. That's what enabled Pelosi to build a majority, one compromise at a time, including the pivotal deal with antiabortion Democrats.""

Give Pelosi Her Due (Chuck Todd et al.) from MSNBC

It's the second entry here.

"Speaker Pelosi deserves her due on Saturday’s vote. She had said she'd get this out of the House as soon as she had the votes. By going when she did, with another Dem in her pocket (the new seat in NY-23) and keeping the House in session over the weekend, she got it done."

Public Hopes for More Improvement in Race Relations Under Obama from Politics Daily

"Gallup also found optimism for the future. Sixty-one percent of Americans believe race relations will get better in the years ahead as a result of Obama's presidency, a view held by 79 percent of blacks and 58 percent of whites."

Dems Can Do Well in 2010 from Politico

FINALLY -- someone says it!! This has been my view all along. One of the other pundits at Politico had this sage comment: "As the 2010 campaign cycle begins in earnest, the central question in the House of Representatives is how many seats will Republicans win?" I have seen this meme everywhere, and I'm not buying! It is far more probable that the GOP will end up throwing itself off a political cliff.

"Can Democrats hold their own in the 2010 elections? Absolutely. With the Republican gubernatorial victories in Virginia and New Jersey and the surprising Democratic win in N.Y. 23, one lesson we’ve learned is that politics can turn on a dime."

Ten Most Interesting Showdowns in 2010 Elections from Politico

"With a combined total of more than 500 House, Senate and gubernatorial races next year, it’s hard to cut through the spin to figure out which ones are worth watching. Here is POLITICO’s list of 10 contests to keep an eye on, whether it’s because they are uniquely revealing, particularly significant — or simply impending train wrecks."

Senate Stonewallers from the Daily Beast

"As Joe Lieberman threatens—again—to filibuster health care, Benjamin Sarlin and Samuel P. Jacobs report on Capitol Hill’s most ornery No Men. Plus, a gallery of the Senate’s all-time biggest troublemakers."

The GOP's Women Problem from Politico

Right on-the-money here! I'm wondering when this meme will achieve a higher profile among the MSM.

"The growing schism between the Republican Party’s ascendant right wing and its shrinking moderate core has clear gender undertones — and Scozzafava’s departure raises fresh questions about the GOP’s ability to recruit, elect and even tolerate the sort of moderate women who used to be part of the ruling mainstream."

ME: Tough Future for Snowe as a Republican from Public Policy Polling

I've long thought that Snowe would dump the Republicans eventually. Here's a bit more grease in that wheel.

"There are now more folks in her party who disapprove than approve of Snowe's job performance. 46% of GOP voters think she's doing a bad job to 40% who give her good marks."

FL: A Battle for Senate - And the GOP's Soul from CBS News

"Crist looks vulnerable. His poll numbers are down, though he still has a sizable, if shrinking, lead over Rubio. What he does not have is the enthusiasm of the state's Republican activists, who have repeatedly indicated their preference for Rubio in straw polls."

Paranoia Strikes Deep (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times

An excellent look at where the GOP is heading -- although I am more optimistic than Krugman is concerning where we'll end up.

"Back in 1964 the historian Richard Hofstadter published an essay titled, “The Paranoid Style in American Politics,” which reads as if it were based on today’s headlines: Americans on the far right, he wrote, feel that “America has been largely taken away from them and their kind, though they are determined to try to repossess it and to prevent the final destructive act of subversion.” Sound familiar? But while the paranoid style isn’t new, its role within the G.O.P. is."

'Scozzafava' Turns into Epithet from the Washington Post

"Over Halloween weekend, Dede Scozzafava morphed from a rosy-cheeked Republican mom to a political figure of speech. "My name's a verb now," she said."

A Tea Party party Registers in Florida (Ben Smith) from Politico

"A Florida conservative has registered an official "Tea Party" with the office of the Secretary of State, and is promising to run candidates against Republicans and Democrats in state and national races."

An interesting development -- particularly if it presages a national trend. I could see this working to Charlie Crist's benefit.

INTERVIEW NUGGET!!

The Gap Year for David Plouffe (Davi Remnick) from the New Yorker

"Nothing has trained Plouffe to anticipate the unexpected more than his experience with Barack Obama. “We all lived with absolute knowledge how strong [Hillary Clinton] was and how unlikely our victory was,” he said. “It wasn’t like, in the beginning, we said, ‘We know something no one else knows—this is going to be kryptonite that’s going to really bring her to her knees.’ ”"

MIDDLE EAST NUGGET!!

Getting Away from it All, in Iran from the Global Post

"A few hours' drive from the capital of one of the Islamic world's most conservative countries, one can find a respite from the heat and society's

strict rules — just ask the women in bikinis."

END-OF-COLD-WAR NUGGET!!

From Solidarity to Democracy from the Wall Street Journal

"A Polish dissident reflects on the liberation of Eastern Europe 20 years later."