News Nuggets 265

A beautiful sunset in Chicago earlier this week - from Americablog.

A really great speech from Obama in Oslo. Check it out in four parts HERE, HERE, HERE, and finally HERE.

Obama Doctrine Emerges in Oslo Speech (Doyle McManus) from the Los Angeles Times

"The president's speech was about much more than the regrettable necessity of war. It also contained the fullest exposition so far of Obama's evolving approach to global diplomacy, including his attempts at "engagement" with hostile regimes in places such as Iran, North Korea and Sudan -- in other words, the emerging Obama doctrine."

A similar comment on an emerging Obama doctrine can be found HERE at the National Journal

Classic Obama: Obama's Nobel Speech (James Fallows) from the Atlantic

"This was a very good and serious speech, which like many of his major addresses ... will stand re-reading and close inspection, and which shared an obvious intellectual and structural architecture with all his other major addresses."

Of Niebuhr and Nobels: Divining Obama's Theology from Politics Daily

"Niebuhr is a defining influence on the “Obama doctrine” that many say does not exist, but that’s probably because they are looking in the wrong place."

Words That Matter (David Broder) from the Washington Post

Gee whiz! I can't remember the last time Broder made a nugget worth referencing!

"One of the things that sets Barack Obama apart from most politicians is how much can be learned from listening to his speeches. The president is sometimes criticized for the volume of his public appearances, and, in truth, he is out there orating a lot. But we learned in the course of his campaign -- and it was reinforced in this first year of his term -- that it's a mistake to think of these talks as routine. They have no equal in providing insights into the way his mind works and the context that guides his decisions."

Do Conservatives Know What They Are Embracing? (Michael Tomasky) from the [Manchester] Guardian

"I'm surprised and somewhat amused by the conservative laurels being strewn at Obama's feet over the Nobel lecture. It really makes me wonder what they heard. I think I know."

Iran's Conservative Crackup from Foreign Policy Magazine

"A series of political defections and a new poll provesthat Ahmadinejad is losing support among the conservatives who once made up his base."

Iran Signals Interest in Fuel Deal from Politico

"A day after the European Union and Obama White House said they would soon press for sanctions on Iran, the Iranian foreign minister told an international conference that Iran accepts in principle a deal to swap its enriched uranium for fuel rods it can use in nuclear medicine"

The difficulty here, however, is that Iranian officials have almost systematically squandered their credibility over the last two years and in the last six months especially. Obama would be taking a huge risk here taking anything they say on face value. For Obama, raising the bar would seem to be in order.

The Comeback (Jacob Heilbrunn) from the National interest

"If Obama can sign one shortly before or after Christmas, he will experience a bump in the polls. Forget the details of the bill. The media loves a big story and it will be all about the vindication of the president. Another month of lower job losses will also make a big difference in public perceptions of Obama’s performance. In truth, he could be poised for a comeback."

Scoring Obama's Nat'l Security Team from Politico

I wouldn't take this as gospel -- but it is an interesting analysis nonetheless.

"Who would excel in the new administration? Who would feel their influence ebbing and leave? A year later we know some of the answers. "

Obama's Enforcer from Newsweek

"The president's patience with Iran has worn thin. That's where Stuart Levey—rhymes with 'heavy'—comes in."

Jobs Are On the Way! (Daniel Gross) from Newsweek

"Jobs are on the way, and sooner than you think. Not enough to make everybody happy, of course, or to reach anything approaching full employment. But the data suggest that the economy, now growing at a rate above its historical trend, may be creating more jobs than are being lost."

Massive Financial Reform Passes House from the Los Angeles Times

"The bill would give broad new powers to regulators, including the ability to break up firms like AIG and Lehman Bros. whose failure could shake the economy."

In Copenhagan and in US Congress, Obama Plays a 'Cunning Game' (Editorial) from Le Figaro [of France in English]

"Wedged between the disillusioned and the skeptical, the position of the American president seems increasingly difficult to maintain. Yet Obama continues to play his part with 'cunning and determination.'"

Bipartisanship at Last? The Parties Fashion the 2012 Presidential Nominating Process from the VA Center for Politics

"The two parties each have their own commission studying a revamp of the system for next time. They could produce a later starting date, a spread-out primary calendar, and on the Democratic side, a sharp reduction in the number of unelected "superdelegates." (The latter, a variety of party and elected officials, comprised nearly 20 percent of the last Democratic convention and drew criticism as being anti-democratic.) The big news, though, is that for the first time ever, the two parties are working concurrently and are consulting with each other in the process."

Iowa Tea Partiers Eye Palin, Jindal, Pence (Marc Ambinder) from the Atlantic

Jindal -- who raised taxes in Louisiana? Surprising.

"Tea-party support figures to be a hot commodity for Republicans running for president in 2012, and, according to an Iowa tea party organizer, the three leading contenders to win the backing of tea partiers in the first caucus state are Sarah Palin, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (IN)."

BOOK NUGGET!!

What Obama learned from my Book (Gordon Goldstein) from the Daily Beast

This article relates to Goldstein's book "Lessons in Disaster" which Obama insisted that most of his foreign policy folks read in preparing for the troop surge decision.

TOP 100 NUGGET!!

Foreign Policy Magazine's First Annual List of the 100 Top Global Thinkers from Foreign Policy Magazine

A VERY INTERESTING list -- worth the time to read in depth.

"From the brains behind Iran's Green Revolution to the economic Cassandra who actually did have a crystal ball, they had the big ideas that shaped our world in 2009. Read on to see the 100 minds that mattered most in the year that was."

URBAN NUGGET!!

The World's Smartest Cities from Forbes Magazine

"The green-only litmus test dictates cities should emulate either places with less-than-dynamic economies, like Portland, Ore., or Honolulu, or one of the rather homogeneous and staid Scandinavian capitals. In contrast, I have determined my "smartest" cities not only by looking at infrastructure and livability, but also economic fundamentals."

UK ROYALTY NUGGET!!

Prince William to Share Duties: Treasury Document Reveals Secret Plan to Make Him the 'Shadow King' from the [London] Daily Mail

I have to confess I normally couldn't care less what the Windsors are doing on any given day -- but, if true, this story does not speak well of the Queen just as a human being. Moreover, since the days of Victoria it is astonishing to contemplate how much effort the royals have given to raising their children to carry the "burden of kingship" -- only to fail -- at least by their own tyrannical lights (see Edward VII, Edward VIII, and now Charles). I think they'd do better just by picking some random British couple and having them raise their offspring instead. Good God! The Dursleys (of Harry Potter fame) could have done a better job.

"The Queen is to hand over a substantial part of her public duties to Prince William to help him prepare for the day when he becomes King, according to a confidential document obtained by The Mail on Sunday."