News Nuggets 268

A pika, a relative to the rabbit that lives out west. From National Geographic.

Obama Plays Hardball on Climate Change (David Corn) from the Atlantic

"Obama played it simple and hard. He maintained the United States was calling for three basic principles: mitigation, transparency, and financing. But he noted that it was absolutely necessary to verify the reductions commitments of the major emitters. ... Obama essentially accused other leaders of preferring "posturing to action.""

Copenhagen: What Does it Mean? (Walter Russell Mead) from Politico

While I think Mead is one of the best commentators on US foreign policy out there, boy, are there a lot of folks who do not share his assessment here.

"Winners: The Big Winner: Barack Obama: Active and unconventional personal diplomacy enabled President Obama to dominate the global summit like no other figure. Whatever you think of the result, this showed who the most important world leader really is."

Democrats Clinch a Deal on Health Bill from the New York Times

A miracle out of scripture!

"Senate Democrats said Saturday that they had clinched an agreement on a far-reaching overhaul of the nation’s health care system and forged ahead with efforts to approve the legislation by Christmas over Republican opposition."

The Washington Post's coverage is HERE.

Our ON-THE-MONEY pundit of the day!

Dean's Blind Spot (Ronald Brownstein) from the Atlantic

"Maybe one reason former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and so much of the digital Left can so casually dismiss the Senate health care reform bill is that they operate in an environment where so few people need to worry about access to insurance."

The Moment Ted Kennedy Would Not want to Lose (Victoria Kennedy) from the Washington Post

"If it were easy, he told me, it would have been done a long time ago. He predicted that as the Senate got closer to a vote, compromises would be necessary, coalitions would falter and many ardent supporters of reform would want to walk away. He hoped that they wouldn't do so. He knew from experience, he told me, that this kind of opportunity to enact health-care reform wouldn't arise again for a generation."

The $2 Trillion Man from Foreign Policy Magazine

"In one sense, Obama achieved more in the first 11 months of his presidency than his predecessor managed to in eight years. My research clearly shows that he has begun to restore America's good name, an intangible asset with highly tangible (read: lucrative) consequences. As head of state, Obama has boosted the value of "Brand America" by just over $2 trillion, up from $9.7 trillion in 2008 to $11.8 trillion this year."

He's Not Perfect But Obama Deserves at Least a B (Editorial) from the Financial Times [of London]

"Against these largely correctable mis-steps, though, Mr Obama has achieved something far larger. By adopting a tone of civility and respect towards those who may often disagree with America, from the mosques of Cairo to the street cafés of old Europe, Mr Obama has cut a lot of ground from under those who always hate America."

Russia, US Close to Nuclear Pact from the New York Times

"Russia and the United States are very close to resolving all remaining questions on a new treaty to slash vast Cold War arsenals of nuclear weapons, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday."

How Democrats Can Get Themselves Back in Shape (Editorial) from the New Republic

"The ten and one-half months between now and the midterm elections are an eternity in politics … and not long at all. If Democrats are to turn things around, they must quickly agree on their best strategy, and then execute it relentlessly. Here are my suggestions."

Emotional Reasoning (Michael Tomasky) from the [Manchester] Guardian

"I was just thinking about this intra-liberal slugfest that's developing between people who say a) the bill is plenty good enough and the consequences of its failure are too immense to chance and b) the bill is a sellout that's worse than the status quo and doesn't represent change we can believe in."

A Man of the Left (Jacob Heilbrunn) from the National Interest

"Any health care bill is a big step forward from the Democratic perspective. Obama is not wrong when he tells Democratic Senators that passage of a health-care bill would be the biggest accomplishment since the establishment of Social Security."

How Michelle Turned Around Her Image (Lynn Sweet) from Politics Daily

"The latest polls demonstrate how firmly she has turned around her image since hitting a low point during the presidential campaign, when she was seen by some as angry, dogged by her February, 2008 remark about how, "for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country." She has done this by framing herself as a wife, mother, daughter and sister, not trying to redefine the role of first lady, limiting interviews and staying militantly noncontroversial."