News Nuggets 273

A baby elephant at an elephant orphanage in Kenya -- see the Elephant Nugget below.

Inside Obama's War on Terrorism (Peter Baker) from the New York Times

An excellent (and timely) long-form investigation of Obama's approach to terrorism.

"The challenge of leading the struggle against violent extremists is more than just hunting down bad guys; it’s distinguishing between what’s real and what’s not, tracking down where threats begin, figuring out the right response and finding a balance between acknowledging danger and projecting confidence. The Obama administration spent its first year in office trying to find its balance."

Here's some interesting feedback from Matt Yglesias on Baker's article.

Holding Firm on Iran (Robert Dreyfuss) from the Nation

"With the start of the new year, pressure is building on the White House from assorted hawks, hardliners, neoconservatives, and pro-Israel lobbyists for President Obama to abandon his policy of engagement and dialogue with Iran in favor of a confrontational strategy. So far, at least, it appears as if the president isn't persuaded."

Look Ahead with Stoicism - and Optimism (Peggy Noonan) from the Wall Street Journal

"We're at the clean start of a new decade, and it wouldn't be bad if America's national watchwords were repair, rebuild and return, with an eye toward what is now our central project, though we haven't fully noticed, and that is keeping our country together. So many forces exist to tear us apart. We have to do what we can to hold together in the long run."

Rotten Decade, Remarkable Year (Robert Shrum) from The Week

"The gloomy appraisals of the past decade missed a key point: America turned the corner in 2009. In a tough but historic year, we got back on course to becoming a fairer, stronger and more prosperous nation."

Dems Will Bypass Conference Committee To Get Health Care Passed (Sam Stein) from the Huffinton Post

"Both chambers of Congress will skip a formal "conference committee" and instead negotiate informally on their respective health care bills, confirm Congressional aides and sources outside of government. ... The basis for negotiations will be the Senate bill (which lacks a public option for insurance coverage and contains a tax on expensive health care plans), to which the House can add amendments."

The Psychology of Ideology (Michael Tomasky) from the [Manchester] Guardian

"US forces have taken out or apprehended several key terrorist leaders, but that the White House hasn't called celebratory press conferences to draw conspicuous attention to them. Bush and Cheney, he avers, would make sure everyone knew about it. I think this is true. And if true, why?"

Morals Authority (Tom Jacobs) from the firm of Miller-McCune Magazine

"Liberals and conservatives conceive of morality in decidedly different ways. Jonathan Haidt has mapped out their competing ethical universes in hopes they can learn to peacefully coexist."

GOP House Candidate: Fight Against Democrats Bigger Than Fight Against Terrorism from Talking Points Memo

"Allen Quist, a Republican candidate seeking the nomination to go up against Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN), has made a serious pronouncement: That the political battle against the Democrats is the defining fight of this generation, even greater than the fight against terrorism."

It is my observation that most Republican incumbents, talking heads, and the tea party folks have believed this for a long time already.

ANOTHER ELEPHANT NUGGET!! [We had one the other day]

Elephant Orphanage (Bob Simon) from 60 Minutes

This is a wonderful story about how one woman runs an orphanage for baby elephants in Kenya. I was pointed to it the other day by a more recent article by Simon in the Daily Beast. Check it out!

'PLAY-IT-AGAIN' POLITICAL NUGGET!!

I posted this a couple of days ago but, if you missed it the first time, this study from Democracy Corps explains SO MUCH about why our politics (and Republican conservatives specifically) are so dysfunctional!

Why Republican Leaders will have Trouble Speaking to the Rest of America from Democracy Corps

"The self-identifying conservative Republicans who make up the base of the Republican Party stand a world apart from the rest of America, according to focus groups conducted by Democracy Corps."

HEROIC PET NUGGET!!

Golden Retriever Saves 11-year-old from a Mountain Lion from the [London] Globe and Mail

"A golden retriever called Angel is being hailed a hero after it stopped a mountain lion from attacking an 11-year-old boy. The 18-month-old dog stepped between the big cat and the youngster during a dramatic encounter in western Canada."