News Nuggets 279

A Muntjac deer in the UK. See the Special nugget at the bottom.

The Audacity of Nope (Joel Achenbach) from the Washington Post

Our UP-FRONT on-the-money pundit of the day!

"The state of the union is obstreperous. Dyspepsia is the new equilibrium. All the passion in American politics is oppositional. The American people know what they don't like, which is: everything. ... The orthodox view among pundits is that Americans have lost faith in government. That argument masks a deeper truth: Americans have also lost faith in pundits."

Americans 'Blind' to Extraordinary Progress Under Obama from the Estadao [of Brazil in English]

"The president hardly reacted to the vitriol of his detractors, which allowed them to gain advantage in the shaping of public opinion. Out of this emerge the negative assessments about his first year in power, leaving many Americans blind to the extraordinary progress that his government represents in comparison with his predecessor."

Sanction Tehran (Editorial) from the National Interest

This has been my view for some time.

"The Obama administration’s deadline for Iran to enter discussions on the nuclear issue has passed. As the White House and its allies weigh new policy options, Washington is still running with the old line that “all options are on the table.” Not really. Amid a global recession and double-digit unemployment, bombing Iran’s nuclear installations is out of the question."

McChrystal: Settle with the Taliban from the Financial Times [of London]

I have long thought it would (and should) go this way. For any kind of meaningful settlement, you can't ignore 10-15% of the population -- which is what (conservatively) the Taliban represents in Afghanistan.

"General Stanley McChrystal, the Nato commander in Afghanistan, has raised the prospect that his troop surge will lead to a negotiated peace with the Taliban."

In Iran, A Fight till the Bitter End from Forbes Magazine

"Speculation is mounting that Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei may high-tail it from Iran if protests against his theocracy intensify. An Iranian government memorandum, purportedly leaked by dissidents within Iran's crumbling regime, allegedly states the Supreme Leader's aircraft is ready for a quick departure to Russia. Opposition sources claim the Supreme Leader and his cohorts have stashed ill-gotten financial gains there and other countries."

Interesting story line. I've suspected that something like this was going on -- but the evidence has pointed in all directions.

Murders at Gitmo? (Conor Friedersdorf) from the Daily Beast

"A new report alleges that the U.S. covered up the 2006 murders of three detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Conor Friedersdorf on why the GOP must reckon with the illegal, immoral acts of the Bush administration before mounting a return to power."

Personally I don't think the author fully grasps the magnitude of the criminality that has occurred at Gitmo -- and the unlikelihood of it ever coming to light before the GOP holds the reins again.

Obama's Evolution as Commander-in-Chief from Politico

"Obama will see anywhere from 20 to 30 patients on visits to Walter Reed or Bethesda. He'll ask where they're from, if they play basketball or have a favorite hometown team. “He’ll talk to them until they’re done talking,” said Matt Flavin, the director of the White House Office of Veterans and Wounded Warrior Policy, who accompanies Obama on these visits."

A surprisingly intimate look at Obama's interactions with soldiers.

Adults Only, Please (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times

"Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve found the last few weeks in American politics particularly unnerving. Our economy is still very fragile, yet you would never know that by the way the political class is acting. We’re like a patient that just got out of intensive care and is sitting up in bed for the first time when, suddenly, all the doctors and nurses at bedside start bickering."

Speaking of adults, here's what might be the most portentous news of the day:

Oregon Voters Pass Tax Increasing Measures by Big Margin fromm the Oregonian

A TAX INCREASE!? What the @#$%! What are they thinking!? My grandchildren owe me money now! It's perfectly appropriate that they should pay the debts later. I shouldn't have to pay them now!!

"Oregon voters bucked decades of anti-tax and anti-Salem sentiment Tuesday, raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy to prevent further erosion of public schools and other state services. "

Making Sense of the New Political Anger (Sam Tenenhaus) from the New York Times

"In such an environment, it is no surprise that neither party commands much loyalty. Populists are losing patience with Democrats even as purists wrangle with Republicans. Mr. Brown seems acutely aware of this. In his victory speech he credited the will of “the independent majority.” Whether such a majority exists is another question."

Tea Party Disputes Take Toll on Convention from the New York Times

"A Tea Party convention billed as the coming together of the grass-roots groups that began sprouting up around the country a year ago is unraveling as sponsors and participants pull out to protest its expense and express concerns about “profiteering.”"

SAVED ANIMAL NUGGET!!

After Mother Killed by Car, a Muntjac Fawn is Saved from the [London] Daily Mail

"He is growing up without a mother's love. But this tiny muntjac fawn appears to have a lucky streak nonetheless. He was born three weeks early after his mother was hit by a car."

While such stories are not that unusual, this breed of fawn is unusual -- and, MAN, is he CUTE! See the images above. From 2008.