Mexico's Cave of Crystals deep below the Chihuahuan desert. This image BLEW ME AWAY! I'm used to seeing these types of rock formations in glass cases in museum minerals sections. These are like LIMOUSINE-SIZED formations. From National Geographic.
Is Obama Tough Enough? from the Editorial Board of the Economist
"Mr Obama is “the groveller in chief”, says Michelle Malkin, a conservative blogger. ... An anti-Obama bumper-sticker asked: “So you’re for abortion but against killing terrorists?” Most of these barbs are bunk. ... Conservatives call him too weak to be a warrior. Tell that to the Taliban."
Obama's Pakistan Successes (Michael Hirsh) from Newsweek
"How the U.S. is gaining cooperation in Islamabad, making the country more stable while hitting the Taliban hard."
China Fine-tunes its Iran Strategy (Editorial) from the Asia Times [of Hong Kong in English]
"Around mid-year 2010, the Obama administration expects China to stand and deliver the final building block needed for the Security Council resolution, either by abstaining and exposing Iran to potentially "crippling" follow-on national sanctions, or casting a veto and joining Iran in pariah status on the geopolitical sidelines."
What We Have in Iran is an Unfolding Revolution (Editorial) from the Daily Star [of Lebanon in English]
"Obviously, though, the wind of change has already swept through the Iranian landscape and there is no turning back. Sooner or later, the rigid and ultra-conservative Iranian regime will have to change, as all revolutions do."
The End Seems Near for the Putin Model (Anders Aslund) from the Washington Post
"A recent week in Moscow left one clear impression: The Putin model of crony state capitalism is dead. For years, the structure that Vladimir Putin crafted looked invincible, with its steady, high growth rates and effective, mild repression. But the system only distributed ample oil rents to the elites and the ordinary people, creating neither moral nor economic value. Today the bill is due."
Obama to GOP: It's Over (Greg Sargent) from the Plum Line via the Washington Post
"Obama is saying that unless Republicans support comprehensive reform as Obama and Dems have defined it — dealing with the problem of 30 million uninsured and, by extension, seriously tackling the preexisting condition problem — they will almost certainly move forward with reconciliation."
Winners and Losers from the Health Care Summit (Chris Cillizza) from the Washington Post
"What Obama did do was paint himself -- for anyone who was watching -- as someone genuinely interested in compromise and genuinely interested in engaging with his Republican colleagues. (Whether that was a facade or the real thing remains a major point of debate between partisans.)"
Obama Walks Tall, Carries Big Paddle (Dana Milbank) from the Washington Post
"An equal number of Democratic and Republican lawmakers assembled around a table at Blair House, and each had a chance to speak during the seven-hour televised talkathon. But members of the opposition party may not have fully understood that they were stepping into Prof. Obama's classroom, and that they were to be treated like his undisciplined pupils."
TR: The Conservatives' New Demon (Michael Gerson) from the Washington Post
"Such is the zeal in portions of the tea party right that it is not enough to sweep out living members of the establishment such as John McCain. A brisk, ideological scrubbing must be applied to history as well. ... The problem with America, apparently, is not just the Great Society or even the New Deal; it is the Square Deal."
Crist Sounding More and More ... Independent from The Hill
Interesting.
"Either Charlie Crist realizes he can’t escape the stimulus, or he’s leaning toward an independent run for Senate."
Will Charlie Crist Ditch the GOP? (Editorial) from [Central Florida] Sun Sentinel
"Two highly placed and independent sources, speaking strictly on background, tell me that Gov. Charlie Crist is preparing to leave the Republican Party and run as an independent in the race for the U.S. Senate. ... So tell me, do you believe it is possible that Crist will leave the Republican Party to run as an independent. You do, don't you? And that is why Crist will lose to Rubio."
Missing Element in Obama's Ties with GOP Leaders: Good Chemistry from the New York Times
I can believe it! However, I think the authors are off in putting the onus on Obama as they seem to do.
"Beyond all the hand-wringing about hyper-partisanship that accompanies every discussion here these days, a more subtle — and perhaps pertinent — reality hangs over the much-anticipated Blair House confab: Mr. Obama and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill appear to have no personal chemistry whatsoever."
Taking Exception: Why Conservatives Refuse to See America's Flaws (Damon Linker) from the New Republic
Some interesting observations here about conservatives' views of America's historical narrative.
"What Lowry and Ponnuru want to accomplish is something far more pernicious—namely, to relegate contrary voices in our national narrative to the periphery of our history, and perhaps even to read them out of our history altogether."
Missing the Tea Party (Linda Greenhouse) from the New York Times
Greenhouse is one my favorite Supreme Court watchers.
"The real surprise of the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which magnified the ability of corporations to spend money in political campaigns, is how widely disliked the ruling is across the ideological spectrum. After more than a month, the storm set off by the Citizens United ruling is still raging."
The End of the Tea Party (Editorial) from American Prospect
This article captures very well my long-held view on the Tea Party crowd. Burns hot -- then flames out.
"Since Richard Hofstadter's 1964 essay, "The Paranoid Style in American Politics," this ever-recurring force has been thoroughly examined by historians and sociologists. But what really binds these episodes together is their transience. McCarthy had much of Washington intimidated, until one day he was just a sorry alcoholic with no sense of decency. Gingrich boasted that after his revolution, Medicare would "wither on the vine"; instead, it was his movement that withered. What brings these movements to an end deserves as much study as what gets them started."
Most 'Tea Party' Followers are Baby Boomers Reliving the '60s from the Los Angeles Times
"More likely to be white and male than the general population, tea partyers also skew toward middle age or older. That's the tell. Most came of age in the 1960s, an era distinguished by widespread disrespect for government. In their wonder years, they learned that politics was about protesting the Establishment and shouting down the Man. No wonder they're doing that now."
Those boomers again -- I don't know why the LATimes paints this as a surprise. I do think they view this too narrowly, painting the Tea Partiers as leftover hippies and Viet Nam protesters. I think conservative boomers came out of the sixties with many of the same "me, me" proclivities as those on the left at the time. The Times is also way off in saying that this group is an "ever-expanding" demographic. As if the mere fact of reaching a certain age is what is turning these folks into Tea Partiers. It is a generational shift as Great Depression and WWII folks pass from the scene and are replaced by boomers, the same people who fought over Vietnam and Watergate, then voted for Reagan, the Contract for America, and Bush II. Now these folks are entering their senior years and are bringing the same hard-nosed, uncompromising politics that they've always practiced with them.
Here's a related item: Are Old People Killing the GOP? from The Week
"People over 65 are flocking to the Republican Party. What does this mean for the party's future?"
The GOP's Misguided Hunt for Heretics (Kathleen Parker) from the Washington Post
"Inevitably and predictably, the new senator from Massachusetts -- Mr. 41, Mr. I-Drive-A-Truck, tea party poster dude -- has disappointed his base by, alas, representing his constituents. It's the purity test all over again; only this time, the stakes are high and the weird are turning seriously pro."
It's George Wallace's GOP Now (Jonathan Rauch) from National Journal
"Like Wallace and his supporters 40 years ago, today's conservative populists are long on anger and short on coherence. For Wallace, small-government rhetoric was a trope, not a workable agenda. The same is true of his Republican heirs today, who insist that spending cuts alone, without tax increases, will restore fiscal balance but who have not proposed anywhere near enough spending cuts, primarily because they can't."
ENVIRONMENTAL NUGGET!!
The FP Guide to Climate Skeptics: Can't Tell the Legitimate Concerns from the Nonsense? from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Climate skepticism covers a broad range of views. A first group -- call them the professionals -- has often raised legitimate questions, whether about methodology and transparency, and stuck more or less to a scientific critique. And then there are the shouters, who don't add much more than sensationalism, confusion, and outright deception to the debate. To sort out the noise from the serious concerns, FP is here to help."
CULTURE NUGGET!!
Young Adults Doing Religion on Their Own? Blame it on Politics from Politics Daily
I've sensed that this was happening. Who needs all the screaming and cultural grandstanding?
"Young adults are not losing faith, just unplugging from religious institutions at a rate unprecedented in U.S. history. ... That data got me thinking about Robert Putnam, the Harvard professor whose book "Bowling Alone" made a powerful case a decade ago that Americans were disengaging from all manner of institutions -- from churches to social clubs to bowling leagues."
CULTURE/WAR NUGGET!!
Afghans Compensated For Damage: Civilians Negotiate With Soldiers For Reimbursement from the Associated Press via Huffington Post
On the one hand, this is really smart on the military's part. On the other, the ethics of it from a westerner's point of view are hard to reconcile. Very interesting.
"The farmer, an elderly man with a beard and turban, wanted compensation. "What's a fair price for five trees? I don't know. How much is a tree worth?" Shields mused. Then, he couldn't resist: "Money doesn't grow on trees.""
No comments:
Post a Comment