News Nuggets 291

From earlier this week, Michelle Obama at an event promoting reading. Her expression here is priceless!! From the Washington Post.

UP-FRONT HEALTH CARE NUGGET!!

Our previously unrecognized pundit-of-the-day, Jill Lawrence!

Obama on Health Care: Stunning Arrogance or the Edmund Burke Theory of Leadership? (Jill Lawrence) from Politics Daily

"[Burke] said he would give great weight to his constituents' wishes, high respect to their opinions and "unremitted attention" to their business, but would not abandon his conscience or independence: "Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion." Obama took the Burkian approach on Wednesday."

How We're Doing in the World from the Brookings Institution

Part three in a multi-part series.

"Judged by most standards, America and the world are better off today than they were a year ago when President Obama entered office. While few Americans will forget the fear of global economic meltdown that accompanied the 44th president’s inauguration and the drastic stimulus and triage measures that had to be taken to arrest the economic freefall, public optimism, as measured by a variety of opinion poll measures, has recovered."

Global Governance Reform: An American View of US Leadership (Stewart Patrick) from the Stanley Foundation and the Council on Foreign Relations

"Obama administration is limited in its practical ability to promote and embrace sweeping reforms to global governance. Rather than casting its lot entirely with universal organizations like the United Nations, the United States will adopt a more pragmatic approach to international cooperation, relying on a combination of formal institutions and more flexible partnerships to achieve US national interests. The balance sheet for Obama’s first year in office underscores both the opportunities for, and the constraints on, global governance reform in the current geopolitical environment."

Pieces Falling into Place for Vote on Health-Care Reform (Ezra Klein) from the Washington Post

"Over the past 48 hours or so, you've seen the pieces falling into place on the path forward for health-care reform. Timetables have leaked, putting passage somewhere in mid- to late March."

Perfect Storm Nearly Killed Health Reform: Another Storm May Save It (Marc Ambinder) from the Atlantic

"With no perceptible change to the political landscape, the chances of major legislation passing are greater today than they've been in two months. Granted, the deal hasn't been sealed, much less delivered or signed. Democrats, however, have moved from the half court to the three-point line. How's that? "

The Republicans' Big Lie About Reconciliation (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post

""Obama's critics have regularly accused him of not being as tough or wily or forceful as LBJ was in pushing through civil rights and the social programs of his Great Society. Obama seemed willing to let Congress go its own way and was so anxious to look bipartisan that he wouldn't even take his own side in arguments with Republicans. Those days are over. On Wednesday, the president made clear what he wants in a health-care bill, and he urged Congress to pass it by the most expeditious means available."

Forward March: New Villains in Old Story, But Dems Face Own Distractions from The Note blog at ABC News

"The health care push lingered long enough to get Democrats something new: some villains to make the story more interesting. (And that might even be a message that could break through, if Democrats weren’t doing such an effective job producing bad guys of their own right now.)"

Obama and the Middle Way (Paul Knitter) from his blog at the Union Theological Seminary

"I’m sure many of us resonate with what Pollitt is urging: Get tough, Mr. Obama! All your reconciliation stuff and your efforts to build consensus have hit the brick wall of Republican obstinacy and downright meanness. So hit back! ... But my “better angels” — who include Jesus and Buddha — come fluttering in to hold me back from joining in Pollitt’s calls for responding to recklessness with recklessness. The same principle that warns against violence applies here: meanness, nastiness, refusal to cooperate, putting your enemies in their place — it will all only bred more of the same. The law of karma: hate begets hate. And yet, yes, Obama has to change course. He has to get tough. But how?"

Michelle: No Longer a 'Caricature' from Politico

"“As first lady, people see me more often, and they see me. They don’t see a caricature of me; they don’t see a sound bite of me; they see all of me. And even if they see a piece of me, they will see many pieces over the course of time, and that will fill out their view,” Obama said in an interview with POLITICO. "

GAUDY PENTHOUSE NUGGET!!

Rush Limbaugh's Gaudy Fifth Avenue Penthouse is Now for Sale from Gawker.com

"It looks like Rush Limbaugh is moving ahead with his threat to leave New York City. He's (finally!) put his tacky Fifth Avenue apartment up for sale. The cost of ridding NYC of Rush once and for all? $13.95 million."

As John Aravosis said at Americablog, "Someone grab a towel, Marie Antoinette just threw up in the bedroom!."

DINOSAUR NUGGET!!

Dinosaurs Ten Million Years Older Than Thought from the Huffington Post

"A new dinosaur relative found in Tanzania is the oldest known creature of its kind--a discovery that pushes back the origin of dinosaurs by at least ten million years, paleontologists say. Dubbed Asilisaurus kongwe, the Labrador retriever-size creature was a silesaur, the closest relatives to true dinosaurs. The newfound animal lived 243 million years ago, during the middle Triassic period."

ANOTHER DINOSAUR NUGGET!!

Huge New Dinosaur Found Via 'Mind-Boggling" Skulls from National Geographic News

"Four skulls of a giant new species of plant-eating dinosaur may give scientists a head start on understanding the biggest animals ever to have walked the Earth, a new study says."

ANCIENT EGYPT NUGGET!

King Tut Mysteries Solved: Was Disabled, Malarial, Inbred from National Geographic News

"King Tut may be seen as the golden boy of ancient Egypt today, but during his reign, Tutankhamun wasn't exactly a strapping sun god. Instead, a new DNA study says, King Tut was a frail pharaoh, beset by malaria and a bone disorder—his health possibly compromised by his newly discovered incestuous origins."