News Nuggets 297

New close-up picture of Mars' only moon Phobos. From NASA. See the Planet Nugget below.

NEWS FLASH from Organizing for America (OFA):

Rallying Rep. Jason Altmire on health care -- THIS FRIDAY!!

Organizing for America is having an office

visit to Rep. Jason Altmire's Aliquippa office this Friday, March 19, 2010 at 4 p.m. The address is 2110 McLean Street, Aliquippa, PA 15001.

LAST *ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION* CHANCE to have

your say in how health care is going to go!!

Al-Qaeda Crippled as Leaders Stay in Hiding from the Washington Post

"Relentless attacks against al-Qaeda in the Pakistan tribal region appear to have driven Osama bin Laden and other top leaders deeper into hiding, leaving the organization rudderless and less capable of planning sophisticated operations, CIA Director Leon Panetta said Wednesday."

Maybe. We'll see.

Top Al-Qaeda Operative Reportedly Killed in US Drone Attack from the Associated Press via the Huffington Post

"An al-Qaida leader believed to have played a key role in the bombing of a CIA post in Afghanistan last December was apparently killed by an American missile strike last week, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday."

As I've noted before, the CIA are doing some serious payback for those December killings.

China Seems to Have Made Wrong Call on Its Relations with the US (Joseph Nye) from The Scotsman [of Scotland]

"Overconfidence in foreign policy, combined with insecurity in domestic affairs, may combine to explain the change in Chinese behaviour in the latter part of 2009. If so, China is making a serious miscalculation. First, the US is not in decline."

Even Without UN Sanctions, Economic Heat on Iran Grows from Newsweek

"There are signs that officials in Beijing might be looking for less controversial places from which to buy much needed oil to fuel its own humming economy, especially as Iran has threatened to disrupt oil exports to countries that refuse to supply it with gasoline — and also to disrupt global oil markets if it comes under attack by any country. China's oil imports from Iran dropped from 500,000 bbl. a day to 250,000 bbl. a day between January 2009 and January 2010."

Reversal of Fortunes May be at Hand for Democrats from the Washington Post

"By Sunday, Democrats could not only have passed a health-care bill, but with it have pushed through the House of Representatives long-delayed legislation that would increase funding for Pell Grants, which help low-income students pay for college. They also could send to President Obama a $17 billion measure designed to create jobs."

Democrats Inch Toward Securing the Votes for Health Bill from the New York Times

"House Democrats Wednesday inched toward the majority they need to pass health care legislation, giving them added confidence as they worked out the last details of the bill and girded for a historic showdown as soon as this weekend."

Playing to History (Richard Cohen) from the National Journal

"This is a week for the history books, one way or another. The participants understand that, which helps to explain the intensity of the procedural maneuverings. But some are disinclined to focus on the broad impact, if only because they are too anxious to consider the ramifications if their side fails."

Hypocrisy: A Parliamentary Procedure (Norman Ornstein) from the American Enterprise Institute

Yes -- it's THAT American Enterprise Institute. Actually, Ornstein is one of the most straight-shooting congressional experts out there -- so this is a telling observation on his part.

"I can’t recall a level of feigned indignation nearly as great as what we are seeing now from congressional Republicans and their acolytes at the Wall Street Journal, and on blogs, talk radio, and cable news."

Why I Changed My Mind About School Reform (Diane Ravitch) from the Wall Street Journal

Ravitch was one of the key conservative architects of GOP education reform since the days of the first Bush. Several generations of kids have had to suffer through her [and her minions'] mistakes.

"As No Child Left Behind's (NCLB) accountability regime took over the nation's schools under President George W. Bush and more and more charter schools were launched, I supported these initiatives. But over time, I became disillusioned with the strategies that once seemed so promising. I no longer believe that either approach will produce the quantum improvement in American education that we all hope for."

The List: The Catholic Church's Latest Abuse Scandals: FP's guide to the Vatican's Spiraling Crisis from Foreign Policy Magazine

"The latest charges have been particularly damaging, implicating senior members of the Vatican hierarchy, including Pope Benedict XVI himself, and coming at a time when the church is already losing popularity on its home turf."

Nervous Tea Partiers See Possible Democratic Win on Health Care: Pessimism is New Attitude for Activists from the Washington Independent

"The Code Red rally was small, drawing around 300 people into a noisy circle. So was the FreedomWorks “People’s Surge,” which sent Tea Party activists onto Capitol Hall to seek out one-on-one meetings with members of Congress whose votes could decide the fate of health care reform. Both events were mocked for their size, by Democrats and liberal groups"

MEDICAL NUGGET!!

Blind Soldier 'Sees' With Tongue Device from the Independent [of the UK]

AMAZING!!

"Lance Corporal Craig Lundberg, 24, from Walton, Liverpool, can read words, identify shapes and walk unaided thanks to the BrainPort device, despite being totally blind."

PLANETS NUGGET!!

Phobos Pictures: Stunning Close-Up of Martian Moon from the Huffington Post

"The Mars Express orbits Mars, and its elliptical orbit brings it close to Phobos every five months. The spacecraft was taking images of a particular area that may be used as a landing site by the Russian Phobos-Grunt (meaning 'Phobos-Soil') mission planned for next year."