I have a backlog of fun dog pictures. These are from Americablog.
Harvesting Democracy in Afghanistan (Joe Klein) from Time Magazine
"There was a distinct giddiness at NATO headquarters in Kabul. Senior military officials briefed the reporters traveling with Mullen and said, in effect, that the tide had turned. In several crucial southern sectors, the Taliban were demoralized. "We're putting unbelievable body blows onto the midlevel Taliban cadre," a senior U.S. official said, adding that he expected to be in a significantly stronger position within four months."
Losing Kennedy Made Obama Find Health Care in Homage to Cause from the Bloomberg News Service
An interesting long-form examination of how health care went to the top of Obama's agenda.
"Daschle, tapped to become Health and Human Services secretary, wanted a commitment that Obama still planned to pursue an overhaul of the health-care system. Top advisers, from Vice President Joe Biden to members of his economic team, were pushing Obama to wait and focus instead on the recession."
Federal Judge Finds NSA Wiretaps Were Illegal from the New York Times
It makes you wonder why it took THIS LONG for a court to say what was obvious at the time!
"A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the National Security Agency’s program of surveillance without warrants was illegal, rejecting the Obama administration’s effort to keep shrouded in secrecy one of the most disputed counterterrorism policies of former President George W. Bush."
Glory Days: How the Health Care Bill Made Nuns Rad from Slate
"In the run-up to passage of the health care bill, representatives of the nearly 60,000 U.S. nuns signed a letter in support of the health care bill, contra the bishops, because, they wrote, supporting better health care is "the real pro-life stance." From there, the dominoes toppled fast—Bart Stupak, the Catholic pro-life Democrat who'd refused to vote in favor of the bill because of the abortion question, initially dismissed the nuns' letter but then backed down and settled for an executive order on abortion of questionable import and scope. And the bill passed."
Pope Paul VI May Have Been Warned of Pedophile Priests in 1963 from the Associated Press via the Huffington Post
"The head of a Roman Catholic order that specialized in the treatment of pedophile priests visited with then-Pope Paul VI nearly 50 years ago and followed up with a letter recommending the removal of pedophile priests from ministry, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday."
Will Ratzinger's Past Trump Benedict's Present? (John Allen) from National Catholic Reporter
"In a papacy sometimes marred by scandal and internal confusion, Benedict's handling of the sexual abuse crisis has often been touted as a bright spot, one case, at least, of a firmer hand on the rudder. That makes the scandals now engulfing the church in Europe especially explosive; they threaten to once again make Benedict seem more like part of the problem than the solution."
At the Vatican, Up Against the World (Frank Bruni) from the New York Times
"Of the many heartbreaking details in the latest round of outrage over child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, one stands out as particularly emblematic: a tidy window into Church leaders’ mindsets; a bracing glimpse of what went wrong."
What Will Offshore Drilling Mean for Cap and Trade? (Max Fisher) from the Atlantic
"Will the offshore drilling, long a demand of conservative Republicans, pave the way for Democrat-friendly climate legislation such as cap and trade? Will it doom that effort? Or will it simply make the resulting bill more watered down?"
Drill, Barack, Drill: The Lesson from Healthcare Reform (Andrew Sullivan) from the Atlantic
"It's pure long-term, strategic Obama, something the GOP will understand only when it's way too late. So far, they have played directly into the president's hands."
Bloomberg News has a similar assessment HERE.
Climategate Inquiry Vindicates Scientists from the Atlantic
Are ANY major TV news outlets covering this story? The accusations, page A-1; the proof of innocence months later, page B-23.
"When the "Climategate" scandal first broke it was a triumphant day for climate-change skeptics. They scolded the scientific community for distorting global warming data and declared cap-and-trade "dead." But now the results of an investigation by the British government are out and the report largely sides with the scientists."
US Oil Company Donated Millions to Climate Sceptic Groups, Says Greenpeace from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Report identifies Koch Industries giving $73m to climate sceptic groups 'spreading inaccurate and misleading information'."
A climatologist screws up at an obscure journal in the UK: HEADLINE NEWS! Major corporations funding misinformation on the fate of the planet: page B-23.
An Electoral Majority for Obama? (Thomas Edsall) from the Atlantic
"The combination of persistent, prolonged unemployment, record deficits, the refusal of Republicans to raise taxes, the underfunded Social Security Trust Fund, and a demographic transition moving the nation closer to a non-white voting majority have, together, revived, enlarged, and intensified the battle for limited government resources—pitting those seeking to protect what they have against those seeking more."
The Republican Crackup (Matt Miller) from the Washington Post
Matt Miller is the moderate host of NPR's program, Left, Right and Center. See the link to the left.
"As a matter of objective reality, after all, this Republican derangement seems an absurd overreaction. How could taking Mitt Romney's health-care plan national be seen by any balanced person as the beginning of the end? Still, everyone knows that too many big, stressful changes at once -- such as getting divorced, changing jobs and moving homes -- can push even sturdy people over the edge. Three sudden emotional shocks likewise explain the Republican crackup."
A wonderful look at a question I've been pondering for some time.
Glenn Beck and the New US Right: 'Like a Horror Movie' from La Jornada [of Mexico in Engish]
"Like in a horror movie, the new right in the U.S. finds its driving force in fear. To a great extent, this reactionary movement is the result of two intersecting panics: one ethnic, the other of class."
Rhetoric and Guns (Editorial) from the Chicago Tribune
"Obstructionist politicians and the tea party movement have instilled in them the notion that they represent a large segment of angry Americans. Until now, however, these groups have been in survivalist mode, quietly preparing in rural areas for the inevitable conflagration engaging in illegal military training, but otherwise obeying the law. The Hutaree militia group, which allegedly was planning to conduct a mass casualty terrorist attack on agents of the government, may signal a change from this defensive posture."
The Heckler's Veto (Wendy Kaminer) from the Atlantic
"Protesters who disrupt the people they oppose aren't practicing free speech. Instead, they're fighting against the other side's right to speak."
Say It Just So Joe (Katie Connolly) from Newsweek
"It's a little surprising that 15 months into Obama's term, Biden is developing a thriving fan base. Liberal blogger Matthew Yglesias, who writes for Think Progress and The Daily Beast, says he believes "there's been a major rapprochement" between liberals and Biden. "I think it reflects a strategic decision by the administration to position him as a sort of designated progressive friend inside the administration.""
TOTALITARIAN NUGGET!!
They're Not Brainwashed, They're Just Miserable: The North Korean People in 2010 from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The state monopoly over information that once kept North Koreans in the dark about the true nature of their situation is fast crumbling, a victim to economic integration with China, improved telecommunications, and the erosion of control conferred by the socialist economic system. The survey responses depict a society that is increasingly bold about consuming foreign news at the same time that it becomes increasingly available."
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