The Xkeken cenote in Mexico's Yucatan. From National Geographic.
Time to Rebalance from the Economist [of London]
"America’s economy is set to shift away from consumption and debt and towards exports and saving. It will be its biggest transformation in decades."
Farewell to the Cozy Transatlantic Alliance (Editorial) from Die Zeit [of Germany in English]
"President Obama is shaped neither by the experience of the Cold War that once acted as a binding factor, nor by any transatlantic ideology. As far as partnerships are concerned, he thinks globally and assesses them based on whether they benefit America."
Financial Reform 101 (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"Let’s face it: Financial reform is a hard issue to follow. It’s not like health reform, which was fairly straightforward once you cut through the nonsense. Reasonable people can and do disagree about exactly what we should do to avert another banking crisis. So here’s a brief guide to the debate — and an explanation of my own position."
Hitting the Reset Button from the Economist [of London]
"Another sort of nightmare is also beginning to trouble America’s conservatives. It is the possibility that Barack Obama’s big win on health will inject new vigour into what had looked like a prematurely tired presidency, making it harder for the Republicans to thrash the Democrats as thoroughly as they had expected in November’s mid-term elections."
How Obama Measures Up: Lessons from 70 Years of Presidential Scholars (Walter Shapiro) from Politics Daily
"Obama seems particularly elusive these days with the media portrayal of his presidency changing even
faster than magazines can commission new Rahm Emanuel profiles."
Those Angry About Health-Care Generally Concerned About the Country's Direction from the Washington Post
"I grew up in the '50s," said Hugh Pearson, 63, a retired builder from Bakersfield, Calif. "That was a wonderful time. Nobody was getting rich, nobody was doing everything big. But it was 'Ozzie and Harriet' days, 'Leave It to Beaver'-type stuff. Now we have all this MTV, expose-yourself stuff, and we have no morality left, not even by the legislators."
There is SOOO much I could say about this quote. First up, Ozzie and Harriet -- IT WAS A TELEVISION SHOW -- NOT REALITY!! Second -- MTV was so 20 years ago. This is not 1955 AND it isn't 1985 either! Third, and I think this is the larger point here (one that I've said before), it seems to me one of the key reasons white boomers, like this guy, revere the 1950s so much is because the world itself was so ... white! Minorities knew their place, and everyone basically agreed about how perfect the US was at the time. Tea Partiers look to the future with nothing but unalloyed fear -- they have no vision to offer people that is even remotely "forward"-looking. What they offer instead is a mythical, past-based vision of Eisenhower complacency. Some are even advocating an even more retro vision, one based on the pre-New Deal era of Calvin Coolidge! Thank you very much -- I'm sticking with the 21st century!
Without Merit (Eliot Spitzer) from Slate
"The [health care law] suits cites two elements: first, the requirement that all individuals either purchase health insurance or pay a tax, and second, that states modify their Medicaid programs so they cover more poor people. As virtually all constitutional scholars agree, the odds that this suit will succeed are at best marginal."
College Debate Organizers Unable to Find Any Law Professors to Argue Health Reform is Unconstitutional from Thinkprogress
"Yesterday, the University of Washington held a debate about the constitutionality of the recently passed health care reform bill. The Seattle Times reports that none of the panelists at the debate argued that the bill was unconstitutional because the organizers of the event couldn’t find any law professors who held that view"
Catholic League Head: Abuse Not Pedophilia Because Boys were 'Post-Pubescent' from Larry King Live via Raw Story
With defenders like this, the Pope is almost certainly doomed. Is this where the church is going to plant it's flag?! The definition of pedophilia?
"The head of the influential Catholic League says that the priest who allegedly sexually abused 200 deaf boys in Wisconsin did not engage in pedophilia because 'the vast majority of the victims [were] post-pubescent.""
Some on-the-money commentary on Donohue's remarks is HERE from Michael Tomasky of the Guardian.
"In general, William Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is one of those figures to whom we've become accustomed in American life, an identity politics ambulance chaser. ... What Donohue said the other night ... was probably the most disgusting thing I've ever heard an American public figure say."
The Ecstasy of Fiscal Policy (David Brooks) from the New York Times
Parts of this are really hilarious!
"Let’s say you’re a political consultant. You’re sitting there in your West Hollywood bondage-themed strip club with party donors picking up the tab, and, of course, you’re thinking about what a great country this is. Swept up in the spirit of gratitude, you decide you’d like to give back. ... What’s needed is a moral revival."
The Only Thing GOPers Have to Fear is the GOP Itself (David Corn) from Politics Daily
"If I had a gift certificate to a bondage-themed strip-tease club for every time I’ve heard Democrats complain that the mascot of their party ought to be a circular firing squad, I’d be able to entertain thousands of GOP operatives. But now it seems that it’s the Republicans who are engaging in an orgy of cannibalism — just when they’re poised to mount one of the greatest political comebacks in years."
Blow Up the GOP (Reihan Salam) from the Daily Beast
"In the wake of the latest RNC antics, it's worth asking whether party headquarters is doing any good at all."
Campaign Continues: Rating Sarah Palin as a TV Host (Review) from the Los Angeles Times
"It’s hard not to see Palin, who, after abdicating her own governorship is hardly an icon of stick-to-itiveness, as using this platform, and these people, to further the idea that she has a special relationship with “real Americans.” Which makes anyone who finds her less than enchanting at best a heartless cynic and, at worst, a traitor."
Um ... I guess it is safe to say that this critic didn't like Sarah's new show. Some more reviews are HERE.
DINOSAUR NUGGET!!
True-Color Dinosaur Pictures: First Full-Body Rendering from National Geographic News
"For the first time, scientists have decoded the full-body color patterns of a dinosaur—the 155-million-year-old Anchiornis huxleyi (pictured)—a new study in the journal Science says."
A related story is HERE.
UK POLITICS NUGGET!!
Britain's Televised Election Debates: US Politics 2.0? from Politics Daily
"For the first time in history, the leaders of Britain’s three main political parties will go head to head in a series of televised political debates. While many are wondering what impact this will have on the upcoming general election, the bigger question on everyone’s mind is whether we are witnessing the Americanization of British politics."
BOOK NUGGET!!
Review of 'The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama' by David Remnick from the Los Angeles Times
"A definitive chronicle of the growth and achievement of the first black U.S. president by the prize-winning New Yorker editor."
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