News Nuggets 319

A German Shepherd playing "mother" to two wild boar piglets in Germany. From the Globe and Mail [of the UK]. See the Animal Nugget below.

The Futility of Budget Cuts (Annie Lowrey) from the Washington Independent

A VERY IMPORTANT set of observations by Lowrey!

"The most expendable programs, according to poll takers, were mass transit, housing, agriculture, environment and foreign aid, the runaway winner at 71 percent. The problem? These programs together barely comprise 3 percent of the federal budget. Even if the programs were entirely eliminated, the cuts would do nothing to solve the United States’ long-term entitlement program. Indeed, the responses had no obvious correlation with spending size."

Some further commentary from Ezra Klein of the Washington Post is HERE.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? from Foreign Policy Magazine

I'm reposting this item from yesterday. It's like a long line of supplicants coming to the wedding day of Don Corleone's daughter. IT'S INSANE what Obama is going to be going through in the next couple of days!

"World leaders are fast converging on Washington for Barack Obama's nuclear security summit. Here's FP's definitive guide to who they are and what they want."

Quietly and Successfully, the White House Tightens Noose Around Tehran from Gazeta Wyborcza [of Poland in English]

"The administration of President Obama, without desisting from attempts to convince Moscow and Beijing of the necessity of new sanctions, has opened another front in the Cold War with Iran: they have explained to multinational corporations that they can either do business with America or do it with Iran."

Russian President: 'Obama is a Thinker - Unlike Other People' from Raw Story

"Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told ABC's George Stephanopoulos that President Obama is a "thinker" unlike "other people." The Russian president seemed to be referring to President George W. Bush. "I won't name anyone by name," he said."

China's Reign Ends Tomorrow from Daily Beast

"As Chinese President Hu Jintao travels to Washington for Obama's Nuclear Security Summit, Gordon G. Chang on why the visit proves the superpower is more bluster than bite."

India and the Nuclear Security Summit from The Hindu [of India in English]

"That the Indian leadership has been invited to be a participant on an equal footing with the “official” P5 nuclear powers is an indicator of its increasing acceptability at the nuclear high table."

Hilary Clinton, Supreme Court Nominee? from Agence France Presse via the Huffington Post

"Sen. Orrin Hatch says he's heard Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's name mentioned in connection with the Supreme Court vacancy brought about by the retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens."

Hear Them Roar: Female Dissidents are Rewriting the Rules from Newsweek

"Female dissidents are rewriting the rules in countries where they can't even show their faces."

Trouble Brewing for Right in the US (Edward Luce) from the Financial Times [of London]

"In a few short months, the Tea Partiers, named after the 1773 anti-colonial protest in Boston, have turned the Republican party into an anti-government protest movement. Although hatred of Mr Obama’s “secular socialist machine” is the prime motivating factor, it is Republicans who are first in the firing line."

Put the Pope in the Dock (Geoffrey Robertson) from the Guardian [of the UK]

NOTE: Robertson is a judge for the International Criminal Court.

"Legal immunity cannot hold. The Vatican should feel the full weight of international law."

The Vatican Needs to See the Light (Lisa Miller) from Newsweek

"Conventional conservative wisdom holds that the Second Vatican Council, convened by Pope John XXIII in 1962, is part of the church's current problem. By accepting liberal reforms, the church invited all kinds of nonsense--guitar masses, nuns in blue jeans, and homosexual child predators--into its midst. But Vatican II was actually a prescient--even prophetic--effort to integrate the antique church into the modern world. Something similar is needed today."

Rollback Rollback from Newsweek

"It's a good bet Pope Benedict XVI won't resign under pressure; it's not his style and, more importantly, nobody can compel him. But that doesn't mean the scandal will simply go away. Benedict brought a clearly conservative moral agenda to the Vatican, and he has gone about implementing it slowly. Yet until he comes clean on what he knew—and fires bishops who mishandled abuse cases—his changes are likely to stall or fail altogether."

Do Popes Quit? from the New York Times

"He is elected for life, by a group of elderly men infused with the will of God. People address him as Holy Father, not Mr. President. After bishop of Rome, his second title is vicar of Jesus Christ. Can a man like this quit his job?"

Most of the talkers here seem to say "he certainly won't!" For myself, I am increasingly coming to the conclusion that, not only is it likely, but I don't see how he (and many others at the top level) can avoid resigning. Here's why:

1. According to an article I posted last week, European and American Catholics are leaving the church in droves based on the scandal. In my view, the intransigent and exceptionally ham-fisted response of the Vatican leadership is unlikely to staunch the flow. If you doubt this, see the next two news nuggets from the Guardian and Der Spiegel. Remember that RESTORING the membership and vitality of European Catholicism was one of Benedict's key programs. Will he stick around -- in essence sourcing its further diminishment?

2. Last week, [as noted above in the item about the Judge] Judge Geoffrey Robertson of the International Criminal Court in the UK stated that indictments for crimes against humanity (as defined by that court) are in order against Benedict and probably others. The international court does not recognize the normal "head-of-state" immunity from prosecution (remember Pinochet's experience). With such an indictment, I believe that much of the developed world would be obligated under international treaty to "detain" him if he should visit their countries. While indictments probably will not happen, if they do can Benedict remain Pope with indictments for crimes against humanity hanging over his head? I don't think so.

3. The Vatican leadership seem to be hunkering down with the hope that this will all blow over soon. In my view, this scandal has just barely gotten out of the gate. Think about it: how many large Catholic countries have we STILL to hear from on the issue of pedophile priests? Here's a sampling: Poland, Lithuania; the Czech Republic; Austria; Hungary; Croatia; Italy (prelates in Rome must dread what might emerge here); Portugal and Spain. This is only the European countries yet to be heard from. What about the Philippines and ALL OF LATIN AMERICA!? Quebec seems poised for their moment [see the Montreal Gazette item below].This scandal will be around for years, perhaps decades, and with each new region, new archbishops and cardinals will be implicated and new outrages uncovered. I do not think the Vatican can do ANYTHING to stop this trajectory.

4. Relatedly, as the scandal continues to unfold in various countries (especially once it hits their courts), huge volumes of new documentation will emerge and become public. The question then will be, what will the documentation show? Everything that has emerged so far suggests a UNIFORM policy on how prelates should have dealt with pedophile priests. What's the source of this uniformity? Clearly, Rome. I cannot imagine that the evidence to come will not make that even more clear -- probably in the most excruciating detail.

Let me conclude by saying that I think ANY ONE of these reasons is probably sufficient to force or have Benedict choose on his own to resign. For the Pope, I think it will be a measure of how much the scandal becomes about him and his agenda, on the one hand, and the long-term fate of the church itself, on the other. Either way, I can't see how the conservative, Vatican II rollback agenda of John Paul II and Benedict can possibly continue. For those on the News Nuggets e-list, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Bishop 'Blames the Jews' for Criticism of Catholic Church Record on Abuse from the Guardian [of the UK]

"A furious transatlantic row has erupted over quotes that were attributed to a retired Italian bishop, which suggested that Jews were behind the current criticism of the Catholic church's record on tackling clerical sex abuse."

The Failed Papacy of Pope Benedict XVI from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]

"The pope's reluctance to take a firm stance on sexual abuse by priests is expanding into a crisis for the Catholic Church and fueling outrage over his papacy. Some Catholics are now even calling on Benedict, who has committed a series of gaffes since becoming pope in 2005, to resign."

More Sex Victims [400!] Set to Break Silence from the Montreal Gazette [in English]

"The wave of sex scandals battering the Roman Catholic Church is only the tip of the iceberg, claims a victims' rights advocate in Quebec who has gathered more than 400 testimonies from men and women who say they, too, were abused by priests."

The Better Pope (Ross Douthat) from the New York Times

"But there’s another story to be told about John Paul II and his besieged successor. The last pope was a great man, but he was also a weak administrator, a poor delegator, and sometimes a dreadful judge of character."

Don't Come Over Here, David Cameron, You Pinko (Andrew Sullivan) from the Times [of London]

"The Republican party has lurched so far right that it can no longer recognize mainstream conservatism."

Why the RNC is Losing Its Grip (John Heilemann) from New York Magazine

"With the help of Michael Steele’s blundering and a Supreme Court decision, the RNC—if not the Republicans—is fast losing its grip."

ANIMAL NUGGET!!

Not Exactly Trendy Micro-pigs, But Laska Loves Them Anyway: The Tiny Wild Boars Adopted by an Alsatian from the Globe and Mail [of the UK]

"These tiny wild boars are showered with motherly love - by an Alsatian dog. Piglets Alice, aged two weeks, and Emma, five weeks, were found orphaned and close to death near forests in Hamburg, Germany. Unwell and starving, they were handed in separately to the Hecker family, known in the area for caring for distressed animals."

COLLEGE NUGGET!!

The 100 Happiest Colleges from the Daily Beast

"As decision time looms for high school seniors, The Daily Beast ranks America’s colleges using the criterion—besides academics—that students most value: quality of life."

SUBWAY NUGGET!!

Nine of the World's Best Subways from the Huffington Post

"We've compiled information on the 2010 Metro Awards winners, and highlighted some other notable metros."