A Nukes Guru Backs Obama from the Daily Beast
"As the president hosts a nuclear security summit, his critics say he’s pursuing a policy of appeasement. But Sam Nunn, Cold Warrior and former senator, tells Lloyd Grove he’s a fan of Obama’s strategy."
Obama's Nuclear Wizardry and Iran from Politico
"At the Nuclear Security Summit President Barack Obama is presiding over in a transportation-gridlocked Washington this week, he is achieving a boldness — but not of bravado. Rather, it is one of calculated subtlety and strategic depth. "
Obama Nuclear Summit Yields Early Dividends from the Associated Press
"President Barack Obama's nuclear summit has paid early dividends: China's agreement to work with the U.S. on possible sanctions against Iran and Ukraine's decision to rid itself of nuclear bomb-making materials."
Obama: Middle East Peacemaker? from The Week
"Obama may be working on an ambitious peace plan for the Israelis and the Palestinians. Would it stand a chance of working?"
Survey: Troops Shift Political Parties from the Navy Times
"An exclusive survey of some 1,800 active-duty troops shows the percentage of self-identified Republicans has decreased by one-third since 2004, from 60 percent to 41 percent, while the percentage of self-identified independents has nearly doubled to 32 percent during the same period."
I wondered when this was going to start happening. No matter HOW conservative some of them are, soldiers are much more in touch with global realities then the average stay-at-home GOP/Tea Party person. The soldiers, I suspect know nonsense when they hear it -- and they are moving away from the GOP in droves. This is a trend worth watching. This makes me wonder what Obama's approval numbers are among the active military?
How Republican Justices Evolve Leftward (Stuart Taylor) from the National Journal
"According to Stevens, he has remained about where he always was while newer and younger appointees have pushed the court to the right. The record suggests otherwise. Like many of us, this extraordinarily intelligent, self-effacing gentleman, who will turn 90 on April 20, may be kidding himself a bit about his own consistency."
Dems Take Aim at Court Conservatives from Politico
"Democrats hope to turn the upcoming Supreme Court confirmation hearings into a referendum of sorts on controversial recent decisions by the Roberts court — portraying the conservative majority as a judicial Goliath trampling the rights of average Americans. "
Pope's No. Two: Pedophilia Linked to Homosexuality from the Houston Chronicle
"The Vatican's second-highest authority says the sex scandals haunting the Roman Catholic Church are linked to homosexuality and not celibacy among priests."
A distracting sideshow. WHAT is with the messaging come from the Holy See!?
Oakland Priest's Accuser Describes Sexual Abuse from the New York Times
The second half of this article is the REAL Story.
"From his pulpit on Sunday, Father Scahill, a vociferous and frequent critic of the church’s handling of the sexual abuse crisis, delivered a scathing sermon in which he said, “There surely is solid ground here for severe doubt” about what the Vatican says it knew about the sexual abuse. “And if by any slimmest of chance the pope and all his bishops didn’t know — they all should resign on the basis of sheer and complete ignorance, incompetence and irresponsibility,” Father Scahill said."
WOW! He came out SMOKING!!
Indulgence (Hendrick Hertzberg) from the New Yorker
"The crisis is not about doctrine, at least not directly. It’s about administration; it’s about the structure of power within the Catholic Church; it’s about the Church’s insular, self-protective clerical culture. And, of course, like nearly every one of the controversies that preoccupy and bedevil the Church—abortion, stem-cell research, contraception, celibacy, marriage and divorce and affectional orientation—it’s about sex."
Richard Dawkins Calls for Arrest of Pope Benedict XVI from the Guardian [of London]
"RICHARD DAWKINS, the atheist campaigner, is planning a legal ambush to have the Pope arrested during his state visit to Britain “for crimes against humanity”."
Media ambulance-chasers like Dawkins (and Christopher Hitchens) don't do their cause any favors here.
What's the Matter with the Catholic Church? (Pat Marrin) from the National Catholic Reporter
"Clarity is in short supply on all sides, but at the risk of bringing down hot coals of misunderstanding from everyone, let me offer my own personal take on the central issue here, stated thus: The real crisis for the church, not just now but from its founding moment, is not about sex but about power."
This has been my question for some time now.
Haley Barbour's 'Diddly' Sense of Slavery's History (Eugene Robinson) from the Washington Post
"I don't know what you would say about slavery," Barbour told CNN, "but anybody that thinks that you have to explain to people that slavery is a bad thing, I think that goes without saying."
Sex and the Single Black Woman from the Economist [of the UK]
"How the mass incarceration of black men hurts black women."
Foes of Tea Party Movement to Infiltrate from the Associated Press via Breitbart.com
"Opponents of the fiscally conservative tea party movement say they plan to infiltrate and dismantle the political group by trying to make its members appear to be racist, homophobic and moronic. Jason Levin, creator of http://www.crashtheteaparty.org, said Monday the group has 65 leaders in major cities across the country who are trying to recruit members to infiltrate tea party events for April 15—tax filing day."
I'm not sure what to say about this. On the one hand, there is some elegance to it. How do you deal with a crowd of paranoids? You justify their paranoia, knowing they'll make even bigger fools of themselves. On the other hand, what else might the paranoids do in the face of such provocations? I don't think Levin has really thought this out. One final note: there is also something vaguely fishy about Mr. Levin's declaration -- I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing is a hoax.
Six Lessons from the Southern Republican Leadership Conference (Howard Fineman) from Newsweek
""Southern, white, Republican, conservative" is a quadruple redundancy. They have as much right to hold a meeting as any other group. But I couldn't escape the feeling that, as amped up and potent as this crowd felt inside the ballroom, there is another, larger world—and another generation—rising elsewhere."
Tea Party Rallies Remain a Cauldron for Conspiracy Theories from FOX News
AMAZING! FOX News actually commits real journalism and says something vaguely critical about the Tea Party Movement.
"The Tea Party Express has toured state after state trying to kick up a debate about constitutional rights and cast doubt on the legality of the recently passed health care overhaul, all with an eye toward the 2010 elections. But while organizers have held the tour as a way to stay front-and-center as a political force, the rallies have also attracted the kinds of mistruths, exaggerations and conspiracy theories that make Tea Party leaders cringe. "
COLD WAR NUGGET!!
New Research Sheds Light on Soviet Plans for World War III from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"German historians are divided over the significance of a massive Communist-era bunker in the former East Germany. Was it to be used as a command post in the event of a Soviet invasion of Western Europe? Researchers now believe Europe was closer to the nuclear abyss than was previously believed."
WHALE NUGGET!!
Japan Annual Whale Hunt 'Halved by Activists' from the BBC
"Whalers said they were angry, and blamed what they described as "violent interference" from the anti-whaling Sea Shepherd Conservation Society."
WOW! Good news!
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