News Nuggets 324

A scene from a quiet trip in the Icelandic countryside. See the Volcano Nugget below. From the Daily Mail [of the UK]

Setting the Trap on Iran (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post

"The Obama administration's strategy as it devises sanctions for Iran is to build a sticky trap -- so that the harder the Iranians try to wriggle out of the sanctions, the more tightly they will be caught in the snare."

Everybody Loves a Winner (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times

"Have no illusions, the rest of the world was watching our health care debate very closely, waiting to see who would be the strong horse — Obama or his Democratic and Republican health care opponents? ... It remains to be seen whether, in the long run, America will be made physically healthier by the bill’s passage. But, in the short run, Obama definitely was made geopolitically healthier."

Eight Days in April (Hendrick Hertberg) from the New Yorker

"Earlier this month, in an eight-day whirl of public activity, the President demonstrated the seriousness of his Administration’s thoroughly post-Cold War approach to American nuclear-weapons policy. The central purpose of that policy is no longer to deter an attack from Russia or China. It is to galvanize an international effort to combat nuclear terrorism and nuclear proliferation."

Britain's New Political Superstar from the Daily Beast

"One debate turned Nick Clegg from an unknown to the British Obama in the U.K. prime minister’s race. Niall Stanage on his celebrity fan club, his sexual escapades, and his fondness for meditation."

How a Calm, Reasonable President Gets Exercised About Financial Regulation (John Dickerson) from Slate

"White House aides say the speech will be to the American people, setting the stakes for the legislation they see with a clarity reminiscent of George W. Bush's position on Iraq. You're either with American families or with Wall Street."

Republican Opposition to Finance Bill Softens from the Financial Times [of London]

"Republicans toned down their opposition to a financial regulation bill on Tuesday as lawmakers restarted talks aimed at cutting a deal with Democrats before the legislation hits the Senate floor within days."

The Costs of Crossing the President from Politico

"Many presidents have aggressively disciplined wayward legislators: manipulating committee slots, stripping privileges, even campaigning against them in primaries. Effective presidents, particularly those with ambitious agendas, need to clarify for members of Congress the benefits of cooperation — and the costs of opposition."

Black by Choice by (Melissa Harris-Lacewell) from the Nation

"By displaying all these tropes of traditional whiteness, Obama's candidacy disrupted the very idea of whiteness. Suddenly whiteness was no longer about educational achievement, family stability or the command of spoken English. ... Obama's whiteness in this sense is frightening and strange for those invested in believing that racial categories are stable, meaningful and essential."'

Interesting analysis of how Obama has caused an identity crisis amongst whites who rely heavily on their "white identity."

White House: Obama Won't Make Cautious Court Pick Because GOP Will Oppose Whoever He Nominates from TalkingPointsMemo

"President Obama thinks Republicans will engage in a full battle over his Supreme Court nominee regardless of the person's ideological leanings, and in some ways "that realization is liberating for the president" to choose whomever he pleases, an administration official told TPMDC."

Hope Rises for Real Financial Reform (Harold Meyerson) from the Washington Post

"The Goldman Sachs scandal has done the unthinkable: It's made it possible that legislation reining in Wall Street's casino may actually be enacted."

Muslims Can't Be Foster Parents? from Daily Kos

"In July, Crudup — a practicing Muslim — contacted Contemporary Family Services, a private company authorized by the state to place foster children with families. She cleared an initial screening process and completed 50 hours of training classes for prospective parents. But after a home visit, her application was denied. The main reason: She doesn't allow pork in her house."

WTF?!!

Endangered Species (Jacob Weisberg) from Newsweek

"Do you remember the Responsible Republicans? In the 1980s small herds of them still roamed around Washington. ... In 1990 they were spotted with President George H.W. Bush at Andrews Air Force Base, conspiring to reduce the deficit. After the Andrews summit, however, Double-R glimpses outside captivity became increasingly rare."

GOP Strategy Backfiring on Business? from Politico

"The decision by Republicans to oppose President Barack Obama on virtually every front has left business groups with few, if any, ways to bargain with or pressure the White House to moderate its policies. That evolving dynamic could begin to define the current limits of the business community’s muscle and the Republican minority’s leverage in the ongoing power struggle with the labor movement — especially if Obama shows more willingness to exercise the full powers of his office. "

Aww. What a SHAME!

Crist to Run for Florida Senate as an Independent from the Southern Political Report

"Reliable sources informed me today that embattled Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, whose early lead in his US Senate Republican primary race against former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio has essentially reversed itself in the polls, is preparing to announce sooner rather than later that he will leave the GOP and continue his run for Senate as an independent."

I'm unclear as to how reliable this source is -- but reputable news sources have been citing it.

Meanwhile...

US Attorney, IRS and FBI Investigating Florida GOP Credit Card Use from the St. Petersburg Times

"The IRS is also looking at the tax records of at least three former party credit card holders — former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, ex-state party chairman Jim Greer and ex-party executive director Delmar Johnson — to determine whether they misused their party credit cards for personal expenses, according to a source familiar with the preliminary inquiry."

Rubio has been VERY lucky in his run for the Senate so far. It could be his luck is about to run out.

The Tea Partiers' Racial Paranoia (Joan Walsh) from Salon

"Tea Party supporters don't like it when anyone notices the racists in their midst. I've written before that I find it galling when the wealthy, white Pat Buchanan ... lectures me about being "condescending" to the Tea Partiers, as though they're a grass-roots uprising of the vulnerable against the elites. That's garbage: They are a well-funded uprising of the elites against the vulnerable."

Hegemoron: Sarah Palin's Ignorant Imperialism (Editorial) from Slate

"She seems blissfully unaware that the imperial arrogance she's preaching isn't how the American founders behaved. It's how the British behaved, and why they lost. Palin represents everything the original Tea Party was against."

Conservative ALIPAC Demands Senator 'Admit Homosexuality' from Huffington Post

"William Gheen, head of the conservative, anti-"amnesty," anti-illegal immigration group Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC), spoke at a Greenville, S.C. Tea Party rally this weekend and called for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to "come out of that log cabin closet." According to Gheen, being gay is "a secret that Lindsey Graham has.""

While I'm no fan of Lindsay Graham, this is so profoundly sleazy I hope these folks get taken out.

VOLCANO NUGGET!!

Amazing Pictures Show Apocalyptic Scene as Wall of Black Fog Covers the Country in Darkness from the Daily Mail [of the UK]

"Dark, menacing and showing no signs of abating, this is the apocalyptic-style scene that has simultaneously captivated and terrified locals at the heart of Iceland's volcanic eruption."

The images here ARE spectacular!