Obama, Netanyahu Want Direct Peace Talks Soon: White House from Reuters
"U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed on Monday making "full use" of indirect Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and moving to direct negotiations as soon as possible, the White House said."
Hopefully this isn't just more "talk about having talks."
Optimism on the Economy Grows and Obama's Ratings Improve (Bruce Drake) from Politics Daily
"Americans are more optimistic about the state of the nation's economy and that has resulted in a small bounce when it comes to the job approval rating President Obama gets in handling the issue"
BP Moves to Fix a Leak as Obama Warns of Damage from the New York Times
"BP prepared Monday to install a shutoff valve on one of three leaks gushing from an oil spill off the coast of New Orleans, in a bid to stem what President Obama called a "potentially unprecedented environmental disaster." The effort comes as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the oil slick appears to be drifting toward the Alabama and Florida coasts, including the Chandeleur Islands off Louisiana’s southern tip."
Current Could Push Oil Spill Up East Coast from Discovery News
"The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is expected to strike the Louisiana coastline today, and officials are bracing for impacts to shorebirds, turtles, shellfish and other endangered wildlife. But many ocean scientists are now raising concerns that a powerful current could spread the still-bubbling slick from the Florida Keys all the way to Cape Hatteras off North Carolina."
Wow! It could take out most of the reddest of red states. Here again -- not so subtle divine intervention to really bring it to the "drill, baby, drill" crowd. Heard this morning that part of the spill is already approaching the Florida Keys.
Fumes Reach Coastal Counties from WLOX TV of South Mississippi
"A few people who are very sensitive to the fumes and air quality issues may experience: Nausea, Vomiting, Headaches"
They'd better get used to it.
Tax on Oil May Help Pay for Cleanup from the New York Times
The key piece: "Under the law that established the reserve, called the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, the operators of the offshore rig face no more than $75 million in liability for the damages that might be claimed by individuals, companies or the government, although they are responsible for the cost of containing and cleaning up the spill."
How convenient: $75 million to cover ALL liability claims.
First of Many, the Rescued Bird that Will Be Symbol of ‘Worst-Case’ Spill from the Times [of London]
"Saved from the slick, Number One lands in the media spotlight"
Oilpocalypse is Obama's ... A: Katrina, B: TMI, C: None of the Above (Marc Ambinder) from the Atlantic
"The Katrina comparisons are silly."
Abuse Case Offers a View of the Vatican's Politics from the New York Times
"It took Cardinal Ratzinger — by then Pope Benedict — until 2006, eight years after the case went before him, to address Father Maciel’s abuses by removing him from priestly duties and banishing him to a life of prayer and penitence, though without publicly acknowledging his wrongs or the suffering of his victims."
The Consequences of Warnings Ignored (Richard McBrien) from the National Catholic Reporter
"The situation in the Catholic church is similar to the situation we find today in U.S. politics. In both realms, there is a significant group that is disaffected. The difference is that seriously disaffected Catholics tend to be somewhere left of center, while seriously disaffected Americans tend to be on the right. What they have in common is a deep sense of alienation from those in power, whether in the church or in the nation."
On the UK Elections, I Want West Wing, Not The Office Politics (Editorial) from the Times [of London]
"Our Parliament is stifled by inexperience and patronage. Let’s have an American-style system instead."
Value-Added Tax Has Some GOP Allies from The Hill
"The idea of a value-added tax, attacked by national Republicans ever since it was floated by a White House adviser, has some GOP allies in Congress. Five Republican House members are co-sponsors of a bill by Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) that would impose a VAT on imports from countries that use the tax."
This sounds like another "primrose path" the Gop wants to lead the Dems down -- as Grassley and Snowe did with health care. If it ever came to a vote, would these Republican folks be there? Answer: No. Who knows, it may be the case that there are a handful of GOP lawmakers who start-off in something approaching good faith (basically doing what they were elected to do) -- but when it comes time to vote, they get so blistered by the radio talkers and the Tea Party extremists they chicken out. I suspect Lindsay Graham may be a candidate for this interpretation -- but then I'm probably being too generous.
Conservative Latinos Rethink Party Ties from the Wall Street Journal [subscription needed for full text]
""I've been thinking I might leave the party," said Mr. Bustos, a 58-year-old Arizona native. "A lot of my Latino Republican friends have been talking about it after this law.""
Pelosi: Bush Admin. Barred Officials from Briefing Congress on Impending Financial Crisis in Fall 2008 from TalkingPointsMemo
"The Bush Administration prohibited its own top officials who were handling the emerging crisis from briefing Congress until a complete financial collapse was only hours away."
Boy, is the right-wing noise machine going to turn its ire on Pelosi! But does anyone really doubt the truth of this? When you look at Paulsen's book, On the Brink, the Dem leadership certainly look and act surprised.
Bubble Think: How to Escape a Partisan Echo Chamber (William Saletan) from Slate
"If you don't want to end up in a groupthink ghetto, here are 10 ways to keep your mind free."
Email Reveals Arizona Law was Designed to Maximize Harassment (Gabriel Winant) from Salon
"The arguments coming from conservatives in defense of Arizona's controversial new immigration law tend to claim that it only empowers police officers to demand documentation after "lawful contact," and hence doesn’t constitute racial profiling or harassment. ... This idea reveals thoroughgoing ignorance about what profiling is, and how it works."
Former GOP Lawmaker Rips Boehner and Cantor for their Crass Partisanship, Political Gimmicks from ThinkProgress
"Last weekend, Gilchrest offered his “straight shooter” views on the Republican Party to the Chestertown Spy. Gilchrest delivered blunt criticism of his former colleagues in the House GOP leadership."
DUMB LAWMAKER NUGGET!!
Lawmaker Caught Looking at Porn on Senate Floor from the Sunshine State News via Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
"Sunshine State News has a video of Florida state Sen. Mike Bennett (R) "looking at pornographic material on his state-issued computer on the Senate floor. ... You can hear another member in the background talking about the fact that the legislation they're considering "disrespects too many women in the state of Florida.""
Sure bet for tomorrow: he'll say he was just doing research on the legislation. Another sure bet: his GOP colleagues won't say a word.
INFORMATION NUGGET!!
Tuning In: Ears to Our World from the Wall Street Journal Magazine
"ETOW distributes wind-up radios to isolated villages across Africa and into Belize and Romania, providing listeners with vital information. His radios are also proving to be disaster-relief heroes in earthquake-devastated Haiti."
DINOSAUR NUGGET!!
Where the Wild Giants Lived from Planet Earth Online
"Scientists have found that some giant sauropod dinosaurs preferred to live in inland habitats, while others were more common in coastal areas. The findings come from a ground-breaking study in dinosaur ecology and shed a new light on sauropod evolution."
SOVIET UNION PHOTO NUGGET!!
Chernobyl - 24 Years On from the Independent [of the UK]
An amazing (and disturbing) series of the community surrounding Chernobyl now.
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