News Nuggets 353

For those living near the volcano in Iceland, this is what the middle of the day looks like. From Reuters.

Let's begin today with an observation:

Thank God for Mark Souder (R-IN), the US Rep. who confessed yesterday to having an affair with a staffer!! Why, you should ask, should this man be acknowledged for having an affair with a staffer? Because, having been found out, he promptly admitted it and RESIGNED!! As one of these out-front "family values" Republicans, it was in my view, appropriate that he should do so. To add to his credit, when he confessed in front of the press corps, he did so BY HIMSELF -- he spared his wife and family the humiliation of being up there with him, a wholly inappropriate fashion that has been on display with most of the high-profile congressional sex scandals in recent years. So kudos to Mr. Souder.

However, what I really wanted to talk about was the larger trend that Souder is deviating from. How is it that so-called "family values" Republicans who get caught making a mockery of "family values" not only stick around in office, but have colleagues and party leaders who look the other way, and, most importantly, Republican voters who will allow them to stay put and, occasionally even get them re-elected?

What is that all about?! Why are GOP voters so consistently passive when confronted with such an egregious breach of faith involving an issue they say they care about? You really have to go back to the infamous Mark Foley of Florida to find someone who actually resigned in the face of a sex scandal. Since then, the pattern has been clear: a few weeks of agonizing spotlight, a flurry of heart-felt apologies -- and then -- sit tight -- or hop in the limo and on to the next fundraiser! We've had Larry Craig (Sen-ID) who stuck around to the end of his term; Mark Sanford (Gov-SC) who is sticking around, John Ensign (Sen-NV) who has stuck around (and may be forced to resign, not for his affair but for expected indictments for perjury); and now we have David Vitter (LA) who not only has stuck around but will probably win re-election in November by the sage "family values" voters in the Bayou State.

Again, what is that all about?! Is the "family values" agenda just kept around to hurl at political opponents? Is it just too risky to be true to this agenda when those dangerous "liberuls" are wreaking such havoc across the land? I really want to know. Where is the secret watering hole where this special electoral absolution occurs?

Dana Milbank discusses related issues HERE for the Washington Post:

Back to our regularly scheduled nuggets:

The Technicality Generation (Larry Presser) from the New York Times

"THE problems faced by Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut’s attorney general, over his depiction of his military service are indicative of a broader disease in our society. The issues of integrity in business and politics that plague us today — the way elites are no longer trusted — are rooted in the dishonesty that surrounded the Vietnam-era draft."

Our on-the-money pundit of the day!!

Iran, the Deal, and the Council from the Editorial Board of the New York Times

"It was no surprise on Monday when Iran announced it was ready to accept a deal to ship some of its nuclear fuel out of the country — similar to the deal it accepted and then rejected last year. So it is welcome news that the United States, Europe, Russia and China will press ahead with new United Nations Security Council sanctions."

Brazil's Triumph on Iran Short-lived from the Global Post

"Lula won uncommon praise at home for brokering a nuclear deal in Tehran. The UN had other ideas."

Taming Globalization in Iran? Kebabs, Mini-Skirts and Meth – Part I from YaleGlobal Online

"Young Iranians oppose mullahs by embracing the good and bad of Western ways"

China's Colonial Past Key to Understanding Its Future (Editorial) from World Politics Review

"In reality, 60 years of sloganeering ... have resulted in an often-ambiguous and inherently problematic relationship between past and present in today's China. The most fundamental of these tensions is reconciling the orthodoxy that Chinese civilization has, for 5,000 years, been the most advanced and glorious on the planet with the party line that, before the Communists came to power in 1949, all Chinese lived in a feudal hell from which only Chairman Mao could emancipate them."

Why It's Too Early to Declare the End of the US-Japan Alliance: China from Foreign Policy Magazine

"The short version: Irritation at the United States could prove less definitive than mounting fear of China."

How Long Will the Oil Spill Last? from Scientific American

"Based on Exxon Valdez, it's not just a matter of stopping the spill, it's also a matter of where the oil ends up."

Africa's Oil Spills Are Far From US Media Glare from Reuters

"Oil gushing from an undersea well in the Gulf of Mexico has damaged BP's reputation and share price but accidents involving other companies in less scrutinized parts of the world have avoided the media glare."

What Did Dems Just Learn About November? (Joan Walsh) from Salon

"The 2010 midterm elections are supposed to be hell on Democrats, but the party did just fine tonight."

A Big Night for the Left (Benjamin Sarlin) from the Daily Beast

"Tuesday’s primaries may have been billed as a bipartisan rejection of party leaders. But the real winners were progressives, who exceeded expectations all over the country."

Elections Show Emerging Trend Favoring Dems, Progressives (J.P. Green) from the Democratic Strategist

"Thoughtful Republicans won't find much to cheer in the results of Tuesday elections, while both moderate and progressive Democrats are hailing the results."

Hey, Senate Republicans, the Cold War is Over (Fred Kaplan) from Slate

"You wouldn't know it from some of the questions in today's Senate hearings."

Rand Paul, More Than Just Another Nutcase (Kevin Drum) from Mother Jones

Here he works off a posting from Josh Marshall at TPM. HERE's Marshall's original posting.

"I am getting the impression that Paul — aside from just being very unlikeable in personal terms — may be a much more divisive figure than one might expect from any Tea Party candidate who snatches away a nomination from an establishment party figure....A poll out yesterday showed that Grayson supporters in Kentucky simply hate Rand Paul in a way that goes way beyond the normal aftermath of a contested primary..."

ROBOT NUGGET!!

Remote-controlled Robot Surrogate Could Attend Your Next Meeting for You from Scientific American

"It may look like a floor lamp mounted on a vacuum cleaner, but Anybots, Inc.'s new QB is actually the latest in surrogate robotics. QB is designed to serve as your eyes, ears and voice when you can't be there in person"

For disabled people, this unit could make a HUGE difference!! It might actually allow them to "travel" remotely with family members, experience places that are not available to them, and all without feeling like they are being a burden. Remarkable.

POLLUTION NUGGET!!

America's 28 Most Polluted Places from the Daily Beast

"As Gulf oil sludge inches toward the Florida coastline, The Daily Beast crunches the numbers and ranks the most contaminated sites in the nation."