Siege Fatigue and the Flotilla Mistake (Ronen Bergman) from the Wall Street Journal
"What we witnessed in the early hours of Monday morning was symptomatic of a new degree of fatigue in Israeli governing circles. The fact that both the political and the military authorities could sign off on such an irresponsible operation suggests that the leadership of the country has given up what it has concluded is ultimately a Sisyphean attempt to accommodate world opinion. ... In other words, the war over world opinion is over—and Israel has lost."
Tragic. God only knows where this is headed.
The Collateral Damage From Israel's Raid (Harold Meyerson) from the Washington Post
"These opposing perspectives reflect a genuine rift within the American Jewish community -- or, perhaps, between American Jewry's two increasingly distinct communities. On one side are the venerable Jewish organizations unwilling to criticize the Israeli government for its increasing elevation of ethnocentricity over democracy; Orthodox Jews for whom such ethnocentricity is often central to their lives; and the small, hardy band of neoconservatives for whom this fight over Israel's character is just one more front in their ongoing war against fellow Jews whose liberalism drives them batty."
Fears for BP's Future as US Launches Criminal Inquiry from the Guardian [of the Uk]
"US attorney general, Eric Holder, confirmed that a criminal and civil investigation had been opened."
It has been my sense that BP is covering up not only the way they routinely conduct themselves with offshore oil rigs but especially in the magnitude of the current crisis. I'll bet you the scale of the malfeasance is just now dawning on federal authorities. If I were BP executives, I'd be quaking in my boots right now -- and I suspect some of them truly are.
Poll: BP, Not Obama, Taking the Brunt of Public's Oil Spill Ire from the Christian Science Monitor
"Public opinion polls find more than 70 percent of Americans disapprove of BP's handling of the Gulf oil spill, and support for offshore drilling has taken a dive since the disaster."
Oil Nears Fla. Beaches as BP Tries Risky Cap Move from the Associated Press via Yahoo News
"The BP oil slick drifted within striking distance of the Florida Panhandle's white sand beaches for the first time, raising the stakes another notch as submersible robots made another risky attempt to control the underwater Gulf of Mexico gusher."
The BP Nightmare: What Can Obama Do? (Michael Crowley) from Time Magazine
"The demands that he "do more" to stop the spill are increasing, but generally with few specifics. Many complaints seem to be asking for more symbolic demonstrations of outrage by Obama. (He needs to be more angry! He needs to spend more time in Louisiana! What is he doing sleeping and eating while this is happening!) But, really, what's the point?"
This item captures my own views on the spill quite concisely.
Five Ways the Oil Spill Isn't Obama's Katrina from The Root
"The Root makes a side-by-side comparison of Bush's response to the hurricane's aftermath and Obama's response to the BP oil leak using several criteria."
Palin: Oil Spill Proves We Were RIGHT About 'Drill, Baby, Drill' from TalkingPointsMemo
"The very politician who inspired country songs about drilling for oil is now boasting that her "drill here, drill now" plan for U.S. energy policy would have mitigated or forestalled the oil disaster in the Gulf...if only you redefine what she meant when she said that."
IN-credible!! This woman is mentally ill.
Poll: Plurality Say GOP Should Not Push to Repeal Any Part of Healthcare Reform from The Hill
"A plurality of Americans said they would prefer Republicans to leave the new healthcare law alone and not repeal any parts of it, a new poll found Tuesday."
For Progressives, It is Time to Press (Kristin vanden Heuvel) from the Washington Post
"What's surprising is that after the worst financial collapse since the Great Depression, the worst mining disaster in 30 years, and what is now the worst environmental disaster in the nation's history, more conservatives aren't revising the gospel about the blessings of deregulation and the horrors of government. Despite what should be obvious failings, deregulation, smaller government and privatization remain central to the dominant Republican message."
Normally, I find vanden Heuvel to be so predictably partisan that I have no urge to place her amongst the nuggets, but what she says here simply needs to be said concerning how progressives should proceed in light of the oil spill.
Vatican Official Tells Paedophile Priests to Expect Damnation from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Monsignor Charles Scicluna warns seminarians who exploit their office that their punishment in hell will be worse than death penalty on earth."
Well, that's comforting. And what about their up-the-chain-of-command enablers? Prediction: They're getting promoted -- as they have been right along.
How Obama's Enemies May Give Him a Boost (Mark Halperin) from Time Magazine
"The late, longtime New Yorker critic Pauline Kael was said to have expressed confusion over Richard Nixon's landslide re-election in 1972 — because no one she knew had voted for him. To borrow that notion, conservatives today imagine that everyone views the current occupant of the White House as they do: Barack Obama is the worst President ever. ... But this myopia has been created within an electronic cocoon of Fox News, talk radio, conservative websites and rhetoric from Republican leaders."
NRCC Stops Measuring the Drapes (Steve Benen) from Washington Monthly
"For the last several months, congressional Republicans acted as if taking the majority of at least one chamber was practically a foregone conclusion. The question wasn't whether the House GOP would be in the majority in 2011, but how big it would be. Have you noticed the dramatic shift in rhetoric of late?"
HI-Rep : Ed Case Throws Support Behind Colleen Hanabusa from KHON-2 [of Hawaii]
"With that, Ed Case has removed his hat from the ring for Hawaii's 1st Congressional Primary race in September after a third place finish in the Special Election."
This completely changes the outlook for this race in November! Until now, it looked like this race would lead to an almost certain pickup for the House GOP. Now, it's still not a done-deal for the Dems -- but at least their very much in the game.
Al and Tipper Gore Separate After 40-Year Marriage from Yahoo News
"After a 40-year marriage that survived the near-death of a child and the heartache of losing the disputed 2000 presidential election, the former high school sweethearts are calling it quits. "After a great deal of thought and discussion, we have decided to separate," the Gores wrote in an e-mail to friends on Tuesday. "This is very much a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together.""
Sad news.
HOPY SHIT! NUGGET!!
Guatemala Sinkhole is Massive, Swallows Building from the Associated Press via Huffington Post
"A three-story building in northern Guatemala City fell into a sinkhole but there were no reports of victims."
EDUCATION NUGGET!!
Citizen Schools: Volunteer Tutoring Program Calls on Capital Hill (Eleanor Clift) from Politics Daily
"To compensate for the inability of much of the public school system to prepare disadvantaged young people for a competitive world, Citizen Schools launched an initiative to find 10,000 science and math professionals who will volunteer."
This sounds really interesting!
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