Llamas graze in a valley in Bolivia. From the Guardian.
Obama's Unbelievable Winning Streak (Peter Beinart) from the Daily Beast
"So he hasn’t plugged the leak, and his poll numbers are sagging. Truth is, Obama has exceeded in 18 months what Clinton and Carter achieved in a combined 12 years."
Take the Long View (Charles Blow) from the New York Times
"When conditions improve, Republicans will still have to face an underlying reality: that this is the twilight of their rigid, empty ideology, particularly as it relates to social issues. They must change or wither."
The 36 Hours That Shook Washington (Frank Rich) from the New York Times
"THE moment he pulled the trigger, there was near-universal agreement that President Obama had done the inevitable thing, the right thing and, best of all, the bold thing. But before we get carried away with relief and elation, let’s not forget what we saw in the tense 36 hours that fell between late Monday night, when word spread of Rolling Stone’s blockbuster article, and high noon Wednesday."
Vatican Criticizes Raid on Belgian Church Offices from the New York Times
"The Vatican expressed “shock” on Friday at the raid on Thursday by the Belgian police of church offices in their search for hidden evidence of child sex abuse by priests. It also voiced its “indignation” at what it called the “violation” of two cardinals’ tombs in the search."
You have to ask yourself, what were the Belgian police up against there that they would take these steps? Possible answer: complete stonewalling (almost literally perhaps in the case of the cardinals' tombs).
In Belgium, Anti-pedophile Priest Rips 'Silence and Omissions' of Bishops (John Allen) from the National Catholic Reporter
"Devillè, 65, served for thirty years as the pastor of the Church of St. John Bosco in Buizingen, in the southern zone of Brussels. In 1992, Devillè began collecting information on charges of sexual abuse by priests. Today he claims that an association he founded, “Rights and Liberty in the Church,” has more than 300 files on such cases."
Belgium = new ground zero in the sex abuse scandals of the Catholic Church. Now ... if you're the Pope, you can't view this guy's statements as very helpful. One suspects that this critic was one of the people police were listening to when they raided the church offices in the first place.
No Skimmers in Sight as Oil Floods into Mississippi Waters from McClatchy News Service
"A morning flight over the Mississippi Sound showed long, wide ribbons of orange-colored oil for as far as the eye could see and acres of both heavy and light sheen moving into the Sound between the barrier islands. What was missing was any sign of skimming operations from Horn Island to Pass Christian."
Why should there be! GOP Gov. Haley Barbour has been saying for weeks that things are just jake in MS!!
The Age of Nancy (Gail Collins) from the New York Times
"The Republicans have turned Pelosi into the Demon Grandmother — in ads, a satanic figure in the flames of deficit spending, or a 50-foot monster smashing houses with her big-government feet. ... But even the public that likes the legislation she’s been churning out tends to underestimate her."
Demographic Change and the Future of the Parties (Ruy Teixeira) from the Center For American Progress Action Fund
" In short, the “party of no” has a limited shelf life. That strategy might help the party make significant gains in 2010, but it will not be enough to restore it to a majority status. For that, a conservatism must be built that is not allergic to government spending when needed and even to taxes when there is no responsible alternative. The party must paradoxically find a way to combine its standard antigovernment populism with pro-government conservatism."
What Not to Do (Charlie Cook) from the National Journal
"What's more likely is that they heard that some top Republican was defending BP. Whether they could win a "Jeopardy" round on "this senior Republican member of Congress apologized to BP after the Gulf oil spill" is beside the point. They know one did."
Mike Huckabee Showers Praise on 2012 Prospects -- Except Mitt Romney (Sam Stein) from the Huffington Post
"While the Arkansas Republican offered diplomatic praise for his colleagues -- while candidly admitting that he too was thinking of mounting a bid -- his remarks stood out for their coldness to one: Mitt Romney."
No hatchets buried yet from the Huckabee camp I guess. This could really bode poorly for Romney's chances in 2012 if Huck is still holding a grudge. In my view, Mitt is one of the few GOP prospects for 2012 who could actually defeat Obama.
NC-Sen: GOP's Richard Burr Leading Elaine by 10 in NC Senate Race from Politics Daily
"Burr is leading Marshall by 50 percent to 40 percent with Libertarian Mike Beitler, a business professor at UNC-Greensboro, polling 6 percent."
He was leading by 1 according to the often erroneous Rasmussen Poll -- but even so. Leading by 10 isn't bad for Marshall in my view.
EDUCATION NUGGET!!
The Real Science Gap from Miller-McCune Magazine
"It’s not insufficient schooling or a shortage of scientists. It’s a lack of job opportunities. Americans need the reasonable hope that spending their youth preparing to do science will provide a satisfactory career."
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