A cornfield in Sao Paulo, Brazil. From National Geographic.
T Minus Two Years (Jonathan Alter) from Newsweek
"There are at least three reasons—military, financial, and -political—to take the president at his word that the current commitment of 100,000 troops will be of short duration."
A Quiet Diplomacy on the Mideast Peace Path (Martin Indyk) from the Brookings Institution
The current sturm und drang in U.S.-Israel relations cloaks a surprising development: President Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu are beginning to develop a constructive working relationship sensitive to the legitimate concerns of the other.
Houston, We've Got Zero Problems (Editorial) from Today's Zamen [of Turkey in English]
"Even the most enthusiastic supporters of the new air of confidence in Turkish foreign policy are being forced to admit that everything is not going as planned and that however appealing the Davutoğlu view of the world may be, there are real problems with its execution."
Easing Tension With Obama, Israeli Leader Will Push Talks from the New York Times
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel used a fence-mending session with President Obama on Tuesday to say that he intends to take “concrete steps” in the coming weeks to move the Israeli-Palestinian peace process “further along in a very robust way.”"
America May Never be the Same Again (William Galston) from the Democratic Strategist
"The just-released report from the Pew Research Center, "How the Great Recession Has Changed Life in America," is probably the most searching investigation of this question produced so far. Although some of the top-line findings have circulated widely, some of the less-noticed details are just as significant. Taken as a whole, the report suggests that the Great Recession will have a more-than-transitory effect on the outlook and psychology of most Americans, with significant consequences for our economy and society. Some key items:"
Impatient for Change (Neal Gabler) from the Boston Globe
"Americans want the economic disaster to be over now, and we are angry that it isn’t. We don’t have time for financial reforms or pump-priming or a long-term transformation to a green economy. We expect a magic wand. And who can blame us? Unlike our forebears, we live in a society in which nearly everything happens instantly. Impatience is the new American way."
The Case Against Arizona (Chris Good) from the Atlantic
"The Department of Justice filed its long-awaited lawsuit against the state of Arizona today in federal district court. How will Attorney General Eric Holder challenge the state's immigration law, specifically? The case rests on two points:"
A Reasonable Man: A Profile of David Brooks (Christopher Beam) from New York Magazine
"In a world of loud voices and extreme positions, David Brooks manages to be both irrelevant and absolutely essential."
What Do Liberals Want from Obama? (Jonathan Cohn) from the New Republic
"I’ve always thought the president’s biggest ability to shape the political conversation is by setting the agenda--that is, by choosing what causes to embrace and then elevating them issue through his speeches and actions. Critics on the left seem to think the choice was between a pretty good plan and a spectacular one. It wasn’t."
Culture War and Peace Regarding Mitch Daniels (Ed Kilgore) from the Democratic Strategist
"Given the newly rediscovered monomania for deficit hawkery among Republicans, buttressed by Tea Party demands for smaller government now, Daniels looks like someone who can credibly wear a green eyeshade at a time when that's the sexiest look around. But in the self-same Ferguson profile that exemplified the emergence of Daniels '12 buzz, the putative candidate himself (who has mastered a stance of disinterested availability for a White House run) tossed a little hand grenade into his own camp:"
CO-Sen: When Politics Goes Primitive (Richard Cohen) from the Washington Post
"Yet, because Bennet faces a primary, and if he survives that, a general election, none of these things could be mentioned. In the current political environment, it behooves the wise candidate to hide his qualifications. We have come to value ignorance."
BIG APPLE NUGGET!!
Take Me to the River. Finally (Nathan Ward) from the New York Times
"THIS summer, with the debut of the Brooklyn Bridge Park, as well as the expansion of Manhattan’s Hudson River Park and Governors Island, New Yorkers have celebrated the reclamation of the waterfront. But the effort, laudable though it is, obscures a not-so-insignificant historical misunderstanding: we are in fact claiming the waterfront, not reclaiming it."
SPORT CENTENNIAL NUGGET!!
The Fight of the Century - Really (Henry Fetter) from the Atlantic
"On July 4, 1910, Jack Johnson beat James Jeffries—and sent white America into a rage that caused riots."
I'll have a piece in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on one of these riots!
SCULPTURE NUGGET!!
Long Lost Michelangelo Sculpture Found? from Discovery News
"A sandstone sculpture of a kneeling man sharpening a knife could be a long forgotten work by Michelangelo, according to an Italian scholar who has rediscovered the statue in a private collection."
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