Climbing in the backcountry in Sedona, Arizona. From National Geographic.
Russia Spy Swap: Who Got the Best Deal? from the Telegraph [of the UK]
"On the face of it, Russia appears to have come out of the spy swap with America well ahead."
Iran to Send 1,000 Clerics into Tehran's Schools from the New York Times
"Iran's educational authorities will send 1,000 religious clerics into schools in Tehran to tamp down Western influence and political opposition, newspapers reported on Sunday."
Dumb. All this will do will give more cred to those western things the clerics oppose.
Pakistan's Suspicious Public from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Caught between a vicious Islamist insurgency and CIA drone strikes, Pakistanis are growing increasingly disenchanted with the Taliban. But they still hate the United States, too."
Three generations or more of some of the worst governance in the world will do it.
Wanted: Jihadists to Marry Widows from the New York Times
A snippet of news from a shadowy corner of Iraq: Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia recently issued a fatwa telling its fighters to marry the widows of those who have fallen. This may seem odd or insignificant, but it is one of the rare grains of news to emerge publicly about the inner workings of the Iraqi offshoot of Al Qaeda.
Short-Sighted: Why Do Some Liberals Refuse to Admit Obama is a Change Agent? (Neera Tanden) from the New Republic
"Alterman's [piece which was posted two days ago at this blog] titled “Kabuki Democracy: Why a Progressive Democracy is Impossible for Now,” ... makes two critical arguments about the Obama presidency. First, that Obama has been a disappointment because he has not accomplished the significant, overarching change on which he campaigned. And, second, that there are so many institutional hurdles—including corporate power, the filibuster, the media’s conservative tint—that, today, the deck is almost inexorably stacked against real progress of any kind. Both arguments belittle the substantive and far-reaching change that has already occurred under Obama."
It's funny -- I agreed with a lot of what Alterman said ... and what Tanden says here.
"BP's now saying by Wednesday, its new cap will stop the spill, a seal so tight not one drop of oil escape. For now, every drop is gushing into the Gulf. "
Time to Calm Our National Freak-Out (Japhy Grant) from True/Slant
"In short, we’re in the midst of a great national freak out, a collective anxiety attack that threatens to shake our collective faith in the ability of this country to confront and solve the problems it’s facing. What we need to do is to take a deep breath. We’re not in the midst of collapse; we’re in the midst of reinvention."
Out PUNDIT-OF-THE-DAY!! Grant has many sage things to saywith this article!
Time to Wake Up, Sleeper Spy from the New York Times
"Like those before them, the sleeper spies who were deported to Russia last week in one of the biggest espionage exchanges in decades will probably miss the United States, picket fences and all. But what perhaps most distinguishes this affair from its cold war precursors is what awaits these Russians in their motherland."
Sons of Russian Spies: We're Broke from AOL News
"Two of the children of the Russian spies sent to Moscow from the U.S. last week in a swap with Western intelligence moles are appealing for financial help from the American Red Cross, saying their parents' abrupt departure has left them "broke," The New York Post reported."
How Facts Backfire: Researchers Discover a Surprising Threat to Democracy: Our Brains from the Boston Globe
"Recently, a few political scientists have begun to discover a human tendency deeply discouraging to anyone with faith in the power of information. It’s this: Facts don’t necessarily have the power to change our minds. In fact, quite the opposite."
Know-Nothings' Ghosts Haunt Immigration Debate (Al Hunt) from the Bloomberg News Service
"In an America full of irresolution, one certainty: The immigration situation will be worse a year from now. The politicians have no intention of addressing this issue in this election year."
Mitt Romeny: The George H. W. Bush of 2012? (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"Mitt Romney's decision to use a Tuesday Op-Ed in the Washington Post to blast the new START between the U.S. and Russia has prompted plenty of head-scratching, with numerous commentators dissecting his arguments and finding them thoroughly nonsensical and inflammatory. From a policy standpoint, their critiques, I'm sure, are entirely valid. I just don't know why they're assuming that Mitt actually believes anything he wrote."
Minor point: I think all of the GOP potentials for 2012 really flatter themselves if they even put themselves in the same league as H.W., someone who was at least competent to be president and who, for the sake of doing what needed to be done (read: raise taxes) took the hit. Right now, the GOP is bringing forth a generation of potential lawmakers completely devoid of the judgement or the skills to actually govern. Win elections by saying anything, perhaps. Governing, no way.
Seven Things Republicans Were For Before They Were Against Them (Jill Lawrence) from Politics Daily
"What accounts for the shifts? Evolving principles? Pressure from the right? Political Strategy 101, block Democrats and President Obama so they'll fail and look bad?"
BOOK REVIEW NUGGET!!
A Review of The Dreyfus Affair (Peter Brooks) from Truthdig
"Reading once again the extraordinary story of Jewish artillery captain Alfred Dreyfus, convicted in a French army court-martial of espionage on the flimsiest of evidence and exonerated 12 years later after an intense campaign by his supporters—and equally intense reaction from the army and its defenders—I was reminded that you don’t know whether the Dreyfus Affair is the story of inhumanity, indifference, prejudice, mendacity and stupidity at their zenith—or rather the story of selfless resistance to tyranny and injustice."
For those who are unfamiliar with this set of trials that tore France apart at the end of the nineteenth century should check out this book review -- if not the book itself. This case is the kind of history that is ALWAYS relevant!!
WORLD CUP NUGGET!!
He's No Sucker: Paul the 'Oracle Octopus' is Right for the Seventh Time from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"He is facing his greatest challenge yet with predicting the outcome of Sunday's World Cup final. But Paul the 'oracle octopus' has shown he doesn't crack under the pressure after making his seventh correct World Cup prediction."
Looks like he was right again. I found this whole business with the octopus was pretty hilarious! I'm sure they'll haul him out again in four years.
ARMED FORCES NUGGET!!
Navy Weighs Ship's Design, Along with its Own Future from the Wall Street Journal
"At issue is more than a shipbuilding contract. The contest underscores a broad discussion taking place inside and outside the Navy about the future size and shape of the service's fleet."
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