A Parma Wallaby at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio.
LOTS of reaction to Jeffrey Goldberg's Atlantic piece HERE about the near certainty that Israel will attack Iran. As I've said many times, I think the idea is nuts and certainly doesn't pass Eisenhower's "And then what?" test. Many times during his tenure as President, Eisenhower would receive elaborate plans for overthrowing this regime or using nuclear weapons against that communist country -- and his response was usually a series of identical questions: "And then what?" Rarely could his subordinates answer the question on the first level. Such is the case now.
The Weak Case for War with Iran from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Jeffrey Goldberg's new article in the Atlantic is deeply reported -- and deeply wrong about the Middle East. But it's his misunderstanding of America that is most dangerous of all."
What Do Arabs Really Think About Iran? from Foreign Policy Magazine
"all the latest hype on Arab support for a U.S. attack on Iran misses the true nature of Arab government concerns about Iran's regional dominance. There are three points to remember concerning Arab - Iranian relations:..."
Making Aggression Respectable from the National Interest
"An Israeli military strike on Iran would be a disaster. Since Iraq, America has become an aggressor state. Now we need to stop Netanyahu and his team in Jerusalem."
How Propagandists Function: Exhibit A (Glenn Greenwald) from Salon
"When it suited him back then, Goldberg made the exact opposite claim, literally, of the one he makes today. Back then, Goldberg wouldn't possibly claim what he claims now -- that the 1981 strike permanently halted Saddam's "nuclear ambitions" -- because, back then, his goal was to scare Americans about The Threat of Saddam."
The Closing of America? (Joseph Nye) from the Korea Times [of South Korea in English]
"If the U.S. turned inward and seriously curtailed immigration, there would be serious consequences for America’s position in the world. With its current levels of immigration, America is one of the few developed countries that may avoid demographic decline and keep its share of world population, but this might change if reactions to terrorist events or public xenophobia closed the borders."
The Roadmap to a High-Speed Recovery (Richard Florida) from the New Republic
"The manufacturing sector added only one million jobs from 1980 to 2006, and, according to the BLS, will lose 1.2 million by 2020. This is the future towards which our post-industrial economy is already trending—and government should be proposing policies that will help to create a new geography and a new way of life to sustain and support it."
Picture Darkens for Americans, Poll Finds from the Wall Street Journal
"Pessimism Rises on Economy and War; Bad Reviews for Both Democrats and GOP."
State Relief Package: It's a Floor Wax AND a Dessert Topping! (Matt Miller) from the Washington Post
One of the BEST openings to a political column I've read in a long time!
"Remember (if you're a certain age) that great Saturday Night Live ad parody in which Chevy Chase chirps to spatting spouses Gilda Radner and Dan Aykroyd that "New Shimmer is a floor wax AND a dessert topping!"? Well, the $26 billion state relief package just passed on party-line votes is the same kind of zany paradox: a crucial step to ease today's economic pain AND a dastardly bailout. That's right, kids -- it's indispensable AND indefensible!"
Obama on His Mind: McCain Still Campaigning Against His '08 Rival from TalkingPointsMemo
"John McCain just can't quit Obama. A fun pattern has emerged from the Arizona Republican's Senate campaign, as he's fought through a heated Republican primary challenge from former Rep. J.D. Hayworth. While McCain has certainly been dishing out the attacks on Hayworth, he's also been rallying the Republican base by training his fire on another nemesis: President Barack Obama, the man who defeated him in the 2008 presidential election."
Will Its Offbeat Candidates Hurt GOP? from Politico
"A former professional wrestling executive, a libertarian ophthalmologist and a man who thinks bicycle use could empower the United Nations filed to run in elections. That’s not the start of a joke: that’s a sampling of the deeply unusual pool of candidates running — and actually being nominated — for high office this year."
Conservative Racists Return (Joe Conason) from RealClearPolitics
"Among the most revealing aspects of life during the Obama presidency is the panoply of responses to a black family in the White House. What made so many of us proud of our country on Jan. 20, 2009, has increasingly provoked expressions of hatred from the far right. That is troubling, but not nearly as troubling as the behavior of conservatives who excuse, embolden or simply pretend to ignore the bigots surrounding them."
Sovereign Citizens Movement Spins History, Rejects Government from the Associated Press via Huffington Post
"They call themselves sovereign citizens, U.S. residents who declare themselves above state and federal laws. Many don't register children's births, carry driver's licenses or recognize the court system. Some peddle schemes that use fictional legal loopholes to eliminate debt and avoid foreclosures."
And what is it exactly that separates them from Tea Partiers one wonders ... or from the GOP for that matter?
WORLD CULTURE NUGGET!!
"The original Fanta was a Nazi product. When Pearl Harbor ended the flow of Coca-Cola syrup to German bottlers, German Coca-Cola chief Max Keith—who sported a tiny Hitler-style mustache and celebrated the Führer's 50th birthday at company conventions—formulated an alternative."
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