A crab-eater seal exploring the waters off Antarctica. From National Geographic.
Gates's Lonely Battle to Rationalize the Pentagon (Fareed Zakaria) from Newsweek
"Republicans who are abandoning their party's best traditions in defense strategy."
Obama Saved Detroit (Peter Beinart) from the Daily Beast
"General Motors posted strong second-quarter profit—the latest sign that Obama saved Detroit. Peter Beinart on why the voters will punish everyone who supported the effort anyway."
The Bush Tax Plan vs. the Obama Tax Plan in One Chart (Ezra Klein) from the Washington Post
Check it out -- it speaks volumes.
Obama Uses Powers to Expand Federal Rights, Benefits for Gays and Lesbians from the Washington Post
"The result is that scores of federal rules blocking gay rights have been swept aside or reinterpreted by Obama officials eager to advance the agenda of a constituency that strongly backed the president's 2008 campaign."
Ground Zero Mosque Debate Echoes Europe's Fears of Muslim from the Christian Science Monitor
"The US debate over the so-called ground zero mosque in New York tracks similar fights that have taken place in European capitals in recent years over national identity and the impact of growing Muslim populations."
Driving the Conversation (Walter Russell Mead) from Politico
"Every now and then, a country must actually live up to its founding ideals. This is one of those times; American Muslims should have the same rights to build, to preach and to pray as all of their fellow citizens. President Barack Obama is doing what any American president should do in like case: he is standing by the Constitution of the United States."
Islam and Two Americas (Ross Douthat) from the New York Times
"These two understandings of America, one constitutional and one cultural, have been in tension throughout our history. And they’re in tension again this summer, in the controversy over the Islamic mosque and cultural center scheduled to go up two blocks from ground zero."
While I think Douthat ignores the degree to which the "second America" is remotely informed about Islam, I think he is gradually emerging as a nice voice of sanity to counter the cultural harangues one hears from right-leaning pundits -- especially on issues such as gay marriage and the role of Islam in the US.
Obama's Mosque Duty (Michael Gerson) from the Washington Post
"President Obama has a peculiar talent for enraging his critics while deflating the enthusiasm of his friends, on full display in the Manhattan mosque controversy."
Angels in America (Frank Rich) from the New York Times
"Thanks to Peabody’s prominence, her example had a discernible effect in beating back ignorance and fear in New York. But 25 years ago, few could have imagined a larger narrative that might lead to full civil rights for gay Americans. That was change almost no one believed in."
Five Myths About Midterm Elections (Abramowitz and Ornstein) from the Washington Post
"Midterm elections are a uniquely American ritual -- most democracies choose their legislators and executive leaders at the same time -- and they have, over the years, given rise to their share of homegrown political wisdom. But not all of that wisdom is borne out by recent history."
PLANETARY NUGGET!!
Return to Hell: Scientists Ponder Future Venus Landing from Discovery News
"The surface of the second largest terrestrial planet in our solar system is also one of the least explored. Venus is a place where devils even fear to tread. Why? Imagine putting your electric oven on self-clean mode and then placing your iPod on one of the racks inside. How long would the iPod play until it became a blob of molten aluminum and plastic?"
BOOKS NUGGET!!
Unveiling the Truth from Newsweek
"The meaning of the veil for women in Muslim societies has been much debated in the West. Is it, as European backers of its ban would argue, a symbol of repression? Or is it a political statement—a “rejection of the Western lifestyle,” as Ayaan Hirsi Ali has written? Two new memoirs by Western women tackle the issue from an insider’s vantage point."
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