News Nuggets 455

The Big Cypress Reservation in Florida.  From National Geographic.

Going Long Liberty in China (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
"It is truly “The Big Short,” and that is betting that China can’t continue to grow at this pace indefinitely by only permitting its people to have economic liberty without political liberty."

Obama, Bill Clinton a Study in Contrasts on Campaign Trail (Dan Balz) from the Washington Post
"There are no more celebrated communicators in the Democratic Party than President Obama and former president Bill Clinton, but on the campaign trail they are a study in contrasts."

Rice Meets with Obama, Then Defends His Administration's Approach from the Washington Post
"Rice rolled her eyes at the notion that Obama is a closet Muslim, and she defended him from criticism - led by former vice president Richard B. Cheney - that Obama had weakened the country."

Patraeus Rewrites the Playbook in Afghanistan (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
"The American commander is adopting something of the same two-sided approach in Kabul, four months into his job as the leader of NATO forces in Afghanistan. He is shooting more, increasing special-operations raids and bombings on Taliban commanders. But he is also talking more -- endorsing President Hamid Karzai's reconciliation talks with Taliban officials and guaranteeing their safety to and from Kabul as a confidence-building measure."

The Rage Won't End on Election Day (Frank Rich) from the New York Times
"In the final stretch of 2010, the radical right’s anger is becoming less focused, more free-floating — more likely to be aimed at “government” in general, whatever the location or officials in charge. The anger is also more likely to claim minorities like gays, Latinos and Muslims as collateral damage."

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels Earns Conservative Ire for Tax Remarks from Newsweek
"The normally mild-mannered Indiana governor has occasionally made headlines for his controversial statements, and he's back at it. Speaking at a dinner at the conservative Hudson Institute on Thursday, Daniels said a value-added tax might be a good way to discourage
consumption while driving up savings rates at some point in the future."
This is exactly why Daniels could be a formidable candidate in 2012 -- he is actually sane.  So far, his sanity has not cost him support -- although these tax comments will test how far he can stray.

America’s Holy Writ (Andrew Romano) from Newsweek
"Tea Party evangelists claim the Constitution as their sacred text. Why that’s wrong."

PA-Sen: Let Me Tell You About Joe Sestak (Chris Bowers) from Daily Kos
"As someone who worked on his campaign, I’m not surprised Joe Sestak is making a big push. It isn’t surprising internal polls on both sides show the campaign getting tighter, and that Republicans are scrambling to make new ads to save their precious wingnut champion Pat Toomey."

Was President Obama's Father Murdered? (David Remnick) from the New Yorker
"Lately, I’ve been reading the galleys of Peter Firstbrook’s “The Obamas,” a history of the African side of the President’s family and a fascinating look at their tribe, the Luo. The book will be published in the spring by Crown; it is already out in the U.K. Firstbrook, a former director and producer for the BBC, interviewed Obama family members, friends, and
scholars in Kenya and adds many interesting details to what we know of the President’s heritage."

MUSIC AUDIO NUGGET!!
Inside Beethoven's Ninth Symphony from NPR's On Point
"The year of its premier, 1824, in Vienna, was a time of great repression, of ultra-conservative nationalism, as old dynasties pushed back against years of Enlightenment and revolution.
This Hour, On Point: Beethoven’s Ninth, in the tide of history."

BOOK NUGGET!!
Under God … or Not: A Review of The Pledge: A History of the Pledge of Allegiance by Jeffrey Owen Jones and Peter Meyer from the New York Times
"It contained a subtle political message. Amid the heightened class conflict of the Gilded Age, the phrase “liberty and justice for all” was an idealist’s demand as well as a patriotic affirmation. So, too, was the idea of “one nation indivisible.”"

ANOTHER BOOK NUGGET!!
Book review: 'Magic and Mayhem: The Delusions of American Foreign Policy From Korea to Afghanistan' by Derek Leebaert from Washington Post
"How refreshing to read a smart, polemical book that is deliciously rude to many grand poohbahs of our time while making good sense about the mess the United States now finds itself in across the globe."

INTERVIEW NUGGET!!
The Queen: An Interview with Stacy Schiff from the New York Times
"In your new biography of Cleopatra, you take issue with historians who have attributed her achievements to her looks and implied that she slept her way to the top."