Dazzling New Weapons Require New Rules of War (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
"A new arsenal of drones and satellite-guided weapons is changing the nature of warfare. America and its NATO allies possess these high-tech weapons, but smaller countries want them, too. Here's an inside glimpse of how the process of technology transfer works:"
Obama Vows to End 'Years of Mistrust' Between West and Muslim World as He Impresses Indonesians with Local Language from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Mr Obama, who is visiting Indonesia, also said the world’s most populous Muslim country – where he lived as a boy – was a shining example to others. In a speech peppered with Indonesian phrases, he said: ‘Your achievements demonstrate that democracy and development reinforce one another.’"
At Democratic Strategist, Ed Kilgore is doing an interesting series on "Big Contradictions for the GOP" that focuses on the budget-cutting problems the Republicans are only now beginning to think about. Here are two of his entries so far, one on the general dilemma, the other on medicare. I think they are spot-on!!
Repealing Health Law Will Backfire on GOP (Joe Conason) from RealClearPolitics
"Come January, the Republicans will be obliged to file repeal legislation -- and to argue that the public will fare better under the tender care of the insurance oligopoly than with any government protections at all. Otherwise, the tea party will wreak havoc in the 2012 primaries, or so they warn."
A Destination for That High-speed Rail Money from Daily Kos
"Not that these Republicans want to send the money back to Washington like the frugal deficit-choppers they'd like people to believe they are. They just want to spend it on "traditional" transportation projects, mostly highways. The U.S. Department of Transportation has told them no go, as greendem notes in the diary Obama Admin: Rail Money is for Rail, Use it or lose it."
USA Today/Gallup Poll: Dems Favor Compromise, GOPers Prefer Holding Firm To Beliefs from USA Today via TalkingPointsMemo
"When asked about the "best approach for political leaders to follow in Washington," 41% of Republican respondents maintain that "it is more important for political leaders to stick to their beliefs even if little gets done," while only 18% of Democratic respondents express the same sentiment. "
This explains a lot.
Pros, Cons of Pelosi as Minority Leader (Eleanor Clift) from Newsweek
"Is Nancy Pelosi’s decision to run for the top Democratic spot in the House a gift for Republicans?
Liars' Club (Timothy Egan) from the New York Times
"If common sense were currency Michele Bachmann would be broke, and holding a tin can by the roadside just now. Alas, because we live in an age where hyperbole is gold, Bachmann is rich."
The Obama Republicans (Chris Cillizza) from the Washington Post
"63 Republicans will hold seats that Obama carried in 2008. Dems need just 23 to win back the House."
A Careless Man: What the Bush Memoir Reveals (Joe Klein) from Time Magazine
"Bush breezes through fundamental and earth-shattering decisions without slowing down to acknowledge their moral complexity. At the most important moments of his presidency — most notably, the decision to go to war in Iraq — he refuses to honestly consider opposing points of view or see the long-term, ancillary effects of what he is deciding."
Sarah Palin: The Sound and the Fury (Michael Gross) from Vanity Fair
"Following the former Alaska governor’s road show, the author delves into the surreal new world Palin now inhabits—a place of fear, anger, and illusion, which has swallowed up the engaging, small-town hockey mom and her family—and the sadness she has left in her wake. "
RADIO NUGGET!!
NPR: The Sound of Sanity from Vanity Fair
"Unlike nearly all the rest of talk radio, which divides civilization into us and our Churchillian allies and Everybody Else (ungrateful bastards who haven’t thanked us in the last five minutes for winning World War II), NPR is cognizant of a whole world out there that isn’t the United States and is worth knowing, even if we’re not dropping bombs on them at the moment."
There's a photo gallery of NPR personalities HERE.
TELEVISION NUGGET!!
HBO's Brilliant War Documentary (Rebecca Dana) from the Daily Beast
"James Gandolfini, still best known as the therapized mobster Tony Soprano, turns the focus on veterans for Wartorn, a new documentary airing Thursday. Rebecca Dana on the making of the film and the ravages of PTSD."
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