A 'Hedge Strategy Toward China (Fareed Zakaria) from the Washington Post
"By undertaking this trip to India, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia, Obama was making America's opening move in a new great power game unfolding in Asia. Until now, China's rise had been talked about more as an abstraction. But events over the past few months have made the rise of China tangible in the eyes of many Asians. They are watching how the United States will react.
A Breakthrough in the Middle East? (Andrew Sullivan) from the Atlantic
"How Obama's carrot-and-stick approach is working."
Madam Secretary's Middle East (Roger Cohen) from the New York Times
"Hillary Clinton, unlike President Obama, has Israelis’ trust. She also has fierce new convictions about Palestine."
One in Four Americans is Enrolled in a Gov't Food Program from ABC News
"More Than 17 million Households Reported Having Difficulty Buying Food in 2009. Those food banks, which receive hundreds of millions of dollars worth of food from the federal government to supplement private donations, are also now inundated with the new poor."
These folks just haven't heard that the recession is over.
This Raging Fire (Bob Herbert) from the New York Times
"When I was a kid my Uncle Robert, for whom I was named, used to say that blacks needed to “fight on all fronts, at home and abroad.” By that he meant that while it was critically important to fight against racial injustice and oppression, it was just as important to support, nurture and fight on behalf of one’s family and community."
Oklahoma's Faith-Based Initiative (Michael Gerson) from the Washington Post
"Just to be on the safe side, voters in Oklahoma this month overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment that prevents the Talibanization of the Sooner State. Henceforth, there will be no public stonings in Ponca City, no forced burqa wearing in Bartlesville, no sharia law in Lawton. … This is a novel use of American law - not to actually address a public problem but to taunt a religious minority."
Axelrod Says Plouffe to Replace Him at White House Next Year from National Journal
"President Obama's top adviser, David Axelrod, will likely be replaced by campaign strategist David Plouffe when he leaves the White House early next year.."
VERY good news! As much as I like the Axe as a person, I think this change is overdue. It suggests that we can expect NEW MESSAGING from the WH. What they were doing had not been working for some time.
What Sparked the Tea Party (Michael Hirsh) from National Journal
"Barack Obama’s policies get blamed (or credited) with triggering the movement. Actually, they were George W. Bush’s."
Westboro Protesters Face Jeers and Slashed Tires from the Tulsa World [of Oklahoma]
"Shortly after finishing their protest at the funeral of Army Sgt. Jason James McCluskey of McAlester, a half-dozen protesters from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., headed to their minivan, only to discover that its front and rear passenger-side tires had been slashed. To make matters worse, as their minivan slowly hobbled away on two flat tires, with a McAlester police car following behind, the protesters were unable to find anyone in town who would repair their vehicle, according to police."
While I don't advocate tire slashing, what do these folks expect?
Pres-2012: Can Mitt Romney be President? (David Frum) from The Week
"Tea Party, Shmea Party. Post-election surveys suggest that Mitt Romney still leads as the favored Republican presidential candidate for 2012. His lead looks especially big in New Hampshire: Almost 30 points. Does this big lead translate into a smooth ride to the nomination? That depends on whether Romney's campaign follows the path of George W. Bush's in 2000 — or Hillary Clinton's in 2008."
TOWERING INFERNO NUGGET!!
Towering Inferno of Shanghai: 40 Dead as 28-Story Apartment Block is Engulfed in Flames from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"At least 40 people have been killed by a blazing fire in a high-rise residential building in the business centre of Shanghai, on the east coast of China."
WHAT a nightmare!!
COLONIAL HISTORY NUGGET!!
Pocahontas's Wedding Chapel Found at Jamestown from National Geographic News
"The remains of the church where Pocahontas married an English tobacco farmer have been discovered at Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the New World, archaeologists announced in October. "
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