Watching Thugs With Razors and Clubs at Tahrir Sq. (Nicholas Kristof) from the New York Times
"Thuggery and courage coexisted all day in Tahrir Square, just like that. The events were sometimes presented by the news media as “clashes” between rival factions, but that’s a bit misleading. This was an organized government crackdown, but it relied on armed hoodlums, not on police or army troops. … It should be increasingly evident that Mr. Mubarak is not the remedy for the instability in Egypt; he is its cause. The road to stability in Egypt requires Mr. Mubarak’s departure, immediately."
Egypt's Bumbling Brotherhood (Scott Atran) from the New York Times
"Here’s the real deal, at least as many Egyptians see it. Ever since its founding in 1928 as a rival to Western-inspired nationalist movements that had failed to free Egypt from foreign powers, the Muslim Brotherhood has tried to revive Islamic power. Yet in 83 years it has botched every opportunity. In Egypt today, the Brotherhood counts perhaps some 100,000 adherents out of a population of over 80 million. And its failure to support the initial uprising in Cairo on Jan. 25 has made it marginal to the spirit of revolt now spreading through the Arab world."
U.S. Walks the Line on Egypt (Doyle McManus) from the Los Angeles Times
"The wonder isn't that it took Obama so long to put himself on the side of the demonstrators but that he was able to pivot as fast as he did."
Gimme Shelter (Scott Horton) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Why is Hosni Mubarak clinging to power? Maybe because the life of an exiled dictator isn't what it used to be.
Hosni Mubarak Splits Israel from Neocon Supporters from Politico
"As Israeli leaders worriedly eye the protests and street battles in neighboring Egypt, they’ve been dismayed to find that the neoconservatives and hawkish Democrats who are usually their most reliable American advocates are cheering for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s fall."
A related item:
Egypt Leaves the Right Crazed and Confused (Leslie Savan) from the Nation
"The uprising against Hosni Mubarak in Egypt has left the US right wing confused and grasping for talking points: Unlike most political events, the crisis in Egypt can’t be neatly hung on one of their us-versus-them frames. Not knowing what side to take, unable to easily tell the good guys from the bad, they’ve been suddenly thrown from the comfort of certitude into a slush of self-doubt."
Really Bad Week: Egypt Edition (David Rothkopf) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The world leaders (outside of Egypt) who are freaking out the most."
Why Yemen's Revolution Has Failed So Far from Time Magazine
"Protesters promised a Day of Rage, but the demonstration in Yemen on Thursday was calm, short and ineffective. And that suits Washington just fine."
Food Crisis Threatens Asia from the Japan Times [in English]
"s Asia on the edge of another food supply crisis that will stoke inflation, protection and political unrest? Some recent developments suggest that it is. Many Asian countries — including the biggest emerging economies China, India and Indonesia — are battling to curb soaring prices of some food items."
Prospects Mixed for Conservative High Court Ruling on HCR (Ed Kilgore) from the Democratic Strategist
""Conservative commitment to federalist principles is almost certainly being overrated on this issue as on many others over the years. ...federalism is primarily a mean to a desired end, and is disposable otherwise." Ed cites conservative support for a constitutional amendment to ban abortion and the high court's decision in "Bush v Gore" as the leading examples of conservatives' extravagant flexibility on federalist arguments. I would also cite the latter as cause for concern that the Supreme Court's partisan conservatives may set a new standard for activist interpretation when it comes time to rule on the ACA."
I'm increasingly coming to a similar conclusion concerning the character and quality of judicial court reviews: increasingly they are simply becoming another arena where partisan politics plays itself out -- rather than a place where legal principles are brought to bare.
Reagan Solicitor General: 'I Am Quite Sure That The Health Care Mandate Is Constitutional' (VIDEO) from the Huffington Post
"Former Reagan Solicitor General Charles Fried delivered testimony during a Senate hearing on the "The Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act," expressing, in no uncertain terms, his personal assessment that he is "quite sure that the health care mandate is constitutional.""
GOP Scales Back Budget Cut Goals from Politico
"Updating their budget estimates, House Republicans conceded Thursday that their best hope is to cut current appropriations by $32 billion for the remainder of this fiscal year, once new spending for defense and other security needs are added to the equation."
So much for the $100 billion!
Rumsfeld Memoir Tip Sheet from (shockers!) the Drudge Report
""If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much." So declares former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in his news book 'KNOWN AND UNKNOWN'."
The first appearance on this blog of the Drudge Report! He gives a brief set of bullet points summarizing Rummy's ruminations.
Why Andrew Cuomo Will Run for President (Charlie Gasparino) from the Daily Beast
"OK, he may not have said it in so many words, but the New York governor all but declared his 2016 candidacy this week with one simple move. Charles Gasparino on the campaign's unofficial launch."
The Mormon Primary: Mitt Romney vs. Jon Huntsman from Politico
"Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman Jr. are both Mormons, both wealthy scions of old Utah families, both ex-governors with chiseled features and terrific hair. Both also want to be president. And neither has shown much regard for the other."
For Huntsman, the Case for Running for President -- and Losing (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"Why would a politician give up two years of his life for a doomed mission? Actually, there are some good reasons."
This is why it is Win-Win for Huntsman in 2012.
RELIGION NUGGET!!
1,500-Year-Old Church Uncovered in Israel from the Huffington Post
"Israeli archaeologists presented a newly uncovered 1,500-year-old church in the Judean hills on Wednesday, including an unusually well-preserved mosaic floor with images of lions, foxes, fish and peacocks."
ART & ILLUSTRATION NUGGET!!
Penciled In: Artist Turns Camera Images into Surreal Landscapes with his Sketchpad from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Seamlessly matching sketching with real life settings these remarkable and colourful images are known as 'Pencil Vs Camera'."
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