News Nuggets 545

A spectacular scene of lightening over the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland.  From National Geographic.

UP-FRONT TELEVISION NOTE:
The coverage of demonstrations this morning on Al Jazeera English has been breath-taking!  Check it out HERE.

NEW YORK TIMES COLUMNIST NUGGETS!!
It just so happens that THREE of NYT's regular columnists were in Tahrir Square yesterday.  Here are their responses to Mubrak's announcement:

(1) The Mubarak Muddle (Roger Cohen) from the New York Times
The potential for greater violence in Egypt has risen. In a 17-minute speech on Thursday night, Mubarak acknowledged mistakes, promised reform and said, almost in passing, that his vice president, Omar Suleiman, was now in charge. But he defied the demand of protesters that he quit. Once again, he gave the impression he had not heard them at all.  If Egypt’s battered authorities had set out to choreograph treacherous muddle, they could scarcely have done a better job.

(2) Out of Touch, Out of Time (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
"Watching President Hosni Mubarak addressing his nation Thursday night, explaining why he would not be drummed out of office by foreigners, I felt embarrassed for him and worried for Egypt. This man is staggeringly out of touch with what is happening inside his country. This is Rip Van Winkle meets Facebook."

(3) The Pharaoh Refuses to Go (Nicholas Kristof) from the New York Times
"To me, this speech is a reminder of how entrenched the powers that be are in Egypt. They have their entire way of life — and billions of dollars — at risk, and they’re not going to go easily. My hunch is that at some point they’ll throw Mubarak overboard, but even then they may then seek to maintain Mubarakism without Mubarak. This could get uglier. It will certainly be historic."

NOTE: Nicholas Kristof's twitter feed from Cairo is (sometimes) HILARIOUS!  Example: "You know you're in trouble when: Iraq embassy in Cairo urges Iraqis to return home"
Check it out HERE.

Mubarak Reportedly Leaves Cairo from the New York Times 
"The Egyptian military appeared to assert its leadership Friday amid growing indications that President Hosni Mubarak was yielding all power. A Western official said that Mr. Mubarak had left the capital, though that could not be independently confirmed."
 
Obama Did Not Miss Any Chances In Egypt! from Daily Kos
"Reading Bill Press, a syndicated columnist for Tribune Media Services in his article, Obama meets foreign policy test with the crisis in Egypt, he clearly depicts that Obama did not miss any chance in Egypt and in fact has executed a well planned methodical approach to send a message to Mubarak that he has to step down in a sweet and respectful manner in order to end the civil unrest in Egypt."
The links to Bill Press's original article seems to be having problems -- hopefully they will get it back up and running.

Anatomy of a Dictatorship: Hosni Mubarak (Elizabeth Dickinson) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The many repressions of Egypt's 30-year-president."

Barack Obama is Not Jimmy Carter (Leon Hadar) from Al Haaretz [of Israel in English]
"The 1979 Iran crisis produced a heated debate over the U.S. policy response. Obama's response to the Egypt crisis has enjoyed wide bipartisan support."
NOTE: In the main, Al Haaretz has NOT been a friendly forum when it comes to the Obama WH.

In the Shadows With Counterterrorism Czar John Brennan, Obama's Secret Weapon (Michael Crowley) from Time Magazine
"Brennan, 55, is watching events in the Middle East. The U.S. gets invaluable assistance from friendly Arab states. In Yemen, for example, a fragile government has turned its army against radical Islamists. Though pessimists warn of Iran-style revolutions that could leave Islamists in power in many countries, Brennan sees a bright side. "I think it's going to have profound implications across the region in terms of moving ahead with political reforms that are overdue," he says of the peaceful demonstrations. "In many respects, I think it's a refutation of bin Laden and al-Qaeda's agenda of violence.""
I am beginning to come to the same conclusion.  DEPENDING ON HOW IT GOES IN EGYPT, we could be seeing the beginning of the end of Islamist fundamentalism as the driving force for change in the Middle East.  The Egyptian protests, if anything, find their roots in the pan-Arabist, secular movement of Nasser in the 1960s (with the added ingredient of democracy), not in the Iranian Revolution or Al Qaeda.  What has been interesting has been the silence from Al Qaeda on the protests.  Bin Laden KNOWS that if these protests succeed that HIS MODEL of dramatic change for the region will be COMPLETELY discredited!  People want better jobs, better educations, they want democracy and futures for their youth.  Bin Laden offers NOTHING for these people!

U.S. Preparing Aid Package For Egypt Opposition from Time Magazine
"To avoid a continuation of dictatorial rule under a new strong man or a dangerous power vacuum as weaker players try to seize control, Egypt will need to see the lightning-fast development of long-suppressed political parties. So the US is preparing a new package of assistance to Egyptian opposition groups designed to help with constitutional reform, democratic development and election organizing, State department officials tell TIME."

Insurance Reality Hits House GOP from Politico
"Ask any House Republican about repealing President Barack Obama’s health care law, and you’ll get the same fiery, self-assured talking points about tearing down what Speaker John Boehner has called a “monstrosity.”  But talk to some of the 16 freshman lawmakers who have declined their government health benefits, and you’ll hear a different side of the story — about tough out-of-pocket expenses, pre-existing conditions and support for health reforms that would help those who struggle with their coverage. As they venture into the free market for health insurance, these lawmakers — many of whom swept into office fueled by tea party anger over the health care law — are facing monthly premiums of $1,200 and fears of double-digit rate hikes.  The experience has caused some of them to think harder about the “replace” part of the “repeal and replace” mantra the GOP has adopted regarding the health care law."
KUDOS to those 16 GOP members who put their money where their mouths have been!!  What a RARE display of candor too for their willingness now to be STRAIGHT about how the experience has been for them and not simply lie their asses off as they quietly suck off some spouse's health plan.  NOW, how about some courage, the courage to alter their voting?

Obama’s Advantage: First Term Incumbents Rarely Lose but a Close Election Likely (Alan Abramowitz) from Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics
"Even without knowing what condition the economy will be in, whether a major international crisis will erupt, or who will win the Republican nomination, one crucial determinant of the outcome of the 2012 presidential election is already known. Barack Obama will be seeking reelection as a first term incumbent and first term incumbents rarely lose."

PolitiFact Rates Republican Statements as False at 3 Times the Rate of Democrats from SmartPolitics
"PolitiFact assigns "Pants on Fire" or "False" ratings to 39 percent of Republican statements compared to just 12 percent of Democrats since January 2010"
Gee -- I'm SO surprised!!

GOP Honeymoon Over from Public Policy Polling
"Whatever bounce in his polling numbers John Boehner got from becoming Speaker didn't last very long. When PPP started its weekly polling for Daily Kos last month Boehner's approval rating was a positive 35/28 spread. Within two weeks that was already on the decline to just barely favorable territory at 33/31 and now he's already in the red with the portion of voters who approve of him down to 28% and his disapproval at 30%."
Welcome to leadership, Mr. Boehner, you wanted it so bad.  The following story won't help these polling numbers.

John Boehner Sex Probe from the National Enquirer
"New Speaker of the House JOHN BOEHNER is embroiled in a bombshell sex scandal - involving at least two different women, The ENQUIRER has learned!  Capitol Hill insiders and political bloggers have been buzzing about an upcoming New York Times probe - detailing an alleged affair that the 61-year-old married father of two had with pretty Washington lobbyist  Lisbeth Lyons."
Yes - I know it is the Enquirer -- but they had it RIGHT on Gary Hart and on John Edwards!  When they nail a politician, they seem to have the goods.  We'll see.