Beartooth Lake in Wyoming last year. From National Geographic.
Libya Rebels Tighten Noose from the Wall Street Journal
"Insurgent Commander Vows Assault on Capitol; Desperate Foreigners Try to Flee"
So who's next in the revolutionary sweepstakes? Syria…
Syria Clamps Down on Dissent with Beatings and Arrests from the Guardian [of the UK]
Nervous regime breaks up protests and sends intelligence agents round to warn civil rights activists against taking action."
Or maybe Iraq?
Five Killed in Iraq's 'Day of Rage' Protests from the Washington Post
"At least five people were killed in Iraq on Friday as tens of thousands defied an official curfew and gathered for a "Day of Rage" demonstration, echoing protests that have been held across the Middle East and North Africa for more than a month."
A fine demonstration of the fruits of Bush's 'Freedom Agenda"! So -- what do we do now? Stand with the "democratically elected" government -- that seems intent on crushing peaceful public demonstrations? Or do we stand with those jihadist protesters who want (God forbid) an end to corruption and (GASP) electricity and, in so doing, stand against the government we've spent close to a trillion dollars, thousands of American lives and 100s of thousands of Iraqi lives and eight years propping up!! Ah, but what was I thinking? Of course it's Obama's fault!
Can Al Qaeda Survive the Revolts? (Bruce Reidel) from the Daily Beast
Dictators weren’t the only ones caught off guard by the sweep of revolts across the Middle East—so was Al Qaeda. Bruce Riedel on how the revolutions will affect the future of global jihad."
The Still-Vital Center: Moderates, Democrats, and the Renewal of American Politics (Galston and Kamarck) from Third Way
"Political polarization—the loss of moderates from the political and policy process—is the root cause of the current crises in governance and politics. Galston and Kamarck argue that few causes are more important to America’s future than the embrace of political process reforms that will diminish the hyper-partisanship now disfiguring our nation’s politics."
Some analysis of this report is HERE from the Democratic Strategist.
Gay Marriage Decision: a Blow to the Enemies of Equality (Fred Karger) from the Guardian [of the UK]
Discrimination based on sexual orientation has no place in the US. Welcome, President Obama, to the right side of history."
Public Union Battles Spread Across U.S. from CNN
"The fight over public union benefits and collective bargaining is spreading across the United States. Here is a state-by-state breakdown:"
Personally, if I were betting, I'd say that this issue is a TOTAL LOSER for the GOP. Two reasons: FIRST, most Americans are deeply concerned about jobs right now -- not budget cutting. Implicitly (and explicitly in Wisconsin) what's right behind the union-busting aspects of much of this legislation are waves of lay-offs awaiting state workers. Thus, even those state workers who may be ambivalent or even hostile to unions UNDERSTAND that if these laws pass, their job may FOR REAL be on the line. The legislation is not just an existential threat to organized labor, it's an existential threat to state workers' jobs -- this at a time when any sane worker would rightly conclude that there are virtually NO JOBS waiting for them in the private sector. SECOND, I think most GOP lawmakers have missed the DOWN SIDE to nationalizing this conflict the way they have (I suspect that Mitch Daniels in Indiana gets it). No matter what nuances GOP state lawmakers may throw in in, say, New Jersey or Florida, they will pay for being associated with how it goes down in Wisconsin. MORE IMPORTANTLY, and I think this is an implication few people have seen, at the federal level House Republicans seem inclined to allow for a federal gov't shutdown starting next Friday. Speaker Boehner has been trying to position Obama and the Dems to shoulder at least some of the blame for it should that happen. His efforts will be COMPLETELY nullified by these union-busting shenanigans at the state level. The meme is already pervasive that the GOP is only interested in ramming through their anti-worker, anti-gov't agenda, damn the opposition. Given that most moderate and independent voters don't pay close attention to the wide differences in these various stories, I feel pretty certain they will all get mashed together in an undifferentiated
Shock Doctrine, U.S.A. (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"Here’s a thought: maybe Madison, Wis., isn’t Cairo after all. Maybe it’s Baghdad — specifically, Baghdad in 2003, when the Bush administration put Iraq under the rule of officials chosen for loyalty and political reliability rather than experience and competence."
For Walker, Cause and Celebrity Don't Necessarily Mean Cause Celebre (Chris Cillizza) from the Washington Post
"Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, less than two months into his first term as the state's chief executive, may already be the most well-known governor in the country. But even as the protests over the Republican's budget cuts rage and Democratic lawmakers continue to be AWOL to avoid voting on them, the GOP's rally effect has been somewhat ... well ... uninspiring."
The Cook Report: Sunny-Side Up (Charlie Cook) from National Journal
"Economic indicators are heading to a place where President Obama could win reelection."
Run Mitch, Run (David Brooks) from the New York Times
"This is the G.O.P. quandary. The man who would be the party’s strongest candidate for the presidency is seriously thinking about not running. The country could use a serious, competent manager, which Governor Daniels has been, and still he’s thinking about not running."
Even GOP Activists are Turning Against Sarah Palin from the McClatchy News Service
"As Sarah Palin wonders whether to run for president, she might want to talk to people in places such as South Carolina. She'd find her star fading, and her prospects daunting. Republicans still like her, but now they openly question whether she could or should be nominated for president, let alone elected."
Mark Jared's words: The more GOP establishment folks (of which many activists are) try to dissuade Palin from running, the more LIKELY she is to run. As the Alaska staffer's memoir recently revealed (news supported by many other sources), (1) Palin has it in for the GOP establishment and (2) political payback is mother's milk to her. If she runs, it will be for personal (probably vindictive) reasons, NOT because she has a vision for the country or thinks she could do better than Obama or Romney or anyone else. She will run to pay back Newt, Boehner, McConnell and other GOP 'insiders' who have spent the last two years dissing her.
Town Hall Question: "Who's Going to Shoot Obama?" (Justin Elliott) from Salon
"Perhaps more significant than the question was the response of the crowd and Broun, who is a member of the Tea Party Caucus and one of the most right-wing members of Congress. The question prompted a "big laugh" from the crowd, in Oglethorpe County, Ga., according to the Banner-Herald. Broun, for his part, did not object to the question."
Both the questioner and the lawmaker should get a probing Q&A visit from the Secret Service.
RELEVANT HISTORY NUGGET!!
Three Cheers for the Man Who Did Nothing (Thomas de Waal) from the National Interest
"Sometimes history should recognize the magnificence of politicians who, confronted with a difficult situation, decide to do nothing. The best exponent of this monumental restraint is Mikhail Gorbachev."
POLAR BEAR CUBS NUGGET!!
Polar Bear Cubs Emerge From Their Den (PHOTOS, VIDEO) from Huffington Post
"With the cubs weighing about twenty-five pounds and with the right weather conditions, the polar bear mother will break the den. Heading out on her own initially, mum will enjoy the shining sun, open space and fresh snow that she has been without throughout this entire process. And then it's time for the cubs."
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