An oxpecker bird and a zebra in South Africa. From National Geographic.
Mission Accomplished in Afghanistan (Leslie Gelb) from the Wall Street Journal
"Al Qaeda is no longer based there and the Taliban must be beaten by Afghans themselves."
I have not been one to trumpet the "leave Afghanistan now" meme that many on the left have embraced -- but I will have to say Mr. Gelb makes a pretty compelling case for accelerating our move in that direction.
Osama bin Laden Wives Interviewed: More Breaking Updates from the Daily Beast
"After a diplomatic tussle, Pakistan will allow U.S. officials to question Osama’s widows for intel about his final years. Plus, the secret deal Bush struck with Pakistan."
Tom's Suggested Pakistan Policy: Short-term Embrace, Long-term Divorce (Thomas E. Ricks) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"I think we need to have a short-term plan that temporarily keeps us close to Pakistan, followed by a much different long-run strategy that cuts us loose from this wreck of a state."
I'm wondering if a short-term embrace is even possible now, given the public posture of the Pakistani government since the raid. It's increasingly clear that (like many countries in the Middle East) Pakistani leaders have for years been double dealing both the US and the Pakistani people, trying to have it both ways where they get the benefits of US support even as they actively feed anti-US sentiment whenever they feel the heat from the so-called 'street'. The bin Laden raid has ripped away this mask of duplicity for EVERYONE to see. Now the leadership feels extraordinary pressure to choose sides. While they want US aid, they are VERY FEARFUL of their own populace -- so look for them to demagogue the US-bashing for a while. Unfortunately [for them], another new wrinkle is occurring on the US side of things: the American people are now WISE to the Pakistanis' double dealing, and I'm seeing the emergence of a broad-based attitude of "f--- you" among average voters over here. Obama and Congress are now going to be under increasing pressure to dump Pakistan -- damn the long-term consequences. And these anti-American crowds in Karachi and elsewhere are simply going to reinforce this animus.
Pakistan's Other Terror Ties (Philip Shenon) from the Daily Beast
"It’s bad enough that Islamabad is suspected of aiding bin Laden. Now comes trial testimony that will suggest that the ISI helped plan the Mumbai attacks."
Fear That U.S. Can Grab Nuclear Arsenal Heightens Pakistani Anger (Yochi J. Dreazen) from the National Journal
"Last week’s U.S. raid into Pakistan is fueling one of the country’s most enduring—and potentially dangerous—conspiracy theories: that the U.S. has designs on Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal and is prepared to send highly trained commandos into the country to seize control of the weapons."
U.S. Braced for Fights With Pakistanis in Bin Laden Raid from the New York Times
"Mr. Obama’s decision to increase the size of the force sent into Pakistan shows that he was willing to risk a military confrontation with a close ally in order to capture or kill the leader of Al Qaeda."
I WONDERED why they needed 79 people for this mission! Again -- think back to the '08 campaign: neither McCain, Clinton, Biden, Bush or Cheney would have taken the risk of duking it out with the Pakistani military over this. Obama was.
Ahmadinejad Fights to Preserve his Dwindling power from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Iran's president has surprised many by daring to disobey Ayatollah Khamenei, but emnity suits both men now."
Covert War With Iran (Pt. II): A 'Wilderness Of Mirrors' (Mike Shuster) from NPR's Morning Edition
"... the clandestine war is not confined to the technological. In the physical realm, defectors with key information have been lured out of Iran; nuclear scientists have been assassinated in broad daylight; and bombs have gone off in key ethnic regions."
With Help From NATO, Libyan Rebels Gain Ground from the New York Times
"Rebel fighters made significant gains Monday against forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in both the western and eastern areas of the country, in the first faint signs that NATO airstrikes may be starting to strain the government forces."
Obama dashes 'Jimmy Carter' Label from Politico
"The same hail of bullets that tore through the terrorist leader’s compound appears to have cut through the GOP’s desired narrative for the presidential election, at least temporarily dispelling the image of Obama as a weak-kneed pushover. And that leaves the economy as the president’s single major point of vulnerability."
How Bush Lost bin Laden (Malou Innocent) from the National Interest
"Thank you, Mr. Bush, Mr. Rumsfled, Ms. Rice, et al. for taking your eyes off the ball."
Beijing Blames Foreigners for Its Fears of Unrest from the New York Times
"Good will between the United States and China is scarce. At the meetings this week, the Americans are expected to talk bluntly about human rights, while the Chinese government has already increased its criticism of the West, with some officials telling foreign diplomats that they believe the United States is fomenting revolution."
The US is definitely serving as the fear-mongerer's "flavor-of-the-month" as authoritarian regimes everywhere look to stave off 'Arab Spring"-like domestic unrest. At a certain level, I think the Chinese paranoia about the US captures a central element in their relationship: the US (as it is currently constituted) DOES foment revolution in China, and it does it simply by existing as it does! The US and western-style democracies have been the fonts of *information-sharing* technology -- and the more the US pushes this technology, the more threatened China will be -- no matter whether we intend it or not. I should also note that China represents in some respects the inverse of the same issue: as long as China exists as it currently does (a rigid mix of authoritarian capitalism), it represents a threat to the US. Why? Because as we've seen, it has been China's response to the threat we represent to them to rally, buck up, and otherwise build coalitions of other authoritarian regimes around the world. Their "allies" now include North Korea, Burma, Venezuela, Sudan, Zimbabwe, several central Asian regimes, just to name a few. Now -- it should be noted that *most of the rest of the world* is clearly aligned with the US and view China warily. However, the real down side to this dualism is going to show up (if it hasn't already) as new fledgling democracies or democratic movements (such as in Egypt and Tunisia) take shape. The Chinese will tend to see it as in *their interest* to torpedo or otherwise subvert those democratic movements.
The Obama Spring from (John Heilemann) from New York Magazine
"The shots in Abbottabad were heard round the world. But will they still be heard in 2012?"
No, Killing of Bin Laden Does Not Represent `Continuity’ with Bush (Adam Serwer) from Greg Sargent's Plum Line at the Washington Post
"While there are indeed many examples of Obama continuing Bush-era policies to the frustration of liberals, killing bin Laden is not one of them. Rather, Obama’s focus on bin Laden represents a departure from his predecessor, who had decided shortly after 9/11 that bin Laden was “just a person who’s been marginalized,”"
Bin Laden Photo Issue Proves Obama's Moral Superiority Over Bush (Juliane Schäuble) from Der Tagesspiegel [of Germany in English]
"Obama has set out to distinguish himself from his predecessor, not only by his actions, but by his morality. With his decision not to put bin Laden's head on a pike and carry it through the media landscape, he has done just that."
First Thoughts: Obama's Last Seven Days (Chuck Todd) from NBC News
"President Obama’s last seven days represent his best week -- politically -- since his inauguration."
2012 and the Republican Rescue Fantasy (Byron York) from the Washington Examiner
"Talk to enough people around this key primary state and you'll learn two lessons, over and over again. One is that there is absolutely, positively no unity among Republicans about any presidential candidate or potential candidate; there's no such thing as a frontrunner. The other is that in the back of their minds, many Republicans are hoping that somewhere, somehow, a superhero candidate will swoop down out of the sky and rescue them from their current lackluster presidential field.
Gallup Poll Sees Growing Support for Third Party in GOP, Tea Party from The Hill
"A majority of Republicans said for the first time that a third party was needed in American politics, according to a Gallup poll released Monday"
Gee, and I thought only Democrats did the "Third Party" self-immolation jig!
Newt Gingrich Can't Save the GOP (Mark McKinnon) from the Daily Beast
"Newt Gingrich will add substance to the Republican field when he declares his candidacy for president, but we already have a professor as president—and the country is looking for something new, says Mark McKinnon."
Yes, he'll add "substance" -- just like Doc added substance to the seven dwarfs!
Rick Santorum and the Problem with the "Loser" Label (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"During last Thursday’s Republican presidential debate, Rick Santorum was asked to explain why GOP voters should make him their national standard-bearer even though he was crushed by his Democratic opponent by 18 points the last time he stood for election. The question went a long way toward explaining why Santorum, a 52-year-old who represented Pennsylvania in the Senate for two terms before that defeat to Bob Casey in 2006, has such a remote (read: nonexistent) chance of capturing his party’s White House nod."
Why I Will Not Support Jon Huntsman. Ever (Erik Erickson) from Redstate.com
"Ambassador Jon Huntsman is gearing up now to run for President of the United States. If he is the Republican nominee, I will vote for him. But until that moment I will never, ever support him. And if you are a patriot to the United States of America, you should not support him either. It’s pretty simple why."
Erik Erickson is quite influential in the right-wing blogosphere -- but I will have to say that his reasoning in this lengthy article is particularistic and, I suspect, will not dissuade GOP primary voters from voting for Huntsman. There will be a HOST of other issues that will come up -- but I don't think Erickson's rationale will weigh heavily in the balance. Makes me wonder who the heck Erickson IS touting these days.
MA-Sen: Newton Mayor Setti Warren Will Run Against Scott Brown from Daily Kos
"Last month's Suffolk poll of MA-Sen certainly proves Warren's point: it showed him losing by the eye-popping margin of 52-9 to Brown, thanks to the fact that no one knows who he is. Regardless of that, though, Warren may have the basis for a leg up on his Dem primary competition so far..."
This guy actually looks quite interesting. I doubt he has a chance against Brown -- but maybe for something else in the future.
It's On! Wisconsin Verifies Enough Signatures for First Two Recall Elections (Chris Bowers) for Daily Kos
"This is just the beginning—verifications of the other four petitions Democrats filed against Republicans are on the way."
E-BOOK & APP NUGGET!!
Al Gore Invents a Showpiece E-Book from the New York Times
"The interactivity, the zooming into graphic elements and the videos aren’t a gimmick. They actually add up to a different experience. The book feels more Web-like; at your leisure, you can jump from the main river of text into one of these deeper dives. Yet there’s no fear of falling off the primary train of thought."
HOLLYWOOD BOOK & INTERVIEW NUGGET!!
Dick Van Dyke Talks About His 'Lucky Life' And What Stan Laurel Left Him from NPR's Morning Edition
"On Tuesday's Morning Edition, Dick Van Dyke talks to Renee Montagne about his new book, My Lucky Life In And Out Of Show Business, and touches on everything from the beginning of his career in television to the eulogy he gave at the funeral of one of his heroes, Stan Laurel."
In the Dick Van Dyke Show and films like Mary Poppins Van Dyke was BRILLIANT and made a lasting impression on me as a young person. I hope he does some more extended interviews on Fresh Air or On Point.
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