A bushman on the Okavango River in Botswana. From National Geographic."A key aide to Iran's supreme leader said on Saturday Turkey must radically rethink its policies on Syria, the NATO missile shield and promoting Muslim secularism in the Arab world -- or face trouble from its own people and neighbors."
Robert Ford, Making a Difference in Syria (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
"If you’re wondering what diplomats can do in an era of pulverizing military force and instantaneous communications, consider the case of Robert Ford, the U.S. ambassador to Syria. He has been meeting with the Syrian opposition around the country, risking his neck — and in the process infuriating the regime of President Bashar al-Assad."
Flight of the Drones: Why the Future of Air Power Belongs to Unmanned Systems from the Economist [of London]
"...the missile strike that killed al-Qaeda’s most effective propagandist was no real surprise. It was just the latest example of the way America’s armed Predator and Reaper drones are changing the terms of combat with the country’s enemies, leaving them able to run but with nowhere to hide."
Thomas Friedman: Making America Great Again (AUDIO) from NPR's On Point program
"We now live and work in the nation’s capital, where we have seen firsthand the government’s failure to come to terms with the major challenges the country faces. But although this book’s perspective on the present is gloomy, its hopes and expectations for the future are high. We know that America can meet its challenges. ¬After all, that’s the America where we grew up."
A Lost Generation? (AUDIO) from NPR's On Point program
"Young people today have it rough. The recession has hit them particularly hard. They’re unemployed, or underemployed; they’re moving back home to their parents homes in greater numbers and they’re putting off marriage, childrearing, and home buying as they wait things to improve. All of this has led watchers to call it the “lost generation,” a characterization finds support in the data."
White House Feeds Off Protest Anger from the Financial Times [of the UK]
"“Mr Obama is now getting closer to the actual zeitgeist of the American people.” Mr Obama’s toughening line on Wall Street also coincides with a tightening of the political cycle, as politicians begin to tailor every utterance to next year’s presidential and congressional elections."
Embracing His Inner ‘Obamacare’ from the Editorial Board of the New York Times
"As part of his newfound assertiveness, President Obama is using the term “Obamacare,” the Republicans’ sneering dismissal of the Democratic health care reforms. We are skeptical that he will be able to turn it into a term of approbation. But it is heartening to see him finally out there defending his pioneering policy with no apologies and an uncharacteristic feistiness."
Desperately Seeking Someone (Charles Blow) from the New York Times
"... the way the Republican field is shaping up, it may be poised to squander an electoral opportunity of a historic scale. Republicans simply can’t find a competent, consistent candidate with whom they can fall in love and with which President Obama won’t mop the floor."
LOTS of commentary on Mitt's bad weekend at the Values Voter Summit:
Mitt Romney Faces Hostility at Values Voter Summit (Ben Adler) from the Nation
"Mitt Romney came to the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC, on Saturday morning hoping to mollify his critics on the religious right. He tried his best, offering more specifics on the ways he would attack abortion rights and gay rights than his opponents had. And yet the conference organizers seemed to have it in for him."
The Tea Party Targets Romney (Michelle Cottle) from the Daily Beast
"Conservative activists are gearing up to shut down Mitt Romney's candidacy before it can gain too much steam. Michelle Cottle on the obstacles facing the anti-Mitt movement."
Now why would they target him? Jon Stewart has the answers in this side-splitting takedown:
Jon Stewart on Mitt Romney's Biggest Problem from the Daily Show via Rolling Stone Magazine
"The only obstacle to Romney's candidacy, according to Stewart? Mitt Romney, and his history of flip-flopping. Watch the Daily Show host hit Mitt where it hurts: his past positions."
Stewart's takedown prompts this response from a conservative speech-writer:
Is Romney the Next Kerry? (Matt Latimer) from the Daily Beast
"That, of course, is not the Mitt Romney running for president today. In fact the Republican’s encyclopedia-sized list of policy reversals makes 2004’s whipping boy, John “I voted for it before I voted against it” Kerry, look like an exemplar of political consistency. All of which raises a haunting question for the GOP as the clock ticks down to the Iowa caucuses: in a party whose potential nominees include Gary Johnson and Ron Paul, could the GOP’s “safe” choice actually be its most reckless gamble?"
Romney’s Mormonism Becomes A Major Issue At Conservative Conference from Talking Points Memo
A disturbing portrait of the so-called "values voters".
"Some on the evangelical side have doubted Obama’s commitment to his faith at best, and accused him of being a secret Muslim masquerading as a Christian at worst. An essential part of those attacks was the idea that America is a Christian nation and needs to be led by a Christian that understands that. And that’s exactly the kind of criticisms Romney is facing."
Icons That Would Shock Today's Right (David Sirota) from Salon
"From Dr. Seuss to the Statue of Liberty, these American mainstays would have been decried by modern conservatives."
CHINA CULTURE NUGGET!!
Mao Will Serve You Now (Melinda Liu) from the Daily Beast
"China’s ‘red restaurants’ turn the Cultural Revolution into dinner theater."
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