News Nuggets 774

A walrus skull looking out on Bristol Bay in Alaska.  From National Geographic.

Inside Obama's Libya War Room (Michael Hastings) from Rolling Stone Magazine

"How he decided to intervene in Libya – and what it says about his evolution as commander in chief."

Putin’s Russia: Frozen in Decline (Philip Stephens) from the Financial Times [of London]
"The west used to worry about an over-mighty Russia. A Russia in decline is the more threatening proposition. Events in a London courtroom offer an uncomfortable reminder that this is where things are heading under Vladimir Putin."

The Elephants in the Room (James Traub) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Barack Obama's Republican challengers haven't thought very deeply about foreign policy. It shows."

Many Economic Sectors Don’t Have Much More Room to Fall from the Washington Post
"It isn’t the resilience of the U.S. economy. Rather, it’s a sign of how bad things have already become. Many of the key sectors that usually cause economic contraction, including housing and durable goods such as automobiles, are already at such low levels that they don’t have much more room to fall."

Rabbit-Hole Economics (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"Reading the transcript of Tuesday’s Republican debate on the economy is, for anyone who has actually been following economic events these past few years, like falling down a rabbit hole. Suddenly, you find yourself in a fantasy world where nothing looks or behaves the way it does in real life."

Plates Shifting (Josh Marshall) from Talking Points Memo
"... it seems to have gone with relatively little notice -- probably because it's right there in plain sight -- how much the president's day in and day out push on jobs has simply shifted the national conversation, the focus on what the issue is that requires solving. I think this is a bigger deal than we realize."

Wall St Protests Spread to Global Stage (Stothard and Bond) from the Financial Times [of London]
"The protests against the global financial system that have swept across the US in the past month have spread to the international stage, inspiring offshoot occupations in London, Sydney, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Toronto and other cities."

'Occupy' Protests Swell Nationwide; Dozens Arrested from CNN
"Dozens were arrested in Denver, San Diego and New York, while similar demonstrations were scheduled to take place in Washington, Orlando, Atlanta and Detroit. CNN iReporters sent in photos and video from "occupy" protests across several American cities."

#OWS: What the Media Can't See About America's First Web-Era Movement (J.J. Gould) from the Atlantic
"Occupy Wall Street is a pluralist protest that's better at asking questions than offering answers. By cherry-picking messages and images, its critics are missing the bigger picture."

New Poll Shows Occupy Wall Street Viewed Twice as Favorably as Tea Party (Chris Bowers) from Daily Kos
"Occupy Wall Street is now the most popular protest movement in America."
Greg Sargent at the Washington Post has some further analysis of this poll.

End of the Ex-Gay Movement? (Michelle Goldberg) from the Daily Beast
"A prominent leader bolts, just the latest blow to those who believe sexual orientation can be altered. Michelle Goldberg on John Smid’s about-face."

Kansas City Bishop Indicted in Reporting of Abuse by Priest from the New York Times
"The indictment is the first ever of a Catholic bishop in the 25 years since the scandal over sexual abuse by priests first became public in the United States."

Hillary Clinton Over Joe Biden in 2012? Possible (Jonathan Alter) from Bloomberg News Service
"Obama, Biden and Clinton would not want to do this. But like most politicians, they are genetically disposed to do “what it takes,” ... Obama, Biden and Clinton are on good terms with each other, and they view the stakes -- a possible conservative takeover of all three branches of government -- as extremely high. If it’s clear that Democrats need to do something dramatic to avoid losing the White House, the Switcheroo will happen.

Romney Takes in $14.2 Million, Has Same Cash on Hand as Perry from the Daily Kos
"So Mitt Romney had a fairly decent fundraising quarter, taking in $14.2 million. ... Romney was also far out raised by President Obama, who took in $70 million last quarter, but the most important statistic is probably this: while Romney had an impressive 55,947 contributors, the breadth of his support was dwarfed by President Obama, who received more than 600,000 contributions last quarter. So while Obama raised nearly five times as much money, he did it from 12 times as many people."

Simply Appealing (John Dickerson) from Slate
"... what really makes Cain different is that he is the most articulate advocate of the Gospel of Simple: the idea that solutions are not as complex as the experts say, and that much of our current mess has been caused by those preaching complexity."