News Nuggets 803

Sand thrown in the air in the Upper Antelope Canyon near Page, Arizona.  From National Geographic.

The Epic Global Leadership Fail from the Washington Post
"The global financial system teeters on the edge of collapse because European politicians refused to tell citizens of their crumbling economies that they could no longer guarantee them “la dolce vita” - the sweet life - they had come to expect."

Berlusconi Steps Down, and Italy Pulses With Change from the New York Times
"With his country swept up in Europe’s debt crisis and his once-mighty political capital spent, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi resigned on Saturday, punctuating a tumultuous week and ending an era in Italian politics. ... Though it was met by cheering crowds in Rome, the end of Mr. Berlusconi’s 17-year chapter in Italian politics, characterized by his defiance and fortitude, sets off a jarring political transition"

Iran Explosion at Revolutionary Guards Military Base from the BBC
"Seventeen soldiers have been killed in an explosion at a military base near Iran's capital Tehran, officials say."
So ... what's up?

Obama Campaign Chiefs Meet Quietly With Clinton In Harlem (Joe Conason) from the National Memo
"Having absorbed all this information, Clinton peppered the Obama operatives with dozens of probing questions and specific suggestions, not only concerning their strategy and message but how to handle the leading Republican candidates, too..."

Republicans Show Stunning Ignorance of China in South Carolina Debate (Michelle Goldberg) from the Daily Beast
"The Republican debate in South Carolina showed an astonishing ignorance of Beijing. Michelle Goldberg on the new lows in demagoguery. Plus, more Daily Beast contributors weigh in."

Republican Debate Shows a Snoozy Field Stymied by Obama (Jacob Heilbrunn) from the Daily Beast
"The GOP’s foreign-policy debate broke no new ground—and showed a Republican field struggling to counter Obama’s playbook. Plus, more Daily Beast contributors weigh in."

Chinese, but Not Their Leaders, Flock to U.S. Envoy from the New York Times
"“They don’t like him,” one reporter, who insisted on anonymity, said of the propaganda authorities. “They think he is too high-profile and he is embarrassing Chinese leaders.” But somehow, the word has not gotten to ordinary Chinese."

No More! DSK's Wife 'Loses Patience' with her Husband After New Sex Claims from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"She spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on his defence.  Reports suggest she's tired of the endless 'pathetic' allegations.  Friends say former IMF chief has confessed he needs treatment for 'sex addiction'.  It follows new claims that he was a client of a French prostitution network under criminal investigation."

How Conservative Judges Just Provided the Most Authoritative Legal Defense of Obamacare (Bruce Brown) from the New Republic
"For most court watchers, the D.C. Circuit opinion was deeply significant and a genuine surprise—and an extreme disappointment to those opposing the law—because it provided the most authoritative, truly conservative defense of the Act thus far. The conservative Supreme Court justices will find in it an opinion not only with legal merit, but also one with which they are likely to have some political affinity. The Obama administration would be wise indeed to study this opinion as they prepare their defense."

The New Progressive Movement (Jeffrey Sachs) from the New York Times
"OCCUPY WALL STREET and its allied movements around the country are more than a walk in the park. They are most likely the start of a new era in America. Historians have noted that American politics moves in long swings. We are at the end of the 30-year Reagan era, a period that has culminated in soaring income for the top 1 percent and crushing unemployment or income stagnation for much of the rest. The overarching challenge of the coming years is to restore prosperity and power for the 99 percent."

The 2012 Election and the Herman Cain Electability Paradox from Daily Kos
"It has been two weeks, but there is some evidence to suggest that Milbank is not far off. While Cain has experienced some erosion in his support, the erosion has been, for all intents and purposes, slight. Which is potentially disastrous news for the Republicans."

Debates Take Toll on Republican Field from The Hill
"Televised debates have had an outsize impact on this year’s Republican presidential race. But the demands of the debating schedule — Saturday’s event in South Carolina was the eleventh major clash — is taking its toll on the candidates, who find themselves constantly preparing for primetime."

CNN Poll: Gingrich Soars, Cain Drops from CNN
"According to a CNN/ORC International Poll released Monday, 24% of Republicans and independents who lean towards the GOP say Romney is their most likely choice for their party's presidential nominee with Gingrich at 22%. Romney's two-point advantage is well within the survey's sampling error."

The Newt Surge: Every Dog Has Its Day - Even the Dead Ones (John Cassidy) from the New Yorker
"The truth is, his rebound has almost nothing to do with him and almost everything to do with circumstances beyond his control."

The Real Conservative Scandal (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post
"Perry’s memory lapse showed that he wasn’t asserting anything that he is truly serious about because he is not serious about what government does, or ought not to do. For him, governing seems a casual undertaking. ... I don’t believe he has given them a moment of thought. And that’s the problem for conservatives. Their movement has been overtaken by a quite literally mindless opposition to government. Perry, correctly, thought he had a winning sound bite, had he managed to blurt it out, because if you just say you want to scrap government departments (and three is a nice, round number), many conservatives will cheer without asking questions. This is a long way from the conservatism I used to respect."