News Nuggets 805

A school of sardines as they are swallowed by a Bryde whale off of Baja, California.  From the Daily Mail of the UK. 

Who's the Decider? (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
"“There is a complete absence of decision-making among leaders in the government. If prompt action is not taken, the country will face a setback. You must appreciate how serious it is.” Sound familiar? Premji could have been speaking about the European Union or the United States. No leaders want to take hard decisions anymore, except when forced to. Everyone — even China’s leaders — seems more afraid of their own people than ever."

New Computer Worm May Presage Another Cyber Attack, Potentially on Iran (R. M. Schneiderman) from the Daily Beast
A new variant of malicious software called Duqu that’s similar to the Stuxnet worm that sabotaged Iran’s nuclear facility has emerged, and security analysts say it could lead to yet another cyber attack."

The Coming Out Story I Never Thought I’d Write (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"I was an all-American kid who idealized the family men I grew up around. At 32, I can finally admit I'm different."

McQueary: 'I Did Stop It' from the Morning Call
"Mike McQueary, the Penn State assistant football coach under fire for his reported lack of action in an alleged 2002 rape of a boy by Jerry Sandusky, said in an email to a former classmate that he stopped the assault in an athletic facility shower and discussed it with police."
Some have noted that this site has not had any stories on the Penn State scandal since it broke last week.  Stated simply, I have been appalled by the "linch mob" mentality that has dominated the commentary on this topic, especially on the cable stations. Sandusky has been treated like a CONVICTED felon, Paterno and McQueary as morally bankrupt enablers more concerned with their reputations than for the safety of kids.  But what do we hear now from McQueary?  If what he says here is true, he did EXACTLY what he was supposed to do!!  What I find interesting here is that McQueary's name was trashed on cable tv for several days straight.  Will his defense get anything like the same exposure?  I've heard it on NPR this morning and seen it on the Associated Press.  We shall see.

Occupy Wall Street's Eviction Was a Lucky Break—Now What? (Derek Thompson) from the Atlantic
"The protesters were lucky to be kicked out of Zuccotti last night for two reasons -- the logistical reason and the macro reason."

Beyond Seizing Parks, New Paths to Influence from the New York Times
"“We poured a tremendous amount of resources into defending a park that was nearly symbolic,” said Han Shan, an Occupy Wall Street activist in New York. “I think the movement has shown it transcends geography.”"

Warning Signs GOP Has Overreached Heading Into 2012 Elections (Jill Lawrence) from the Daily Beast
From thumping defeats on anti-union and anti-abortion bills to Republican lawmakers weighing tax hikes, the party may be realizing it pushed its 2010 victory way too far.

Poll: Gingrich Scores Best vs. Obama Among Voters Today from the McClatchy News Service
"Newt Gingrich is the strongest Republican candidate when matched head to head against Democratic President Barack Obama, according to a McClatchy-Marist Poll released Tuesday."
Boy, I hope GOP voters embrace this message and dump Romney's "electability" argument.

Newt Gingrich is for Real (Edward Morrissey) from The Week
"The conservative base wants a fighter. And Professor Gingrich, who routinely belittles his detractors as partisan fools, might just be the man for the job."
Well, I think he can do more damage to Romney than Cain ever could.  Gingrich is also a more savvy pol than most of the others.  If he really takes Romney on, the campaign could get much more interesting.

The Second Coming of Gingrich (Ross Douthat) from the New York Times
" The former speaker is less a traditional conservative than he is a kind of right-wing futurist, most at home rhapsodizing about computer revolutions and brain science breakthroughs. But whereas most right-wing futurists tend to be libertarians who take a somewhat jaundiced view of partisan politics, for Gingrich civilization itself hangs in the balance in every election cycle."

Ah, but then there is this fundamental truth:
Newt Gingrich: His Baggage has Baggage (Joan Walsh) from Salon
"Ethics charges? Three marriages? Shutting down government? Orphanages for welfare kids? Pick Newt's top liability."

Perry, Cain and a Parade of Painful Moments (Kathleen Parker) from the Washington Post
"P... it has become clear that they are not now presidential material. We may indeed overlook their faults, but we needn’t excuse what are more than mere lapses. Their lack of knowledge or recall suggests a lack of depth and an absence of seriousness. We expect more from those who pretend to the throne."

Herman Cain’s Libya Stumble: How Much Damage Did He Do? (Chris Cillizza) from the Washington Post
The flub is only part of the story!  See other dumb things Cain said!
"...more clips from the Journal-Sentinel interview came out Tuesday — including one in which Cain said he offered Henry Kissinger the job of secretary of state in his administration but was rebuffed. ... Listing the rest of his Cabinet dream team, Cain also said he had conversations with the likes of former Bush U.N. ambassador John Bolton and would like to see House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as a member of a Cain administration along with Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.)."

Speaking of incredibly stupid policy pronouncements from GOP candidates:
Perry Calls for a Part-time Congress, Term-Limited Judges from the Washington Times
"Blasting the congressional “creatures of Washington” for being overpaid and detached from the struggles of the people outside the Beltway, Texas Gov. and GOP presidential hopeful Rick Perry vowed Tuesday to eliminate federal agencies, set term limits for federal judges and push for a part-time Congress where both members’ pay and office budgets are sliced in half."
NPR had some good coverage of Perry's big policy "roll-out" this morning.  Clearly he's figured that his only chance to win now is to move further to the right.  VERY scary stuff -- especially since it's clear that Perry himself is so clueless about the implications.  A note on the NPR story: Perry seems to have, what, three people applauding him during his big roll-out!?