News Nuggets 896

DAYLEE PICTURE: Girls herding goats in Djibouti.  From NationalGeographic.

Iran May be "Struggling" with New Nuclear Machines (Fredrik Dahl) from Real Clear World
"Iran is still relying on decades-old technology to expand its nuclear program, a fact that suggests it might be having difficulties developing more modern machines that could speed up production of potential bomb material, experts say."

What Ails Europe? (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"Why has Europe become the sick man of the world economy? Everyone knows the answer. Unfortunately, most of what people know isn’t true — and false stories about European woes are warping our economic discourse. Read an opinion piece about Europe — or, all too often, a supposedly factual news report — and you’ll probably encounter one of two stories, which I think of as the Republican narrative and the German narrative. Neither story fits the facts."

Wikileaks Emails Indicate Stratfor Discovered Israel Already Destroyed Iran’s Nuclear Facilities from the Raw Story
"Growing concerns over Iran’s nuclear facilities may prove to be all for naught. Officials from the global intelligence company Stratfor allegedly discussed that Israel may have already destroyed the Iranian nuclear facility, according to one of the emails released by Wikileaks Monday. In one of the over five million emails leaked, the conversation centered on Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak praising the news of deadly munitions blasts at a base of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards. “I think this is a diversion. The Israelis already destroyed all the Iranian nuclear infrastructure on the ground weeks ago,” one intelligence official wrote in an email dated November 14, 2011."

Court filing: Bevilacqua Ordered Shredding of Memo Identifying Suspected Abusers from the Philadelphia Inquirer
"Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua ordered aides to shred a 1994 memo that identified 35 Archdiocese of Philadelphia priests suspected of sexually abusing children, according to a new court filing."
As this scandal has continued to unfold, I find myself increasingly asking: do some of these religious authorities who have covered things up actually need to go to prison before the Church gives the matter the serious attention it desperately needs?

Elderly Drivers Take Toll On American Roads from NPR's All Things Considered
"Moretti recently completed an extensive research study on older drivers, the problems they face on the road, and innovative solutions to address these problems."

Partisans Ignoring Stimulus’s Success (Juan Williams) from The Hill 
"Is there any evidence that the stimulus helped the economy? As Sarah Palin might say, “You betcha!” But in looking back on the news coverage and the angry rhetoric used by the GOP during the congressional debate of the stimulus, it is striking how little discussion there was of what the stimulus actually entailed."

Republicans are Losing the Class Warfare Fight (Marc A. Thiessen) from the Washington Post
"Without a robust recovery to trumpet, the president is betting his reelection on class warfare — focusing on “income inequality” and “fairness.” Class warfare is not a winning strategy, but it is the only card Obama has to play. That’s the good news for Republicans. The bad news is: Right now, the GOP is blowing it."

For Republicans, Social Issues are Losers (Julian Zelizer) from CNN 
"This is a risky bet for the GOP and a positive development for the administration and congressional Democrats. While most successful Republican presidential candidates have paid lip service to social conservatism in the last three decades, the truth is it has never been an issue through which Republicans have been able to build successful coalitions that can win at the polls and get bills passed."

The Possum Republicans (David Brooks) from the New York Times
 "In recent decades, one pattern has been constant within the Republican Party: Wingers fight to take over the party, mainstream Republicans bob and weave to keep their seats."
Sometimes possums are playing dead -- and sometimes they are roadkill.  I think the moderate GOP is much more the latter than the former.

Obama hits Romney with Withering Mockery as He Makes Case for Reelection (Greg Sargent) from the Washington Post
"In a speech to the United Auto Workers just now, Obama defended his decision to bail out the auto industry, lacing into Mitt Romney with withering derision. But this speech was about more than the auto-bailout. It was Obama’s case for reelection."
Benjy Sarlin of TPM and Andrew Sullivan comment on this speech.

Battleground Poll: GOP President’s Race Takes Toll, Obama Inches Up from Politico
"A new POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground Poll reveals the prolonged nominating battle is taking a toll on the GOP candidates and finds the president’s standing significantly improved from late last year."

New Lows Among Conservatives Mark Romney’s Popularity Problem from ABC News
"Mitt Romney has fallen to a new low in personal favorability among strong conservatives in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, as his persistent problems in this core GOP group now threaten his fortunes in today’s crucial Michigan primary."

Polls Apart (Charlie Cook) from National Journal
"The volatility in polling suggests a few things, not least of which is that Romney’s electability edge has virtually evaporated."

The GOP’s Michigan Give-Away (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast
"Ideological rigidity and Obama hatred led Republicans to reject the auto bailout. Now they’re doubling down on their opposition—and surrendering Michigan in the general election."

In a similar vein:
What Mitt Romney Has Already Lost (Rick Klein) from ABC News
"Romney can solidify his claim on the Republican nomination with a victory in his native state. But what he can’t claim back is the ability to excite and perhaps simply unify the party behind his bid — critical shortcomings that are likely to haunt his bid for the presidency for as long as it lasts."

Michigan’s Primary Party Crashers: Democrats Crossing Over to Thwart Romney (Ben Jacobs) from the Daily Beast
"Democratic voters who resent Romney’s stance against the auto industry bailout and prefer to see Obama face Santorum could tip the balance against Mitt in the state, where he and the Pennsylvania ex-senator are now deadlocked."

Tea Partiers Against College—For Other People's Kids (David Frum) from the Daily Beast
"Conservatives may have fiercely resented Barack Obama's "bitter clingers" remarks from 2008, but Rick Santorum's presidential campaign increasingly seems to take it for granted that Obama was right. Ask yourself: For whose ears was Santorum's "snob" remark intended?"

Michigan Call: Santorum in a Squeaker (John Cassidy) from the New Yorker 
"After Romney’s resurgence last week, most pollsters and forecasters are still predicting he will win. But I am going against the trend and predicting that Santorum will squeak out another surprise victory."

Santorum’s JFK Story Makes Me Want to Throw Up (Joan Walsh) from Salon 
"Kennedy never said anything like "people of faith have no role in the public square," and the GOP zealot knows that."

Gingrich to Afghanistan: ‘Figure Out How to Live Your Own Miserable Life’ from the Wall Street Journal
"His prescription:”What you have to do is say, ‘You know, you’re going to have to figure out how to live your own miserable life… Because you clearly don’t want to learn from me how to be unmiserable.’”"
AS IF they invited us in!!  AND this guy is supposed to be one of the brighter bulbs in the room!!  Daily Kos comments on the Newtster HERE. 

We Don't Need No Education, We Don't Need No Thought Control (David Weigel) from Slate
"Obama hasn't told the lumpen proletariart to go to liberal arts schools and become indoctrinated in left-wing thought and a cappela. His universal college call, which took on form in 2009, was for some kind of higher education. Trade schools? Have at it. Politically, here, it hardly matters. As he does on many topics, Santorum skillfully cracks open a policy issue and finds the culture war walnut within."

Sen-NE: Bob Kerrey Changes his Mind, Will Run for Senate, Source Says from the Washington Post
"Former senator Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) has changed his mind and plans to run for the open Senate seat in Nebraska, according to a senior Democratic aide. The aide said Kerrey has called Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to inform him of his plans."

HUMAN CYBORG NUGGET [of a sort]!!
Redesigning People: How Medtech Could Expand Beyond the Injured (David Ewing Duncan) from the Atlantic
"Radical human modification is coming, like it or not, by the end of this century—if not earlier. How much are you willing to alter yourself?"