Obama’s Signal to Iran (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
"President Obama has signaled Iran that the United States would accept an Iranian civilian nuclear program if Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei can back up his recent public claim that his nation “will never pursue nuclear weapons.”"
America's Pacific Logic (Robert Kaplan) from Stratfor Global Intelligence
"Beijing has been buying smart, investing in subs, ballistic missiles, and space and cyber warfare as part of a general defense build-up. China has no intention of going to war with the United States, but it does seek to impede in time of crisis U.S. military access to the South China Sea and the rest of maritime Asia. From my travels I have seen that this has led to the use of the term "Finlandization" throughout Southeast Asia, whereby China, through the combination of its economic and military power, will undermine the sovereignty of countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, all of which are de facto or de jure U.S. allies."
In Greece, Six Universities at Risk of Closure After Bond Swap from the Athens News [of Greece in English]
Craziness. This kind of shortsightedness is what will turn an economic downturn into a decades-long decline that almost explicitly undermines the future prospects of Greece's next generation. Sad.
"Six of the country's universities say they face immediate closure after the recent bondswap reduced their assets to zero. An emergency meeting of university rectors on Tuesday heard that only 33m euros remained of 120m euros that 17 Greek universities had deposited with the Bank of Greece for their operating expenses, while six university accounts were now completely empty meaning they would soon be unable to stay open."
Suicide Rate Jumps Amid European Financial Crisis from CBS News
"When an elderly Greek man killed himself on a busy Athens street Wednesday, he left a note blaming the nation's financial crisis. Tragic acts like this are increasing across Europe, as worsening economies are causing rising rates of suicide."
China is Deeply Flawed. Its Dominance is Not Inevitable (Jonathan Fenby) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"The country's success will continue only if its elites initiate the political and economic reforms it desperately needs."
This has long been my view. Without major political reform, China will lack the internal stability to be a real long-term threat to the US.
Anti-Bullying Laws Challenged By Christian Groups As Threats To Religious Freedom from the Huffington Post
"The group has been promoting an anti-anti-bullying message for years. When a California school adopted an anti-bullying rule that mentioned gays and lesbians in 2010, backlash ensued."
So much for the meek inheriting the Earth...
White House: Obama Thinks Augusta Should Allow Women from the Wall Street Journal
"Augusta’s longstanding policy of not permitting women as members has upset women’s groups and Democrats for years, and the annual Masters tournament always brings fresh attention to the issue. This year, questions about the policy are being raised because the new CEO of IBM, a longtime sponsor of the Masters, is a woman, Ginni Rometty, and her predecessors have all been admitted to the club."
Can anyone guess why Obama is taking such a public position on this issue? See the following.
Down in a Swing State Poll, Can Mitt Romney Win Women Voters Back? (Patricia Murphy) from the Daily Beast
"He’s dropped 19 percentage points among independent female voters in one poll of swing states. Is it too late for Romney to get past the cultural issues to focus on the economy?"
Then there's this item:
White House Says GOP Budget A Disaster For Women from Talking Points Memo
"The Obama administration is hoping for a Friday three-fer. Amid a political fight over women’s rights that has caused GOP support among women to collapse; a Friday jobs report expected to show that the economy continues to grow rapidly; and an election year fight over the Republican Party’s controversial budget, the White House will host a forum on women and the economy — to highlight the administration’s accomplishments in the area of women’s rights..."
Obama and company are going to make the GOP pay big time for the Catholic bishops/Limbaugh induced fight over contraception.
Obama Solidifying Lead Among Independents in Swing States from Gallup
"Barack Obama has a 48% to 39% advantage over Mitt Romney among independent voters in 12 key swing states. He first moved ahead of Romney among this group in February after being tied in January and trailing last year."
Obama's Organizational Advantage on Full Display in N.H. (Scott Conroy) from Real Clear Politics
"Almost three months after his resounding victory in the New Hampshire primary launched Mitt Romney toward the Republican nomination, his former campaign headquarters here is empty. ... About a half-mile down the road on Maple Street is another campaign office that has been bustling with activity since it opened in October."
Ed Gillespie Hire Indicates the Mitt Romney Campaign Can't Get It Together from Daily Kos
A long excerpt is warranted. The rest is worth reading. After Mitt's Florida victory and the firing of his debate coach, I began to seriously question the people surrounding Romney. This brings it to a new level.
"You'll note how they've managed to consistently failed to amplify the candidate's message even when he sticks to the script. Or the way they've bungled the primary campaign by allowing Rick Santorum, a used-up big time loser with no money and no organization to give them a run for their money. Or the way they step on their own candidate by leaking to the press how weak a performer Romney is. Or having the campaign manager end up giving the nation a metaphor for the candidate in the form of a child's toy from the 1960s. Or, and this is big, how they've failed to build any significant amount of ground organization for the general election during the primary process despite the candidate traveling around the country for six years."
Has the Tea Party Become a GOP Liability? (Aaron Blake) from the Washington Post
"The tea party may have won Republicans the House of Representatives in 2010. In 2012, it’s looking like it could help Democrats retain the White House. The tea party movement, now nearly three years old, has fallen out of favor with Americans. And Democrats are prepared to use it against Republicans in the 2012 election."
Mitt Romney’s Top Five Vice President Options, From Marco Rubio to Paul Ryan (Ben Jacobs) from the Daily Beast
"Conventional wisdom says Romney will need a running mate who’s not another boring white guy. The betting by Intrade ranges from Latino Sen. Marco Rubio at the top, to budget darling Paul Ryan to firebrand Chris Christie to Ohio’s Rob Portman—a boring white guy."
Handicapping Romney’s Potential Running Mates (Eugene Robinson) from the Washington Post
"Playing second fiddle to Mitt Romney won’t be easy, but somebody has to be his running mate. Let’s handicap the field:"
E-BOOKS NUGGET!!
Pew E-book Survey: 20 Percent of U.S. Is Reading Electronically (Malcolm Johnson) from the Huffington Post
"According to a new report, digital reading has gone viral, with one in five Americans on board last year. Malcolm Jones on the good news for publishers—and the bad news for librarians."
HILARIOUS DOG VIDEO NUGGET!!
Dog All Tangled Up in Window Blinds from YouTube via Americablog
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