News Nuggets 957

DAYLEE PICTURE: The Godafoss waterfall in Iceland.  From National Geographic.

The War Over Israel (Jacob Heilbrunn) from the National Interest
"Israel's internal battle and the direction of the Istanbul talks cast doubt on the claims of Iran hawks."

Communist China's Perilous Phase (Minxin Pei) from the Wall Street Journal 
"Disunity among the ruling elites and the rising defiance of dissidents signal that one-party rule could be nearing its end."

The Ruthlessness of Barack Obama (Jacob Heilbrunn) from the National Interest
Heilbrunn gets a two-fer today.
"The China hawks will complain that Obama is too complaisant in dealing with Beijing, but he is trying to rely on diplomacy rather than threats in dealing with what amounts to America's principal creditor nation. What the hawks also forget is that China's more bellicose actions on human rights are not a sign of strength but internal infirmity. This is not a confident authoritarian regime, but one assailed by insecurity. Obama appears to recognize that."

Is Europe's Weakness Finally Reaching Germany? (Peter Coy) from Businessweek
" If Germany weakens, it would have two conflicting effects—hurting the rest of Europe by decreasing Germany’s demand for their products, but possibly helping the rest of Europe by making Germany more sympathetic to the need for stimulus to restore growth."

Obama’s Winning Strategy on Foreign Policy (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post
"We expect some hypocrisy in politics, but it was still jaw-dropping to behold Republicans accusing President Obama of politicizing the anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden. Wasn’t it just eight years ago that the GOP organized an entire presidential campaign — including the choreography of its 2004 national convention — around the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and George W. Bush’s response to them? Obama’s opponents don’t just think we have short attention spans. They imagine we have no memories whatsoever."

What a Difference 11 Years Makes (Shaida Abdali) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The new U.S.-Afghan Strategic Partnership Agreement sends a powerful message to Afghans, al Qaeda and the Taliban, our neighbors, and the world."

Obama's Osama Surprise from Politico
"Mitt Romney has led the parade of Republicans accusing President Barack Obama of politicizing the first anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death for political gain — delighting in what they view as Obama’s “Mission Accomplished” moment. And the White House couldn’t care less what the GOP thinks. The risk of overselling Obama’s signature national security accomplishment, they reason, is nothing compared with the consequences of failing to establish the image of Obama as a strong commander in chief and Romney as a weakling incapable of overseeing an honorable withdrawal from Afghanistan."

How to Make Mitt Look Small (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"After last night, Romney is probably done complaining about Obama’s “politicization” of bin Laden’s death."

Hi, I Killed Osama bin Laden and I Approve This Message (Michael Cohen) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"What is distinctive, however, about Obama's attempt to turn the bin Laden raid into political gold is how uniquely effective a strategy it could end up being."

Death of a Salesman’s Dreams (Lee Siegel) from the New York Times
"ARTHUR MILLER’s “Death of a Salesman,” now on Broadway in a Tony-nominated revival — and starring a heart-shattering Philip Seymour Hoffman as a Willy Loman for the ages — is the most devastating portrait of punctured middle-class dreams in our national literature. Yet as I sat through a recent performance, I wondered why the play was revived at all. While “Death of a Salesman” has consolidated its prestige as an exposure of middle-class delusions, the American middle class — as a social reality and a set of admirable values — has nearly ceased to exist."

EPA Sharply Limits Mountaintop Mining (Mike Lillis) from Washington Monthly
"The White House on Thursday took a giant leap toward eliminating new mountaintop coal mining projects in the Appalachian states, issuing strict new guidelines designed to protect headwater streams by curbing the practice of dumping waste in neighboring valleys. Announcing the changes, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson said the guidelines are intended to make the standards governing new mountaintop projects “clear and consistent,” following a series of EPA decisions over the past year that stakeholders on all sides of the debate found contradictory."

Why Is the Conservative Brain More Fearful? The Alternate Reality Right-Wingers Inhabit Is Terrifying (Joshua Holland) from Alternet 
"Walk a mile in your ideological counterparts' shoes...if you dare."

The GOP’s Impending Electoral College Meltdown (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast
"Only six months till November, and the Electoral College is looking like Barack Obama’s best friend. Has the Republican Party already blown its chances?"

The Richard Grenell Fiasco: How a Cynical Political Move Blew Up in Mitt Romney's Face (Michelangelo Signorile) from the Huffington Post
"A week ago a Washington reporter contacted me to discuss Mitt Romney's hiring an openly gay foreign policy spokesman, Richard Grenell. She thought it was a watershed moment for the GOP and made the comment that if Bryan Fischer, the extreme-far-right American Family Association radio host who attacked the appointment, was the Romney campaign's only problem, then they were doing pretty good. Fast-forward several days: Bryan Fischer is holding Grenell up like a jackal he's just captured and skinned alive."
This story very much reminds me of the firing of Romney's debate coach following the Florida primary.  As then, it tells me that Romney's team do not have their eyes on the right thing here.  Romney needs to be courting middle-of-the-road voters -- and yet he still is trying to nail down his base.  He seems afraid to offend anyone on the right side of the political spectrum.  And he's afraid of looking weak.  Don;t hold your breath waiting for a "Sister Solja" moment.  This also explains his round-robin approach to most policy decisions.  It seems to me apparent that Romney lacks both courage and conviction: he wilts like a green leaf on hot pavement.  As Josh Marshall noted yesterday, at his core, he is weak.

Virginia: The State Both Parties Want from Politico
"The verdict is in: Barack Obama's 2008 victory in Virginia was not a fluke. For the once reliably Republican state, competitive presidential elections are the new normal."

With One Month to Go, Wisconsin Gubernatorial Recall is Still a Tossup (David Jarman) from Daily Kos
"The nomination is looking quite likely that it'll go to Tom Barrett, a former U.S. representative who is now Milwaukee's mayor and also narrowly lost the regularly scheduled 2010 election to Walker."

Wife Of Key Legislator Behind North Carolina’s Anti-Gay Amendment Claims It Would Protect ‘Caucasian’ Race from Think Progress
"The wife of a prominent North Carolina state senator and supporter of Amendment 1 — a proposed ballot initiative that would outlaw same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships in the state — claimed earlier this week that her husband advocated for the measure to protect the “Caucasian” race."
Compared to what? The gay ... race?!

OBAMA BOOK NUGGET!!
Becoming Obama (David Maraniss) from Vanity Fair
When Barack Obama met Genevieve Cook in 1983 at a Christmas party in New York’s East Village, it was the start of his most serious romance yet. But as the 22-year-old Columbia grad began to shape his future, he was also struggling with his identity: American or international? Black or white? Drawing on conversations with both Cook and the president, David Maraniss, in an adaptation from his new Obama biography, has the untold story of the couple’s time together."
Maraniss is interviewed on this book HERE.