Scoring Obama's Foreign Policy: A Progressive Pragmatist Tries to Bend History (Martin Indyk, Kenneth Lieberthal, and Michael E. O'Hanlon) from Foreign Affairs
"The Obama approach has been relatively nonideological in practice but informed by a realistic overarching sense of the United States' role in the world in the twenty-first century. The tone has been neither that of American triumphalism and exceptionalism nor one of American decline. On balance, this approach has been effective, conveying a degree of openness to the views of other leaders and the interests of other nations while still projecting confidence and leadership. Judged by the standard of protecting American interests, Obama's foreign policy so far has worked out quite well; judged by the standard of fulfilling his vision of a new global order, it remains very much a work in progress."
Al Qaeda Bomb Plot: Would-Be Bomber Was CIA Informant from the Huffington Post
"... the man the terrorists were counting on to carry out the attack was actually working for the CIA and Saudi intelligence, U.S. and Yemeni officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The dramatic sting operation thwarted the attack before it had a chance to succeed."
This is a very interesting story. It suggests that the CIA and US intelligence services generally may be DEEPLY imbedded in the Al Qaida organizations in Yemen and probably elsewhere. This revelation will introduce an even greater level of paranoia into the leadership there, a paranoia that can easily be turned against the organization itself to further "gum up the works".
The Blind Ambitions of Warming Superpowers (Peter Hatcher) from the Sydney Morning Herald [of Australia]
"The world braced for a convulsion between the reigning superpower and the potential one. It was a tense week as they negotiated a deal, and then the deal collapsed. But the crisis didn't come - a second deal was reached and all parties declared victory. The truly remarkable fact is that the case of Chen Guangcheng was the crisis that didn't happen."
The New York Times has a similar take on the same story HERE.
Eurozone Crisis: EU Moves to Loosen Grip of Austerity from the Guardian [of the UK]
"European executive calls for shift towards growth as leftist leader Alexis Tsipras steps up Greece's eurozone rebellion."
Boy -- that didn't take long!
U.K. Unemployment Will Rise Until 2016 on Fiscal Cuts, CEBR Says (Jennifer Ryan) from Bloomberg News Service
"U.K. unemployment will rise over the next five years almost everywhere in the country as the deepest government spending squeeze since World War II bites, the Centre for Economic and Business Research said."
Europe’s Other Crisis: Muslim Immigrants and the Failure of Integration (Christopher Caldwell) from the New Republic
"These were crazy deeds, and one can argue about what role insanity played in them, but something else needs to be candidly acknowledged: the killer was not a lone wolf. He had a measure of community support and a great deal of family support."
What Is the World's Most Economically Powerful City? (Richard Florida) from the Atlantic
"... in contest for one metro to rule them all, New York takes the crown as the most economically powerful metropolitan, according to my assessment of five recent comprehensive rankings of global cities."
Melinda Gates' New Crusade: Investing Billions in Women's Health (Michelle Goldberg) from Newsweek
"She plans to use the Gates Foundation's billions to revolutionize contraception worldwide. The Catholic right is pushing back. Is she ready for the political firestorm ahead?"
2012: Youngs v. Olds (Joan Walsh) from Salon
"Can Republicans turn class warfare into generational warfare?"
Democrats Have a Solid Chance to Maintain Control of Senate (Markos Moulitsas) from Daily Kos
"If the election were today, the two expected GOP pickups would be offset by the two expected Democratic pickups, with control decided by the other 5-6 Democratic seats and three Republican seats in play. Republicans are within striking distance of taking the Senate, but it's not as easy a task as it seemed just a short while ago."
Obama Has Big Likability Edge Over Romney: Nearly Twice as Many say Obama, Rather than Romney, is More Likable from Gallup
"Registered voters are nearly twice as likely to say Barack Obama, rather than Mitt Romney, is the more likable of the two presidential candidates. Obama's 60% to 31% advantage on this characteristic is the largest for either candidate on five separate dimensions tested in a May 1-2 USA Today/Gallup poll."
As I've noted here before, this likability measure is a strong indicator of who wins in November at the presidential level.
Mitt Romney Won’t Stand Up to his Own Party (Dana Milbank) from the Washington Post
"Romney’s reluctance to challenge the right is a sign of weakness."
OBAMA FAMILY NUGGET!!
My Little Brother, The President (Michel Martin) from NPR's Tell Me More program
"Auma Obama, President Obama's half-sister, discusses their relationship, and what his rise has meant to the Obama family in Kenya. Host Michel Martin speaks with Auma Obama about her recently released memoir, And Then Life Happens."
GIANT CRAB NUGGET!!
A Sea Monster ... and He’s Still a Nipper! Monster Tasmanian King Crab Saved from the Pot and Shipped to Britain for Aquarium Display (PICTURES) from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"He was destined for the pot – if they had found one big enough to fit. But Claude the Tasmanian giant crab was saved from death when the fisherman who caught him sold him to a British aquarium for £3,000. Now, after a 29-hour plane journey from Australia – where giant crab meat is a delicacy – and two weeks in quarantine, Claude is ready to meet his public."
WORLD WAR II NUGGET!!
Germany Still Locates 40,000 War Casualties a Year from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"The German War Graves Commission launched a campaign on Tuesday, the 67th anniversary of the end of World War II, to promote its online database as a way for relatives to trace missing soldiers. Some 40,000 are located and reburied each year across Eastern Europe and Russia -- where its teams still encounter hostility from locals who remember the murderous occupation."
MYSTERIOUS OCEAN CREATURE NUGGET!!
Mystery Of The Deep: Creature Caught On Ocean Camera (VIDEO) from the Huffington Post
Like nothing I've ever seen! The more you see of the clip, the stranger it gets.
"Floating eerily through the hazy depths of the ocean, this creature looks like it came straight out of science fiction movie The Abyss."
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