Note from yesterday: Still no announcement as to whether Hope-for-Paws won the Toyota Highlander. They were well in the lead with seven hours to go last night! Thanks everyone who voted for them yesterday!!
TEN BEST NUGGETS OF THE WEEK!!
1. America's Destiny Still Largely in its Own Hands (Martin Wolf) from the Irish Times"WHAT WILL be the role of the US in the 21st century? This is a question I rashly agreed to address last week at the Carnegie Council in New York. In analysing it, I considered a closely related issue that also exercises Americans: is the future role of the US in its own hands? The answer is: yes but only up to a point. The US can control what it does. But it cannot control what others do. The historic dominance of the US is the fruit of its exceptional assets."
2. The New World Disorder (Kevin Sullivan) from Real Clear Politics
"If the United States and its Western allies are no longer willing or able to lead, then who will? In his latest book, "Every Nation for Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World," author and global risk analyst Ian Bremmer sets out to answer that very question."
3. Beware of Chinese Jingoism (Harry Kazianis) from The Diplomat
"In the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea, depending on which party you ask, tensions are being stoked in the form of provocative editorials, reporting, and the actions of Chinese journalists. Such reporting – nothing more than old fashioned jingoism – sets a dangerous precedent in an area of the world that is already rife with tensions. "
4. On Barack Obama: The First Gay President (Andrew Sullivan) from the Daily Beast
"The president’s bold support shifted the mainstream. Andrew Sullivan on why it shouldn't be surprising—Obama’s life as a biracial man has deep ties to the gay experience."
5. President Obama Is Ending Black America's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy (Aisha Moodie-Mills) from the Atlantic
"The most profound impact of Obama's "evolution" on same-sex marriage could come in the form of dismantling decades-old anti-gay prejudices within the black church."
6. I’m Not Quitting the Church (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post
"I’d like the FFRF to learn more about the good Pope John, but I wish our current bishops would think more about him, too. I wonder if the bishops realize how some in their ranks have strengthened the hands of the church’s adversaries (and disheartened many of the faithful) with public statements — including that odious comparison of President Obama to Hitler by a Peoria prelate last month — that threaten to shrink the church into a narrow, conservative sect."
7. Is the Filibuster Unconstitutional? (Ezra Klein) from the Washington Post
"Bondurant thinks the filibuster is unconstitutional. And, alongside Common Cause, where he serves on the board of directors, he’s suing to have the Supreme Court abolish it."
8. GOP Faces Uphill Debt Battle (Patricia Murphy) form the Daily Beast
"Though the sandwiches Obama brought failed to create a bipartisan miracle at Wednesday’s budget meeting of congressional leaders, the Democrats are happy—they’re in the driver’s seat for this year’s debt showdown, reports Patricia Murphy."
9. ‘Metrosexual Black Abe Lincoln’ (Charles Blow) from the New York Times
"“The metrosexual black Abe Lincoln has emerged as a hyper-partisan, hyper-liberal, elitist politician with more than a bit of the trimmer in him.” This sentence is just so deliciously ridiculous, insulting and incendiary — perfect Republican fodder. Let’s dissect it, shall we? Scalpel!"
10. Dems’ Best Friend: The GOP Base (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"The conservative masses revolt again, this time in Nebraska's Senate primary. At the very least, the Republican Party base’s revolt against its own establishment cost the GOP a 50-50 Senate tie in 2010, with primary voters forcing unelectable nominees on the party in three races that it had otherwise been on course to win. A decent case can be made that the uprising actually cost Republicans outright Senate control. And now the same thing may be happening all over again, with Nebraska joining a growing list of unexpected 2012 Senate battlegrounds – at least for the moment."
Now, for the regular news nuggets of Sunday, May 20th.
Who Is an American? (Peter Schrag) from National Journal
"Through successive waves of immigration, the nation has struggled to define which new arrivals are “fit for our society.”
NAACP Endorses Same-Sex Marriage from the Washington Post
"The NAACP’s board of directors voted Saturday to endorse same-sex marriage rights – adding the influential voice of the country’s leading black civil rights organization to a debate that has divided the
African-American community."
China Home Prices, Car Inventory Add To Signs Of Slowing from Bloomberg News Service
"China’s home prices fell in a record number of cities last month and car dealers posted inventory levels that foreshadowed deeper price cuts, adding to signs of slowing growth in the world’s second-largest economy."
Here Comes Nobody (Maureen Dowd) from the New York Times
"Suffocating debate and resisting modernity, the Catholic Church shrinks its appeal."
The Difference Between Inspiring and Creepy Human-Robot Technology (Torie Bosch) from Slate
"...another story began circulating online: that of a group called Russia 2045 that hopes to, among other things, download the human mind to a robot, which would essentially enable immortality sans biological body."
Why Barack Obama Needs to Keep Joe Biden (Ted Strickland) from the Atlantic
"He's the most effective vice-president in history."
Texas Marches Toward Swing State Status. Only Question is 'When?' (Markos Moulitsas) from Daily Kos
"PPP's latest poll of Texas showed Mitt Romney beating President Barack Obama 50-43 in the presidential head-to-head. That the Republican was winning isn't surprising, but the single-digit margin was. John McCain won the state 55-44 in 2008, and it has obviously served as the GOP's
electoral stronghold (and breeding grounds) for several decades, both at the state and national levels. The GOP's mid- to long-term problem, however, is that there's not enough white people to offset the state's explosive demographics."
Michael Tomasky on Mitt Romney’s Character Assassination Game (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast
"Republicans specialize in accusing opponents of the dirty tricks they themselves are doing—or planning to do. Exhibit A: Romney accusing Obama of “character assassination.”"
G-8 PHOTO NUGGET!!
Laid Back Obama and Dave at Camp David G8 summit (PHOTOS) from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"A relaxed Saturday morning atmosphere reigned at Camp David today as ten of the world's most powerful people huddled in a log cabin in the Appalachian Mountains."
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