News Nuggets 1015

DAYLEE PICTURE: A rocky mountain goat in Colorado.  From National Geographic.

UP-FRONT FOREIGN POLICY NUGGET!!
Where Obama Shines (David Brooks) from the New York Times
"It won’t help him win many votes this year, but it should be noted that Barack Obama has been a good foreign policy president. He, Vice President Joseph Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the rest of his team have created a style of policy making that is flexible, incremental and well adapted to the specific circumstances of this moment. Following a foreign policy hedgehog, Obama’s been a pretty effective fox."

Syria's Dictatorship is in Tatters from the Editorial Board of the Australian
"THE bomb blast at security headquarters in Damascus has blown a hole in the heart of the Syrian regime, killing key members of the ruling inner circle. It should leave President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian allies in no doubt about the utter failure of their responses since the uprising against the dictatorship began 17 months ago."

Russia Official: Assad Ready to Step Down from Power; Syria Denies from Al Haaretz [of Israel in English]
"Russia's ambassador to France says Syrian president accepted a deal to transition country into democratic regime, resign."

What Comes After Assad in Syria? (Bruce Reidel) from the Daily Beast 
"President Bashar al-Assad’s regime may soon collapse. Bruce Riedel on what that means for the Middle East."

4th Member of Assad Regime, Syria Security Chief Gen. Hisham Ikhtiyar, Dies after Damascus Bombing from CBS News
"The others killed in the blast were Gen. Assef Shawkat, the deputy defense minister who was married to Assad's elder sister, Defense Minister Dawoud Rajha and Hassan Turkmani, a former defense minister."

Sorry, Iran. I Didn’t Mean to Invade You (Eli Lake) from the Daily Beast 
"A new type of malware is attacking computers in Iran, Israel, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia. The delivery device? An emailed attachment of MY story!"

Exclusive: Kim to Reform North Korean Economy after Purge: Source from Reuters
"Impoverished North Korea is gearing up to experiment with agricultural and economic reforms after young leader Kim Jong-un and his powerful uncle purged the country's top general for opposing change, a source with ties to both Pyongyang and Beijing said."

Comeback Kid: America’s Economy is Once Again Reinventing Itself from the Economist [of London]
"America’s economy is certainly in a tender state. But the pessimism of the presidential slanging-match misses something vital. Led by its inventive private sector, the economy is remaking itself (see article). Old weaknesses are being remedied and new strengths discovered, with an agility that has much to teach stagnant Europe and dirigiste Asia."

Democrats Gain the Upper Hand on the Budget from the Editorial Board of the New York Times
"It’s only been a year since Congressional Republicans, bent on cutting spending, manufactured a financial crisis by threatening not to raise the debt ceiling. Now, apparently thinking the public has forgotten that debacle, they’re furious that Democrats have figured out a way to turn the tables."

Nancy Pelosi Plots to Retake House, 1 Seat at a Time from Politico 
"Since relinquishing the speaker’s gavel 18 months ago, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi hasn’t spent any time wallowing in the loss. Many thought she’d stoically step aside — as had her predecessors — after her party suffered historic loses. Instead, she has ricocheted across the country raising nearly $60 million in a frenetic effort to get that gavel back."

Is Obama Alienating Rich Voters? (Nate Cohn) from the New Republic 
"While the assumption that these tactics would alienate upscale voters is superficially appealing, most polls tell a different story."

Romney's Tax Returns Are Only the Beginning (Lincoln Mitchell) from the Huffington Post
"In the bigger picture, the troubles Romney is encountering in his presidential campaign this week around both his unwillingness to release his tax returns and his record at Bain indicate that the businessman turned politician model is not going to be as successful as many in the Republican Party hoped."

On the National Circus: Mitt Can’t Wait Out His Tax Storm (Frank Rich) from New York Magazine
"What Mitt doesn’t seem to realize is that whatever embarrassments are in his tax returns, the bigger problem is that his secrecy keeps accentuating all the mysteries in his resume: the erased hard drives he left behind when leaving office as Massachusetts governor; what exactly he did as a longtime lay official in the Mormon church; and, of course, what exactly he did and didn’t do at Bain and, for that matter, when he was there and not there."

The Pain in Bain: Why Romney’s So Afraid of Talking About What He Did at Bain (Jacob Weisberg) from Slate
"Here are five reasons why the Obama campaign wants this subject—what Romney did at Bain, when he left, what he had for lunch when he worked there—to stay front and center for as long as possible."

Joe Lieberman’s Slow-Motion Divorce From the Democratic Party (Howard Kurtz) from the Daily Beast
"He has been driving Democrats crazy for nearly 25 years. Howard Kurtz talks to the retiring senator about why he believes his party abandoned him."

George W. Bush Talks About Life After the White House at Memphis Hospital Celebration (Andy Meek) from the Daily Beast
"At a hospital anniversary celebration, the former president talked about his life since leaving the White House, and politics was barely an issue, Andy Meek reports."