UP-FRONT PRESIDENT OBAMA NUGGET!!
Obama’s Way (Mike Lewis) from Vanity Fair
"A source who was in the Situation Room when the decision was being made [to go into Libya] tells Lewis that Obama “went off the road map,” summarily shooting the two options given to him by the Pentagon: Establish a no-fly zone, which advisers admitted would not end the massacre, or do nothing at all. On why he balked at the idea of not intervening: “That’s not who we are.”"
Dr. Afridi’s Warning: Pakistan’s Hatred of the United States (Bruce Riedel) from the Daily Beast
"He helped the U.S. find bin Laden—and paid the price. Now Shakil Afridi is warning the U.S. that Pakistan sees us as the enemy. Bruce Riedel on a troubled relationship."
How Chief Justice John Roberts Will Handle Obamacare (Daniel Klaidman) from the Daily Beast
"A lifetime of order, upended by Obamacare. How Chief Justice John Roberts will handle it. ... The day after the Supreme Court announced its bombshell health-care decision, Chief Justice John Roberts joked that he would be fleeing to Malta. It’s “an impregnable fortress island,” he quipped at a judges’ conference in Pennsylvania. “It seemed like a good idea.”"
Does It Pay to Become a Teacher? (Catherine Rampell) from the New York Times
"In most rich countries, teachers earn less, on average, than other workers who have college degrees. But the gap is much wider in the United States than in most of the rest of the developed world. ... American teachers, by the way, spend a lot more time teaching than do their counterparts in most other developed countries."
NFL, Chick-fil-A and Gay Rights (Leonard Pitts) from the Miami Herald
"We are gathered here today to discuss two recent controversies about same sex marriage. One comes from the world of pigskin, the other from the world of chicken fat. ... the trajectory of this particular revolution seems clear. So the headline here is not the old news that Dan Cathy opposes this human right, but the pleasant surprise that Brendon Ayanbadejo does not."
The New Politics of Nostalgia (E.J. Dionne Jr.) from the Washington Post
"A specter is haunting the affluent societies of the West. Across the rich countries and across the political spectrum, there is an unstated but palpable longing for a return to the 1950s."
Romney Election Triumph Would Sink US Reputation in Europe, Poll Finds (Ewen MacAskill) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Europeans hold strongly negative views about GOP contender but Obama's favourability poor in Pakistan and Middle East."
Team Obama Has Post-Convention Glow from The Hill
"The Obama campaign has been flush with good news since the Democratic National Convention, leaving both it and its Republican counterpart scurrying to deal with the altered dynamics of the race."
Now for a sampling of the bipartisan thrash-a-thon Romney endured after his foreign policy gaffes yesterday:
Amid Foreign-Policy Crisis, Romney Picks a Big Fight; Obama Tends to Business, Then Punches Back (Major Garrett) from National Journal
"Mitt Romney has picked a big fight fraught with political risks amid an ongoing foreign-policy crisis with heartbreaking and murderous consequences for the U.S. diplomatic corps. And by the end of the day on Wednesday, he walked straight into a forearm shiver from the commander-in-chief—one that may leave a mark and intensify scrutiny of Romney’s foreign-policy qualifications. ... Nicholas Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO under President George W. Bush, said, “Frankly, the charges he made were not only completely untrue but reckless and irresponsible.”"
FACT CHECK: Romney Misstates Facts On Attacks from the Associated Press via NPR
"One Republican official advising Romney's campaign on foreign policy and national security issues painted a picture of a Romney campaign more focused on ensuring Romney's evening statement made it into morning news stories than on waiting for details about what had happened. This
official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering Romney's campaign, said that as word of violence spread, campaign aides late Tuesday watched tweets coming out of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo that were criticizing the filmmaker rather than condemning the attackers, and saw an opportunity to criticize Obama."
Mitt Romney Has Mess to Clean Up After Falsely Accusing Obama on Libya (Dana Milbank) from the Washington Post
"Romney answered to that last question. “We responded last night to the events that happened in Egypt.” That he did — recklessly. As Romney has pursued his kitchen-sink strategy this week, he and his party have pivoted from the economy, where Obama is most vulnerable, to national security, where Obama is strongest. The outcome has been a series of dubious attacks."
Mr. Romney’s Rhetoric on Embassy Attacks is a Discredit to his Campaign from the Editorial Board of the Washington Post
"At a news conference, Mr. Romney claimed that the administration had delivered “an apology for America’s values.” In fact, it had done no such thing: Religious tolerance, as much as freedom of speech, is a core American value."
Unfit For Government (Andrew Sullivan) from the Daily Beast
"These people are simply unfit for the responsibility of running the United States. The knee-jerk judgments, based on ideology not reality; the inability to back down when you have said something obviously wrong; and the attempt to argue that the president of the US actually sympathized with those who murdered his own ambassador in Benghazi: these are disqualifying instincts for someone hoping to be the president of the US. Disqualifying."
Foreign Policy Hands Voice Disbelief At Romney Cairo Statement (Ben Smith) from BuzzFeed
"“Bungle… utter disaster…not ready for prime time… not presidential… Lehman moment.” And that's just the Republicans."
Americablog has more analysis of the Romney outburst HERE.
Mitt Romney Attacks President Obama Over Libya Crisis (Grim & Hersh) from the Huffington Post
"Romney's rash condemnation of the president, released after it was known that there had been U.S. fatalities, calls to mind Sen. John McCain's snap decision in 2008 to suspend his presidential campaign to deal with the financial crisis. The move was judged deeply unpresidential and contributed to his defeat. ... This was amateur hour for the opposition campaign last night..."
Politicizing Terrorism While Americans Die? (Elon James White) from The Root
"The Republican nominee for president tried to politicize attacks on Americans, as opposed to standing with his president and country. Romney thought it best to continue with his campaign's perpetual "othering" of President Obama. The underlying messages behind his comments are clear: Obama sympathizes with Muslims. He's apologizing for America. This is why he's a problem. Yet Mr. Romney couldn't wait 12 hours to find out exactly what happened before stepping in the proverbial international poop."
Mitt’s Shameful Libya Statement (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"This is what happens when one party spends four years convincing itself the president is something he isn’t."
When You Learn They’re Not Ready (Josh Marshall) from Talking Points Memo
"So while American diplomats were dying in the field, Romney pops up with an egregious attempt to politicize the deaths with a flat out lie. Behind the curtains a more chaotic and rash picture emerges."
Will Romney's Foreign-Policy Fumble Doom His Campaign? (Molly Ball) from the Atlantic
"As Republicans and Democrats alike judge his response to the embassy attacks harshly, this could be a turning point."
The Right Response to the Libya and Egypt Attacks (Fred Kaplan) from Slate
"... these events have highlighted just how stunningly unready Mitt Romney is for prime time—how little he understands the business of being president or, for that matter, holding any post of national leadership in American politics."
Romney has No Choice but to Attack (Markos Moulitsas) from Daily Kos
"It's the same equation he'll face in the debates—his last real chance to salvage his doomed campaign. And just like today, we'll see a desperate Romney flail while Obama gets to act and look presidential. And yes, he'll look like an even bigger dick, reinforcing his now-entrenched image as an aloof entitled asshole. Heck, some GOP strategists concede that image won't change so why not embrace his "inner Monty Burns"?"
Mitt Romney Will Never be President (Joan Walsh) from Salon
"His disgraceful dishonesty in using the murder of a U.S. ambassador to attack Obama will haunt him."
Bill Clinton's Explanation Tour Begins from Politico
"Speaking from notes but without a prepared text, Clinton delivered a 41-minute tour through President Barack Obama’s track record on stimulus spending, health care, education policy and the environment. More than Obama ever does, Clinton spoke about using federal policy to boost people from poverty to the middle class and fought back against the Republican Party’s individualism. "
Mitt Romney Critics Hammer Campaign For Failure To Fight (Ryan Grim) from the Huffington Post
"Mitt Romney and his team will be hit with a merciless barrage of friendly fire in the days after the November election if the presidential race continues its current trajectory and the carping from GOP analysts and strategists the past week is any guide."
The GOP’s Lost Weekend (Joan Walsh) from Salon
"The Sunday shows shredded Romney's remaining credibility and turned Paul Ryan into Sarah Palin."
PRE-HISTORIC NUGGET!!
One Step Closer to Jurassic Park: First 'Living' Cells Found of a Woolly Mammoth, Raising Hopes Extinct Animal Could be Cloned from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Discovery of best preserved cells ever found raises hopes a mammoth could be cloned from tissue, bone marrow and hair found. Animal was found 100 metres under permafrost, and is believed to be at least 10,000 years old. 'Living cells' could help scientists unlock mammoths' complete DNA sequence - essential for cloning"
DOG RESCUE NUGGET!!
Eldad Hagar of Hope for Paws has a new dog rescue video HERE. Check it out!!
PUBLIC TELEVISION NUGGET!!
‘Downton Abbey’ Season 3: Julian Fellowes, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, and More (Jace Lacob) from the Daily Beast
"Jace Lacob sat down with Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, executive producer Gareth Neame, and members of the show’s sprawling cast—including Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Joanne Froggatt, and Brendan Coyle—to discuss what’s coming up on Season 3 (which launches on Sunday in the U.K. and January in the U.S.)"
TECHNOLOGY NUGGET!!
A whole 3D world in your living room: Microsoft files patent to bring Star Trek's 'Holodeck' to future Xbox consoles from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Microsoft's 'Kinect' sensor, coupled with range of projectors, could convert living room into virtual world. Technology would likely revolutionise conference calls and business use."
BRITISH HISTORY NUGGET!!
Have They Found Richard III? Archaeologists Searching for Hunchbacked Monarch under Leicester Car Park Find Skeleton with a Curved Spine and Battle Wounds from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Team say find is 'truly remarkable' and plan to reveal more details at a press conference later today. Archaeologists have already identified the franciscan friary known as Greyfriars from window and tile fragments. Remains expected to undergo DNA analysis at the University of Leicester to confirm that they are those of Richard III."
CREEPY ROBOT NUGGET!!
Man's Mechanical Best Friend: The Robot Dog that Can Follow its Owner for 20 Miles (Just Don't Let it Jump on your Lap) from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"He could soon become a soldier's best friend, following them faithfully across the battlefield, and even carrying their equipment. US military bosses today showed off the latest version of their robot dog, named LS3 but dubbed AlphaDog, a four-legged, autonomous robot that can follow a soldier."
KENNEDY FAMILY PROFILE NUGGET!!
Keeping Up With the Kennedys: A Profile of Joe Kennedy III (Edith Zimmerman) from the New York Times Magazine
"Part of Kennedy's appeal is that, unlike many of his family members, he has led a decidedly drama-free life."
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