News Nuggets 1060

DAYLEE PICTURE: A seal and a crab at the Galapagos Islands.  From National Geographic.

UP-FRONT ROMNEY CAMPAIGN NUGGET!!
Romney's Libya Blunder Reflects Larger Failings (John Cassidy) from the New Yorker
A spot-on indictment of Romney's entire team and the candidate himself!  It showcases perfectly what happens when you spend too much time somewhere else rather than the  "reality-based world" and when you can no longer distinguish between partisan bullshit designed to manipulate low-information voters and what's true.  A long excerpt is in order.  Read the whole thing -- it is very rich in new insights!
"Day three of the “September surprise,” and things aren’t getting any better for our boy Willard. ... perhaps the most disturbing thing about this whole incident is that it wasn’t simply a spontaneous gaffe on the part of the G.O.P. candidate. It was debated and thought through. According to the same report in today’s Washington Post, Romney acted on the “unanimous recommendation of his foreign policy and political advisers.” Well, it is widely thought that Romney’s political advisers aren’t the brightest bulbs—his entire campaign has been a litany of errors. What has been less remarked upon is the makeup of Romney’s foreign-policy team. For a former businessman who claims to willing to hire the best and smartest regardless of background, it is a remarkably unimpressive and ideologically driven group, consisting largely of washed up neocons and Cold Warriors, many of whom served in the Administration of George W. Bush. ... John Bolton is another important player in the Romney team."

A related (and also quite revealing) item:
Romney's Team Turns On The Press from BuzzFeed
The GOP default when they really screw up -- nothing new.
"... frustration is building behind the scenes, egged on by a conservative media and Twitter conversation that has blamed the media for accusing Romney of a premature response to the crises in Libya and Egypt. ... "the national press, most of whom live in New York or DC, "pockets of
prosperity," are isolated from the realities of the harsh economy — and therefore, unable to grasp Romney's message."
Catch it?  It is the press corps that is too removed from the economic suffering of average Americans -- not Romney, Breathtaking.

Bears at the Heart of the Dragon from the Financial Times [of the UK] 
"Among the corporate titans and global leaders attending the World Economic Forum in the eastern Chinese city of Tianjin this week a fascinating division appears to have formed. In quiet conversations and background chats with Chinese officials and analysts about the state of things in China, the tone of despondency and cynicism was pervasive while the views of international attendees on China were generally bullish and upbeat."
This reflects the pervassive "China Rising" meme that has dominated western media for 4-5 years now.  Chinese officials (when they are being straight) know their economic situation is deteriorating at an alarming rate -- and most in the western media still don't get it.

The US is Becoming a Selective Superpower (Philip Stephens) from the Financial Times [of the UK]
"Whether led by Mr Obama or Mr Romney, the US will continue to see itself as the most powerful nation on the international block. But the focus and ambition of its world view have narrowed. ... The US image of itself as permanent guarantor of the global commons is being replaced by a sharper assessment of national interests."
All for the good in my view.  One of Obama's least appreciated foreign policy achievements.

Ben Bernanke Rescues the US Economy from the Nihilism of the Right (Robin Wells) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"The Federal Reserve's new round of quantitative easing shows its chairman's bold commitment to intervening to restore growth."

Obama’s a Good Bet (Charlie Cook) from National Journal
"Mitt Romney could still win, thanks to the debates or outside events, but the president has the advantage."

First Thoughts: Obama's Post-Convention Advantage (Chuck Todd et al) from MSNBC
"Who are the undecideds? By the way, we looked at the undecideds in all three states -- collectively -- and these are voters who simply aren’t paying attention. And frankly, they don’t look like voters. ... Bottom line: These folks look like DISAFFECTED voters, they seem disengaged from the campaign, and they don’t call themselves enthusiastic about the election. They are probably NOT voters."

Obama's Lead Poses Test for Romney (Susan Page) from USA Today
"A presidential race that has been neck-and-neck for months suddenly isn't. In the week after the political conventions ended, President Obama has opened the most significant, sustained lead in the daily Gallup Poll since Mitt Romney emerged as the Republican nominee last spring."

No Sugar High, Voters are Hardening Against Romney from Daily Kos
"The undecideds are few and Barack Obama has a structural lead. ... What this means is that Romney has to start winning over committed Obama voters if he wants to win. An almost impossible feat considering the kind of campaign he has to run to get his white vote number up into the 60 to 65 percent range. What is the structural problem of which I speak? Demographics. The Republican Party is beginning to run into the demographic wall that has been foretold for years."

Mitt Romney Media Criticism Continues: 'He Looks Like Richard Nixon,' 'The Character And The Policy Were Both Revealed' (Jack Mirkinson) from the Huffington Post
"As Wednesday wore on, pundits continued reacting with astonishment at Romney's response. Speaking to Rachel Maddow, NBC's Andrea Mitchell said that "It was one of those moments where the character and the policy were both revealed.""

Mitt Romney Is Not Fit to Be Commander in Chief (Leslie Marshall) from US News & World Report
"If Mitt Romney continues to ignore discussing our military, the war in Afghanistan, and national security issues, and attacks the current administration, using an ambassador's death for his own political gain and to further divide our nation, is he truly fit to be commander in chief?"

Mitt Romney has a ‘Personal’ Problem (Jonathan Capehart) from the Washington Post
"Romney is a man of many strengths. But one of his weaknesses seems to be supreme confidence in his own abilities and his own gut. How else to explain some of the head-scratching decisions the campaign has made? I’ve heard political professionals say over and over again that this is the result of a meddling principal."

Romney Owes an Apology (Ruth Marcus) from the Washington Post
"There is something disgraceful happening here, but it doesn’t involve a comment by an obscure embassy spokesman. It is Romney’s cynical, dishonest effort to take advantage of this national tragedy for his own political ends."

Breaking Bad for Mitt Romney (Carter Eskew) from the Washington Post 
"Is it breaking bad for Mitt Romney? It certainly seems so.  Like Walter White, he seems more than a little angry these days.

Republicans Have Bad Case of Buyer's Remorse (Bill Press) from the Chicago Tribune
"As consumers, we know our rights, one of the most important of which is the right to return and exchange. Whether you're buying a new flat-screen TV from Best Buy, the new iPhone from Apple, or Daniel Silva's latest spy thriller from Amazon, if you're not happy with your purchase you can always take it back and exchange it. More and more Republicans today are wishing the same policy applied to political candidates. Both publicly and privately they admit they'd like to trade Mitt Romney in for somebody who could win."

New York Times Criticized By Public Editor For Scrubbing Romney Story from the Huffington Post
"The decision by the New York Times to substantially rework a critical article about Mitt Romney drew a rebuke from the paper's new public editor on Wednesday night. ... On Wednesday, Margaret Sullivan, the Times' new public editor, weighed in. She appeared to like the first version of the story better, saying that it had been clearer on the crucial issue of the timing of Romney's attacks."

Bryan Fischer: Today’s GOP Will Be ‘Dead’ If Romney Loses from Talking Points Memo
"“If Barack Obama wins this election the Republican Party as we know it is finished, it is dead, it is toast — you can stick a fork in it,” he told TPM Friday at the Values Voter Summit in Washington. “And conservatives, grassroots conservatives, are either going to start a third party or they are going to launch a hostile takeover of the Republican Party.”"

BIG DOG NUGGET!!
'Is that a Dog or a Pony?': Owner of Zeus, the World's Tallest Dog, Says her Giant Canine is so Big Children Think he is a Horse from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"A 44in Great Dane has been named the world’s tallest dog by Guinness World Records. Aptly named Zeus weighs 155lbs and reaches an astonishing height of 7ft 4in standing on his hind legs.