News Nuggets 1197

DAYLEE PICTURE: Moonrise over trees in Colorado.  From National Geographic.

UP-FRONT ON-THE-MONEY PUNDIT NUGGET!!
Why the GOP Must Come to Terms with George W. Bush's Disastrous Presidency (Samuel Goldman) from The Week
"... these plans are a misleading point of departure for GOP renewal. That's because their authors remain in denial about the cause of Republicans' unpopularity: the catastrophic failure of the Bush
presidency. Start with foreign policy."

The Taliban Peacemakers (Ron Moreau and Sami Yousafzai) from the Daily Beast
"In a dramatic reversal, the Afghan insurgents now want to make friends with the U.S."

Health Care Will be an Obama Legacy (Julian Zelizer) from CNN
"The politics of health care is changing fast. President Barack Obama's Affordable Health Care Act was vulnerable during his first term when Republicans demanded repeal of the law. Even after the Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality, there were still many voices who objected to it. However, with each passing day, it appears that the program is in good shape, slowly becoming part of the fabric of American government."

The 6 Species of Secretaries That Will Define Obama's Term (Matthew Cooper) from National Journal
"The president has picked most of his cabinet. Here's how they all fit into his second term."

Capitol Hill Showdown Over Obama’s Judicial Nominees Comes to a Head (Eleanor Clift) from the Daily Beast
"The Republicans have kept nearly half the president’s picks off the bench. Eleanor Clift on the latest attempt to filibuster a female nominee—blocked two years ago and coming up for a vote Wednesday."

Boehner Explains the GOP's 'Vote No, Hope Yes' Legislative Strategy (Jed Lewison) from Daily Kos
"The basic idea of Vote No, Hope Yes is that many Republicans realize that they can't stand in the way of must-pass legislation like the fiscal cliff deal, VAWA or Hurricane Sandy. At the same time, they can't bring themselves to support it, so they try to split the difference by allowing the legislation to come up, and then voting against it while simultaneously hoping it will pass."

The 2012 Blame Game: Will it Ever End? from Politico
"With fault to go around for allowing a president mired in a weak economy to handily win reelection, the finger-pointing and blame-shifting from various corners are showing no sign of abating. The next shot at the White House is years away, the Senate is firmly in Democratic hands and Rove is no longer the universally respected strategic hand he once was. That’s all left the Republicans — who, like Democrats, have seen their central party infrastructure weaken — without a consensus figure to interpret what the election meant."

Lipstick on an Elephant (Frank Rich) from New York Magazine
"Deep behind a tangle of denial and rebranding initiatives, a GOP resuscitation plan emerges."

Conservative Media Struggles For Credibility, Amid Coverage Of Hookers, Hamas And Hagel (Michael Calderone) from the Huffington Post
"while outlets like The Daily Caller, Breitbart News and the Washington Free Beacon have sprouted and, in some cases, prospered during President Barack Obama's administration, concern is mounting that they and others in the conservative media universe are shedding their credibility by focusing more on supposed scandals than reporting the basics of who, what, when, where, why and how."

Daily Caller Sticks with Menendez Claims; ABC News Discredits Them (Hunter) from Daily Kos
"So the Daily Caller explanation hinges upon there being two separate groups running around making the exact same claims at the same time, and everyone but them just happens to be talking to the wrong one."

Can Texas Turn Blue? 'The GOP in Texas is Spoiled' from National Journal 
"San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro talks about the economic turnaround in his city--and the emerging political changes in Texas."

PRES-2016: Jeb Bush Quietly Lays Campaign Groundwork Through Foundation from Buzzfeed
"It is common practice for undeclared presidential candidates to build a campaign infrastructure under the guise of a political action committee, but Bush appears to be laying the groundwork for a potential campaign through his foundation, multiple Florida political strategists told BuzzFeed."