Syria: What’s Really Happening (Aaron David Miller) from Salon
"Here's what you need to know about the constantly evolving situation there, and the best of our no-good options."
U.S. and Russia Plan Conference Aimed at Ending Syrian War from the New York Times
"Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov of Russia jointly intensified pressure on Syria’s combatants to settle a conflict that has killed more than 70,000."
China Can Posture, But It Can’t Bring Peace to the Middle East (Karl Vick) from Time Magazine
"... Chinese President Xi Jinping brought up a four-point plan to bring the century-old conflict to an end. Could it happen? “I can give you a one word answer: ‘No,’” says Gerald Steinberg, professor of political studies at Bar Ilan University in Israel. ... The reality, Steinberg says, is that no country except the United States is trusted enough by both sides to serve as broker to peace talks — but especially by Israel, which sees itself as persecuted and misunderstood by a world that does not understand its situation the way Americans do."
Watergate Revenge: Republicans Yearning To Impeach Obama Over Benghazi ‘Cover-Up’ (Joe Conason) from the National Memo
"The meager substance of the “cover-up” canard was debunked months ago – and to date nothing has emerged to change those facts. ... But defending American diplomats and promoting American prestige are both foreign to the Republican agenda, which is concerned with nothing more elevated than partisan power. With his far-fetched comparison to Richard Nixon’s disgrace, Huckabee helpfully unveiled a flashing neon clue to GOP psychopathology. The desire for revenge over Watergate
Benghazi Returning as Big Scandal: The GOP May Finally Get Its Wish with Three New Whistle-blowers, but Has It Already Undermined its Cred? (Alex Seitz-Wald) from Salon
"The charges seem potentially damaging and the accusers credible, but those trying to fan flames of scandal have so embarrassed and discredited themselves by pushing bogus story lines on Benghazi that it may be hard for the media and American people to take any new allegations seriously. ... If the three new witnesses don’t get the attention they deserve, Fox News and its ilk deserve much of the blame."
The Bombers’ World (Christian Caryl) from the New York Review of Books
"The imprisoned Dzhokhar has told investigators that the brothers undertook the bombings as retaliation against the US for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That sounds plausible enough on the face of things, in view of what we know about the politics of jihadi terrorists in other parts of the world. At the same time, there are many other details of the Tsarnaev brothers’ case that make it seem starkly unique, more of an outlier than something that can be easily slotted into a larger pattern."
As Red Ink Recedes, Pressure Fades for Budget Deal from the Washington Post
"After four years of trillion-dollar deficits, the red ink is receding rapidly, easing pressure on policymakers and shattering hopes for a summertime budget deal."
The Not-So-Golden Years (Megan McArdle) from the Daily Beast
"American retirement is in free fall, and even the safest plans are turning out to be dangerous. WE SCRIMP. We save. We plan. And we dream that when we retire—at 50 or 70 or 90—we’ll ride off into the sunset on a chariot made of our sequestered gold. But you can stop the dream right there."
A Rust Belt Revival, From Farm to Table from the New York Times
"Around Cleveland and Pittsburgh, a network of chefs, butchers and farmers is bringing the local landscape back into the kitchen — all while making world-class food."
The High Cost of Rush: Talker Bleeds Millions From His Carriers as Toxic Talk Slumps, Cumulus Seems Set to Part Ways With Rush Limbaugh (John Avlon) from the Daily Beast
"The fight between El Rushbo and the flagship carrier of his show is a symptom of conservative talk’s bigger problems. John Avlon reports."
Cumulus CEO on Limbaugh Advertising Fallout: “The Facts are Indisputable” from Salon
"Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey stands by allegations that Limbaugh sank ad revenue for the network."
Ex-Romney Aide Details Campaign ‘Miscalculations’ from the Boston Globe
"The book makes a case that Romney downplayed foreign policy too much — and made too many blunders — in a way that put the campaign at a disadvantage when responding to international events. Schoenfeld highlights Romney’s response to the attacks on the US consulate in Benghazi."
WORLD WAR II NUGGET!!
Woman Buys Hatbox for $1 at Estate Sale Containing 250 Letters Home from Brothers Fighting in WWII from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Brothers Eural and Robert Harvill penned notes of affection from October 1940 to October 1946 to their parents Mr. and Mrs. E.H. Harvill in Drumright, Oklahoma. More than 70 year later, Julia Gilliland happened upon the antique box at an estate sale in Tulsa, paying just $1 for the historical keepsakes, and is now working to piece together information about the authors."
VOLCANO PHOTO NUGGET!!
The Volcano at Dawn: Spectacular Pictures of the Mountain Spewing Scarlet Smoke Over a Desolate Grey Sea of Sand from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Billowing brilliant red smoke over the blanched plain, it is the only sign of life in this otherworldly landscape. And Mount Bromo, on the Indonesian island of East Java, is such an extraordinary site thousands of tourists visit every year to enjoy breathtaking vistas across the Tengger massif to the misty peaks beyond."
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