Merkel: Russia Risks Huge Consequences In Ukraine from the Huffington Post
"German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that Russia risks "massive" political and economic consequences if Moscow does not enter into "negotiations that achieve results" over the situation in Ukraine. ... But, she said, the European Union and other western nations would soon freeze bank accounts and implement travel restrictions if Russia refused to enter "negotiations that achieve results and aren't just a play for time.""
For Putin, a Possible Pyrrhic Victory (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
"You hear two strains of opinion about Putin from administration officials and other foreign policy analysts. For simplicity’s sake, let’s summarize these two views as “Putin is strong” and “Putin is weak.” ... The alternative view of a weak Putin begins with the fundamentals: Russia is in political, economic and social decline. ... The world simply isn’t moving Russia’s way."
All Hail Shale (Keith Johnson) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"As Putin's army masses in the East, Europe starts to rethink its opposition to fracking."
Extra Pay for Extra Work from the Editorial Board of the New York Times
"President Obama’s call for new overtime rules could mean a raise for millions of workers."
Senate Reaches Deal to Extend Jobless Benefits (Paul Kane) from the Washington Post
"Breakthrough would renew federal unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless, allowing for retroactive payments to go to millions of Americans who fell off the program at its December expiration."
Brooks and the Costs of Bad Leadership (Daniel Larison) form the American Conservative
"After watching nearly thirteen years of desultory foreign wars, Americans may have reasonably concluded that their leaders have been both too ready to rely on military force as their preferred option while being far too confused about how the military should be properly used. If Americans are now much less willing to be “summoned” by their leaders, it is because they have been so badly and irresponsibly led for so many years."
This column follows on this earlier spot-on analysis from Larison:
The Uses and Abuses of Reagan (Daniel Larison) from the American Conservative
"... Gerson is abusing Reagan’s reputation to vindicate the shabby and discredited record of George W. Bush. Reagan’s “internationalism, moralism and strategic aggressiveness” have not been out of favor. Bush’s disastrous abuse of American power, his ignorance about the rest of the world, his contempt for allies that refused to participate in his foolish and ruinous plans, and his reckless and self-destructive behavior are out of favor. The two really have nothing in common... In the end, that is what hawks have to offer right now: a distorted, reductionist idea of “what Reagan would do” and a dangerous, confrontational approach to relations with other major powers that Reagan didn’t always follow when he was in office."
Wells Fargo Made Up on-Demand Foreclosure Papers Plan: Court Filing Charges from the New York Post
"Wells Fargo, the nation's biggest mortgage servicer, appears to have set up detailed internal procedures to fabricate foreclosure papers on demand, according to allegations in papers filed Tuesday in a New York federal court."
Hillary Soars Over GOP Hopefuls in Iowa Poll as Christie's Crash Gets Worse (Jed Lewison) from Daily Kos
"Christie's problems aren't limited to Iowa, but this was something of a surprise: His favorability rating is upside down among Republicans nationally in the latest WSJ/NBC poll. 23 percent rate him positively and 29 percent negatively, a net drop of 18 points from January."
My observation on these poll results: It is interesting to note that the two establishment/moderate candidates (Christie and Jeb Bush) have lost ground since December while the two wingnuts (Cruz and Paul) have gained slightly. Not a good portent for the establishmentarians out there who (in my view rightly) think that the likes of Paul and Cruz as nominees would be a complete disaster.
Some evidence:
Dreaming of 'President Ted Cruz' will Turn into a Nightmare for the GOP (Noemie Emery) from the Washington Examiner
"No one followed the Cruz playbook more than Goldwater, and no one has managed to lose so conclusively. He offered a choice, not an echo, and nobody took it. But how, if Cruz is so right, could this have happened? It can’t, which is why it is never brought up in this context. In his world, it doesn’t exist."
Easy to be 'Misunderstood' When You Cite 'Experts' Who Say Blacks Are Inferior to Whites (Josh Marshall) from Talking Points Memo
"It is true that even for those operating in good faith the topic of entrenched poverty in socially and economically isolated urban areas can be treacherous to navigate. ... But Ryan can't get any pass because he simply doesn't fit into this group of people operating in anything like good faith."
In a broader sense, I think Marshall is on to something here. It links back to Rush Limbaugh's justification for why he "knew" Clarence Thomas was telling the truth and that Anita Hill was lying -- even though he knew almost nothing about Thomas's background. In his inarticulate, incendiary way, what Rush was saying is that liberals NEVER operate from anything like good faith. I know many liberals, progressive lawmakers, and left-leaning pundits (and even myself sometimes) come from the same place in their criticisms of folks on the right. It is simply assumed that rightwing talking heads are not operating in anything like good faith. Marshall's commentary eloquently lays out why Ryan is underserving of any consideration on this front -- but BOY does it make it hard to govern when both sides take on the same blanket assumption about virtually all their adversaries. It is one of the reason why pundits such as David Frum, David Brooks, Kathleen Parker, and a handful of others stand out for me -- their opinions (even many I disagree with) are reached through a good-faith inquiry and not simply reflexive ideological game-playing for the sake of the current 24-hour news cycle.
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