UP-FRONT VIDEO NUGGET!!
The Welcome Song for Obama to Ghana from the Ghana Tourist Board
This is REALLY impressive! African cultural goes to the US via slavery, gets transformed in the US, gets transplanted back to Africa via hip-hop -- and now being used to communicate back to America and America's president. A multi-cultural, multi-national explosion!
Here's ANOTHER ONE from Uganda.
Iran Uprising Live-Blogging (Nico Pitney) from Huffington Post
Good time to check in on Nico Pitney's live-blogging -- important developments there.
Saudis Give Nod to Israeli Raid on Iran from the Times [of London]
"The head of Mossad, Israel’s overseas intelligence service, has assured Benjamin Netanyahu, its prime minister, that Saudi Arabia would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets flying over the kingdom during any future raid on Iran’s nuclear sites."
Disconcerting news -- I hope saner heads prevail in Israel AND Iran. By the way, did the US media cover this story anywhere? Too busy covering Mr. Jackson and Ms. Palin I guess. A pontificating aside: This is why (in general) I try to stay away from Ensign/Sanford/Palin kinds of stories. Soon, the Palin uptick will subside -- "GOP Presidential Hopefuls" meltdown stories are just becoming too blase.
New British and US Strategy to Break Taliban from the Times [of London]
"About 3,000 British, Danish, Estonian and Afghan soldiers from Task Force Helmand are taking part in the operation north of Lashkar Gah while 4,000 men from the US-led Task Force Leatherneck are conducting Operation Khanjar – Strike of the Sword – around the Garmsir and Nawa districts. The arrival of US marines – part of an American surge that will involve pouring 17,000 US troops into southern Afghanistan – has relieved some of the pressure. ... It’s all part of a strategic change. In future, American and British troops will be expected to hold their ground, providing security for local people while denying the insurgents access to vital supplies, funding and recruits."
Now, where did all these Danes, Estonians and Brits come from? Oh -- yes, there is a new guy in the White House! The Alliance of the Willing is a little more willing these days with Bush gone.
Can I Clean Your Clock? (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
"To China: Grow as dirty as you want. Take your time. Because I think America just needs five years to invent all the clean-power technologies you Chinese are going to need as you choke to death on pollution."
When Benedict Meets Barack from Time Magazine
"To paint the Obama-meets-Benedict dossier in broad strokes, says one senior Vatican diplomat, "It's basically the reverse of Bush.""
Obama Fever Grips Accra from the Ghana Graphic Magazine [of Ghana in English]
"A wide range of Obama merchandise namely cloths, T-shirts, jerseys, paintings and bags are crowding out other items on some of the major streets of Accra ahead of the visit of the US President, Barack Obama. ... Interestingly, according to the traders, the American and European tourists are competing with Ghanaians in the purchase of the Obama cloth."
GOP Establishment Stays Away from Latest Tea Parties from RawStory
"The Tea Parties held at some 600 locations across the country appear to have drawn considerably fewer participants than the much-ballyhooed Tax Freedom Day protests on April 15. ... Unlike with the April protests, the Republican party’s establishment didn’t throw its weight behind this latest round of rallies."
As some of you know, I have long viewed these tea-bag folks as raging, inchoate populists -- not your traditional conservatives! There is an angry, anti-government radicalism that underlies much of their rhetoric, and I'm confident that this was one of the reasons the GOP establishment stayed away. Many Republican law-makers were booed back in April when they showed up at these events. A rare show of group sanity this time on the GOP's part -- but then yesterday Gov. Perry of Texas did go to one of these events in Austin. It really does mark out the lunatic fringe OF THE LUNATIC FRINGE.
Another Example of the GOP Split from the New York Times
"Grant the Republicans this much at least: they’re no longer boring."
Boehner Reaches into Bag of Tricks to Disrupt Democrats from the New York Times
An unusually catty and partisan headline from the Grey Lady today!
"Representative John A. Boehner came to Washington in 1991 as a rabble-rousing Republican willing to disrupt the House to score points against powerful Democrats. Now, as the House Republican leader in a town again dominated by Democrats, the Ohioan is back to his old tricks."
Bailout Palin-Style (Ruth Marcus) from the Washington Post
I am not usually a fan of Ruth Marcus -- but she really nails Palin on multiple fronts here.
"Note to soon-to-be-former Gov. Sarah Palin: Big girls don't quit. Just ask Hillary Clinton. Crying -- or at least misting up a little -- you can get away with these days. But quitting? Not until you absolutely have to, and even then you might hold on for a few extra weeks. ... But Palin didn't just quit. She quit -- and proceeded to praise herself for doing so"
"Just ask Hillary Clinton ..." When I read this line, it suddenly occurred to me that I was annoyed that Palin was even being discussed in the same conversation with Clinton. My gut reaction: Palin isn't fit to lick Hillary's boots!! As many of you know, I was not a fan of Hillary during the elections. And yet Clinton, for all of her faults, is towering, tenacious strength and intelligence personified compared to what we were witness to up at Lake Lucille. Indeed, in this light, whether it's Hillary, Bill, or Barack, I can suddenly appreciate what political strength looks like and how much is required to simply look like you know what you're doing. Need I say it? I am a Hillary fan now!
Foot-Shooting Season Opens in Alaska (Editorial) from the Independent [of London]
"The fast-emerging view of Republican Party operatives and commentators – including some of those that have championed her national career since before the beginning – was that Palin just shot her political moose, completing one of the most spectacular flameouts in the modern era."
Sarah's Straight Talk (Gail Collins) from the New York Times
"Truly, Sarah Palin has come a long way. When she ran for vice president, she frequently became disjointed and garbled when she departed from her prepared remarks. Now the prepared remarks are incoherent, too."
Palin Opens Herself Up to Criticism from the Washington Post
"Neither Romney nor Pawlenty quit as Palin did, midstream. And Palin's explanation for stepping down was even more inexplicable. She described the abandonment of her duties almost in noble terms, saying that by leaving now she would avoid the temptation that she ascribed to others who have not run again."
Iceberg? (Andrew Sullivan) from the Atlantic
An interesting roundup of opinion of Sarah's latest antics.
Palin Move Raises Big Questions from the Associated Press via Huffington Post
"Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's abrupt and unscripted holiday resignation is an odd way to launch a potential presidential bid and no help for a party battered by scandal and fighting for relevancy. From a folksy figure who catapulted from obscure governor to conservative darling and vice presidential nominee, it's merely the latest move in a political drama that has left Republican elders scratching their heads."
Social Justice and the First Lady (Eleanor Clift) from Newsweek
"With Congress on recess and many of the city's swells attending the Aspen Ideas Festival, it's a good time to check in on the Washington that is mostly invisible to the lawmakers, lobbyists and assorted elites that define the nation's capital. It's the Washington that Michelle Obama is determined to make part of her White House neighborhood."
GOP GOVERNOR HUMOR NUGGET!!
No -- this item relates to LAST WEEK'S Funny-GOP-Governor-Who-Was-Thinking-About-Running-For-President!
Shut Up, Mark Sanford! from the Daily Show
NATURE NUGGET!!
The Wombat [no -- this isn't more about Palin]: Back from the Brink from the Independent [of London]
"One of the world's most threatened mammals manages to go forth into the forest – and multiply"
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