U.S. Public Diplomacy and the Arab Uprisings (Marc Lynch) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"It's easy to point to the problems with American public diplomacy, and I'll do that at the end of this post. But first, I would point to three areas where the administration can claim some real vindication in its approach to engagement with the Muslim world."
The more I read of Lynch's columns at Foreign Policy Magazine, the more impressed I am with his grasp of the Middle Eastern situation in all its complexity.
U.S., Allies Raise Ante on Ouster of Gadhafi from the Wall Street Journal
"The leaders of the U.S., France and the U.K. said the North Atlantic Treaty Organization must continue operations in Libya until Col. Moammar Gadhafi leaves power, raising the stakes in the showdown with the Libyan ruler."
While the Saudi Elite Looks Nervously Abroad, a Revolution is Happening (Soumaya Ghannoushi) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"The gap between the Saudi regime's conservative ideology and modern urban reality has fed discontent across society."
The (Geo)politics Behind Europe's Libya Split (Luis Simón Navarro) from European Voice
"Does Germany's lack of support for action in Libya reflect ‘softness' and introversion? No. Just as with the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the debate over the military intervention in Libya tells us as much about geopolitics within Europe as it does about geopolitics beyond Europe."
U.S. Groups Helped Nurture Arab Uprisings from the New York Times
"Even as the United States poured billions of dollars into foreign military programs and anti-terrorism campaigns, a small core of American government-financed organizations were promoting democracy in authoritarian Arab states."
Budget Deal: CBO Analysis Shows Initial Spending Cuts Less than Expected from the Washington Post
"In the end, about one-quarter of House Republicans voted against the bill. That total included 28 of the 87 Republican freshmen, who had won election by promising that the solutions were simple — it was how Washington works that was unnecessarily complicated. For some, the news of this accounting alchemy showed how complicated the place remains, even with them in it."
The way this bill finished up points to a possible future where Boehner forges an alliance with moderate democrats and creates a REAL bi-partisan governing coalition that basically leaves the Tea Party extremists on the sidelines.
Signs pointing in this direction -- see the following:
No-tax-Hike Pledge Creates Republican Rift, Potential Roadblock to Deficit Deal from the Washington Post
"Republicans are feuding over whether to abandon the party’s long-held opposition to higher taxes in pursuit of a deficit-cutting deal with Democrats."
With Obama's Speech, Momentum Gathering to Cut Defense Spending from the Christian Science Monitor
"Like Medicare and Social Security, cutting defense spending has been something of a 'do not enter' zone for many lawmakers. But that may be changing."
The Y Article: The Pentagon's Secret Plan to Slash Its Own Budget (John Norris) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The narrative argues that the United States is fundamentally getting it wrong when it comes to setting its priorities, particularly with regard to the budget and how Americans as a nation use their resources more broadly. The report says Americans are overreacting to Islamic extremism, underinvesting in their youth, and failing to embrace the sense of competition and opportunity that made America a world power. The United States has been increasingly consumed by seeing the world through the lens of threat, while failing to understand that influence, competitiveness, and innovation are the key to advancing American interests in the modern world."
A VERY important salvo from the Pentagon concerning the budget debate. HERE's the original report. It's worth checking out on it's own merit -- it's a relatively short, quite readable document.
Obama Deficit Speech Reveals his Core Beliefs (Fareed Zakaria) from the Washington Post
"I prefer Obama’s approach — which is also closer to that of the Simpson-Bowles commission — with more cuts to entitlements. But what’s critical is that, finally, after years of kicking the can down the road, we are having the national debate about America’s future."
Why Conservatives Are Angry at Obama's Debt Speech (Erik Hayden) from the Atlantic
"As with some of the President's other heavily-hyped addresses, outrage seeped from conservative newspapers, magazines, and politicians immediately after the last sentence of the speech was uttered."
Who's Serious Now? (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, sounds upset. And you can see why: President Obama, to the great relief of progressives, has called his bluff."
If Ryan Plan is Out, What’s Plan B? (David Frum) from the FrumForum
"If not the Ryan vision of the future, what then should be the conservative response to the fiscal crisis of the American state? I’ve been thinking very hard about this question for a long time. I’m not done thinking about it either. But here’s my own current working answer. It has 5 points, 3 below, 2 in the subsequent post."
This is part 5 of a series. The whole series is HERE.
Here's this too-weird -for-words political nugget:
Arizona ‘Birther’ Law to Accept Circumcision Papers as Proof of Citizenship from Raw Story
"If you intend to run for president in Arizona but don't have the required birth certificate, all is not lost. The state may be willing to accept a description of your penis -- if you've got one -- as proof you were born in the U.S. Before passing their so-called "birther" bill Wednesday, Arizona Republicans apparently decided it wasn't fair to limit proof of citizenship to the "long form birth certificate." So, they amended the measure to include several other forms of proof."
Now WHY would you accept circumcision "papers" and NOT a stamped, signed, notarized "certification of birth" from Hawaii's Secretary of State?! Rabbis are not THAT hard to find in Arizona!
The GOP's Big Battle With Diversity (Mary Curtis) from The Root
"In the 2012 presidential election, the party of Lincoln has a long way to go to woo black voters back into the fold. Is there, as Newt Gingrich claims, a difference between "inclusion" and "outreach"?"
The Tea Party's GOP Hit List (David A. Graham) from the Daily Beast
"Watch out, moderates. Tea Party activists are outraged over Thursday’s budget vote—and they’re vowing to unseat GOP senators who caved to Dems. David A. Graham on their new hit list."
OH GOOD!! This development could represent the Dems' best chance for holding onto the Senate next year. The hope is that the Tea Party crowd will nominate a bunch of three-ring-circus clowns in place of highly electable moderates or at least sane conservatives!
Trump to Announce His Candidacy in May, Boasts of Friendship with 'The Blacks' (Alex Eichler) from the Atlantic
"The reality TV star and avowed birther has told Newsmax that on the May 15 episode of The Celebrity Apprentice, he'll be announcing a press conference to be held a few days later. And at that press conference, says Trump, he'll officially declare his intentions to run for president in 2012."
Donald Trump’s Presidential Bid Splits Republicans from Agence France-Presse
"If he doesn't get the support he needs from the Republican Party establishment to become the GOP nominee, Trump has threatened to run as an independent. Such a move would split the vote of Republican-leaning independents and spell trouble for other conservative candidates seeking to unite their divided party against incumbent Obama."
What Donald Trump's Birther Investigators Will Find in Hawaii (Joshua Green) from the Atlantic
"The path to Obama's birth certificate, as told by someone who's looked."
More on the DR. SEUSS NUGGET from the other day!!
'The Bippolo Seed': The 'Lost' Dr. Seuss Stories (Lynn Neary) from NPR's All Things Considered
"These are not half-written stories found in a dusty attic after the death of the author. These are stories that have already been published."
JAPANESE EARTHQUAKE SOUND NUGGET!!
What The Japan Earthquake Sounded Like... Underwater (AUDIO) from TalkingPointsMemo
"Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Vents Program at Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and Oregon State University didn't feel the massive earthquake that struck off Japan on March 11. But they did hear it."
An amazing recording!
OBAMA FAMILY BOOK NUGGET!!
First Family of Writers Grows by One from the New York Times
"When Ms. Soetoro-Ng’s book, “Ladder to the Moon,” hit bookshelves on Tuesday, it added to a growing Obama family literary canon."
ANOTHER OBAMA FAMILY NUGGET!!
Barack Obama's Irish Roots (Tom Sykes) from the Daily Beast
"The Irish village of Moneygall is preparing to welcome an American president whose ancestor was a native son. Obama's planned May visit has excited locals—and prompted more racial awareness, writes Tom Sykes."
ANTARCTICA NUGGET!!
Antarctic Lake Hides Bizarre Ecosystem from Discovery News
"Bacterial colonies form cones like those on early Earth."
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