The Lethbridge Viaduct in Alberta, Canada. From National Geographic.
Bin Laden’s Daughter Confirms her Father Shot Dead by US Special Forces in Pakistan from Al Arabiya [of Saudi Arabia in English]UP-FRONT FOREIGN EDITORIAL NUGGET!!
Here's one of the MOST hard-hitting inward (and agonizing to read on one level) assessments I've seen come out of the Middle East/South Asia ever! At least one person in Pakistan seems to be looking at things in a clear-eyed fashion.
The Emperors’ Clothes: Pakistan This Week has Been Confronted with a Deeply Unsettling Question (Cyril Almeida) from The Dawn [of Pakistan in English]
"Could the self-appointed custodians of the national interest themselves be the greatest threat to national security? ... Nobody has come out and said it openly yet. It’s too early, the story still unfolding. Ask the question in private, though, and with hand on heart, no one will say anything but, yes, they knew he was there."
The Emperors’ Clothes: Pakistan This Week has Been Confronted with a Deeply Unsettling Question (Cyril Almeida) from The Dawn [of Pakistan in English]
"Could the self-appointed custodians of the national interest themselves be the greatest threat to national security? ... Nobody has come out and said it openly yet. It’s too early, the story still unfolding. Ask the question in private, though, and with hand on heart, no one will say anything but, yes, they knew he was there."
"Senior Pakistani security officials said Osama bin Laden’s daughter had confirmed her father was captured alive and shot dead by the US Special Forces during the first few minutes of the operation carried out at the huge compound in Bilal Town, Abbottabad. "
Who is Obama? Now We Know (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post
"Barack Obama is not the man many Americans thought he was. This sudden realization has transformed American politics. The sheer audacity of the successful operation against Osama bin Laden has forced Obama’s friends and foes alike to reassess what they make of a chief executive who defies easy categorization and reveals less about himself than politicians are typically drawn to do."
Ground Zero's Politics Are Over (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast
"Obama’s low-key appearance at the Twin Towers site today has finally neutralized the area blatantly politicized by the GOP. Michael Tomasky on why it doesn’t belong to either party."
It's Obama's Victory (David Frum) from The Week
"If bin Laden's assassination had gone badly, he would have been blamed. That's why he gets the credit."
Bin Laden and His Whole Way of Thinking - is Dead (Editorial) from Dar al-Hayat [Saudi Arabia in English]
"The Arab revolutions have a different lexicon. They demand pluralism, the transfer of power, transparency and respect for differing opinions. They want to belong to the modern world and participate in building it. Their demands are from a lexicon that stands in stark contrast to that of bin Laden."
Clinton: Taliban More Likely to Negotiate After bin Laden Death (Josh Rogin) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that Osama bin Laden's death could advance the effort to reach a political resolution to the war in Afghanistan, because it might convince the Taliban and al Qaeda to come to the negotiating table."
The Secrets of the Situation Room: From Audrey Tomasan to Burn Bags (Daniel Stone) from the Daily Beast
"The Situation Room is one of the most secure conference rooms in the world; only a few people ever get to see it in action. Daniel Stone decodes the secrets hiding in the Sit Room."
A fun, closer look at the now-famous photo of Obama's team in the White House's Situation Room! Quite interesting!
Sources: Bin Laden Acted 'Cowardly,' Confused in Final Moments from FOX News
"Sources involved in the operation that took down Usama bin Laden told Fox News the terrorist leader acted "scared" and "completely confused" in his final moments, "shoving his wife" at the Navy SEAL who ultimately shot him."
I don't know why -- but, with all the stories out about the bin Laden raid, I find myself very curious about what bin Laden himself might have been thinking in the final moments of his life. It doesn't reflect a "so there, ass hole" in-your-face-ness or some gloating about whether he was "cowardly" or not. Faced with a compound packed with fully-armed Navy SEALS, I'd be pissing in my pants, no two ways about it! More, my curiosity stems from a question I have about whether the man had *any capacity* for self reflection, regret, or remorse about the cause he had taken up -- and perhaps some concern about what Allah REALLY had waiting for him on the other side. His will (which I posted yesterday) hints at it. It's just something I'm curious about.
On the bin Laden Raid, the Debacle That Didn't Happen from Slate
"So many things could have gone wrong in the raid on Bin Laden's compound."
Germany's Osama bin Laden Problem (Jacob Heilbrunn) from the National Interest
"What the broad unease, if not condemnations, of America (simply in reading the comments from many readers in newspapers such as Der Tagesspiegel it quickly becomes clear that they view America as a lawless, imperialist aggressor) reveal is a society pathologically committed to the notion that it is superior to the rest of the world by virtue of its refusal to become embroiled in the violent world outside its borders."
Welcome to Paybackistan (Clarence Page) from the Chicago Tribune
"They're celebrating a man's death?" he exclaimed with all of the wisdom of an undergraduate philosophy major. "Has there ever been a time in history when Americans celebrated an individual's death?" Without much thought, I responded, "Hitler?" It worked. Although some people unintentionally trivialize Hitler's unspeakable horrors through overuse of his name, in this instance I felt as though I was standing on sturdy ground. As I told my kid, I was not celebrating "death"; I was celebrating justice.
The President and the Democrats, Post-Bin Laden: Why the Political Payoff Might Come Later Rather Than Sooner (Kyle Kondik) from the Univ. of Virginia Center for Politics
"Bin Laden’s death could, in fact, make terrorism even less a part of the national conversation than before: If Americans weren’t focused on national security while bin Laden lived, will they focus on it more now that he’s dead? Americans also might conclude that bin Laden’s demise means it is time to end the war in Afghanistan, a conclusion that would surely be at odds with national security elites in both parties. So in the short term, it’s not at all clear how much bin Laden’s death will help Obama in 2012, particularly if the economy is sputtering. In the long term, though, Democrats might have new ammunition to turn the tables on the GOP on an issue that liberals have long been perceived as losing."
The Torture Apologists from the Editorial Board of the New York Times
"The killing of Osama bin Laden provoked a host of reactions from Americans: celebration, triumph, relief, closure and renewed grief. One reaction, however, was both cynical and disturbing: crowing by the apologists and practitioners of torture that Bin Laden’s death vindicated their immoral and illegal behavior after the Sept. 11 attacks."
The Longest War (Ta-Nehisi Coates) from the Atlantic
"When people say the Obamas aren't quite American, they continue the old fight against blacks being part of one nation."
This Fact May Not Sit Well: Americans are Under-Taxed (Kevin Hall) from the McClatchy News Service
"Here's a dirty little secret that most Americans don't want to hear: We're under-taxed. That may sound like heresy; nobody wants to pay more taxes. But by historical standards, what we pay in federal taxes — rich, poor and everyone in between — has gone down."
As Debt Talks Begin: Dems Hold Upper Hand (Eli Lehrer) from FrumForum
"Republicans in Congress set to resume debt ceiling talks Thursday should go into them with a clear sense that they have a weak negotiating position. Democrats have the presidency and control of the Senate. Refusing the raise the debt ceiling altogether isn’t an option since default would surely cause a double dip recession that the White House could and would blame on the GOP."
Republicans Face Voter Wrath Over Ryan Budget Ax (Juan Williams) from The Hill
"Republicans return from recess this week having experienced an Easter revelation. The question now is do they believe what they saw from voters? ... The jeers and catcalls are not what the GOP House leadership promised members when they corralled 235 Republicans to vote for the Ryan plan."
Cantor Hints Republicans Won't Win Medicare Privatization Fight from Talking Points Memo
"House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) is in full walkback mode after admitting the obvious: that Republicans will never, under these political circumstances, prevail in their quest to privatize and slash Medicare -- and thus well over 200 Members of his caucus just walked the political plank for nothing."
Guess those town hall meetings penetrated somebody's brains. If not those meetings, how about these poll numbers?
On a related topic:
Health Care Repeal Is 'Dead,' Says Top Republican, Sights Turned To Repealing Individual Mandate (Sam Stein) from the Huffington Post
"Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, acknowledged Thursday that Republican plans to repeal President Barack Obama’s signature health care law were “dead.”"
Now, on both of these issues the Tea Party folks will not simply let this alone. They will GO AFTER the GOP House members for not being "true" to what they promised. Prediction: Tea Party disillusionment with the GOP is going to set in big time!
The Bailout That Worked, Cont'd (Jonathan Cohn) from the New Republic
"Will the voters will ever give President Obama credit for rescuing the American auto industry? I have no idea. But it looks more and more like they should."
Tucson District in Turmoil Over State Nan on Ethnic Studies from the Christian Science Monitor
"The Tucson Unified School District is considering turning ethnic studies courses into electives. The current setup may be out of compliance with a state law took effect Jan. 1."
Wisconsin Democrats File Formal Challenge Against Recall Petitions Submitted by Republicans (Chris Bowers) from Daily Kos
"At a press conference this afternoon, the Wisconsin Democratic Party announced their formal challenge to all three recall petitions filed against Democratic state Senators. The DPW is alleging widespread fraud, and some of the specifics of their challenge are brutal:"
More HERE from wisdems.org on these irregularities.
Loony-ass Insurgents vs. Waffling Bores: GOP Presidential Fight Starts Tonight! (Matt Taibbi) from Rolling Stone Magazine
"Yes, you read the news right: there is going to be a 2012 presidential debate this evening. Five Republicans are getting together in Greenville, South Carolina to kick off the long process of burying their party as a mainstream political force for the next decade or so."
As usual, Taibbi's piece is HILARIOUS!
Fox News' GOP Debate Debacle (Matt Latimer) from the Daily Beast
"With Mitt Romney, Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee, and other heavyweights absent, the news channel's first 2012 Republican debate was a disastrous clash among also-rans—and Tim Pawlenty, who looked the worse for showing up, writes Matt Latimer."
Ah -- we need to savor the bad music while it lasts. I take it for granted that the GOP WILL get its sh@# together eventually.
The Do-Nothing Frontrunner (Joshua Green) from the Atlantic
Mitt Romney has put the "invisible" in the invisible primary. And that's working very well for him."
On the other side of the issue:
Romney Death Watch (Jonathan Chait) from the New Republic
"The chairman of Mitt Romney's New Hampshire campaign in 2008 is jumping ship:"
No, Sarah Palin, Obama Won't Release OBL Photos (Joan Walsh) from Salon
"Who does Palin think is "pussy-footing" around? The president? Navy SEALs? In what world does the quitter from Wasilla get to determine "it's part of the mission"? No world we live in, thank God. ... Proof" won't silence the right-wing nut-jobs who make up Palin's base. Plus: Rummy flip-flops on torture!"
BIZARRE IRAN NUGGET!!
Ahmadinejad Allies Charged with Sorcery from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Iranian power struggle between president and supreme leader sees arrests and claims of undue influence of chief of staff."
SPECIAL OPS DOG NUGGET!!
A FASCINATING series of photos on Special Ops dogs!
War Dog: There's a Reason They Brought One to Get Osama bin Laden from Foreign Policy Magazine
"...it should come as no surprise that among the 79 commandos involved in Operation Neptune Spear that resulted in Osama bin Laden's killing, there was one dog -- the elite of the four-legged variety. And though the dog in question remains an enigma -- another mysterious detail of the still-unfolding narrative of that historic mission -- there should be little reason to speculate about why there was a dog involved: Man's best friend is a pretty fearsome warrior."
A related story from Slate is HERE.
ROMAN EMPIRE NUGGET!!
Infanticide Common in Roman Empire from Discovery News
"Before the invention of modern contraception, family planning took the form of a chilling practice."
MOTHERS DAY NUGGET!!
Beyond Flowers for Mom (Nicholas Kristof) from the New York Times
"That’s what some Americans have decided to do: commemorate motherhood by saving the lives of mothers halfway around the world — such as in this impoverished nook of Somaliland in the horn of Africa."
DECADENT COMFORT FOOD NUGGET!!
Ten Things to Do with Mac 'n' Cheese Before You Die from the Huffington Post
"Is mac 'n' cheese the new bacon? Everyone's favorite comfort food has suddenly gotten a lot more versatile, showing up in everything from burgers to desserts. Here are ten insanely creative ways you should try mac 'n' cheese at least once (and probably only once)."
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