The erupting Grimsvotn Volcano in Iceland. From National Geographic.
I found the following two columns an interesting set of bookends concerning the recent tempest over Obama's comments on Israel-Palestine:
Lessons From Tahrir Sq. (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
"Being back in Cairo reminds me that there are two parties in this region that have been untouched by the Arab Spring: the Israelis and the Palestinians. Too bad, because when it comes to ossified, unimaginative, oxygen-deprived governments, the Israelis and Palestinians are right up there with pre-revolutionary Egypt and Tunisia."
I think this is right -- and that Obama's statement on Israel last week was an effort to inject the two parties with this reality.
Into Netanyahu’s Arms (Dana Milbank) from the Washington Post
"[Obama] unwittingly strengthened Israeli hawks such as Netanyahu and made the already remote prospect of peace that much more distant. Of this, Inna herself is evidence: Though she’s a moderate who was suspicious of the uncompromising Netanyahu, the episode turned her into a supporter."
I suspect that both authors are correct -- that Obama's comments may have helped consolidate Israeli support behind Netenyahu's entrenched pessimistic vision of peace in Israel. However, speaking for myself and as someone who has tended to support Israel's position over the last 20+ years, I think Bibi made a serious error with what he's said this last week. Even as he may consolidate Israeli support behind his position, he has almost certainly undercut his support within the US generally (if my own reaction is any indicator). Despite the Congressional cheering yesterday, I found Bibi's on-going criticism of Obama to be not just offensive but based on a deep misunderstanding of what's going on right now (see Friedman) and an obvious and extraordinary effort to meddle directly in US domestic politics leading up to next year's presidential elections. In a carefully crafted message yesterday, he has tried to fashion Obama's statement on peace into a weapon for the GOP to use against him next year. Indeed, what has struck me most about Bibi's statements is the extent to which they "smell and taste" like the "alternative reality" political narratives that Fox News peddles and that GOP conservatives in the US live in: Peace now is impossible; negotiations are a useless exercise; to even consider rational talks is an existentially threatening sign of weakness and naivete, blah, blah, blah. The BIG problem with this view (it's the same problem the GOP 2012 contenders are dealing with; see Newt Gingrich) is that there really is a REALITY out there -- and that all the actors know it. As many have said, Obama simply spoke the truth. Outside the GOP base, I think Bibi's comments will drive average US voters away from Israel, leaving it even more isolated. My fear now is that, in their scramble to get on what they perceive to be the "right side" of the issue, lawmakers in Congress will line up behind the "unreality" that Bibi outlined and that his misleading rhetorical fireworks will become the newest layer of talk-show "unreality" and political litmus testing to further calcify America's domestic political scene.
These next two stories give you a clearer sense of how fast-moving the changes are that are sweeping the Middle East right now:
Hosni Mubarak Charged with Murder from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Former president's sons Alaa and Gamal are also referred to criminal court days before more planned protests in Egypt."
WOW! And they are talking very seriously here about giving Mubarak the death penalty!
Ahmadinejad's Going Down (Omid Memarian) from the Daily Beast
"Not only has the Iranian president managed to make the entire world angry, now he’s outraged the supreme leader. Omid Memarian on the face-off in Iranian politics."
If he falls, don't be surprised if Ahmendinejad ends up facing the same music that Mubarak is now facing.
UN Team to Probe Japan Nuke Plant; New Info Suggests 2 More Units Suffered Partial Meltdowns from the Washington Post
"A major international mission to investigate Japan’s flooded, radiation-leaking nuclear complex began Tuesday as new information suggested that nuclear fuel had mostly melted in two more reactors in the early days after the March 11 tsunami. That would mean that all three of the most troubled reactors at the plant have suffered partial meltdowns."
Parisian Chat About Straus-Khanikov (Philip Gourevitch) from the New Yorker
"According to the stories, he grabbed women in elevators, he cornered them in gardens, and if they resisted he liked to pursue, with phone calls and text messages. Everyone knew, the dinner guests said."
Strauss-Kahn's Pals Bid to Pay Off Woman's Kin in Africa from the New York Post
"Friends of alleged hotel sex fiend Dominique Strauss-Kahn secretly contacted the accusing maid's impoverished family, offering them money to make the case go away since they can't reach her in protective custody, The Post has learned. The woman, who says she was sexually assaulted by the disgraced former head of the International Monetary Fund, has an extended family in the former French colony of Guinea in West Africa, well out of reach of the Manhattan DA's Office. "They already talked with her family," a French businesswoman with close ties to Strauss-Kahn and his family told The Post. "For sure, it's going to end up on a quiet note.""
This is predictable. Kahn's US lawyers have probably communicated to him that he is TOAST if his case ever gets to court and that he's easily looking at 5+ years in the slammer -- UNLESS the victim DROPS the charges. Thus -- the bidding war begins through third parties. It is so beyond VILE -- but what can one say!? As much as I would love to tell this poor maid to stand by her charges, if she's offered the biggest multi-million dollar paydays ever, could you blame her for taking the deal?
But then there's this:
The Maid's Family Doesn't Want DSK's Money from the Atlantic
""In our family, we are above material things," said Mamoudou, a 50-year-old man who says he is the brother of DSK's accuser. (Reuters said it withheld his family name or the name of his home village "to protect the identity of the alleged assault victim.") He adds, "Even if you are a billionaire, we don't care. The most important thing for us is how you follow God's path.""
The DSK Case: Flirting, Groping, and Rape (Nina Sutton) from the Daily Beast
"French journalist Nina Sutton grew up in a country and time where women were routinely fondled. That history may help explain why France is still reluctant to condemn Dominique Strauss-Kahn, she writes."
DSK: Would You Vote for a Sexual Predator? (Clovis Rossi) from Folha [of Brazil in English]
"I'm not saying that in the United States everyone is equal before the law. The 'do you know who you're talking to' is a universal practice. But here, would an accusation from a 32-year-old Guinean hotel maid and mother of two, against the all-powerful chief of a large organization, be taken seriously?"
What Obama's Political Team Thinks of the Republican Field (Marc Ambinder) from the National Journal
"Romney seems the most formidable, they think, while relieved that Daniels got out."
FreedomWorks' Goal: Stop Mitt Romney In 2012 (Jon Ward) from the Huffington Post
"A top goal of the nation’s most influential national Tea Party group is to stop Mitt Romney from winning the Republican nomination for president. Interviews with top officials at FreedomWorks, a Washington-based organizing hub for Tea Party activists around the country, revealed that much of their thinking about the 2012 election revolves around derailing the former Massachusetts governor."
WOW!! This could get really exciting!
Democrats Try to Woo Consumer Advocate to Run from the New York Times
"Officials in the Democratic Party are wooing Elizabeth Warren to run for the Senate against the Massachusetts Republican Scott P. Brown rather than have her continue to set up the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau."
This is a BAD IDEA. Warren is an exceptionally partisan figure right now, and I'm not convinced that she is somehow a gifted political figure. If the Dems are *serious* about taking on Brown, they will need to get some top drawer talent with some real political skills and experience in MA. I hate to say it -- but I actually smell a rat in all this Warren-for-Senate talk. I DON'T see that she would have ANY chance against Brown -- but it would definitively take her out of the running for a recess appointment to the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Wall Street power brokers are working feverishly to prevent her appointment -- and I suspect that is what is underlying some of this conversation.
Democrat Wins G.O.P. Seat; Rebuke Seen to Medicare Plan from the New York Times
"Democrats scored an upset in one of New York’s most conservative Congressional districts on Tuesday, dealing a blow to the national Republican Party in a race that largely turned on the party’s plan to overhaul Medicare."
You have to wonder if this will be the GOP's "Scott Brown" moment when they realize that the electorate is REALLY upset with them! I doubt that their there yet.
Are We Done with Rush Limbaugh Yet? (Alex Pareene) from the Salon
"Are we sick of Rush Limbaugh yet? We might be! Crains reported yesterday that the April Arbitron report showed the conservative movement's most powerful mouthpiece -- and Sean Hannity, his much-dumber distant rival -- slumping in the ratings after the midterms:"
Michelle Obama Brings Style and Substance to the Palace from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Queen and Camilla outshone by first lady's cheerful informality, but Kate wins the transatlantic glamour title."
ANCIENT EGYPT NUGGET!!
Egyptian Pyramids Found by Infra-Red Satellite Images from the BBC
"Seventeen lost pyramids are among the buildings identified in a new satellite survey of Egypt."
PRESIDENTIAL SCANDAL NUGGET!!
America's Forgotten Presidential Sex Scandal (Charles Lachman) from the Daily Beast
"Forget Arnold Schwarzenegger or John Edwards. One of the greatest political sex scandals happened to Grover Cleveland. Journalist Charles Lachman reveals the sordid details of rape, an unwanted child, and the coverup."
TWO books have just appeared about this scandal. For these authors their TIMING could not have been better! Grover Cleveland just got a lot more interesting!
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