U.S. Turns to Other Routes to Supply Afghan War as Relations with Pakistan Fray from the Washington Post
"The U.S. military is rapidly expanding its aerial and Central Asian supply routes to the war in Afghanistan, fearing that Pakistan could cut off the main means of providing American and NATO forces with fuel, food and equipment."
This is a VERY important development (and a smart move by the US in my view). It suggests that the anti-US tantrum that Pakistan has gone on since the bin Laden raid is "for real" and not just posturing. Pakistani authorities seem hell-bent on punishing the US as a way of diverting their own public's attention away from their own complicity in supporting terrorism. For the Pakistani military, US reliance on supply routes through the country has been, I think in their view, their big "ace in the hole," something they could hold over the US for the foreseeable future. With this shift, US authorities are clearly sending the message "we can manage without you, thank you very much." Is it true? Not sure. One look at the supply route map that accompanies the article has to make you wonder how sustainable this will be.
How the Syrian Regime is Ensuring its Demise from the Washington Post
"Desperate to survive at all costs, Bashar al-Assad’s regime instead appears intent on digging its own grave. It didn’t have to be this way. ... But the regime is behaving like its own worst enemy, cutting itself off from key pillars of support: its social base among the poor, Syria’s silent majority and possibly even its security forces."
Mickey Mouse Runs Afoul of the Islamists in Egypt from the New York Daily News
"On his well-followed Twitter feed, the Coptic Christian Sawiris posted an image of a bearded, kaffiyeh-clad Mickey Mouse and a face-covered Minnie Mouse, alongside the comment, "Micky [sic] and Minnie after . . . " - in other words, "after" the Islamists gain power. It was a fairly pedestrian, if pointed, piece of political humor, but the anti-ironic Islamists didn't see it that way."
Yemeni President’s Health Leaves Him "Unfit to Perform his Duties" and Adds to Uncertainty from the New York Times
"A senior Yemeni official who was briefed on the health of President Ali Abdullah Saleh said that the president’s injuries would leave him unfit to perform his duties for months, throwing a new degree of uncertainty into a political standoff that has trapped this impoverished desert nation."
Japan's Tsunami: The First 24 Hours from the Associated Press via the Huffington Post
"It was an ordinary Friday afternoon, and then the shaking began – harbinger of a nuclear nightmare that rages on, three months later. A moment-by-moment account of the crucial first 24 hours after an earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi plan"
Will Crisis-Ridden Europe Find Its Own Hamilton? from the Editorial Board of Bloomberg News Service
"What will it take to fix a European Union troubled by heavy debts and internal friction? The story of the U.S., which celebrates its 235th year of independence on July 4, offers a parable that Europe’s leaders might find instructive."
I was drawing a similar parallel this last week in looking at Europe's problems. But what is the lesson? I CAN'T imagine Germany, France et al., going to Greece and Spain et al., and saying "Ok, we'll assume all of that bad debt you've incurred -- BUT you will need to ... what? Surrender some big piece of your sovereignty? Exactly what piece? And to whom? Given the public mood in those struggling countries right now, I don't see any possibility of any deal that looks anything like this!
In Sex-Crime Cases, Credibility a Thorny Issue from the Washington Post
"... the rape case against the former head of the International Monetary Fund seemed in jeopardy, Bolden and other lawyers said the news highlights one of the thorniest issues in sex-crimes prosecutions: Will jurors believe the alleged victim?"
Clinton Calls on Obama Not to 'Blink' on Debt-Ceiling Deal (Ronald Brownstein) from the Atlantic
""I hope they will make a mini-deal," Clinton said of the debt ceiling negotiations at an interview conducted at the Aspen Ideas Festival."
The Economic Recovery Turns 2: Feel Better Yet? (Paul Wiseman) from the Associated Press
"This is one anniversary few feel like celebrating. Two years after economists say the Great Recession ended, the recovery has been the weakest and most lopsided of any since the 1930s."
College is About Skills, Not Wages (Robert Lee) from the FrumForum
"Once, a great professor of mine, said, “College has nothing to do with what you learn here. You’ll forget most of it before you graduate anyways. You’re here to be inculcated with the norms and expectations of a professional lifestyle.” If anything, that is where I see my college worth."
While I don't share some of Lee's assertions here, it is interesting nonetheless
Safety in Diversity: Why Crime Is Down in America's Cities (Richard Florida) from the Atlantic
"Abortion, drug laws, reduced poverty--none of these factors is the main reason our metro areas are getting safer."
It’s Reagan’s Party No More (Steve Benen) from Washington Monthly
"It should cause no shortage of frustration for congressional Republicans that President Obama is in line with the Reagan legacy — and they’re actively rejecting it. Politico’s David Rogers had a fine piece of reporting touching on this point yesterday."
I think it would be quite powerful if Obama began using this argument -- and really bringing it to the GOP!
The Problem with the Jon Huntsman Hype from Politico
"The GOP base, sensing weakness in Obama, wants a brawler, the sort of Republican who prospered in dozens of races in the 2010 mid-terms. This is the main reason so many activists are clamoring for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to get in the race. Huntsman, by contrast, is running as a diplomat."
Wis. GOPer Loses Court Case To Get On Ballot In State Senate Recalls from Talking Points Memo
"A Dane County judge has ruled against Wisconsin GOP state Rep. John Nygren's effort to get onto the ballot to challenge Democratic state Sen. Dave Hansen, after state election officials disqualified Nygren due to a lack of sufficient petition signatures. It leaves the GOP with only one other candidate in the race -- who brings some personal baggage."
"Personal baggage"? What an understatement. How many restraining orders has this guy's ex-wife needed to get to stop him from stalking and harassing her?
Justices' Emails Detail Security, Photo Concerns After Altercation from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"Some sources familiar with what happened have backed Bradley's account, while others have said Bradley first came at Prosser with her fists raised, causing him to come in contact with her neck. All of the justices except N. Patrick Crooks were present at the incident, but those who witnessed it have declined to give their accounts or not returned calls."
INDEPENDENCE DAY NUGGET!!
The Founding Fathers, Unzipped (Simon Schama) from Newsweek
"The Constitution’s framers were flawed like today’s politicians, so it’s high time we stop embalming them in infallibility."
No comments:
Post a Comment