News Nuggets 700

A street scene in Havana, Cuba.  From National Geographic.

Egypt's Military Postpones First Post-Mubarak Elections from McClatchy News Service
"The first elections since President Hosni Mubarak resigned in February had been scheduled for September, but the military council said they'd be delayed. Gen. Mamdouh Shahin, speaking for the council, said a committee would announce the date by the end of September."
I suspect that this is a good thing -- it'll give the reformers & non-Islamists a chance to get it together.  As it is, the only folks who were really organized enough for September elections were the Islamic Brotherhood and the military.

Sorry, Pakistan: China Is No Sugar Daddy (Urmila Venugopalan) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Just because Washington and Islamabad are at odds doesn't mean Beijing is looking to step in."

James Murdoch Accused Of Misleading Parliament Over Phone Hacking from the Huffington Post
"Colin Myler, the former editor, and Tom Crone, the former lawyer, issued a statement on Thursday contradicting one of Murdoch's key claims in his testimony before Parliament on Tuesday: that he had signed off on huge payments to footballer Gordon Taylor without knowing why he was doing so"

Obama's Debt Talks Leadership Shows Defining Persistence (Lesley Clark) from McClatchy News Service
"In a presidency filled with defining moments, historians suggest the legacy of the debt ceiling showdown may be the steady persistence shown by Barack Obama."

The Grand Bargain Lives! (David Brooks) from the New York Times
"You are being asked to support a foggy approach, not a specific plan. You are being asked to do this even though you have no faith in the other party and limited faith in the leadership of your own. You are being asked to risk your political life for an approach that bears little resemblance to what you would ideally prefer. Do you do this? I think you do. You do it because all the other options are worse."

Boehner’s Monumental Trial on Debt Talks Lies Within his Own Party from the Washington Post
"Most of the new Republican lawmakers have spent their short political lives defining themselves by what they are against on questions of spending and debt. Now, with time running short in the debt-ceiling debate, they seemed unprepared to say what what kind of compromise they are willing to live with, and many are dismissive of the idea that default could mean calamity for the fragile economy."
Said another way: these folks don't know what they are doing.

Credit Agencies Warn GOP of 'Death Spiral' from Politico
"One official warned of a worst-case scenario in which a default on the nation’s credit could result in a rapid drop in bond values, sparking chaos in the markets — a dramatic warning as Washington worked on a possible deal on deficit reduction and an increase in the debt limit."
Oh, those credit agency guys -- what do they know?!

Out of Their Right Minds (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast
"Most observers assume reason will eventually prevail in the debt debate. But Michael Tomasky asks if GOP rhetoric has made compromise unthinkable for the right."

Grover Norquist on Debt Talks: OK to Let Bush Tax Cuts Expire from Politico
"Allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire to close the budget deficit would not constitute a tax increase or violate an anti-tax pledge signed by many Republicans, Grover Norquist told the Washington Post’s editorial page."
Should have said this YEARS AGO!

Looking for the Exits (David Frum) from Frum Forum
"It would be helpful if Democrats and the president would complain forlornly about the pain of the budget cuts in the petty bargain. The goal is to make the House Republicans feel like winners as they back away from the confrontation. Sorry Democrats, your role is to portray yourselves as losers. It’s a small price to pay to save the country."
Frum's contempt for his Tea Party colleagues oozes from his latest sardonic posting.

Debt Polling Roundup: What Does the Country Want? (Chris Good) from the Atlantic
"Will there be a deal? Will the U.S. default if there isn't one? Who to trust in Washington? And what do the people say?"

A Party Divorced From Sanity (Gene Lyons) from Salon
"The great debt ceiling showdown would be a non-event if it weren't for something called the Tea Party."

2012-Pres: Iowa Remains Deeply Unsettled as Straw Poll Nears (Scott Conroy) from Real Clear Politics
"...throngs of the famously devoted supporters of Texas Rep. Ron Paul wipe the sweat off their brows without batting an eye and descend on the campus of Iowa State University to propel the libertarian-leaning icon to yet another straw-poll victory -- but one that might actually be significant for once."

Gallup Pollster: Obama’s Ratings Higher Than You’d Expect from Talking Points Memo
"If Ronald Reagan was the Teflon President, Barack Obama may be the Kevlar President -- bad news can bruise him, but none can pierce his armor to cause any severe damage to his approval ratings."