A Feud Splits the Taliban (Ron Moreau) from the Daily Beast
"Is the Afghan insurgency starting to disintegrate? An argument over money provokes tit-for-tat hostage-takings between guerrilla commanders. Ron Moreau on bad blood among the Islamists’ senior ranks and the opportunity it could present for U.S. forces."
Dear Uncle Sam…: Why do India and Pakistan See America in Such Opposite Ways? (Pankaj Mishra) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"For Indians who stayed behind, their relatives in America became the source of goodies (toys, gadgets, comic books, magazines). The endless daydreaming they provoked would seed the imaginative landscape of "rising India" in the 1990s, when Archie comics, set in a hormonally charged American high school, inspired some of Bollywood's most successful films."
Riot Sentence Rift Opens Between Liberal Democrats and Conservatives from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Lib Dem peers warn of 'loss of proportion' and Simon Hughes calls for 'relative leniency on first-time offenders'."
No doubt about it, the sentences being handed down to many rioters are startling and patently unjust -- but (and I hate to say this) it reflects a brilliant political strategy by conservative pm David Cameron who seems to be taking his queues straight from Ronald Reagan's 1960s playbook when it comes to riots. Cameron has been channeling perfectly British white middle and working class anger and frustration. I predict it will be a TOTAL political winner for him and the Tories, civil liberties be damned. As in the US and the Democrats, Labor will need to somehow adjust itself or it risks losing ... laborers. If Cameron plays his cards right, he'll be able to ditch his Lib-Dem coalition partners after the next election and govern with a straight up Tory majority.
Murdoch’s Lawyers Turn on Him (Sam Bungey) from the Daily Beast
"First came the ex-staff lawyers, and now the London firm Harbottle & Lewis are firing back. Sam Bungey on why the media family needs a true consigliere."
News of the World Hollywood Reporter is Arrested from the Guardian [of the UK]
"James Desborough is arrested by London police investigating UK hacking allegations."
The Next Greatest Generation (Joe Klein) from Time Magazine
"In a way, I’ve been working on this week’s cover story–which sadly resides behind the Time paywall–for the past five years, as I’ve embedded with our troops downrange. Watching them in the field, I’ve noticed that they’ve had to learn some new and unusual skills–skills that are extremely well-suited for public service."
Lessons Learned From the Palin Debacle (David Frum) from The Week
"Before Palin vanishes into her hard-earned obscurity, Republicans need an assessment and an accounting. Had John McCain won in 2008, we would have put an incompetent, deceitful, and vengeful person second in line to the presidency."
Heroes, Until They’ve Arrived (Frank Bruni) from the New York Times
"And thus did a candidate who appeared so fearsome on the horizon — and who, for now, rides high in polls — come to look somewhat frizzier and patchier in the barnyard upon closer inspection. The hair is always thicker on the other side of the trough."
Bachmann, Perry Lead GOP Field as Romney Drops to Third (Jed Lewison) from Daily Kos
"Bachmann's and Perry's strength comes from conservative Republicans while Romney does better with moderates. Romney's problem is that 77 percent of Republicans say they are conservative while just 14 percent say they are moderate, so it's not hard to see why his numbers are suffering."
Primetime for Perry (Emily Miller) from the Washington Times
"The Republican race is now between the unscripted and the overscripted."
Pondering Perry’s Electability (Nate Silver) from the New York Times
"The speech by Gov. Rick Perry of Texas to announce his presidential candidacy on Saturday got generally favorable reviews, but it did not take long for some influential Republicans to become overtly skeptical about what Mr. Perry might do for the party in November."
Is Perry Built for a General Election? (Dan Balz) from the Washington Post
"It has become clear, only a few days into Rick Perry’s presidential campaign, that the Texas governor’s biggest challenge could come in trying to win the Republican nomination without defining himself out of the general election."
The Obama folks seem to have made some assessment of their own:
First Thoughts: Man with the Plan (Chuck Todd et al.,) from MSNBC
"It’s pretty transparent whom Obama wants to run against next year: You think the White House is seeing the influence of the Tea Party on the campaign trail -- and is loving every minute of it? You better believe it. While President Obama is happy to poke Mitt Romney (for his health-care law), he declined to take a shot at Rick Perry for criticizing Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and for bringing up Obama’s lack of military experience. In an interview with CNN, “Obama said presidential candidates have ‘got to be a little more careful’ about what they say. But as Perry had just entered the race over the weekend, Obama said, he will ‘cut (Perry) some slack’ for the moment.” Cut him some slack? Whom does Obama want to run against next year? It’s pretty transparent…"
Dean: Bush Camp Will ‘Take Perry Out’ from The Hill
“The Bush people don’t fool around, as you know,” Dean said Tuesday night on MSNBC. “You can say a lot of things about Bush’s presidency and his failures as president, but one thing nobody should say [anything] bad about [is] his political team. They know what they’re doing, and they are ruthless, and they are going to take Perry out.”
Ellspeth Reeve from the Atlantic has more on the Perry-Bush rivalry HERE and Matt Latimer has some related thoughts HERE from the Daily Beast.
Rick Perry’s Politics of Suspicion and Accusation (Stephen Stromberg) from the Washington Post
"Of the better-known politicians on the Tea Party right, Perry is perhaps among the most willing to exploit a nasty politics of suspicion and accusation. He hasn’t been running for president a week, and the strategy is already as familiar as it is shallow."
OH-Gov: Kasich: Let’s Make A Deal On My Anti-Union Bill — And Call Off The Repeal Referendum from Talking Points Memo
"Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) on Wednesday offered a deal to the state's public employee unions: Let's compromise on my law stripping away your collective bargaining rights -- and withdraw the referendum where you could get it repealed."
Apparently, union folks have told him "no deal". The repeal and the recall efforts are going forward.
HAPPINESS NUGGET!!
A New and Improved Recipe for Happiness (Hans Villarica) from the Atlantic
"A study based on a survey of thousands of people from 123 countries reveals the universal needs that make us happy."
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