Libyan Rebels Prepare to Attack Sirte After Nato Raids from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Tanks, heavy artillery and rocket launchers abandoned by fleeing Gaddafi forces are being assembled for attack."
Gaddafi Has Crossed the Line Between Murderous Tyrant and Plonker from the Guardian [of the UK]
"All dictators know that the biggest threat to their power is ridicule. And now the people of Libya are laughing."
"Plonker"?! This was a new one for me. It is a "stupid or inept person."
Gaddafi's Defeated Forces Face Up to a New Reality from the Guardian [of the UK]
"With Tripoli's hospitals now in rebel hands, Gaddafi's wounded loyalists admit the truth at last."
Behind the Curtain (David Remnick) from the New Yorker
"... as Libyans rejoice at the prospect of a world without an unhinged despot, many of Obama’s critics still view a President who rid the world of Osama bin Laden (something that George Bush failed to do) and helped bring down Muammar Qaddafi (something that Ronald Reagan failed to do) as supinely selling out American power. Yet the Administration’s policies—a more apt description, admittedly, would have been “leading from behind the scenes”—were tailored to limiting circumstances."
What Qaddafi’s Fall Means for His Evil Minions in South America, Asia, and Africa (Joshua Kurlantzick) from the New Republic
"From the time he assumed power, Qaddafi leveraged Libya’s oil money, and his own willingness to have his country become a pariah state, to support insurgencies from East Asia, to South America, to southern Africa. With any luck, a number of long-running civil wars will disappear from the world stage together with Qaddafi himself."
The Kingdom of Magical Thinking (Robin Mills) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Widely assumed to be a fabulously wealthy welfare state, Saudi Arabia is in fact an economic basket case waiting to happen."
Germany Adrift from the Editorial Board of the Irish Times
"Helmut Kohl – a former chancellor and her onetime political mentor ... Germany, he said, has lost its “old dependability” leaving allies confused and perplexed about the direction of the country’s foreign policy. He paints a depressing picture of a leader who has lost her political bearings, one who travels hopefully without benefit of compass or maps, unsure of where she is and uncertain of where she wants to go."
You Think Obama’s Been a Bad President? Prove It (Jonathan Alter) from Bloomberg News Service
"..identify where Obama has been a poor decision-maker. What, specifically, has he done wrong on policy? What, specifically, would you have done differently to create jobs? And what can any of the current Republican candidates offer that would be an improvement on the employment front?"
Carmakers' Rebound is Driving Jobs in U.S. from the Los Angeles Times
"The industry that once needed bailing out could be the one to stave off recession."
Tell: An Intimate History of Gay Men in the Military (Chris Heath) from GQ
"As "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" comes to an end, we sent Chris Heath to interview dozens of gay servicemen from the past and present to find out what life was really like as America's military struggled with its last great identity crisis"
When Schools Depend on Handouts (Michael Rebell and Jessica Wolff) from the New York Times
"Although praiseworthy as a matter of personal philanthropy, the donation by the mayor and the others, whose names were not disclosed, is highly distressing as a matter of public policy. It is disgraceful that essential components of our public education system now depend on the charitable impulses of wealthy citizens."
Don’t Panic, Mitt Romney! (Ross Douthat) from the New York Times
"Mitt cannot safely continue to just raise money and lie in the weeds hoping the 2012 nomination will be delivered to him.” Can’t he?"
Al Gore to Rick Perry: Climate Scientists Aren't Motivated by Money from The Hill
“These scientists don’t make a lot of money. They are comfortable, as they should be, but they don’t make a lot of money. That is not their motivation for doing what they do,” Gore added.
Gore needed to go the extra yard about this canard. Speaking as someone with a sub-specialty in environmental policy, the REAL money is to be made from the global warming denying side of the business. In the media, it is actually rare to find an honest-to-God scientist condemning the science of global warming -- it is almost always policy pundits (say, from the CATO Institute) or right-wing lawmakers (like James Inhoff of Oklahoma, who DOES consider himself an expert on the subject). For real scientists, (for that tiny five percent or so who genuinely don't believe in the science of global warming), they can make an exceptional amount of money!! Big oil and many other large corporations and manufacturers will throw money by the truck load at anyone with real bona fides who can look credible for five minutes on television.
Rick Perry Hates D.C. — So Why Run? (Jennifer Rubin) from the Washington Post
"Perry dipped a toe in the national media market with an appearance on the Laura Ingraham radio show. ... Here’s the thing: When he does his anti-Washington shtick he sounds like someone who doesn’t have the patience or the skill to govern from there. He’s going to have a tough time governing in a place for which he already has shown contempt."
Now -- it is rare that i ever find anything of use in Jennifer Rubin's blog. She is usually a very predictable partisan who buys a majority of what the Tea Party is selling these days. So it's interesting that even SHE comes forth with this kind of critique.
Perry: GOP Savior or Goldwater II? (Robert Mann) from Politico
"Perry’s controversial statements – about Texas secession, the unconstitutionality of Social Security, his refusal to acknowledge climate change, his comparing homosexuality to alcoholism, his doubts about evolution and his questioning of President Barack Obama’s patriotism — may have already inflicted grave damage and, perhaps, destroyed his chance to become president."
Rick Perry, the Republicans’ Messiah? (Kathleen Parker) from the Washington Post
"Rick Perry’s rapid lead over previous Republican front-runner Mitt Romney was predictable. But it is not a good sign for Republicans hoping to reclaim the White House and further highlights the crucial battle within GOP circles: Who is the godliest of us all? That’s the mirror-mirror question for Republicans. Forget charisma, charm, intelligence, knowledge and that nuisance, “foreign policy experience.” The race of the moment concerns which candidate is the truest believer."
KING MEMORIAL NUGGET!!
Building the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial from Smithsonian Magazine
"For those working behind the scenes on the King memorial, its meaning runs deep."
No comments:
Post a Comment