News Nuggets 731

An historic image from the Atlantic Magazine's wonderful series of World War II photographs!  This one shows part of the Battle of Midway and the Aleutian Campaign.  Check out the rest of these rarely seen images HERE.

Libya: Nato Must Learn from its Success from the Editorial Board of the Daily Telegraph [of the UK]
"Telegraph View: The campaign in Libya demonstrates that Nato cannot afford to reduce its military capability any further."

What the Arab Papers Say from the Economist [of London]
"AS REBELS celebrate taking of Tripoli and the world ponders the whereabouts of Muammar Qaddafi, we look at reactions in the Arab press to the fighting in Libya."

Libya Intervention's Proves Obama Right (P.J. Crowley) from the Daily Beast
"Gaddafi isn’t done yet, but the rebel surge into Tripoli means that the NATO intervention in Libya was a resounding success says P.J. Crowley—and a warning to the region."

A Body Blow Against al-Qaeda (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
"The death of Atiyah Abd al-Rahman in an Aug. 22 drone attack in Pakistan may appear to be just another in the revolving-door fatalities among al-Qaeda’s operations chiefs. But it was a crucial blow to the core group that once surrounded Osama bin Laden."
Time Magazine has more on this story HERE.

Damascus Protests Show Signs of Escalation from the Financial Times [of the UK]
"Activists from the Local Co-ordination Committees reported dozens of protests continuing in Damascus suburbs, while other activists said security forces fired on protesters attempting to march into the city itself."

The Baghdad Syndrome (Larry Kaplow) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Eight not-so-simple steps to making sure that Libya doesn't repeat Iraq's mistakes."

Imagining a World Without Dictators (William J. Dobson) from the Washington Post
"Totalitarianism, the ultimate expression of dictatorship, is virtually extinct. It was just too expensive. The Joseph Stalins, Pol Pots, and Idi Amins belong to a distinctly 20th-century version of dictatorship. No one wants to be North Korea or Burma. Police states are passé. Maybe we don’t need to fear the men in white coats after all. ... Just one problem: The end of some of the harshest dictatorships has not necessarily spelled a more free world."

Will China Be Rome or Greece? (Richard Weitz) from The Diplomat
"The Pentagon’s new report on China’s military underscores the rapid progress it is making. But what exactly is this build-up for?"

All Together Now (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
"HOLD onto your hats and your wallets. Since the end of the cold war, the global system has been held together to a large degree by four critical ruling bargains. Today all four are coming unstuck at once and will need to be rebuilt. Whether and how that rebuilding happens — beginning in the U.S. — will determine a lot about what’s in your wallet and whether your hat flies off."

Consumer Fears Put Economy on the Brink (Peter Whoriskey) from the Washington Post
"While the Dow Jones industrial average and the unemployment rate get more attention, the shoppers outside a Wal-Mart in Northern Virginia offer a taste of what some economists believe is the more immediate reason that the U.S. economy may be on the verge of another recession. Americans are still spooked."

How Lesbians Live in Iran (Omid Memarian) from the Daily Beast
"A controversial new movie explores the lives of lesbians forced to live in the shadows. Omid Memarian talks to women in Iran who say the movie doesn’t do their predicament justice."

Republicans Against Science (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"Mr. Hunstman has been willing to say the unsayable about the G.O.P. — namely, that it is becoming the “anti-science party.” This is an enormously important development. And it should terrify us.  To see what Mr. Huntsman means, consider recent statements by the two men who actually are serious contenders for the G.O.P. nomination: Rick Perry and Mitt Romney."

A Political Junkie's Guide to Cheney's Memoir (Jonathan Martin) from Politico
"Cheney’s political career began well before 2000, and “In My Time” includes more than a few behind-the-scenes nuggets spanning his time in the Nixon, Ford and first Bush administrations, as well as his tenure as a member of Congress from Wyoming."

More on Cheney's book:
George Will Slams Dick Cheney For Not Apologizing For Iraq (VIDEO) (Nicole Belle) from Crooks and Liars
"WILL: Five hundred and sixty five pages and a simple apology would have been in order in some of them. Which is to say, the great fact of those eight years is we went to war—big war, costly war—under false pretenses. And…to write a memoir in which you say essentially nothing seriously went wrong..."
I can't recall the last time I even remotely agreed with George Will about anything, never mind as whole-heartedly as I agree with him here!

Bush, George W.: Will History Judge His Presidency the Way it Did Truman’s? (Robert Dallek) from New York Magazine
"Bush seems likely to remain somewhere in the bottom rank of presidents, sharing an unwanted distinction with James Buchanan, Warren G. Harding, Herbert Hoover, and Richard Nixon."

Loneliness of the Long Distance Mitt. Can Romney the Tortoise Overcome Rick Perry the Hare? (Toby Harnden) from the Daily Telegraph [of the UK]
"Despite everything, however – his longevity as a candidate, his willingness to do “what it takes”, as the title of Richard Ben Cramer’s classic volume about the 1988 campaign put it, and endure the loneliness and the humiliating scrutiny – some of his supporters now fear it will be for naught."

Mitt Romney vs. Rick Perry 2012: It's Personal from Politico
"It’s the worst-kept secret of the GOP presidential primary: Mitt Romney and Rick Perry have never liked each other very much."
Since 2008, I have yet to hear from anyone in the GOP who actually "likes" Mitt Romney.  The Atlantic has further observations on this topic HERE.

Rick Perry Has Distanced Himself from George W. Bush’s Brand of Conservatism from the Washington Post
"In his writings and speeches before he entered the race, Perry shared the view, widely held among conservatives, that Bush’s government spending habits in office were a betrayal of the GOP’s core fiscal principles. But Perry went further, dismissing “compassionate conservatism,” the central tenet of Bush’s domestic policy, as just more overreach by the federal government."

Seeds of Discontent for Bachmann in Iowa; Told to Cut the 'Barack Obama Rock Star Crap' from Fox News
""(Perry) sat with people, talked with people. (Bachmann) acted like a rock star, refused to eat dinner with us," he said. "If Michele Bachmann is the hometown girl, from Waterloo, she should dine with us." Instead, Saul points out Bachmann spent time on her campaign bus, only entering for her turn to speak at the event after she was introduced twice."

UNIVERSITY LIFE NUGGET!!
Why Do College Students Love Getting Wasted? (Thomas Rogers) from Salon
"New research uncovers the secret attraction of binge drinking. An expert explains the surprising results."

BRITISH TV DRAMA NUGGET!!
The Brits' Surprising Emmy Hit (Jace Lacob) from the Daily Beast
"‘Downton Abbey’ creator Julian Fellowes and the cast of the critically acclaimed period drama talk to Jace Lacob about their Emmy nominations, the show’s insane popularity, and what’s coming up on Season 2."
I thought this was a great series!