News Nuggets 745

A hilarious new calendar shows rabbits strutting their stuff on the dance floor!  From the Daily Mail of the UK.

India Beefs Up for Great Game (Nitin Gokhale) from The Diplomat
"Worried by an increasingly assertive China, India has ramped up investment in its Navy and Air Force. Will it be enough to protect its own backyard?"

Who's Had the Worst Recession: Boomers, Millennials, or Gen-Xers? (Derek Thompson) from the Atlantic
"Gen-Y has the worst unemployment. Near-retirees have the least time to recover their savings. And Gen-Xers? They're caught between debt that won't disappear and an economy that won't move."

Five Myths about the Solyndra Collapse (Brad Plummer) from the Washington Post
A good, measured look at this issue:
"as Solyndra becomes the newest political chew toy, there’s been no shortage of hyperbole about the affair — especially over what it means for energy policy more broadly. On Tuesday, for example, Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), who chairs the oversight subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said that Solyndra’s downfall proves “that green energy isn’t going to be the solution.” That’s quite a leap. So here’s a look at five overheated arguments about Solyndra’s bust:"

Republicanism As Religion (Andrew Sullivan) from the Daily Beast
A GREAT commentary on the right-wing religious mindset!
"That's how I explain the current GOP. It can only think in doctrines, because the alternative is living in a complicated, global, modern world they both do not understand and also despise. Taxes are therefore always bad. Government is never good. Foreign enemies must be pre-emptively attacked. Islam is not a religion. Climate change is an elite conspiracy to impoverish America. Terror suspects are terrorists. When Americans torture, it is not torture. When Christians murder, they are not Christians. And if you change your mind on any of these issues, you are a liberal, an apostate, and will be attacked."

Top Republicans Gird for a Long, Bitter Perry-Romney Duel from the Washington Post
"Republican Party leaders, who only a few weeks ago viewed the GOP presidential nomination race as wide open, now consider it a two-man contest between Rick Perry and Mitt Romney, and they are choosing sides in what many think could be a long and potentially divisive campaign."
While a bruising GOP nomination fight may sound really great from a progressive Democrat perspective, don't forget that it is *just as likely* to produce a  STRONGER, more adept GOP candidate by June of next year.  Obama was a far better candidate after the bitter fight with Hillary than he was at the beginning of the nomination struggle.

Coming from a deep red conservative, this lengthy column is quite a hoot:
GOP Should Not Fall into the Trap of Being Proudly Ignorant (Jennifer Rubin) from the Washington Post
AS IF there is some conspirators out there "setting a trap" for a small set of unwittingly dumb conservatives to fall into.  Also -- way too late for this concern.  On Perry, Rubin lets the fur fly!!
A sample: "... today, Texas Gov. Rick Perry went to Liberty University. It was, at least in part, a celebration of ignorance. ... Perry, apparently deciding to make ads for the Obama campaign, came out with a series of “See how dumb I am?” one-liners. ... it’s disturbing to see that he thinks being a rotten student and a know-nothing gives one street cred in the GOP."
Ah, Jennifer... You are simply another one of those GOP beltway establishment snobs deeply out of touch with your party's base.  Seriously -- I remain convinced that Perry is very effectively pouring forth what the Tea Party and conservative party activists WANT to hear from their nominee.  Polling in the coming weeks should give a hint if I am wrong on this.

The Five Thousand Dollar Man (Chris Ladd) from the Frum Forum
"The Republican Presidential candidates are just beginning to explore the rich trove of material Rick Perry has left for them across a long, amateurish career. The thoughtless series of overstatements that he collected into his “book” are a million bumper stickers waiting to be printed. The problem his book presents for the Republican field is that most of that material only disqualifies him from the White House, not the nomination."

The Poll Paradox For Perry: Obama A ‘Socialist’ But Ending Social Programs Would Be Terrible from Talking Points Memo
"A PPP poll out on Wednesday illustrates a clear contradiction within the GOP electorate: overwhelming majorities of voters who deride President Obama as a socialist, but who also love actual real social welfare programs — Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid — and don’t want to see them cut."
You'd just love to corner these people and ask how they square this circle!

Perry Supported By Republicans, Views Rejected (John McCormick) from the Bloomberg News Service
"Republicans give Rick Perry frontrunner status in their party’s presidential primary race even as warning signs flash over his ability to win support in the general election."

Warren Shakes Up the Senate Race (Eleanor Clift) from the Daily Beast
"Even in liberal Massachusetts, the consumer advocate's bid to capture Scott Brown’s Senate seat isn't a foregone conclusion. Eleanor Clift on why this race could be a squeaker."
Liberals need to get a reality check here.  Even if she gets the Dem nomination, it is highly unlikely that Warren will win.  Why?  Because, even in a deep recession in a deep blue state, the incumbent Scott Brown (R) is polling remarkably well and he has shown a savvy political sense about when and when not to break with his party in his brief time in office.  In addition, Warren has NEVER run for any political office before.  Her record and statements as an outspoken policy wonk have never been tested -- and neither has her capacity to receive in-coming political fire on the political stump and to effectively shoot back.  I would like her to win.  I wish her luck!  I think she's going to need it.

OMG! PALIN BOOK NUGGET!!
Sarah Palin Snorted Cocaine and Had Affairs with NBA Star and Husband's Business Partner: Sensational Claims in New Book from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Former vice presidential candidate alleged to have snorted cocaine off an oil drum Said to have had night of passion with basketball star. Husband Todd said to have dissolved snowmobile firm after discovering affair with business partner and more."
Normally, I don't post salacious dish-and-tell like this -- but Joe McGinniss's book has SO MUCH!!  However, it should also be noted that the New York Times PANNED this book this morning.


MICROCHIP-YOUR-PET NUGGET!!
Willow, Missing Colorado Cat, Found In New York City Streets from the Associated Press via the Huffinton Post
"A calico cat named Willow, who disappeared from a home near the Rocky Mountains five years ago, was found Wednesday on a Manhattan street and will soon be returned to a family in which two of the three kids and one of the two dogs may remember her."