News Nuggets 266

An award-winning image of a whale coming out of its aerial leap -- from the [Manchester] Guardian

For those of you besides themselves over Joe Lieberman's antics, we have several very good consolation nuggets first up.

What Public Option Supporters Won (Jonathan Cohn) from the New Republic

"Disappointed progressives may be wondering whether their efforts were a waste. They most decidedly were not. The campaign for the public option pushed the entire debate to the left--and, to use a military metaphor, it diverted enemy fire away from the rest of the bill."supporters-won

Health Care's Home Stretch (Kevin Drum) from Mother Jones

"With the public option now out of the healthcare bill, is it still worth passing? ..., I think the answer is pretty firmly yes—and that liberals who now want to pick up their toys and hand reform its sixth defeat in the past century need to wake up and smell the decaf. Politics sucks. It always has. But the bill in front of us—messy, incomplete, and replete with bribes to every interest group imaginable—is still well worth passing."

Deal or Die on Health Care (Paul Starr) from the American Prospect

"None of this, however, affects the central provisions of the legislation, which would extend health coverage to an estimated 33 million of the uninsured, raise standards of protection for millions whose coverage is limited, eliminate some of the most hated abuses of the insurance industry, and create a new system of insurance exchanges that would enable people who buy policies individually or through small groups to get new choices and better prices for coverage."

Why Progressives Are Batshit Crazy to Oppose the Senate Bill (Nate Silver) at FiveThirtyEight.com

"For any "progressive" who is concerned about the inequality of wealth, income and opportunity in America, this bill would be an absolutely monumental achievement."

Predictions of Western Decline are 'Presumtuous' (Editorial) from the China Daily [of the People's Republic of China in English]

No -- this posting does not relate to the health care legislation.

"Should Chinese take pleasure in the economic pain of the West, while rejoicing at the way their country has weathered the global economic crisis? According to Hong Liang of the state-run China Daily, those who now do so are engaged in a self-defeating delusion."

Is Obama Really A Hawk? (Leslie Gelb) from the Daily Beast

"Conservatives have read too much into Obama’s recent comments on the necessity of war. Leslie H. Gelb on the president’s peaceful—and increasingly promising—foreign policy."

Obama's Christian Realism (David Brooks) from the New York Times

"After Vietnam, most liberals moved on. It became unfashionable to talk about evil. ... Barack Obama never bought into these shifts. In the past few weeks, he has revived the Christian realism that undergirded cold war liberal thinking and tried to apply it to a different world."

A Policy Bears Fruit (Jackson Diehl) from the Washington Post

"The verdict on Obama's policy of multilateralism, engagement and circumscribed American ambitions is very much still out. Its proponents have said all along that it would take time to show results. And -- partly because of the administration's own missteps -- the critics have failed to notice that at least some of those results are starting to come in."

Reality Check from Oslo (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post

"The president reminded us why he had seized the imaginations of so many in the first place. The speech was commonly described as a defense of "just war," and it was -- a rigorous, unblinking argument for why violence and the threat of violence can be necessary on behalf of the right and the good. But even more, the speech revived a school of foreign policy thinking that allied realism with idealism."

Disaster and Denial (Paul Krugmen) from the New York Times

Our ON-THE-MONEY pundit for the day!

"Talk to conservatives about the financial crisis and you enter an alternative, bizarro universe in which government bureaucrats, not greedy bankers, caused the meltdown. It’s a universe in which government-sponsored lending agencies triggered the crisis, even though private lenders actually made the vast majority of subprime loans. It’s a universe in which regulators coerced bankers into making loans to unqualified borrowers, even though only one of the top 25 subprime lenders was subject to the regulations in question."

Win or Lose, Hillary Clinton Just Goes from Strength to Strength from the [Manchester] Guardian

"Defeat by Barack Obama was supposed to signal a return to the Senate: instead, Hillary Clinton has become a high-profile secretary of state, and is being tipped for the vice-presidency in 2012 and the White House in 2016."

The Republicans' War Within from the Washington post

"There are large parts of the state where the party is irrelevant," said Allan Hoffenblum, a well-known California political analyst who has been a campaign manager for Republicans in the state. "It's not even a statewide party, really." But few stories better reflect the divisions and disarray among state Republicans than the saga of an obscure Southern California assemblyman."

RECESSION NUGGET!!

I didn't know where else to put this short, strange reflection on the impact of these hard economic times.

"Ain't No Shame in Bein' a Ho" from the Atlantic

"No, what my daughter is doing is using her natural born talents. Her beauty. She's using the tools god gave her. Some at my church might call it immoral. I think it good business sense. Especially these days."

News Nuggets 265

A beautiful sunset in Chicago earlier this week - from Americablog.

A really great speech from Obama in Oslo. Check it out in four parts HERE, HERE, HERE, and finally HERE.

Obama Doctrine Emerges in Oslo Speech (Doyle McManus) from the Los Angeles Times

"The president's speech was about much more than the regrettable necessity of war. It also contained the fullest exposition so far of Obama's evolving approach to global diplomacy, including his attempts at "engagement" with hostile regimes in places such as Iran, North Korea and Sudan -- in other words, the emerging Obama doctrine."

A similar comment on an emerging Obama doctrine can be found HERE at the National Journal

Classic Obama: Obama's Nobel Speech (James Fallows) from the Atlantic

"This was a very good and serious speech, which like many of his major addresses ... will stand re-reading and close inspection, and which shared an obvious intellectual and structural architecture with all his other major addresses."

Of Niebuhr and Nobels: Divining Obama's Theology from Politics Daily

"Niebuhr is a defining influence on the “Obama doctrine” that many say does not exist, but that’s probably because they are looking in the wrong place."

Words That Matter (David Broder) from the Washington Post

Gee whiz! I can't remember the last time Broder made a nugget worth referencing!

"One of the things that sets Barack Obama apart from most politicians is how much can be learned from listening to his speeches. The president is sometimes criticized for the volume of his public appearances, and, in truth, he is out there orating a lot. But we learned in the course of his campaign -- and it was reinforced in this first year of his term -- that it's a mistake to think of these talks as routine. They have no equal in providing insights into the way his mind works and the context that guides his decisions."

Do Conservatives Know What They Are Embracing? (Michael Tomasky) from the [Manchester] Guardian

"I'm surprised and somewhat amused by the conservative laurels being strewn at Obama's feet over the Nobel lecture. It really makes me wonder what they heard. I think I know."

Iran's Conservative Crackup from Foreign Policy Magazine

"A series of political defections and a new poll provesthat Ahmadinejad is losing support among the conservatives who once made up his base."

Iran Signals Interest in Fuel Deal from Politico

"A day after the European Union and Obama White House said they would soon press for sanctions on Iran, the Iranian foreign minister told an international conference that Iran accepts in principle a deal to swap its enriched uranium for fuel rods it can use in nuclear medicine"

The difficulty here, however, is that Iranian officials have almost systematically squandered their credibility over the last two years and in the last six months especially. Obama would be taking a huge risk here taking anything they say on face value. For Obama, raising the bar would seem to be in order.

The Comeback (Jacob Heilbrunn) from the National interest

"If Obama can sign one shortly before or after Christmas, he will experience a bump in the polls. Forget the details of the bill. The media loves a big story and it will be all about the vindication of the president. Another month of lower job losses will also make a big difference in public perceptions of Obama’s performance. In truth, he could be poised for a comeback."

Scoring Obama's Nat'l Security Team from Politico

I wouldn't take this as gospel -- but it is an interesting analysis nonetheless.

"Who would excel in the new administration? Who would feel their influence ebbing and leave? A year later we know some of the answers. "

Obama's Enforcer from Newsweek

"The president's patience with Iran has worn thin. That's where Stuart Levey—rhymes with 'heavy'—comes in."

Jobs Are On the Way! (Daniel Gross) from Newsweek

"Jobs are on the way, and sooner than you think. Not enough to make everybody happy, of course, or to reach anything approaching full employment. But the data suggest that the economy, now growing at a rate above its historical trend, may be creating more jobs than are being lost."

Massive Financial Reform Passes House from the Los Angeles Times

"The bill would give broad new powers to regulators, including the ability to break up firms like AIG and Lehman Bros. whose failure could shake the economy."

In Copenhagan and in US Congress, Obama Plays a 'Cunning Game' (Editorial) from Le Figaro [of France in English]

"Wedged between the disillusioned and the skeptical, the position of the American president seems increasingly difficult to maintain. Yet Obama continues to play his part with 'cunning and determination.'"

Bipartisanship at Last? The Parties Fashion the 2012 Presidential Nominating Process from the VA Center for Politics

"The two parties each have their own commission studying a revamp of the system for next time. They could produce a later starting date, a spread-out primary calendar, and on the Democratic side, a sharp reduction in the number of unelected "superdelegates." (The latter, a variety of party and elected officials, comprised nearly 20 percent of the last Democratic convention and drew criticism as being anti-democratic.) The big news, though, is that for the first time ever, the two parties are working concurrently and are consulting with each other in the process."

Iowa Tea Partiers Eye Palin, Jindal, Pence (Marc Ambinder) from the Atlantic

Jindal -- who raised taxes in Louisiana? Surprising.

"Tea-party support figures to be a hot commodity for Republicans running for president in 2012, and, according to an Iowa tea party organizer, the three leading contenders to win the backing of tea partiers in the first caucus state are Sarah Palin, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (IN)."

BOOK NUGGET!!

What Obama learned from my Book (Gordon Goldstein) from the Daily Beast

This article relates to Goldstein's book "Lessons in Disaster" which Obama insisted that most of his foreign policy folks read in preparing for the troop surge decision.

TOP 100 NUGGET!!

Foreign Policy Magazine's First Annual List of the 100 Top Global Thinkers from Foreign Policy Magazine

A VERY INTERESTING list -- worth the time to read in depth.

"From the brains behind Iran's Green Revolution to the economic Cassandra who actually did have a crystal ball, they had the big ideas that shaped our world in 2009. Read on to see the 100 minds that mattered most in the year that was."

URBAN NUGGET!!

The World's Smartest Cities from Forbes Magazine

"The green-only litmus test dictates cities should emulate either places with less-than-dynamic economies, like Portland, Ore., or Honolulu, or one of the rather homogeneous and staid Scandinavian capitals. In contrast, I have determined my "smartest" cities not only by looking at infrastructure and livability, but also economic fundamentals."

UK ROYALTY NUGGET!!

Prince William to Share Duties: Treasury Document Reveals Secret Plan to Make Him the 'Shadow King' from the [London] Daily Mail

I have to confess I normally couldn't care less what the Windsors are doing on any given day -- but, if true, this story does not speak well of the Queen just as a human being. Moreover, since the days of Victoria it is astonishing to contemplate how much effort the royals have given to raising their children to carry the "burden of kingship" -- only to fail -- at least by their own tyrannical lights (see Edward VII, Edward VIII, and now Charles). I think they'd do better just by picking some random British couple and having them raise their offspring instead. Good God! The Dursleys (of Harry Potter fame) could have done a better job.

"The Queen is to hand over a substantial part of her public duties to Prince William to help him prepare for the day when he becomes King, according to a confidential document obtained by The Mail on Sunday."

News Nuggets 264

A statue of Obama -- at age 10! Where can you find this item?! In his old stomping ground in Jakarta, Indonesia. From the Jakarta Globe -- see the last nugget today. I find this pretty hilarious!

Obama Shrinks the War on Terrorism (Peter Beinart) from Time Magazine

Our ON-THE_MONEY pundit of the day!

"His foreign policy in the greater Middle East amounts to an elaborate effort to peel back eight years of onion in hopes of finding the war on terrorism's lost inner core: the struggle against al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda alone. That's the subtext underlying his new Afghan strategy."

Interview with an Iraqi Translator from the New York Times

"The idea of an Iraqi knowledgeable and passionate about American literature might seem strange to some: Waleed was definitely not your average citizen, true. For me, it was a reminder of the people we cross paths with in this life and often know little about. ... In this case, I was fortunate to get a glimpse of the Iraq I served in through Waleed’s eyes. Here are a few excerpts from our conversation."

Senate Compromise on Health Care Gaining Support from the Huffington Post

"President Barack Obama as well as Democratic liberals and moderates all found something to like Wednesday in an emerging compromise to expand the role of government in the nation's health care system, raising hopes inside the party that passage of overhaul legislation might be within reach after a struggle lasting decades."

A Jaw-Dropping Political Deal (Eric Alterman) from the Daily Beast

"The health-care bill had a list of enemies thicker than Tiger Woods’ little black book. Despite it all, the majority of Americans who favor reform just might get their wish."

Reid Strikes a Good Deal (Editorial) from the Editorial Board of the Boston Globe

"SENATE MAJORITY leader Harry Reid has brokered a workable compromise on health care without sacrificing the basic goals of reform. Any national health law that requires everyone to have insurance must offer a range of affordable policies to choose from."

Howard Dean is Moving toward Reality on Reform and Other Liberals Should, Too (Jill Lawrence) from Politics Daily

"Look to Howard Dean for cues and clues to the fate of health reform. The former Vermont governor, presidential candidate and Democratic Party chairman was adamant last spring that real health reform had to include a government-run public plan. He's now supportive of a Senate compromise that's a long way from where we started, but possibly the only way to get us to the finish line."

EPA is Preparing to Regulate Emissions in Congress's Stead from the Washington Post

EXCELLENT NEWS!! THIS is why it makes a difference who is in the White House! It also showcases that who gets appointed MATTER!

"The Obama administration moved closer Monday to issuing regulations on greenhouse gases, a step that would enable it to limit emissions across the economy even if Congress does not pass climate legislation."

HERE's some commentary on this change from Derrick Z. Jackson of the Boston Globe.

And two views from Europe:

1. They Don't Come Any Greener than Obama from Der Spiegel

"As the curtains open at the global summit in Copenhagen, critics in Europe are calling US President Barack Obama a liar and a traitor in the fight to slow global warming. In truth, though, he's the greenest president America has ever seen."

2. Barack Obama Given Power to Cut Greenhouse Gases from the [London] Daily Telegraph

"Hopes that the US will pass new laws vital to limiting carbon emissions were given a major boost on the opening day of the Copenhagen climate summit."

And a blast from James Fallows at the Atlantic contrasting the NYT and the Washington Post's coverage of climate issues:

Climate 101 (James Fallows) from the Atlantic

"Not to overdramatize, but: in a way the papers are betting their reputations with these articles. The Times, that climate change is simply a matter of science versus ignorance; the Post, that this is best treated as another "-Gate" style flap where it's hard to get to the bottom of the story. While I don't claim to be a climate expert, the overwhelming balance of what I've read convinces me that the Times's approach is right."

Obama Administration Rolls Out Unprecedented Transparency Plan from Huffington Post

"On Tuesday, the Obama administration acted on a promise the president made on his first day in office -- to make government agencies more transparent, participatory and collaborative via an "Open Government Directive." Transparency-in-government advocacy groups hailed the announcement."

Tea Party Conservatives, A Political Surge from the Washington Post

""It's time to take control," conservative activist Eric Odom declares on the Web site of his new political action committee, Liberty First PAC, which will "support fellow patriots looking [to] defend our liberty." Odom, who played a central role in organizing the first tea party protests this spring, says the PAC will not support incumbents of either party."

GO FOR IT, DUDE!!

Limbaugh vs. McConnell: GOP Leader Targeted by Conservative Groups from The Hill

"Rush Limbaugh and conservative interest groups are criticizing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for not putting up a strong enough fight to stop the Democratic healthcare legislation."

"YEAH!! Take him down too while you're at it!

Tea Party Tops GOP on Three-Way Generic Ballot from Rasmussen Reports

Amazing!

"In a three-way Generic Ballot test, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds Democrats attracting 36% of the vote. The Tea Party candidate picks up 23%, and Republicans finish third at 18%. Another 22% are undecided."

Statue of a Young Obama to Watch Over Indonesian Capital from the Jakarta Globe

"A bronze statue of a young Barack Obama is set to stand in the Menteng neighborhood of Central Jakarta where the US president spent part of his childhood."

News Nuggets 263

Example of extreme melting in antarctica -- from the Daily Beast

The Post-Imperial Presidency (Fareed Zakaria) from Newsweek

"He wants a clearer, more discriminating foreign policy, one that pares down the vast commitments and open-ended interventions of the Bush era, perhaps one that is more disciplined even than Bill Clinton's approach to the world. ... But America is in the midst of a war that is not going well, and scaling back now would look like cutting and running. Obama is searching for a post-imperial policy in the midst of an imperial crisis."

How Obama Came to Plan for 'Surge' in Afghanistan from the New York Times

An interesting long-form look at Obama's decision-making

"His advisers say he was haunted by the human toll as he wrestled with what to do about the eight-year-old war. Just a month earlier, he had mentioned to them his visits to wounded soldiers at the Army hospital in Washington. “I don’t want to be going to Walter Reed for another eight years,” he said then."

Can He Inspire America on Afghanistan? (Joe Klein) from Time Magazine

"Obama's leadership of this process was the source of some amazement by those who participated in it. He was all business. Unlike Bill Clinton, he didn't allow the conversations to ramble; unlike George W. Bush, he ran the meetings himself. He asked sharp, Socratic questions of everyone in the Situation Room."

Congressional Research Service Praises Obama's Lobby Reforms from Politico

"This week, congressional researchers concluded that the administration’s crackdown has “already changed the relationship between lobbyists and covered executive branch officials” and suggested that Congress might consider enacting similar restrictions on itself."

Seeing Obama Through Educator's Eyes (Eleanor Clift) from Newsweek

"If it were President Bush standing at the lectern at West Point warning of Qaeda plotting attacks, I would have dismissed it as fearmongering. But I've got to believe that Obama, in going through the methodical review that he did, came to the right conclusion, and he's got my trust, for now."

Eleanor completely recreates my perspective here.

With Ascent to the Presidency, Obama Worthy of Nobel (Editorial) from the Chicago Tribune

"Maybe Obama will persuade the lion and lamb to lie down together. Maybe he won't. Either way, I'll still think he deserved the Nobel. He earned it in record time, the way I figure. The laurels were his from the moment the votes were counted that made him president because it got all of us -- black, white, Americans and people across the world -- over a hurdle that seemed impassable only a few years ago."

Illinois Prison Likely to House Detainees from the Washington Post

"Despite opposition from congressional Republicans, the Obama administration is signaling that a state prison in rural Thomson, Ill., will probably become the new home for scores of terrorism suspects now housed at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."

TWO CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMET PRIMERS!!

1. The Climate Showdown from the Daily Beast

"As the world readies for the global warming summit in Copenhagen, The Daily Beast offers a user’s guide to the players, the deniers’ game plan—and the best place to ride out the melting glaciers."

2. Obama's New Climate Plan (Richard Wolffe) from the Daily Beast

"Could Obama actually return from Copenhagen with a deal? The White House is suddenly feeling a gust of optimism. Richard Wolffe on how he might earn that Nobel Prize after all. Plus, read our user's guide to the state of the climate-change debate."

A Clever Conservative Talking Point (Michael Tomasky) from the [Manchester] Guardian

Our ON-THE-MONEY pundit of the day!!

"The people who started "Conservapedia" did so because they say Wikipedia has a liberal bias. What say you to that, Brother Wales? He says: I think maybe for some people not having a bias is the same as having a liberal bias. As my friend Mary B. likes to say: Egggggg-xactly. This is possibly the greatest con the modern right has pulled."

Cable Guise (Matt Bai) from the New York Times

"The door between politics and television news now isn’t merely revolving; it spins so fast and so continuously that a fair number of people no longer seem to belong neatly on one side or the other. Is Sarah Palin, at this point, a politician, or is she the star of some “frontier family” reality show? In fact, she seems to realize that the changed environment allows her to be both at the same time."

MONKEYS NUGGET!!

Monkeys Recognize Their Pals in Photos from HealthDay News

"Monkeys can recognize photographs of other monkeys they know, proving that they can both detect differences in faces and figure out if they've seen them before, researchers report."

HILARIOUS PET NUGGETS!!

Over at Americablog, they have a wonderful series of interesting and funny pictures of pets.

BIG BOAT NUGGET!!

The latest luxury cruise ship -- bigger than an AIRCRAFT CARRIER!!

The Biggest Ship Ever: Hope Floats from the Atlantic.

"IN NOVEMBER, ROYAL Caribbean will take delivery of a true sea monster. Now in its final phase of construction, the Oasis of the Seas will be the biggest (longest, tallest, widest, heaviest) passenger ship ever built—and the most expensive."

News Nuggets 262

Ah, if looks could kill! This is our latest edition from the "funny kitty" series. One could easily speculate that even this cat KNOWS he looks ridiculous and is not happy about it. From the Huffington Post.

MUST-READ UP-FRONT POLITICAL NUGGET!!

When is Obama Bluffing? (Will Englund) from the National Journal

A lot of this article rings true for me. I have long observed the President's "poker-playing" aspects in almost everything political.

"In his first 10-plus months in office, he has approached the major issues facing his administration and the country with a poker player's sensibility. That doesn't mean that he necessarily has been dealt good hands. It doesn't even mean that he has always played his hands well. He hasn't. What he has done, though, is to make an effort to read his opponents, hold his own cards close, keep a straight face, and wait, calmly, for the winning play."

Finally, Some Very Good Jobs News (David Leonhardt) from the New York Times

"Today’s jobs report is by far the best one since 2007."

Obama Got it Right (Leslie Gelb) from the Daily Beast

"As Obama’s team hits the road to sell his Afghan plan, Leslie H. Gelb argues it beats the alternatives—and Americans have no choice but to rally around it."

For Obama Success is at Hand (Robert Shrum) from The Week

While I hope he's right, he may be a bit premature. We'll see.

"There has been a tendency to credit Barack Obama for the words and to doubt him on the deeds. Across the Media-and-Beltway bio-feedback loop, that doubt has now intensified. Except in this world of instant analysis, of outcomes proclaimed before events unfold, this skepticism would represent an inexplicably premature verdict on a President who is on the verge of overseeing economic revival and the historic achievement of national health reform"

On Obama, Survey Shows Yawning Gap Between Foreign-Policy Elite and General Public from Foreign Policy Magazine

I could have guessed this.

"Are you a fan of Barack Obama's handling of major foreign-policy issues so far? If so, there's a greater chance that you are a member of the Council on Foreign Relations than a member of the general public."

A Show of Resolve (Editorial) from the Editorial Board of the Chicago Tribune

"No speech calling for more troops by the tens of thousands can please much of Obama's political base. But he did offer compelling logic and reassurance to the millions of Americans who have seen the Afghan conflict as an effort adrift, a U.S. loss in the making. His show of resolve Tu"

Obama's Afghanistan Speech: Reactions from the Washington Post

Beginning with Capeheart's column (after Ruth Marcus), check out the interesting range of responses from WaPo's regular string of pundits. Not all agree, but most are interesting.

The Analytic Mode (David Brooks) from the New York Times

Obama ... cloaked himself in what you might call Niebuhrian modesty. His decision to expand the war is the most morally consequential one of his presidency so far, yet as the moral stakes rose, Obama’s emotional temperature cooled to just above freezing. He spoke Tuesday night in the manner of an unwilling volunteer, balancing the arguments within his administration by leading the country deeper in while pointing the way out.

Beijing Broods Over Its Arc of Anxiety (Editorial) from the Asia Times [of Hong Kong in English]

"Beijing will find little cause for joy in United States President Barack Obama's decision to dispatch 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, as outlined in a major policy speech on Tuesday."

Reid's Recipe for Getting Health-Care Reform Done from the Washington Post

"For Reid, success means emerging from the marathon debate with a bill backed by the 60 senators needed for final passage, something he hopes will come to pass as soon as late next week. Democrats' concerns will be addressed in individual amendments, but many others will be crowded into an omnibus "manager's amendment," a package Reid is expected to offer at the end of the process that will include many of the perks and fixes that members of his caucus are requesting."

US Judge Opposes Republicans on Elections (Editorial) from the Editorial Board of the New York Times

"The RNC will not be able to use election tactics that have been linked to suppression of voting by racial minorities without court supervision, a federal judge in New Jersey has ruled."

Leaving the Right (Andrew Sullivan) from the Atlantic

"There has to come a point at which a movement or party so abandons core principles or degenerates into such a rhetorical septic system that you have to take a stand. It seems to me that now is a critical time for more people whose principles lie broadly on the center-right to do so - against the conservative degeneracy in front of us."

Mike Huckabee's Burden (Timothy Egan) from the New York Times

"If this case does not sink the presidential aspirations of Huckabee, a leading Republican candidate, it should. By the standards that Republicans launched almost 20 years ago, Huckabee will be Willie Hortonized. But this case also shows, as with an earlier episode in Arkansas, that Huckabee’s judgment is seriously flawed"

It's Just a Texas-Governor Thing (Robert Draper) from the Sunday New York Times Magazine

"As the ex-president spends his retirement giving speeches and scribbling his now-nearly-completed memoirs in Dallas, his ghost hovers over the Texas governor’s race in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. The George W. Bush who was governor was a consummate “uniter-not-a-divider,” and there remain many Texans who fondly recall that model and blame Perry — a big-business booster and social conservative whom Paul Burka, the respected Texas Monthly political commentator, recently described as being “more about politics and ideology than governing” — for its disappearance. The temperamental basis of Hutchison’s campaign is that, unlike her “arrogant” opponent, she will restore comity to governance"

POLITICAL PROFILE NUGGET!!

After Cheney (James Traub) from the Sunday New York Times Magazine

"Sounding board, sage on foreign policy, twister of senatorial arms: Joe Biden could be the second-most-powerful vice president in history."

ANOTHER POLITICAL PROFILE NUGGET!! (of a sort)

Why Women Can't Let Sarah Palin Go from the Sunday New York Times Magazine

The focus here is more on Palin supporters than Palin herself -- very interesting.

Why Women Can't Let Sarah Palin Go from the Sunday New York Times Magazine

"If life is like high school, then today’s educated, ambitious women, on both sides of the aisle, are the student-council presidents and the members of the debate team — taught that if they work hard and sacrifice something along the way, their smarts will be rewarded."

STOP-THE-WHALING VIDEO NUGGET!!

Japanese Whaling Season Might be Even More Interesting This Year from MSNBC via Americablog

I've been reading about the efforts of the Whaling activist, Paul Watson, and his organization, Sea Shepherd, lately -- one of those groups that actually rams whaling ships to disable them. I'm curious how far these new guys will go with their "bat-mobile" type craft. They certainly look faster than anything Watson is using.

News Nuggets 261

Michelle and Barack at a state dinner for the Indian Prime Minister - from the Huffington Post

Obama's Brilliant First Year (Jacob Wesberg) from Slate

I agree very much with Weisberg here. All the bitching from the left and right come from folks who have no sense of this moment in history and the difference Obama has made and will make before the anniversary date.

"This conventional wisdom about Obama's first year isn't just premature—it's sure to be flipped on its head by the anniversary of his inauguration on Jan. 20. If, as seems increasingly likely, Obama wins passage of a health care reform a bill by that date, he will deliver his first State of the Union address having accomplished more than any other postwar American president at a comparable point in his presidency."

The Obama Surge in Seven Bullet Points (Marc Ambinder) from the Atlantic

A heads-up on what to expect this evening. Check it out!

"Based on published reports, here's the gist of he Afghanistan surge President Obama plans to announce this evening:."

Obama Goes to China from National Interest

"His Republican opposition wants him to be George W. Bush, laying down the law that nobody follows. And his Democratic buddies think they are back in the Clinton period, making believe that we still might run the world. The fact is that the Asia trip was a real success."

This kind of story drives me crazy -- because it so showcases how dysfunctional our media and our politics are these days. "Success" is only success when it looks the way reporters and pundits say it should look.

Why Time is on Obama's Side (Walter Shapiro) from Politics Daily

"Obama comes across as a president confident enough to adopt Republican Senator George Aiken's artful 1966 formula for withdrawal from Vietnam: Declare victory and bring everyone home."

CBO report: Stimulus package saved or created as many as 1.6 million jobs from The Hill

VERY big news -- will it get any play in the MSM? Probably not.

"The nonpartisan CBO said in a legally mandated report that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) had resulted in between 600,000 and 1.6 million jobs for the U.S. economy that wouldn't have existed in the absence of the stimulus."

Cool Cat Obama Must Count on His Nine Lives (Andrew Sullivan) from the Atlantic

"He seems to have little human ego at stake as he fails to get headline-dominating concessions in diplomatic summits. What matters to him appears to be long-term gains and structural shifts — not short-term feelings. Will this sell in troubled America? Do Americans need a more emotive, empathetic figure? ... My own sense is that in many ways the drama and anxieties of the first decade of this century make public anger and fear more politically potent — but also generate a yearning for calm and stability at the centre."

A Crushing Legacy of Bush (Joe Conason) from the New York Observer

"From now on, the headlines about Afghanistan will be slugged “Obama’s War,” and perhaps that is fair enough given the president’s many endorsements of what he has called a war of necessity. It would be much less fair, however, to ignore the events that led us to this moment, when whatever choice he makes will offer no great guarantee of progress and no small prospect of trouble."

North Star: Populism, Politics, and the Power of Sarah Palin (Sam Tenenhaus) from the New Yorker

"This adoration is kept alive today by the excited autograph-seekers in Grand Rapids and Fort Wayne, in the audience that gave Oprah Winfrey her best ratings in two years, and in the various advocacy groups that have sprung up to promote Palin for the Presidency: Conservatives 4 Palin, Team Sarah, Vets 4 Sarah, 2012 Draft Sarah Committee, Sarah Palin Radio, SarahPAC. The true meaning of Palinism is Sarah Palin—nothing more and nothing less. She is a party unto herself"

Huckabee's White House Chances Look Slim to None After Police Slayings from Politics Daily

"You could argue that the former Arkansas governor is a victim of bad luck. You could argue that he’s a victim of his own bad judgment. What’s inarguable is that Huckabee commuted the prison term of a man killed by police after he allegedly shot and killed four police officers Sunday morning in Washington state, and it’s not the first time he has been in this particular spotlight."

The GOP's Suicide Pact (Kathleen Parker) from the Washington Post

"Some people can't stand prosperity, my father used to say. Today, he might be talking about Republicans, who, in the midst of declining support for President Obama's hope-and-change agenda, are considering a "purity" pledge to weed out undesirables from their ever-shrinking party. Just when independents and moderates were considering revisiting the GOP tent."

Today's GOP is Both United and Divided from the Washington Post

"But for all the talk among Republican elected officials about a nascent comeback after gubernatorial victories in Virginia and New Jersey this month, there is also broad frustration among Republican voters about the party's direction, detachment from its congressional representatives and a schism over its priorities."

FUNNY POLLING RESULTS NUGGET!!

Only .125 Percent Of Republicans Say Cheney Best Reflects GOP’s Core Values from The Plum Line for the Washington Post

Well, who cares about polls!? Nominate him in 2012 anyway! GO FOR IT!

"Here’s a data point that makes this fantasy seem even more far-fetched than it did at first glance: Significantly less than one percent of Republicans think Cheney best reflects their party’s core values."

ARCHEOLOGY NUGGET!!

Lost European Culture, Pulled From Obscurity from the New York Times

"Before the glory that was Greece and Rome, even before the first cities of Mesopotamia or temples along the Nile, there lived in the Lower Danube Valley and the Balkan foothills people who were ahead of their time in art, technology and long-distance trade."

GAY MARRIAGE NUGGET!

Gay Adoption (Rod Dreher) from Beliefnet.com (a good place to hear conservative religious commentary that is sane and occasionally reasonable)

"A conservative Catholic friend e-mails this morning with news of a gay couple she knows having adopted an orphan from overseas, and how she supports what they're doing. She says that she accepts the Church's teaching about homosexuality, but considering the life this orphaned child faced in his home country, and knowing her gay friends to be of sterling character, she believes the child ended up in the best possible situation for him. My friend feared that I would be horrified by her support for gay adoption, but in fact I'm pretty much where she is"

It's nice to see that some conservatives can actually change their minds once in a while.