News Nuggets 1404

DAYLEE PICTURE: A Lion's Mane Jellyfish feeding on a Moon Jellyfish in the White Sea. From the Daily Mail of the UK.

UP-FRONT UKRAINE NUGGETS!!
While the West Watches Crimea, Putin Cleans House in Moscow (Julie Ioffe) from the New Republic
An insightful and personal must-read from Ioffe -- it gives one a real sense both of what's going on on the ground in Russia and what it has been like covering this story.
"While the world awaits Sunday’s referendum in Crimea and nervously watches the Russian troops massing on Ukraine’s eastern border, the world is missing that, in Moscow, Vladimir Putin is busily cleaning house. ... Westerners rightly know Russia as a font of absurdity, but lately, it’s been hard to keep up: I’ve been trying to write this post for a solid week now, and have been constantly derailed by the increasingly bizarre and worrying developments coming from the Trans-Eurasian Development Belt. ... This is all about intangibles, the things that reason can't hook, the things impervious to logic and reasoning and even the cynical algebra of geopolitical interests. This is about pride and values and the
Trans-Eurasian Development Belt."

Putin's laying the groundwork for Invading the Rest of the Ukraine: Moscow Uses Death of Protester to Argue for 'Protection' of Ethnic Russians in Ukraine from the Daily Telegraph [of the UK]
"Dmytro Chernyavskiy, a Right-wing anti-Moscow activist, was stabbed to death during clashes in Donetsk that injured 45. ... Russia has seized on the death of a young man during a demonstration in eastern Ukraine to warn it will protect "compatriots" threatened by political instability in its former Soviet neighbour."
The cynicism here is breath-taking.  Putin is going to use the death of an ANTI-RUSSIAN demonstrator to justify an invasion of the rest of Ukraine.  This kind of stuff comes straight out of your standard 1930s fascist playbook.  Now -- make no mistake.  I am not saying that Putin is like Hitler.  I'm saying that Putin is a 1930s-style fascist, probably more in the vein of Mussolini or Franco or the eastern European fascists of the late 1930s.  What ties these together is Putin's hyper-nationalism, ethnic chauvinism, contempt for civil or human rights, and the cynical way he controls and uses the Russian media.  

Who can say what the Ukrainian authorities are planning, but it seems the people of Ukraine don't plan to go quietly:
Recruits Flock to Join Ukraine’s National Guard from euronews.com
"In Kyiv, volunteers have started signing up for Ukraine’s new national guard. It follows a vote in the Ukranian parliament to create a 60,000 strong force to bolster the country’s defenses. Most of the new recruits gathered appeared to be young men in their early twenties. Many said they had no previous military experience. ... Despite Russia saying it has no plans to invade eastern Ukraine, military training is already taking place in case of a potential attack."

With Last Media Critics Blocked, Putin Silences the Russian Press (Andrei Soldatov) from the Daily Beast
"Forget investigative reporting, even critical commentary is now out of bounds as the Kremlin clamps down on Web news sites."

Vladimir Putin, Internet Villain (Leonid Bershidsky) from Bloomberg   
"... countries with high levels of real-life oppression and lots of Internet freedom are most likely to experience revolutions.  Putin and Erdogan are responding in classic authoritarian style: Instead of reducing oppression, they're clamping down on access to the Internet."

Why Putin Will Buckle Under Sanctions (Milton Ezrati) from the Daily Beast 
"Russia may be talking a big game when it comes to Ukraine, but the Kremlin knows full well it can’t afford prolonged economic warfare. ... Whatever Vladimir Putin’s talent at bullying, he cannot hide his country’s fundamental weakness."

In Sanctions Showdown With West, Russia Playing A Weak Hand from Radio Free Europe
"The European Union and the United States are moving with unexpected alacrity in lining up targeted economic sanctions against Russia and even in keeping the prospect of blunt, Iran-style sanctions on the table."
I will believe it when I see it.  The Europeans specialize in talking, talking and more talking ... and, when they will have to endure some real economic pain, NOT acting.  They have outsourced to the US and others SO MUCH of their capacity to apply real leverage to Russia -- even as they have left themselves VERY vulnerable to all kinds of pressures from Russia.  Are EU leaders and the European people generally willing to face a gas shutdown and all that that will entail?  I'm skeptical. 

Banking on Pain for Russia’s Banks from the Global Post
"The circle of Russian bankers and industrialists who’ve carefully protected their interests by keeping on good terms with President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin — the so-called oligarchs — are increasingly nervous that his moves in Crimea will cost them dearly."
Yeah -- we shall see.  This item bookends very nicely with Friday's story from Guardian on how Putin can hurt the EU.   Based on my reading, Putin is way out on the political skinny branches with this Crimean adventure.  For him, this is WAY bigger than some points off of Russia's GDP or some officials' who can't spend their weekends in Paris.  It is increasingly clear that Putin has been preparing for this for years -- and his real agenda is now open for all to see.  For Putin, this is existential -- he'll either win or he and his regime are going down. There is very little wiggle room for him to back off and somehow save face.

Putin's Imperial Ambitions (Michael Bohm) from the Moscow Times
"Putin was always a Bush wannabe. Deep down, he marvelled at Bush's strength and defiance in defending what he believed to be his country's national interests. Although he would never admit it, Putin probably even admired Bush's invasion of Iraq in 2003.  In Putin's mind, the invasion highlights all of the "privileges" of being a modern superpower: dictating terms and conditions to other countries, flaunting your double standards, expanding your country's influence on the global arena, and breaking United Nations resolutions by invading other nations at will — and getting away with it. This is what superpowers do."
Another great legacy of the Bush years.  What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Putin didn't fear Bush's strutting about.  He liked Bush because Bush's actions justified (at least in Putin's own mind) much of the long-term plan he had looking forward.

How The Truth Is Made At Russia Today (Rosie Gray) from BuzzFeed 
“It was my first job and I feel embarrassed and ashamed.” An inside look at what it’s like to work at the Kremlin-funded media outlet. ... The public shake-up and skewed coverage of Ukraine has pulled aside RT’s curtain, exposing the network’s propaganda apparatus, which relies on a number of Western reporters and producers."

Parallels to 1914? What History Teaches Us About the Ukraine Crisis (Christopher Clark) from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"Armed men, believed to be Russian servicemen, march outside a Ukrainian military base in the village of Perevalnoye near the Crimean city of Simferopol. On the 100th anniversary of World War I, it is tempting to compare events in Ukraine to 1914. But the current crisis bears little resemblance to the geopolitical situation of the time. The answers history provides are anything but singular and absolute."

Speaking of 1914:
WORLD WAR I NUGGET!!
Dulce et decorum est: A Fine and Fitting Funeral After 99 Years from the Daily Mail {of the UK]
"The 20 soldiers were killed in the Battle of Loos in September 1915 and their graves were lost for a century.  Their bodies were discovered during building work and have now been re-buried in military cemetery.  Ceremony took place in the town of Loos-en-Gohelle today and the men were given full military honours. The only one to be identified was Private William McAleer, 22, whose descendant attended the burial."

News Nuggets 1403

DAYEE PICTURE: Carnation Tree Coral in the Red Sea.  From the Daily Mail of the UK.

Europe Braces for Kremlin Reprisals Over Ukraine Conflict from the Guardian [of the UK]
"EU officials prepare for sanctions against Moscow if it goes ahead with referendum on Crimea, but fears Russian retaliation may lead to trade war and destabilisation in the Balkans."
This item showcases clearly how tough and problematic it will be for the US and its allies to impose economic sanctions and maintain a united front against Putin -- and yet that IS what there is to do.

White House Braces for Russian Retaliation Over Ukraine (Josh Rogin) from the Daily Beast
"If the U.S. moves to sanction Putin and his pals next week, Moscow will definitely strike back. Inside the Obama administration, officials are gearing up for an economic Cold War."
Look for Putin to target the EU.

Russian Expansion into Eastern Ukraine Could Cost Putin Dearly (Vladislav Inozemtsev) from the Washington Post
"Russia has no economic growth, and its population is declining. It is losing about $70 billion a year in capital flight. Little wonder it is seeking to expand. Yet no matter how successful Putin’s military exercises may look, annexing Ukraine could hasten the end of his empire."
Bottom line: By trying to "take back" a number of the old Soviet republics, Putin is essentially taking onboard a series of economic boat anchors.

Putin’s Interference has Strengthened Ukraine (Adrian Karatnycky) from the Washington Post
"The outcome of Vladimir Putin’s aggression in the Crimean Peninsula is not yet settled, but one thing is clear: He will have few indigenous allies, should he attempt to occupy and split away Ukraine’s
Russian-speaking regions. Instead of stirring pro-Russian sentiments, the actions of his military have advanced national unity among Ukrainian citizens and have led the country’s new leaders to moderate their actions."
"Advanced national unity"?  Perhaps.  But one could say the same about the Palestinians on the West Bank.  One could easily assert that the Israelis have done more than anyone to turn the Arab people who lived in the area of Palestine after World War II into the modern people who have become the "Palestinians".  Do they get some kind of door prize for that?  Putin can quite easily slice and dice up Ukraine and subjugate that region for a LONG time before Ukrainian "national unity" makes any difference.

A related perspective:
Putin Is Forging a New Ukraine—Just Not the One He Wants (John Herbst) from the National Interest
"The great enemy of would-be statesmen is the law of unintended consequences. President Vladimir Putin of Russia, caricatured by friend and foe alike as a master geopolitician, should be discomfited by this law. The man who is trying desperately to make Ukraine a constituent element in the Eurasian Union, is doing nothing other than hastening the formation of a post-Soviet, Ukrainian political identity—an identity that looks West for inspiration."

And the Winner in Ukraine Is...China (Dimitri K. Simes and Paul J. Saunders) from the National Interest
No surprise for regular readers here.  As I noted last week, while the US and the EU are all caught up with Russia's land grab in the Crimea, China can make their own regional hegemonic moves in the Far East. 
"America's reaction to the Crimea crisis risks reducing flexibility on a paramount priority."

Fear of Wages (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"Suddenly, it seems as if all the serious people are telling each other that despite high unemployment there’s hardly any “slack” in labor markets — as evidenced by a supposed surge in wages — and that the Federal Reserve needs to start raising interest rates very soon to head off the danger of inflation."

Poll: Only Republicans and Conservatives say Obamacare is ‘Too Liberal’ (Greg Sargent) from the Washington Post
It's ABOUT TIME someone polled on this issue in the way it's been done here!!
"Today’s CNN poll finds that 39 percent of Americans favor Obamacare, while 57 percent oppose it. That’s awful, right? But it turns out only 39 percent oppose the law because it’s “too liberal,” while 12 percent say it “isn’t liberal enough.” That’s a total of 51 percent who favor the law or don’t think it goes far enough."

Canadian Doctor Makes Anti-Obamacare Senator Look Like a Buffoon (Elias Isquith) from Salon
"Dr. Danielle Martin, V.P. at Toronto's Women's College Hospital, easily refutes a GOPer's uninformed talking points."

Barack Obama Cracks Down on For-Profit Colleges from Politico
It is ABOUT TIME!!
"The Obama administration on Friday took an aggressive step to crack down on for-profit career training colleges, proposing a regulatory regimen that could shut down hundreds of degree programs — enrolling a million students in fields ranging from accounting to air-conditioning repair — for failing to place graduates in well-paying jobs."

A Carter Could Turn Georgia Blue (Patricia Murphy) from the Daily Beast 
"Dramatic population shifts put Georgia on the path to joining North Carolina and Virginia in the electoral toss-up column. Jason Carter, Jimmy’s grandson, wants to lead the way."

How GOP Wins In 2014 Could Set Up 'Rude Awakening' In 2016 (Jon Ward) from the Huffington Post
"The tea party wave of 2010, Beach said, "was great for Republicans, [but] it was the worst thing that ever happened to our profession because it just reinforced bad habits." ... As a result, Republican consultants and operatives did not focus on the tech advances that were being made in politics."

ANCIENT DOLPHIN NUGGET!!
Newly Discovered Species of Ancient Porpoise had an Enormous Chin to Pick up Food on Sea Floor from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Related to living crown porpoises, the extinct Californian porpoise, Semirostrum ceruttii, had an extension of its jaw called a symphysis.  The growth was 33in (85cm) long and probed the sea bed.  Scans reveal nerve canals leading from symphysis to rear of skull, indicating that the protuberance was highly sensitive."

WORLD WAR I NUGGET!!
Captured 100 Years Ago, These Aerial Images Show the Horrifying Scale of the Trenches During WWI from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Photographs were collected by Sergeant Alex Statters in a scrapbook which is now going up for auction."
Wow!! These images are incredible!  I'm actually somewhat stumped on how they did them -- because, as the story recounts, this was back in the day when subjects had to stand still for a few moments to get a clear image from the b&w cameras.  Below is an image of a section of trench works in France.  Astounding!  For my class on World War I, I could do an entire lecture just on this image alone.

News Nuggets 1402

DAYLEE PICTURE:  An Amazonian Royal Flycatcher in the Amazon Basin.  From National Geographic.

Merkel: Russia Risks Huge Consequences In Ukraine from the Huffington Post 
"German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that Russia risks "massive" political and economic consequences if Moscow does not enter into "negotiations that achieve results" over the situation in Ukraine. ... But, she said, the European Union and other western nations would soon freeze bank accounts and implement travel restrictions if Russia refused to enter "negotiations that achieve results and aren't just a play for time.""

For Putin, a Possible Pyrrhic Victory (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
"You hear two strains of opinion about Putin from administration officials and other foreign policy analysts. For simplicity’s sake, let’s summarize these two views as “Putin is strong” and “Putin is weak.” ... The alternative view of a weak Putin begins with the fundamentals: Russia is in political, economic and social decline. ... The world simply isn’t moving Russia’s way."

All Hail Shale (Keith Johnson) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"As Putin's army masses in the East, Europe starts to rethink its opposition to fracking."

Extra Pay for Extra Work from the Editorial Board of the New York Times 
"President Obama’s call for new overtime rules could mean a raise for millions of workers."

Senate Reaches Deal to Extend Jobless Benefits (Paul Kane) from the Washington Post
"Breakthrough would renew federal unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless, allowing for retroactive payments to go to millions of Americans who fell off the program at its December expiration."

Brooks and the Costs of Bad Leadership (Daniel Larison) form the American Conservative
"After watching nearly thirteen years of desultory foreign wars, Americans may have reasonably concluded that their leaders have been both too ready to rely on military force as their preferred option while being far too confused about how the military should be properly used. If Americans are now much less willing to be “summoned” by their leaders, it is because they have been so badly and irresponsibly led for so many years."

This column follows on this earlier spot-on analysis from Larison: 
The Uses and Abuses of Reagan (Daniel Larison) from the American Conservative
"... Gerson is abusing Reagan’s reputation to vindicate the shabby and discredited record of George W. Bush. Reagan’s “internationalism, moralism and strategic aggressiveness” have not been out of favor. Bush’s disastrous abuse of American power, his ignorance about the rest of the world, his contempt for allies that refused to participate in his foolish and ruinous plans, and his reckless and self-destructive behavior are out of favor. The two really have nothing in common...  In the end, that is what hawks have to offer right now: a distorted, reductionist idea of “what Reagan would do” and a dangerous, confrontational approach to relations with other major powers that Reagan didn’t always follow when he was in office."

Wells Fargo Made Up on-Demand Foreclosure Papers Plan: Court Filing Charges from the New York Post
"Wells Fargo, the nation's biggest mortgage servicer, appears to have set up detailed internal procedures to fabricate foreclosure papers on demand, according to allegations in papers filed Tuesday in a New York federal court."

Hillary Soars Over GOP Hopefuls in Iowa Poll as Christie's Crash Gets Worse (Jed Lewison) from Daily Kos
"Christie's problems aren't limited to Iowa, but this was something of a surprise: His favorability rating is upside down among Republicans nationally in the latest WSJ/NBC poll. 23 percent rate him positively and 29 percent negatively, a net drop of 18 points from January."
My observation on these poll results: It is interesting to note that the two establishment/moderate candidates (Christie and Jeb Bush) have lost ground since December while the two wingnuts (Cruz and Paul) have gained slightly.  Not a good portent for the establishmentarians out there who (in my view rightly) think that the likes of Paul and Cruz as nominees would be a complete disaster.

Some evidence:
Dreaming of 'President Ted Cruz' will Turn into a Nightmare for the GOP (Noemie Emery) from the Washington Examiner
"No one followed the Cruz playbook more than Goldwater, and no one has managed to lose so conclusively. He offered a choice, not an echo, and nobody took it. But how, if Cruz is so right, could this have happened? It can’t, which is why it is never brought up in this context. In his world, it doesn’t exist."

Easy to be 'Misunderstood' When You Cite 'Experts' Who Say Blacks Are Inferior to Whites (Josh Marshall) from Talking Points Memo
"It is true that even for those operating in good faith the topic of entrenched poverty in socially and economically isolated urban areas can be treacherous to navigate. ... But Ryan can't get any pass because he simply doesn't fit into this group of people operating in anything like good faith."
In a broader sense, I think Marshall is on to something here.  It links back to Rush Limbaugh's justification for why he "knew" Clarence Thomas was telling the truth and that Anita Hill was lying -- even though he knew almost nothing about Thomas's background.  In his inarticulate, incendiary way, what Rush was saying is that liberals NEVER operate from anything like good faith.  I know many liberals, progressive lawmakers, and left-leaning pundits (and even myself sometimes) come from the same place in their criticisms of folks on the right.  It is simply assumed that rightwing talking heads are not operating in anything like good faith.  Marshall's commentary eloquently lays out why Ryan is underserving of any consideration on this front -- but BOY does it make it hard to govern when both sides take on the same blanket assumption about virtually all their adversaries.  It is one of the reason why pundits such as David Frum, David Brooks, Kathleen Parker, and a handful of others stand out for me -- their opinions (even many I disagree with) are reached through a good-faith inquiry and not simply reflexive ideological game-playing for the sake of the current 24-hour news cycle.

News Nuggets 1401

DAYLEE PICTURE: A Peacock Spider in Australia.  From the Daily Mail of the UK.

UP-FRONT NEO-CONN NUGGET!!
As Though Iraq Never Happened: The Short Memory of Condoleezza Rice (Ta-Nahisi Coates) from the Atlantic
"War-mongering is self-justifying. If you bungle a war in Iraq, it does not mean you need to sit back and reflect on the bungling. It means you should make more war, lest Iraq become a base for your enemies. ...  If there are no terrorist attacks on American soil, then drones must be right and our security state must be effective. If there are attacks, then our security state must increase its surveillance, and more bombs should be dropped. Violence begets violence. Peace begets violence. The circle continues."

Russia's Crimean Invasion Is the Beginning of War in Ukraine (Maria Snegovaya) from the New Republic
A very nuanced, concise examination of what motivates Putin and his regime and how the US should respond.
"Such escalation is unlikely to be peaceful. Putin lives in another world and fails to realize that Russia is far less welcome on the Ukrainian mainland than in Crimea. ... if Kremlin aggression continues into the mainland, the anti-Russian Ukrainians are likely to counteract. In other words: war. ... The best deterrent would be severe, Iran-style sanctions against Russia’s state-owned corporations, combined with a concerted Western effort to decrease oil prices. Similar economic sanctions imposed on Iran proved very effective, and will likely keep Putin's thuggish, imperialistic ambitions in check."

Google Takes Steps to Evade China Censors (Craig Timberg and Jia Lynn Yang) from the Washington Post
"New encryption means searches will appear scrambled to the censors who maintain the system commonly known as China’s Great Firewall."
THIS is how the US and US tech companies should respond to China and Russia and their regional adventurism: use technology to break down the fragile (but essential) information bubbles these governments have been able to keep in place!

Court Bars Anti-fracking Activist from more than 300 Square Miles of Pa. from State Impact PA
"A judge has signed off on an order which bars an anti-fracking activist from setting foot on more than 300 square miles–or nearly 40 percent–of Susquehanna county. It’s all the land owned or leased by the area’s biggest driller, Cabot Oil and Gas. Although Cabot asked for the court order, a spokesman for the company says it didn’t mean for it to be so broad."
A case study in how to make the first amendment meaningless.  What next?  Yes, you can protest -- in some other state?

Map: East Coast Brains Are Healthiest (Julie Beck) from the Atlantic 
Yes -- and Appalachian/Mississippi River states are the unhealthiest in ALL categories! Check out this interactive map.
"America's Brain Health Index ranks the states on diet, social well-being, and physical and mental health—four factors that contribute to overall brain health."

Five Reasons Same-Sex Marriage Is Sweeping the Nation (Nico Lang) from Rolling Stone Magazine
"Here's why even Texas, Oklahoma and Utah are joining the march toward marriage equality."

New York Homeless Shelters Housing Record-High 53,000 People per Night from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Annual report from Coalition for the Homeless paints bleak picture but expresses hope for new De Blasio administration."

Conservative Bigots Whine About Being Social Pariahs (Markos Moulitsas) from Daily Kos
"... the problem for the whiners really isn't that they can't wave their bigotry in public without repercussions. It's that they're a rapidly shrinking minority, whining themselves into extinction as society passes them by."

How Democrats Can Compete for the White Working Class (Thomas B. Edsall) from the New York Times
"The Republican tilt in the South has made the task seem more impossible than it is."

Labor Gains in Washington Amid Falling Union Membership (Laura Litvan) from Bloomberg
"After snubbing the 2012 Democratic National Convention, labor leaders are this year pledging a flood of cash and volunteers for the party’s U.S. Senate candidates -- and getting plenty in return."

8 Disturbing Trends that Reveal the South’s Battered Psyche (Steven Rosenfeld) from Salon
"Statistics show Southern states have the lowest economic mobility in the country. ... So what is it that perpetuates decades of poverty in the Deep South? What follows are eight bundles of statistics tracking this latest cycle of poverty. ... Look at what the following statistics reveal about red-staters trapped in deep cycles of poverty. What is the thread that connects lousy governance, bad health, evangelical religion and firearms fervor?"

The (Not Very) Quiet Campaign for Hillary Clinton (Mark Halperin) from Time Magazine
"The other boost for Ready for Hillary has come from Obama's political machine. Inside Obama world, the battle scars of the 2008 nomination fight have faded, and there is widespread excitement about a Clinton candidacy; her service in the Administration has made her the clear, if unofficial, legatee."

PUNDIT PROFILE NUGGET [from February]!!
Here, Let Ezra Explain (Benjamin Wallace) from New York Magazine
"What is D.C.’s most famous young policy wonk doing leaving the Washington Post? Trying to start a news organization he thinks could one day eclipse it."

HOPE-FOR-PAWS UPDATE
Eldad and a Great Foster Dad Helped Save this Dog from a One-Way Trip in the Animal Shelter.

News Nuggets 1400

DAYLEE PICTURE: A bus streaking across the Payunia Volcano in Argentina.  From National Geographic.

UP-FRONT PEW RESEARCH NUGGET!!
‘The Next America: Boomers, Millennials, And The Looming Generational Showdown’ (Paul Taylor) from the Pew Research Center
See my conversation below on Millennials.
"Today the Weekend Reader brings you The Next America: Boomers, Millennials, and the Looming Generational Showdown by The Pew Research Center’s executive vice president, Paul Taylor. Taylor, with the help of Pew Research, dives into the growing generational gap between Millennials and Boomers and the new phenomenon of young, educated Millennials returning home to live with their Boomer parents due to the struggling economy. Taylor illustrates precisely how American demographics have drastically changed from several decades ago and have reformed into four generational categories: Millennials, Gen X’ers, Baby Boomers, and The Silent Generation. The data presented in The Next America is optimistic — it proves that the U.S. can support the aging population without driving younger generations into bankruptcy."

Obama’s All Eisenhower On Russia (Robert Shrum) from the Daily Beast 
"Like Ike before him, Obama’s non-moves against Russia are the right moves."

Post-Imperial Blues (Robert A. Manning, James Clad) from the National Interest
While I would quibble with some of these authors' opening jibes, I think they provide a very good, nuanced repost to the neo-con critics of Obama's FP.
"... you may not be interested in geopolitics, but as Putin’s old-school tactics reveal with a vengeance, geopolitics is interested in you. ... In this environment, the US needs clear strategic priorities rooted in knowledge about where our leverage lies, and where it doesn’t. Selective engagement based on priorities must accompany the global diffusion of power. It is not hugely satisfying, but such an approach reflects current global dynamics."

Why Today's Americans Aren't War Hawks (Conor Friedersdorf) from the Atlantic
Friedersdorf is SO spot-on with this critique of David Brooks and other reflexive unrepentant neo-cons!
"There's been a backlash against foreign interventionism—but David Brooks and others just don't get it. ... Brooks hypothesizes. "They have lost faith in the idea that American political and military institutions can do much to shape the world. American opinion is marked by an amazing sense of limitation—that there are severe restrictions on what political and military efforts can do." Wait. What on earth is "amazing" about that?"

The Secret Pope Francis Haters (Barbie Latza Nadeau) from the Daily Beast 
"On the one year anniversary of the pope’s election, Francis is the darling of the globe—but he does have his critics from liberals and reformers to hard-core Catholics."

The Christianist Closet? (Andrew Sullivan) from The Dish
"The victimology that was born on the left is now alive and whining on the right. It’s a self-defeating position and a thoroughly unattractive one. In the end, one begins to wonder about the strength of these people’s religious convictions if they are so afraid to voice them, and need the state to reinforce them. Which is one more reason why the decline of Christianism makes the rebirth of Christianity a more exciting prospect."

The Best Of The Dish Today (Andrew Sullivan) from The Dish
"Five years in, we have enough data – so reading through the Economic Report from the Council of Economic Advisers is therefore a helpful exercise. And it seems to me to be a rather impressive record – and utterly alien from the picture of gloom and dysfunction the Republicans are currently concocting."

The Demographic Underpinnings Behind America's Blue Shift, Illustrated with Interactive Maps (David Jarman) from Daily Kos 
"...  it would show that the places that had tremendous growth in non-white residents or college-educated residents would be the same places that showed tremendous growth in Democratic votes. Did it? The short answer is, yes, of course it did—although much more noticeably so with race than it did with education."

George Bush Lost an Entire Generation for the Republican Party (Kevin Drum) from Mother Jones Magazine
"Whatever it was that Karl Rove and George Bush did—and there are plenty of possibilities, ranging from Iraq to gays to religion—they massively alienated an entire generation of voters. Sure, they managed to squeak out a couple of presidential victories, but they did it at the cost of losing millions of voters who will probably never fully return. This chart is their legacy in a nutshell."
Y'know -- there are fewer harsher critics of W's administration than yours truly.  And yet I don't share Drum's placement of blame for the generational divide that has shown up in these charts.  Rather I think the split began much earlier when the Millennials were growing up in the 1990s and observed the GOP and the right wing media just go off the cliff on the emerging issue set that has been of central concern to this new generation: the environment, sexual orientation, and diversity (among other things).  While Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert had loads of fun at W's expense, the most hilarious moments have come at the expense of the Congressional or state lawmaker wingnut-of-the-week eruptions that have made the GOP the laughing stock for most Millennials.  Bush's antics were bad and (in my view) deeply incompetent.  But he did not plant his flag on some anti-environment, anti-immigrant, or anti-diversity hill and go on prolonged harangues against these issues.  No -- it was his allies in Congress and in Republican state houses across the country that have been the most prolific fonts of off-putting rhetoric and simple stupidity.  I also think that there is another dimension for Millennials that transcends specific issues: process.  From their earliest days in pre-k, this generation has deeply imbibed from the wellsprings of collaborative learning, conflict resolution, and consensus-driven decision-making.  More than any religious faith or political ideology, this generation believes to its core in those tenants.  When it comes to gay-bashing, anti-immigrant nativism, or global warming denialism, this is virtually a zero-tolerance generation!  Every day young people now can see  some Republican or rightwing talking head not only indulge in some rhetorical excess in these areas, they do so in ways (again the process) that are divisive, my-way-or-the-highway flings of temper or narrow faith-based, gun-toting dogma-driven excursions into some alternate reality, one that Millennials have no little or no connection to whatsoever.  In my view, even as the Tea Party crowd insist on unwavering adherence to their agenda,  Millennials look in vain for signs of flexibility, compromise, or a willingness to work across religious, ethnic, or ideological lines.  Beyond the immediate issues noted above, you start to throw in issues such as taxes, war, and health care, items which have not been at the top of the list of Millennial hot topics, the younger generation still sees the GOP and their grassroots enablers violating the same principles of process that they have been raised on.  It has been both issues AND process that have sent this generation screaming from the GOP's never-so-big tent!

Some evidence:
Young Republicans Find Fault With Elders on List of Social Issues from the New York Times
"Younger conservatives are more firmly staking out a libertarian orientation on social issues in a way that will shape the 2016 presidential primary as candidates seek to appeal to activists who are in the party because of social issues and to younger voters who see some aspects of cultural conservatism as intolerant."

Republicans Keep Lying to Their Base, and It's Preventing Them From Governing (Danny Vinik) form the New Republic
"... lately Republican delusions about policy have hobbled somebody else: Members of their own party trying to show that, yes, the GOP can govern responsibly."

2014 May Be White Enough For The GOP — But What Comes Next? (Henry Decker) from the National Memo
"Overshadowed amid Sarah Palin’s unique interpretation of Dr. Seuss, Wayne LaPierre’s overheated vision of America’s apocalyptic decline, and all of the other craziness at the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference, Republican pollster Whit Ayres gave a fact-based presentation to the gathering of right-wing activists. What he said should terrify the GOP. ... If the party doesn’t change something — Ayres suggests immigration reform as a good place to start — it will cease to be viable in national elections."

7 People Who Prove The Clinton Gang Is Officially Back Together For 2016 from Talking Points Memo
"Last Thursday, four Clinton veterans gathered in Washington, D.C., and gave their voice to the Hillary 2016 movement, another one of the innumerable tea leaves that those with close ties to Clintonland -- who therefore presumably have some idea about what the presumptive candidate herself is thinking -- are jumping onboard. At this point, one would be stretched to find evidence that the Clinton gang isn't getting back together for a 2016 White House run."

Hillary is Sick. Of the Media (Roger Simon) from Politico
And you'll be sick as well when you hear the range of long-dead Clinton "scandals" being reheated -- alongside a set of new ones being cooked up for 2016.
"If you are not familiar with the lurid particulars of the past claims about the Clintons, just wait. As 2016 draws closer, the right wing will provide a refresher course for you. ...  In modern American journalism, if you haven’t gone too far, you haven’t gone far enough. If you don’t post the story and get the clicks, someone else will. To step back from crossing the line is to admit that such a line exists."

News Nuggets 1399

DAYLEE PICTURE: Rimu trees in Te Wahlpounamu Park in New Zealand.  From National Geographic.

Obama's Not Carter -- He's Eisenhower (James Traub) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"And he's prepared to let Putin win the battle, knowing that the West will win the war. ... Eisenhower understood that bullies often cannot be deterred without threatening a response that would be catastrophic for one and all. This is especially the case when the aggressor cares much more about the victim than we do."

Russia Has Already Lost the War (Chrystia Freeland) from the New York Times
"... the new revolution is enjoying a prolonged honeymoon, thanks to Mr. Putin, whose intervention in Ukrainian foreign and trade policy provoked the uprising in the first place, and whose invasion has, paradoxically, increased its chance of long-term success."

Obama's Leverage Over Putin: This president has more nonmilitary options than his predecessors had for responding to Moscow's aggression (George Condon Jr.) from National Journal
"President Obama is not the first American president to be confronted by provocations and military actions from Moscow. All 12 presidents since World War II have faced such challenges. But Obama is one of the first to have a broad range of potentially biting nonmilitary responses to employ—a measure of how much Russia has been integrated into the world's financial system since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War."

Why Russia Can’t Afford Another Cold War (James Stewart) from the New York Times
"Under the autocratic grip of President Vladimir Putin, Russia may be a democracy in name only, but the gyrations of the Moscow stock exchange provided a minute-by-minute referendum on his military and diplomatic actions."
I'm actually quite skeptical of Stewart's larger argument here.  For all his years in power, Putin has shown no meaningful interest in Russia's economy -- why should there be any change now?  Moreover, if you look at what has been motivating Putin's actions lately, those motives involve visceral emotions: grievance, humiliation, payback, rage.  In the face of these kind of primal feelings, the stock market can go screw itself.

Crimea: Putin vs. Reality (Timothy Snyder) from the New York Review of Books
"Propaganda is thus not a flawed description, but a script for action. If we consider Putin’s propaganda in these Soviet terms, we see that the invasion of Crimea was not a reaction to an actual threat, but rather an attempt to activate a threat so that violence would erupt that would change the world."

Putin’s Golden Dilemma (Amy Knight) from the New York Review of Books  
"As Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gnap observed recently in the Russian paper Novaya gazeta: “When in power, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to make billions in government business.” Such revelations are doubtless a source of unease for Putin and his associates, who have long faced similar allegations by their Russian critics. ... he example of Ukraine could rouse Russian citizens out of their passivity, especially if the Ukrainian crisis causes the value of the ruble to continue its decline and the Russian economy starts to founder, as many economists are now predicting."

Why the Cold War isn’t back (Todd Purdum) from Politico
"Already the Russian stock market and currency have tumbled. Administration officials believe that Putin’s move – in response to the ouster of Ukraine’s pro-Russian leader – was fundamentally defensive, not offensive, and that the “clash of titans” trope in the American media is mostly hype."

Ukraine Is Not About Us and It's Not Ours to Lose (Robert Golan-Vilella) from the National Interest
"Underlying all of this is one of the most common errors in U.S. commentary on international relations: the casual assumption that everything that happens anywhere in the world is ultimately about America, and that when anything bad happens anywhere, someone in Washington must ultimately be to blame."

Putin's Pique (David Remnick) from the New Yorker
"Putin is an unabashed authoritarian. He masks the Pharaonic enrichment of his political circle by projecting an austere image of shrewd bluster and manly bravado. He is also the sum of his resentments."

The Black Box of China’s Military (Isaac Stone Fish) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Beijing is spending hundreds of billions of dollars on defense, but no one quite knows what they're up to."

A Growing Crisis in Post-Chavez Venezuela (Patrick Christy) from Real Clear World
"Since nationwide demonstrations began a month ago, clashes between Venezuelan security forces and protestors have resulted so far in at least 18 deaths and over 250 injuries. Chavez's socialist experiment has left Venezuela's economy and society in shambles."

Millennial Paradoxes (Ed Kilgore) from the Democratic Strategist
"Aside from the fact that Millennials are for obvious reasons less inclined to worry about health coverage than older cohorts, this finding suggests that Millennials may be disproportionately represented in the ranks of those who object to Obamacare from the left."

Court Orders Kansas Legislature to Spend More on Schools from the New York Times
"Kansas’s highest court ruled on Friday that funding disparities between school districts violated the state Constitution, and ordered the Legislature to spend more than $125 million to bridge the gap, setting the stage for a messy budget battle in the Capitol this year. ... the unanimous court decision Friday would seem to leave some Republican lawmakers in Kansas unsettled because it orders them, by July 1, to appropriate tens of millions of dollars in payments to poorer districts to make the school system more equitable."

Lessons of the Week from Texas to CPAC (Erick Erickson) from Redstate.com  
"Even the old conservatives are ready to move on from the old faces, but the old faces are bitterly clinging to the levers of power. It is pronounced in the hallways when the crowd stops to chat. It is pronounced in the applause lines. It is in the quiet hum of the older, longer time attendees and the buzz of the young. They have grown tired of the old guard."

Is the Republican Party in Danger of Dying Out? (Taegan Goddard) from The Week 
"A new Pew Research survey finds a demographic trend in the United States that threatens to push the Republican Party into permanent minority status unless it changes quickly."

The GOP's Identity Crisis (Paul J. Saunders) from the National Interest 
"... if the two groups continue to fight rather than merging, time favors the Republican establishment. Eventually, Tea Party groups will need not only rhetoric but also practical accomplishments to maintain the support of their donors and voters, and they will need them even more so if they hope to win sufficient power to determine or heavily influence the Republican Party’s agenda, strategy and tactics over time."

At CPAC, Slim Pickings in ‘Minority Outreach’ (Jamelle Bouie) from the Daily Beast
"For all the urgency in the 2012 post-mortem’s directive to reach out to minority voters, the GOP’s vanguard still isn’t offering them anything new—not that anyone’s listening anyway."

At CPAC, a Grand Old Free-for-All (Dana Milbank) from the Washington Post 
"The notion of “civil war,” often used to describe the clash between the Republican establishment and the tea party, implies a conflict with identifiable sides. In reality, the GOP condition is more of a
free-for-all. The annual CPAC gathering, conservatism’s trade show, provides a snapshot of the anarchy:..."

Rand Paul Cruises to Victory in CPAC Straw Poll (Scott Conroy) from Real Clear Politics
"A likely 2016 White House contender, Paul's 31 percent was nearly three times as much support as the next nearest vote getter, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz with 11 percent."

Clinton Super PAC ‘Ready For Hillary’ Gets Readier (Mark Halperin) from Time Magazine
"Hillary Clinton's shadow presidential campaign is shifting into overdrive with the Super PAC's website getting a makeover, complete with two elements that symbolize how her backers are borrowing as much as they can from the Obama campaigns."

Jeb Bush vs. Hillary Clinton in 2016? (Taegan Goddard) from The Week 
"When asked about Clinton, 25 percent of all Americans — Democrats, Republicans, and Independents — say they definitely would support Clinton if she made a White House bid, while 32 percent said they definitely wouldn’t support her. However, when asked about Bush, just 6 percent said they would back him, while a stunning 48 percent said they wouldn’t support him under any circumstances."
WOW.  These are VERY sobering numbers for moderate GOPers still looking for a serious standard bearer for '16.  As regular readers know, barring a complete Clinton campaign meltdown, I don't see any GOP candidate out there who stands a snowball's chance against the Dems.  Jeb was the only exception I could see, someone who could seriously challenge the Clintons.  If these numbers hold up (and I'm slightly skeptical of them), a third time for the Bush family may NOT be the charm!

The Sociopathic 1 Percent: The Driving Force at the Heart of the Tea Party (Paul Rosenberg) from Salon
"In their warped view of society, only the individual exists -- with no social relations, shared history and culture."

Wingnuts Baffled by Inequality: Why They’re Totally Confused about How to Talk About It (Elias Isquith) from Salon
"From decrying the problem to praising it to ignoring it, the right is totally lost on how to talk to the 99 percent."

Newsmax CEO Wants To Combat Fox News With Conservative Cable Channel from Talking Points Memo
"A Bloomberg Businessweek profile published Thursday revealed Newsmax.com founder and CEO Christopher Ruddy's plans to expand beyond his highly-trafficked website and influential magazine into television with a 24-hour cable news channel called NewsmaxTV -- described as a "kinder, gentler Fox" -- launching as early as June."

INTERNET NUGGET!!
How to DISAPPEAR from the internet: Nine-step guide helps people vanish without a trace and then surf anonymously from the Daily Mail [of the UK] 
"Hosting firm created a graphic explaining how to disappear from the web.  The nine steps include deactivating accounts and setting up fake profiles.

LGBT HISTORY NUGGET!!
Out, and Serving from the New York Times
"Images and interviews attest to the struggles and triumphs, the dignities and indignities, of gay and lesbian service members."

News Nuggets 1398

DAYEE PICTURE: Kimbe Bay on the coast of New Britain, Papua, New Guinea.  From National Geographic.

Why is Ukraine’s Economy in Such a Mess? from the Economist [of London] 
"The economic turmoil reflects recent political instability. But Ukraine’s economic problems were long in the making. Dodgy economic policy, distaste for reform and endemic corruption have brought the country to its knees. In the immediate post-Soviet era Ukraine was a massively unproductive economy."

Ukraine Crisis: Russia's Neighbors Boost Defenses As Crimea Conflict Deepens from Reuters
"U.S. fighter jets go to Lithuania as the crisis in Ukraine deepens. Poland talks about modernising its military. Latvia calls for more defence spending. Traditionally neutral Sweden calls for a "doctrinal shift" in defence. After a sense of playing second fiddle for years while NATO's eyes were on wars such as Afghanistan, some European countries near Russia's borders are now planning to spend more money on defence as well as hoping for more NATO resources ."
These conversations are so long overdue, I can't help but worry that they are too little-too late.  Look for Putin to strong-arm central and western European powers to shut up and back off.  With his hand on the natural gas spigot to Europe and as the major investors in recent Russian development, Europeans have A LOT to lose and very little leverage on their side.

The Age-Old Connection Between Russia and Ukraine is Over (Vitaly Portnikov) from the New Republic
"Of course, this is painful, this is unpleasant, this is irritating. But for us there is no longer any Russia of any kind. There is only an occupier, treacherous and mindless."

10 Lies? Russians Fire Back (Ellen Barry) from the New York Times
"Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not amused by the unorthodox statement from the State Department under the title “President Putin’s Fiction: 10 False Claims About Ukraine,” which rebutted a series of assertions by the Russian president in the eye-catching format of a top-10 list."

Ukraine Fights for Its Truth (Roger Cohen) from the New York Times 
"For nations like Ukraine, Europe is escape from the torment of their history. ... Now the spread eastward of NATO and the European Union — the greatest of post-Cold-War achievements — has allowed the Baltic states to begin disentangling truth from lies in the carnage of their histories. That is what westward-gazing Ukrainians are fighting for at the most basic level: truth over lies."

Munich's Lessons for the Ukraine Crisis (Peter Harris) from the National Interest
"Whether or not White House officials themselves see any prescriptive merit in the lessons of Munich, the administration undoubtedly will be keen to avoid criticism that the president is an appeaser—an allegation levelled with gusto by Obama’s detractors ... . Yet a thorough consideration of what transpired at Munich offers a more subtle lesson for those who seek to preserve peace and stability than just a dictum against appeasement."
Harris's general point is well-taken -- although his proscriptions and details I think are off base and/or will make little or no difference.

The Best Defense: The Future of War (Thomas Ricks) from Foreign Policy Magazine
" Why would our future-future enemy face us on equal terms when we're apparently very vulnerable to asymmetrical, low-tech attack? There's already compelling evidence that the Chinese are developing heavy-duty low-tech cruise missiles designed to sink American naval vessels, from cruisers to aircraft carriers, and sophisticated anti-air platforms for our designer fighters."

It Looks Like Obamacare Is Finally Making Progress With The Uninsured from Talking Points Memo
"More than four million Americans have enrolled in private coverage under the law, according to the Obama administration, and the law will likely come closer to the Congressional Budget Office's initial projection of seven million enrollees than most would have thought possible after HealthCare.gov's disastrous launch."

Study: Millennials Deeply Confused About Their Politics, Finances, and Culture (Derek Thompson) from the Atlantic
"Or at least deeply contradictory: They're always connected but distrustful. They're selfish yet accepting of minorities. They're "independents" who mostly vote Democratic and love Obama while hating Obamacare."

A New Report Shows How Young Liberals Own the Future of American Politics (Jonathan Chait) from New York Magazine
"The Pew Research Institute has dominated the field of exploring the ideological cleavages among different generations. And its latest survey shows again how the liberalism of the youngest voting cohort, millennials, remains firm, and likely to continue to recast the electorate."

Report: How GOP Lost Young Voters from Politico
"The college Republicans warned that the party’s primary message of cutting taxes and reducing the size of government failed to resonate. In fact, one of the CRNC’s polls found that 54 percent of young voters said “taxes should go up on the wealthy” while only 3 percent said “taxes should be cut for the wealthy.” Bashing Big Government also didn’t play well and was even damaging, according to some of the focus groups, the study found."

Tea Party Eats Their Own (David Freelander) from the Daily Beast
"New GOP primary challengers are looking to serve their Tea Party challengers a scalding hot cuppa change. Their goal? To oppose!"

Oops, He’s Running Again! Rick Perry Wows CPAC (Joan Walsh) from Salon 
"Conservatives say Perry’s pain-free, rested and ready for 2016. That just shows how weak the GOP field really is."

TSARIST RUSSIA NUGGET!!
Land of the Tzars in colour: Fascinating photographs show the people and places of pre-revolutionary Russia from the Daily Mail [of the UK] 
"Colour photographs from one of Russia's most famous photographers, Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky.  Tsar Nicholas II commissioned him with taking photographs after being impressed by a colour portrait of Tolstoy.  The pictures, from the early 1900s, show Russia on the brink of the First World War and on the cusp of revolution.

HITLER"S GERMANY NUGGET!!
Chilling archive of the teenage Nazi: Camping gear emblazoned with the Swastika, a six-inch dagger and a diary that reveals Hitler Youth member’s infatuation with the Fuhrer from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"The Hitler Youth was used to train young Nazis for the army. A chilling archive from a member is going up for auction in Britain. It includes photos of youngsters who went on to die for the Third Reich."

News Nuggets 1397

DAYLEE PICTURE: Mudskippers in southern Thailand.  From the Daily Mail of the UK.

Once more the Nuggetsman will be traveling (ah, and with so much going on too!) over the next two days.  Thus, he will not be at his "post" until probably Friday at the earliest!  Today's very rich trove will have to suffice in the meantime.

UP-FRONT UKRAINE NUGGET!!
Welcome to Cold War II: This is What it Will Look Like (Dmitri Trenin) from the Foreign Policy Magazine
An extended excerpt is in order here.
"It's not a pretty picture. Thankfully, some of the worst things of the first Cold War will never likely be resurrected. Officially sanctioned Russian patriotism, even with an anti-American bent, will not be
tantamount to a new ideology. ... U.S.-Russia geopolitical competition will not be confined to Ukraine, but a string of proxy wars is also not in the offing. ... This will be the dawn of a new period, reminiscent in some ways of the Cold War from the 1940s to 1980s. Like with the two world wars, the failure to resolve the issues arising out of the imperfect peace settlement and the failure to fully integrate one of the former antagonists into the new system are leading to a new conflict -- even if a large-scale war will again be safely avoided."
Interestingly, I don't quite buy the Cold War connection here.  To the extent historical analogies are useful (and there are clear limits to their utility here) I see the buildup to World War II as the more
appropriate case -- with particular emphasis on the rise/return of fascism to Europe, a topic we've been tracking here for quite some time.  Sans communism's ideological edge, Putin's Russia (with its strident
nationalism, home-to-the-fatherland rationalizations, and authoritarian media messaging) mirror's nascent fascist movements of the early 1930s.  Having said this, I DON'T think Russia will go the way of Nazism's brand of fascism.  Russia simply does not have the economic or military clout that Hitler had -- and Russia's economy is more likely to go further into the dumper from this Crimean stunt.  Moreover, if Russia invades the rest of Ukraine, I strongly suspect there will be a years-long bloody civil war, more like Georgia and Chechenya or the former Yugoslavia (with Russia playing the role of Serbia) rather than Germany's anschluss of Austria or the largely bloodless seizure of Czechoslovakia. After this Maiden Square revolution in Kiev, I'm skeptical that, where Ukrainians dominate, that they will go quietly into the night of a second era of Russian authoritarian control.  Interestingly, during most of Ukraine's history, they have been controlled by Moscow and the sense of Ukrainian identity, solidarity and nationalism have been suppressed.  I could easily see the case where Russian intervention actually leads to an efflorescence of precisely these elements that Putin is so dramatically trying to stamp out.

Crimea, the Tinderbox (Charles King) from the New York Times
"NATO cannot possibly extend security guarantees to a government that does not control its own territory. Yet even in the midst of a standoff, Russia and the West have a clear common interest: forestalling a civil war in the heart of Europe."

Putin's War, Not Obama's (Marc Ambinder) from The Week
"One undeniable truth: Iraq weakened the U.S. more than anything done since. Maybe Obama overlearned its lessons; maybe we all have. But nothing empowered Vladimir Putin more than America's squandering of moral standing in the early part of this century."

Putin's Press Conference Proved Merkel Right: He's Lost His Mind (Julia Ioffe) from the New Republic
"Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany told Mr. Obama by telephone on Sunday that after speaking with Mr. Putin she was not sure he was in touch with reality, people briefed on the call said. “In another world,” she said. If you weren't sure of the veracity of that little reportorial nugget, all doubt should've vanished after Putin's press conference today. "
It was reported the other day when the Crimean crisis was first unfolding that Obama was on the phone with Putin for 90 minutes, a big chunk of time for a US president.  And yet, despite this length of time, virtually nothing came out of that call.  Well, I'm beginning to wonder if Putin had roughly the same conversation with Obama that he had with Merkel.  

Putin's Crimean Crime (Roger Cohen) from the New York Times
"To imagine Germany today (unthinkable notion) moving into western Poland with a claim of protecting ethnic Germans there conveys some idea of the historical offense Putin has given to many Ukrainians — and of the fear he strikes into other nations with Russian minorities and dire memories of Moscow, like Lithuania. ... This is the Age of Reluctance, a time when American power is dominant but no longer determinant. Americans have turned inward."
I usually find myself in agreement with Cohen -- and indeed I am with him in this column for about three quarters of the way -- but then he gets to what Obama should do to Putin -- and Cohen pretty much loses me there. In my view Obama needs to play the role of Eisenhower right now -- and play it cool, forge alliances, and not let the hyper-hawks railroad him into precipitous military action in Ukraine.   

One of Obama's greatest skills is as a defensive counterpuncher -- don't be surprised if Putin hasn't profoundly miscalculated in what he's done in Ukraine.  Case in point from the usually clear-eyed Mr. Ignatius:
Putin’s Error in Ukraine is the Kind that Leads to Catastrophe (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
"Vladimir Putin has made a mistake invading Crimea, escalating a crisis for Russia that has been brewing for many months. ...  Putin’s move into Crimea appeared to spring from a deeper misjudgment about the reversibility of the process that led to the breakup of Soviet Union in 1991. The further Russia wades into this revanchist strategy, the worse its troubles will become."

Ukraine: Is This How the War on Terror Ends? (Peter Beinart) from the Atlantic
"Rivalry among great powers long characterized international affairs—and now it's back."

Conservatives Have Some Pretty Confused Thoughts About Vladimir Putin These Days (Jason Linkins) from the Huffington Post
"Spend enough time down in the dodgier neighborhoods of our political discourse, and you'll come away with the funny feeling that the most flamboyant critics of the White House and its current occupant maybe don't have a real appreciation for what true "tyranny" and "autocracy" look like."

The U.S. End Game in Afghanistan (Harvey and Jacobson) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Despite a steady stream of negative press reports coming out of Afghanistan these days, a strong indicator of success was revealed on Monday when ATR Consulting, an independent survey company, released the results of a major survey...  Representing Afghans of various socio-economic, tribal/ethnic, age, and geographical backgrounds, the survey's results indicate that there are larger positive trends emerging in Afghanistan that bode well for Western interests."

The Inflation Obsession (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"Historians of the Great Depression have long marveled at the folly of policy discussion at the time. For example, the Bank of England, faced with a devastating deflationary spiral, kept obsessing over the imagined threat of inflation. As the economist Ralph Hawtrey famously observed, “That was to cry ‘Fire, fire!’ in Noah’s flood.” But it turns out that modern monetary officials facing financial crisis were just as obsessed with the wrong thing as their predecessors three generations before."

Closing the D.C. Reality Gap (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post 
"The issues discussed at kitchen tables and over back fences relate to getting and keeping good jobs, better educating our children, improving living standards (or, these days, keeping them from falling), and holding families together. The issues that fixate Washington are abstractions such as tax reform, deficit reduction, and whether small government is better than big government. Call the distance between the two sets of priorities the Reality Gap."

Waiting for Jeb (Alexandra Jaffe) from Politico
"The 2016 presidential election is Jeb Bush’s now-or-never-moment. As other potential GOP standard-bearers have been hit by scandal or seen their luster fade, many Republicans desperately want the former Florida governor to get in the race. His allies say he is considering it more seriously than ever before. They believe he could be their Goldilocks candidate: Not too conservative, not too centrist; not too dull, not too unpredictable; not too inexperienced, and not too marred by scandal. In fact, just right."
Not too stupid either -- Jeb is no dummy.  He would force Team Hillary to actually run a good campaign to win.  It would be no cake walk whatsoever.

TREE NUGGET!!
Mystery of the tree that came back from the dead: 40ft fir that was torn out of ground during storms stands itself upright again from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Residents left baffled after ten-tonne tree which uprooted in storms returns to upright position.  Tree surgeon believes strong winds could've pushed 40ft fir back upright."

News Nuggets 1396

DAYLEE PICTURE: Mining operations near Berezniki, Russia.  From the Huffington Post.

Crimea, Credibility, and Intervention (Paul R. Pillar) from the National Interest
"... this conventional wisdom is one manifestation of a longstanding American tendency to view international politics as a single global game that pits the United States against sundry bad guys. ... One of the major flaws in this perspective is that much of import that happens in the world, including much that is violent or disturbing, is not the work of the United States and is not within the power of the United States to prevent."

America Plays its Role in a Changing World Right (Fareed Zakaria) from the Washington Post
"... he reflects the views of most commentators who believe that U.S. leadership consists of muscular rhetoric and military action; if only Obama would bomb someone somewhere, the world would settle down and stop changing."

Putin’s War (Fred Kaplan) from Slate
"Obama had no good options to stop the invasion. In fact, the only mistake the president made was ever suggesting there would be “consequences.”"

Putin’s Crimea Propaganda Machine (Oleg Shynkarenko) from the Daily Beast
"To justify its invasion of Crimea, the Kremlin and state-run media went into full fabrication mode this weekend. Here are the lies that Russia is telling its viewers back home."

A History Lesson That Needs Relearning (Sam Tanenhaus) from the New York Times
"The Cold War was less a carefully structured game between masters than a frightening high-wire act. ... Many decisions remembered today for their farsighted, tactical brilliance were denounced in their day as weak-willed. And big, public gestures often made less difference than the small, hidden ones."

From the Pyramid to the Square (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times 
"No palace will remain hidden by high walls, not even the giant one reportedly being built for Putin on the Black Sea. But people now can’t just see in, they can see far — how everybody else is living. And as Tahrir and Kiev demonstrate, young people will no longer tolerate leaders who deprive them of the tools and space to realize their full potential."

Putin’s Reckless Ukraine Gambit from Politico
"If Putin follows through on his threat to invade Ukraine, he will signal yet again that the post-Cold War era that began with the “Velvet Revolutions” of 1989 has ended. The damage to Russia’s relations with the West will be deep and lasting, far worse than after the Russian-Georgian war. Think 1968, not 2008."

How Far Will Putin Go? (Alexander Motyl) from Foreign Policy Magazine 
"Russia's leader is acting impulsively -- and full-scale war may be next."

The Collateral Damage of a Teenager (Jennifer Senior) from New York Magazine
"What adolescence does to adolescents is nowhere near as brutal as what it does to their parents."

Federal Budget Deficit Falls to Smallest Level Since 2008 from the New York Times
"Closing the books on a fiscal year in which the federal budget deficit fell more sharply than in any year since the end of World War II, the Treasury Department reported on Thursday that the deficit for 2013 dropped to $680 billion, from about $1.1 trillion the previous year."

Bridgegate Bombshell: 'I Feel Bad About the Kids... I Guess' (Pema Levy) from Newsweek
"Emergency tapes reveal how Chris Christie’s allies smiled as school children were trapped in George Washington Bridge traffic. ... "I feel badly about the kids," Kelly said. "I guess." (In the previously released exchange, it was not clear who made this comment.) "They are children of Buono voters," Wildstein said. A few days after the Fort Lee jam, Wildstein and Kelly exchanged more texts, joking about orchestrating a traffic jam.  "We cannot cause traffic problems in front of his house, can we?" Kelly wrote."

A Tea Party Hangover (Michael Gerson) from the Washington Post
"The tone of some rhetoric on the far right — no mercy to enemies, no enemies to the right — was pressed to an abhorrent extreme by Ted Nugent, who called President Obama a “subhuman mongrel.” And almost all of the right (save Sarah Palin, who finally lost her long, sad struggle with ideological delirium) recoiled at such viciousness and bigotry."

The Dying Right: Why Christian Fundamentalists are in Panic Mode (C.J. Werleman) from Salon
"While they may believe the earth is a mere few thousand years old, they’re not complete idiots. They can read polls, and the data tells them this: millennials are abandoning religious belief. According to a recent Pew survey, one in four Americans born after 1981 hold no religious belief, which is nearly double the national rate of atheism."

How Conservatives Lost the Culture War (Damon Linker) from The Week 
"The triumph of gay marriage is rooted in the country's founding."

Welcome to the Country’s New Normal (Leonard Pitts Jr.) from the Miami Herald
"... if Democrats run her and if she wins, it would provide a useful lesson for a portion of the electorate badly in need of same. This temper tantrum, this screaming and crying and stamping of feet that now passes for dialogue on the political right, springs from nothing more or less than a denial of change, a refusal to accept the fact that you cannot squeeze the paste back into the tube, and that those who were once stuck in the closet, relegated to the back of the bus or kept in the kitchen have freed themselves from those constraints and will not go back again."

Why Jan Brewer Vetoed Arizona's 'Anti-Gay' Bill (Peter Beinart) from the Atlantic
"Just like the Democrats in 1984, today's Republicans are shifting power toward party leaders and away from grassroots activists. It didn't work then, and it won't work now."