News Nuggets 551

A group of Samburu elephants in Kenya.  From National Geographic. 

UP-FRONT WHALE NUGGET!!

Japan Cancels Whaling Season due to Group's Obstruction, Official Says from CNN
"Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Michihiko Kano told reporters Friday that the country's government halted whaling because of actions taken by the animal rights group, Sea Shepherd. He stressed that Japan did not want to do so, but felt its hand was forced."
An amazing victory for the Sea Shepherd and for opponents of whaling everywhere!

Morning Brief: Demonstrations Met with Violence Throughout Middle East from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Throughout the Middle East and North Africa, regimes are increasingly using force to respond to the wave of anti-government protests that have erupted in the wake of recent events in Tunisia and Egypt. "

The West Looks to Fan Flames as Iran and Libya Feel the Heat from Within from the Daily Telegraph [of the UK]
"The mullahs scarcely imagined that the protests would appear on their doorstep, too, says Con Coughlin."

Blood Runs Through the Streets of Bahrain (Nicholas Kristof) from the New York Times
"As a reporter, you sometimes become numbed to sadness. But it is heartbreaking to be in modern, moderate Bahrain right now and watch as a critical American ally uses tanks, troops, guns and clubs to crush a peaceful democracy movement and then lie about it."

Rage, Rap and Revolution: Inside the Arab Youth Quake (Bobby Ghosh) from Time Magazine
"The most important things 2011's protests have in common don't come from copying — they come naturally. All of the revolts are led by young men and women, many of whom are novices at political activism. All use modern tools, like social-networking sites on the Internet and texting over mobile phones, to organize and amplify their protests. And all have the same demands: a right to choose and change their leaders, an end to rampant corruption, the opportunity for employment and improvement."

Guru of the Revolution (Roger Cohen) from the New York Times
"When the history of the Egyptian Revolution gets written, a large place must be reserved in it for Pierre Sioufi, the bearded, twinkly-eyed, chain-smoking, larger-than-life guru of liberation who threw open his sprawling apartment overlooking Cairo’s Tahrir Square to the “kids” who demanded the right to connect."

This is Being Caught Off Guard? (Paul Pillar) from the National Interest
"Now Mark Landler reports in the New York Times that last August President Obama ordered a secret study on the very topic of the likelihood of unrest in Arab countries, and what the United States could do to shape policies that would juggle the competing interests the United States has in reform in those countries and cooperation with those governments. … Given how much at variance this report is with all that earlier public commentary, it is remarkable that news of the study did not leak out earlier."

Obama Threaded the Needle in Egypt (Robert Shrum) from The Week
"Judge the president's diplomacy by the results — not by the critics."

Fate of Two Iranian Warships Headed for Syria Still Unclear from Al Haaretz [of Israel in English]
"According to Egyptian authorities, Cairo refused to allow the Iranian vessels passage, but Iranian state television has insisted that permission was granted."
So … what's up?

House Spending Impasse Raises Risk of Shutdown from the New York Times
"The House speaker, John A. Boehner of Ohio, said Thursday that Republicans would not agree to a short-term extension of the spending measure now financing the federal government without additional cuts, sharply raising the stakes in a war of wills with Democrats that officials say could lead to a government shutdown early next month."
I find it fascinating how the GOP has increasingly become the party of Johnny one-note.  They seem to think that budget issues are the only issues that matter to voters: HUGE MISTAKE.  Gov't shutdown - go for it!  Obama has been no-so-quietly cultivating his "I feel your pain" persona with average voters hit by the recession.  I'm betting Obama will come out ahead in this confrontation.  The problem the GOP increasingly faces is being left owning (not very firmly) the budget issue -- and nothing else of concern to moderate/independent voters.  Unemployment is EXTREMELY important right now -- and the GOP seems to really not get it.

Tea Party Clashes with GOP Establishment Over Defense from the Washington Examiner
"The tension between the Republican establishment and the Tea Party insurgents erupted on the House floor for the first time Wednesday when 110 GOP representatives -- mostly freshmen and some longtime conservative gadflies -- broke from their leadership and most of their caucus in order to kill a defense contract."

On the Wisconsin state workers protests:
Assembly to Convene as Protesters Return to Capitol from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"The showdown in Madison is now reverberating across the state. Public schools in Wisconsins' two largest cities, Milwaukee and Madison, are shutdown Friday because of a ''sick out'' by teachers, leaving tens of thousands of parents and students scrambling to make other plans. Organized labor is also gearing up a national effort to back the Wisconsin unions. At a noon rally in front of the Capitol, national AFL-CIO Prsident Richard Trumka is expected to join thousands of demonstrators. His appearance, and behind-the-scenes organizing help from unions with national reach, shows just how great the stakes are in Wisconsin for the national labor movement."

Obama Joins Wisconsin's Budget Battle, Opposing Republican Anti-union Bill from the Washington Post
"President Obama thrust himself and his political operation this week into Wisconsin's broiling budget battle, mobilizing opposition Thursday to a Republican bill that would curb public-worker benefits while planning similar action in other state capitals."
Like WI Dems, I think Obama sees this issue as a TOTAL winner.  In their blind rush to LOOK convincing as budget hawks to their Tea Party extremists, the WI GOP is using state budget battles as stalking horses for their long-held desire to destroy public-sector unions.  Everyone knows state workers and/or teachers; and the heavy-handed "ram it through" strategy they have adopted in Wisconsin will backfire.  Not only will it mobilize those groups to pull out all the stops next year to take down the GOP, it puts Dems and Obama on the side of workers, people facing unemployment, and those hard-hit by the recession, exactly the group Dems want to lock in for next year. 

United We Flee (David Weigel) from Slate
"Can a bunch of Wisconsin Democratic senators stop a bill by refusing to show up for the vote?"

DNC Expands Role In Labor Protests To Ohio, Indiana from the Huffington Post
"Building on the momentum in Wisconsin, where tens of thousands of protesters have turned out to oppose Republican Gov. Scott Walker's effort to strip collective-bargaining rights from the state's public-employee unions, President Barack Obama's campaign organization is mobilizing its followers in Ohio and Indiana, where similar measures are being considered."

The GOP's Race Backslide (Peter Beinart) from the Daily Beast
"Haley Barbour’s refusal to denounce Confederate license plates is just the latest example of a Republican Party that is regressing on race—and damaging its electoral future."

For GOP Hopefuls, Meet Their Backyard Backstabbers from Politico
"Like scorned ex-wives, they are hell-bent on telling the world that the man they know intimately is not, deep down, what his public persona suggests."

Haley Barbour's Silence Speaks Volumes (Eugene Robinson) from the Washington Post
"Does Haley Barbour really have a warped and offensive view of America's racial history? Or is he just playing a dangerous game?Perhaps both."

TELEVISION NUGGET!!
IBM's Watson Supercomputer Crowned Jeopardy King from the BBC
"After a three night marathon on the quiz show Jeopardy, Watson emerged victorious to win a $1million (£622,000) prize. The computer's competitors were two of the most successful players ever to have taken part in Jeopardy."

RENAISSANCE ARTIST NUGGET!!
Caravaggio's Crimes Exposed in Rome's Police Files from BBC
"Four hundred years after his death, Caravaggio is a 21st Century superstar among old master painters. His stark, dramatically lit, super-realistic paintings strike a modern chord - but his police record is more shocking than any modern bad boy rock star's."

OUTER SPACE NUGGET!!
Why Humans Will Never Colonize Space from The Week
"Our dream of life beyond the stars may be thwarted by fertility-sapping cosmic rays, says a NASA biophysicist."
We can go there -- just not reproduce there.

News Nuggets 550

An interesting view of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.  From National Geographic.

'Day of Rage' Kicks Off in Libya from Al Jazeera
"Protesters have reportedly taken to the streets in four cities despite a crackdown, heeding to calls for mass protests.

Tunisia. Egypt. Bahrain? (Nicholas Kristof) from the New York Times
"The gleaming banking center of Bahrain, one of those family-run autocratic Arab states that count as American allies, has become the latest reminder that authoritarian regimes are slow learners."

The Ripple Effect from Foreign Policy Magazine
"From Algeria to Iran and the countries in between, a look at how revolution fever is spreading across the Middle East."

Now Iran Feels the Heat (Kaveh L Afrasiabi) from Asia Times [of Hong Kong in English]
"On Monday, as Tehran once again became the scene of clashes between the security forces and demonstrators defying the government's ban on street rallies, the paradoxical impact of the Arab world's democratic awakening on Iran became glaringly obvious. "

U.S. Spies: Iran Split on Nuclear Program from the Wall Street Journal
"A new classified U.S. intelligence assessment concludes that Iran's leaders are locked in an increasingly heated debate over whether to move further toward developing nuclear weapons, saying the bite of international sanctions may be sowing discord."

Protests Spread to More Iraqi Cities from the New York Times
"Unrest continued to spread in Iraq on Thursday, with new protests erupting in several cities and reports from law enforcement officials that private security guards in Kurdistan killed five people who tried to storm the political offices of the region’s leader."

Military Moves Quickly to Bring Elections to Egypt from the Washington Post
"Egypt geared up Tuesday for a breakneck rush to democracy as its military rulers vowed to hand authority to an elected civilian government in six months and ordered legal experts to draft a revised constitution in 10 days."

Why There's No Turning Back in the Middle East (Fareed Zakaria) from Time Magazine
"Will history fail to turn in the Middle East? Will these protests in Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan and beyond peter out, and in a few years, will we look back at 2011 and realize that very little actually changed? It's certainly possible, but there are two fundamental reasons the tensions that have been let loose in the Middle East over the past few weeks are unlikely to disappear, and they encompass two of the most powerful forces changing the world today: youth and technology."

Revolution U: What Egypt Learned from the Students Who Overthrew Milosovic (Tina Rosenberg) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Facebook could bring together tens of thousands of sympathizers online, but it couldn't organize them once they logged off. It was a useful communication tool to call people to -- well, to what? The April 6 leaders did not know the answer to this question. So they decided to learn from others who did. In the summer of 2009, Mohamed Adel, a 20-year-old blogger and April 6 activist, went to Belgrade, Serbia."

Spinning the Revolution (Christina Larson) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"From Glenn Beck to the Taliban, everyone's got something to say about the Egyptian uprising."

How Russia and China See the Egyptian Revolution from Foreign Policy Magazine
"In Moscow and Beijing, the powers that be are understandably unsettled by events in Cairo -- and Washington can't afford to ignore their reaction."

In sharp reversal, U.S. agrees to rebuke Israel in Security Council (Colum Lynch) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"the U.S. offer signaled a renewed willingness to seek a way out of the current impasse, even if it requires breaking with Israel and joining others in the council in sending a strong message to its key ally to stop its construction of new settlements. U.S. officials were not available for comment, but two Security Council diplomats confirmed the proposal."

At a Loss for Words: Why is al Qaeda keeping quiet about the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions? (Brian Fishman) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"In the wake of peaceful revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, al Qaeda's argument that violent activism is necessary to achieve political change stands dramatically repudiated. It was peaceful protesters, not armed struggle, that ousted Hosni Mubarak and Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. But that doesn't mean the militant group won't try to capitalize on instability in Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab world. In fact, jihadi communications since the crisis in Tunisia began in early January suggest that extremists hope to take advantage of the current instability."

The Irish Affliction (Russell Shorto) from the Sunday New York Times Magazine
"The phenomenal economic boom over the past two decades, and the secularization that came along with it, allowed Ireland to think it was no longer what it once was: a backward land dominated and shaped by the Roman Catholic Church. But as the economy has crashed, the Irish have come face to face with their earlier selves, and with a church-state relationship that was and in many ways still is, as quite a few people in the country see it, perversely antimodern."

Poll: Most Oppose Cutting Funding for Health Care Reforms from CBS News
“A majority of the public disapproves of the Republican idea to cut off funding for health care reform, a new CBS News poll shows - although most also disapprove of the health care law, and many aren't sure of its impact on the health care system.”

News Nuggets 549

 

A Silver fox from Siberia, part of an amazing domestication project.  See the Potential Pet Nugget below.

Wave of Unrest Rolls Into Gulf from the Wall Street Journal
"Protester Killed in Bahrain; Skirmishes in Yemen; Call for Rebel Executions in Iran"

Bahrain Protesters Take Control of Main Square from the Associated Press via AOL News
"Thousands of protesters poured into a main square in Bahrain's capital Tuesday in an Egypt-style rebellion that sharply escalated pressure on authorities as the Arab push for change gripped the Gulf for the first time."
Looks like Bahrain's up next.

Egypt-Inspired Protests Spread to Libya from CBS News
"Hundreds of Activists Call for Government's Ouster, Clash with Security Forces."

After Egypt, All Eyes Turn to Iran (Elspeth Reeve) from the Atlantic
"Iranian protesters were attacked with electric prods and tear gas by police as crowds of demonstrators swelled to the tens of thousands in Tehran Monday. The protests were the biggest in Iran in a year, The Wall Street Journal's Farnaz Fassihi reports, and made greater demands than the rallies in 2009 and early 2010 in response to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's reelection. This time, people want not just Ahmadinejad gone, but also Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei."
Or maybe Iran.  I doubt it on Iran though.  Ahmadinejad has already demonstrated that he's willing to go Tienanmen on his people and that the the Republican Guard is fully behind him.  We can always hope though.

U.S. Follows Two Paths on Unrest in Iran and Bahrain from the Wall Street Journal
"The Obama administration has responded quite differently to two embattled governments that have beaten protesters and blocked the Internet in recent days to fend off the kind of popular revolt that brought down Egypt’s government."

In Iraq, Protests Over Torture and Secret Prisons Continue from the Atlantic
"As the world's eyes were fixed on the drama in Egypt last week, Human Rights Watch investigators in Iraq filed a depressingly familiar chapter in the country's recent history, making new allegations of torture and of a secret prison that they say is run by special counterterrorism forces who answer directly to the office of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "

Egypt, Tunisia … and Iran (Shibley Telhami) from the National Interest
"We need to think deeply about the meaning of the Egyptian uprising and its implications for American foreign policy. A good place to start is to reflect on three powerful conclusions of one of the key young organizers of the uprising, Wael Ghonim, as he was interviewed on Egyptian Dream TV and elsewhere since. First, this uprising is less about food and more about dignity. … Egyptians and Arabs want liberty and freedom from repressive regimes, but many fear imperialism and outside domination even more."

Popular Sovereignty Without a Made-in-U.S.A. Label (Paul Pillar) from the National Interest
"Not having the United States leading the democratic charge—despite the criticism the administration endured for supposedly being indecisive or behind the curve—is important because a made-in-U.S.A. label is one of the biggest impediments that any political project in the Middle East can have."

A Coup for Democracy? from the Economist
"My sense is that many Westerners were celebrating because masses of Egyptians were celebrating. Perhaps it is a measure of how strange the situation has become that Egyptians have responded with delirious rejoicing to what would otherwise be called a military coup. All the same, there are some hopeful signs.

Pharaoh Without a Mummy (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
"One thing I can tell you about Egypt: It is not Las Vegas. What happens in Egypt does not stay in Egypt. For the last 30 years, that has been the bad news."

State Media: Mubarak Not Comatose, but Psychologically Shattered from USA Today
"Today, the pro-government Al-Gomhuria daily cites sources close to Mubarak as saying he is in a "severe psychological condition and is declining treatment, despite his illness.""

As Obama Sides with Protesters, New Mideast Posture Emerges from the McClatchy News Service
"As an unprecedented wave of street protests continued to spread, notably in the strategic Persian Gulf kingdom of Bahrain, Obama used a news conference to lay down the first outlines of a broader U.S. response, now that it seems clear that the turmoil will extend well beyond the 18-day revolution that toppled Egypt's Hosni Mubarak."

Inside the Killing Machine from Newsweek
"President Obama is ordering a record number of Predator strikes. An exclusive interview with a man who approved ‘lethal operations.’

Niall Ferguson's Deeply Unconvincing Obama Attack (Jeffrey Goldberg) from the Atlantic

Here Goldberg is referring to this ITEM that is the cover story for Newsweek, a withering attack on Obama's handling of the Egypt crisis.  Well, here Goldberg (by no means an apologist for this administration) withers right back at Ferguson in unusually cutting (and at points hilarious) terms.

"The condescension here is more than somewhat annoying. Those "hyperventilating" commentators running around Tahrir Square were reporting the news, and risking their lives while doing so. What idiots! How could they not know that the real action was in Tel Aviv, at a conference of hawkish Israeli defense ministry officials eating halvah parfaits!"

Explaining Kim Jong-il’s Tantrums from The Diplomat
"Frozen out of talks and wanting attention, the Kim regime made a calculated decision to up the ante in 2010, Weston Kinishi tells The Diplomat."

Spiraling Inflation Threatens China's Stability from USA Today
"Spiraling prices have made the grocery store a scary place for Chu Yun, a 27-year-old office clerk."

China’s Bumpy Ride Ahead (Minxin Pei) from The Diplomat
"China’s ties with other major powers took a sharp turn for the worse in 2010. Its leaders need to change mindset, says Minxin Pei."

Obama and the Republicans (Elizabeth Drew) from the New York Review of Books
"President Obama, more popular than he’s been in a long time, is nonetheless negotiating very tricky terrain. But so, too, are the supposedly triumphant Republicans, with their often obstreperous ideologically extremist Tea Party partners. Obama wants to preempt the Republicans on some legislative issues. This is already disappointing or even enraging his most ardent followers, but he’s also making a strenuous effort to win back for 2012 the independents who made his victory possible in 2008 but then voted Republican in 2010."
A long-form essay on Obama's plan and strategy now.

Obama's Crafty Press Conference (Jacob Heilbrunn) from the National Interest
"It seems clear that in everything he does over the next two years, Obama is fervently going to cast himself as the moderate. That means he's going to leave as little room between himself and the GOP as possible. Obama is showing that he is a master of self-preservation."

Romney and the Birthers from Public Policy Polling
"Birtherism is alive and well within the GOP ranks, and their 2012 nominee preferences tell a story about the difficulty Mitt Romney faces in trying to appeal to an electorate that's a whole lot further out there than he is. Birthers make a majority among those voters who say they're likely to participate in a Republican primary next year."

POTENTIAL PET NUGGET!!
Taming the Wild from National Geographic Magazine
"Except that Mavrik, as it happens, is not a dog at all. He's a fox. Hidden away on this overgrown property, flanked by birch forests and barred by a rusty metal gate, he and several hundred of his relatives are the only population of domesticated silver foxes in the world."

News Nuggets 548

Anemones and soft corals in Svalbard, Norway's arctic archipelago. From National Geographic.

Egypt Inspires Iranian Protesters; 2nd Day of Violent Clashes in Bahrain, Yemen from the Washington Post
"Violent protests have erupted in Iran, Yemen and Bahrain as the revolutionary fervor unleashed by the toppling of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ripples across the Middle East, propelling people onto the streets to demand change from a spectrum of autocratic regimes."

A related item:
Arrests and Deaths as Egypt Protest Spreads Across Middle East from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Iranians defy government ban to join rally in Tehran, with demonstrations and street clashes in Bahrain and Yemen."

Here's How the Rest of the Middle East Is Doing (Caitlin Dickson) from the Atlantic
"Certainly there may be limits to how far protest-fever will spread. But right now the Middle East is getting a good dose of demonstrations, as some of the smallest and most repressed nations start to question their rulers and demand a new kind of government. Let's check in with some of these countries and see how they're doing, and how serious the unrest is looking."

A Tunisian-Egyptian Link That Shook Arab History from the New York Times
"The exchange on Facebook was part of a remarkable two-year collaboration that has given birth to a new force in the Arab world — a pan-Arab youth movement dedicated to spreading democracy in a region without it."
A VERY interesting look at how Tunisian and Egyptian protests evolved together.

On Egypt, Obama Played Hand Well, if Not Always Steadily from the Editorial Board of the Boston Globe
"FOR HIS performance during the people-power uprising in Egypt, President Obama ought to be judged the way an Olympic diver is: not only by execution but also by the dive’s degree of difficulty. Because he inherited from his last four predecessors a close collaboration with the now-deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Obama had to be both lucky and skillful to avoid a disastrous belly-flop."
This sentiment very much captures my own view.  There were a million ways to get it wrong and only a handful of ways to avert really bad outcomes -- and Obama averted most of the worst really bad outcomes.

Winners and Losers of the Revolution (Stephen Walt) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Is Egypt's revolution bad news for Palestine and the Muslim Brotherhood?"

The Messy Failure of the Freedom Agenda (Jennifer Wiens) from NPR
"Iraq is still struggling, years later. Meanwhile, events in Egypt and Tunisia show democracy may indeed be spreading in the Middle East now, just as Dubya wanted. But it's coming from the people actually living there, from the floor up, not from outside in."

Speaking of the fruits of said agenda:
Iraqi Protesters Seek Not a New Regime, but Jobs from the New York Times
"Iraq would seem to have virtually every ingredient for upheaval: crippling poverty, few good jobs, creaky public services, anger at an entrenched political elite and thousands of young people who meet online to vent their grievances and organize protests. But the revolution has not come to Iraq. Not yet, at least."
But the revolution WILL come here.  Why?  Because, rather than setting up a truly democratic gov't in Iraq, Bush basically set up a gov't that (in most ways of substance) resembles all the other regimes in the region: incompetent, unresponsive, corrupt, unstable, and, in most of the ways that matter, failing to provide its people any real future.  The fact that the gov't was imposed by the US dramatically undercuts any legitimacy it might have obtained from the flawed elections that they held.  As Thomas Friedman has rightly noted, Arab societies will have strong democracies only when the population can really take OWNERSHIP of their gov'ts.  Bush's approach robbed them of this basic level of ownership and accountability. 

Mubarak, Karzai, and America (Dexter Filkins) from the New Yorker
"Afghanistan is a long way from Egypt, and is a very different place, but the most important lesson flowing from Tahrir Square seems directly relevant to the American predicament in Central Asia: The quality of governance practiced by our allies matters, and we ignore it at our peril."

Will Revolution Spread to Pakistan? (Declan Walsh) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"The country is ripe for revolt, though it would mean ousting the army."
I think so -- but the end result will be a Taliban-type gov't -- not multi-party democracy.  I suspect Pakistan is about to head into a very dark period that will leave it an economic, social, political, (and yet over-populated) religious extremist backwater.

A Tahrir effect in Kabul? from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Is this the fifth wave now, an Arab or even a "Muslim" one? It is only natural that journalists -- and other people -- wonder whether something like in Tunisia and Egypt might also happen in Afghanistan."

Postcard from Cairo, Part 2 (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
"when young Egyptians looked around the region and asked: Who is with us in this quest and who is not?, the two big countries they knew were against them were Israel and Saudi Arabia. Sad. The children of Egypt were having their liberation moment and the children of Israel decided to side with Pharaoh – right to the very end."

Love and Revolution in Egypt (Jenna Krajeski) from the New Yorker
"There is much talk about a “marriage crisis” in Egypt—low employment rates lead to low matrimonial rates—and the protesters in Tahrir Square were, indirectly at least, marching against it. Lack of jobs was high on their list of grievances. Many of those I interviewed said that getting married and having a family were things they dreamed of most in a post-Mubarak Egypt."

In One Slice of a New Egypt, Few Are Focusing on Religion (Anthony Shadid) from the New York Times
"A generation ago, Ahmed Mitwalli’s parents were Islamists in this neighborhood along the Nile once nicknamed the Islamic Republic of Imbaba. But their son is not, and his convictions, echoed in the cauldron of frustrations of one of the world’s most crowded quarters, suggest why the Muslim Brotherhood is not driving Egypt’s nascent revolution."

The Misleading Metaphor of Decline (Joseph Nye) from RealClearWorld"Is the United States in decline? Many Americans think so, and they are not alone. A recent Pew poll showed that pluralities in 13 of 25 countries believe that China will replace the U.S. as the world's leading superpower. But describing the future of power as inevitable American decline is both misleading and dangerous if it encourages China to engage in adventurous policies or the U.S. to overreact out of fear. How would we know if the declinists are correct or not? First, one must beware of misleading metaphors of organic decline. Nations are not like humans with predictable life spans."

How America is Doing Compared to the Rest of the World from the Washington Post
"The United States remains the world's leading nation - economically, politically and militarily. New partners and competitors are rising fast but in complicated ways. Most of these nations are market democracies, with civilian control of the military. The real question is not whether they will catch up - many will - but whether the United States can continue to grow in a way that lifts all boats, and whether it can help shape an emerging global order that avoids conflict and encourages greater freedom."

'Punisher' Gets Its First Battlefield Tests from Army Times
"The XM25 has changed the battlefield with only 55 rounds, and earned a new name among soldiers. They call it “the Punisher.” … “No longer can the enemy shoot at American forces, then hide behind something,” said Brig. Gen. Peter Fuller of Program Executive Office Soldier. “This is a revolutionary weapon. This is a game-changer.”"
Now, I'll have to say new technology often fascinates me.  Guns, on the other hand, usually don't.  But this one seems to be having real implications on the battlefield and, who knows, maybe create a context where we can leave sooner rather than later. Links HERE and HERE will give you a better sense of what this weapon does.

The Experience Economy (David Brooks) from the New York Times
Tyler Cowen’s e-book, “The Great Stagnation,” has become the most debated nonfiction book so far this year. Cowen’s core point is that up until sometime around 1974, the American economy was able to experience awesome growth by harvesting low-hanging fruit. … Cowen’s data on these slowdowns are compelling and have withstood the scrutiny of the online reviewers. He argues that our society, for the moment, has hit a technological plateau."

Reagan and Reality (Bob Herbert) from the New York Times
"Early in Eugene Jarecki’s documentary, “Reagan,” you hear the voice of Ronald Reagan saying, “Someday it might be worthwhile to find out how images are created — and even more worthwhile to learn how false images come into being.” Indeed. The image that many, perhaps most, Americans have of the nation’s 40th president is largely manufactured."

Will the GOP Embrace Immigration Reform or Continue to Ostracize Key Voters? (Harold Meyerson) from the Washington Post
"Read the census data that have been coming out over the past couple weeks and you're compelled to a stark conclusion: Either the Republican Party changes totally, or it has a rendezvous with extinction."

Conservatives Won't Let Poor Mitt Romney Off the Hook on Health Care (Greg Sargent) from the Washington Post
"Conservatives are insistent that Romney explain his previous support for the individual mandate, in order to prove he's not ideologically suspect, but when he does try to explain it, he only reinforces the sense that he's ideologically malleable and opportunistic."

The GOP's Enormous, Gaping 2012 Vacuum (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"If you want to declare a winner from CPAC, the annual conservative convention that wrapped up over the weekend, a good case could be made for Barack Obama, mainly because the proceedings underscored the degree to which every likely GOP presidential candidate has serious deficiencies."

Should Republicans Fret Over Their Presidential Field? Answer: Yes (Nate Silver) from FiveThirtyEight
"A lot will change between now and November, including the perceptions toward each of the Republican candidates. The early evidence, however, suggests that this year’s Republican field may in fact be quite weak by the standards of recent election cycles."

News Nuggets 547

A design for a solar-wind bridge.  See the Bridge Nugget below.  From Discovery News.

Not Just Egypt's Proud Moment, but Obama's (Peter Beinart) from the Daily Beast
"Forced to choose between national interests and national ideals, the Obama administration, and many of its fiercest domestic critics, chose ideals. That’s a remarkable achievement, writes Peter Beinart."

A Work in Progress for Obama's Doctrine (Marc Ambinder) from National Journal
"The hard truth Obama must now grapple with, and must then communicate to the American people, is that the revolution was fomented by an oppressed people who don’t much like America and don’t much like Israel -- and who risk ushering in a government that is less friendly to both. And yet, he must share the universal expression of joy that washed over Tahrir Square when news broke that Mubarak was out of Cairo, probably never to return."

Tanks vs. Twitter in Egypt (Kathleen Parker) from the Washington Post
"Rarely has a generational schism been so vivid. The guns and old hardware of Mubarak's regime versus the new software and nebulous nature of a digitally inspired revolt. Even speculating on what might happen next was beyond our primitive ken. Who knew what the next tweet might suggest or what wave of human movement it might inspire? … Superimposed on this unfolding drama were two generationally apposite faces - the brooding, sinister countenance of Mubarak versus the youthful, bespectacled Wael Ghonim, reluctant hero of the movement."

The US Can Overcome 9/11 Through 2/11 (Roger Cohen) from the New York Times
"We’ve tried invasions of Muslim lands. We’ve tried imposing new systems of government on them. We’ve tried wars on terror. We’ve tried spending billions of dollars. What we haven’t tried is tackling what’s been rotten in the Arab world by helping a homegrown, bottom-up movement for change turn a U.S.-backed police state into a stable democracy."
I align -- AND I suspect this is going to be VERY DIFFICULT to pull off. 

For those who think we should have thrown our weight behind Mubarak:
28 Hours in the Dark Heart of Egypt's Torture Machine from the Guardian [of the UK]
"A blindfolded Robert Tait could only listen as fellow captives were given electric shocks and beaten by Mubarak's security services."
Of course, the real neocon nut jobs (the John Boltons of this world) wanted us to have industrial strength torture machines of our own!

Mideast Unrest Spreads from the Wall Street Journal
"Protests Target Iran, Bahrain, Libya; Egypt Dissolves Parliament, Sets Elections."

Middle East Braces for More Protest After Mubarak Resigns from the Guardian [of the UK]
"News of Egyptian president's departure spread rapidly through region, where other authoritarian rulers are in power."

Egypt Military Reaffirms Civilian Control from the New York Times
"A new era dawned in Egypt on Saturday as this nation of 80 million — and hundreds of millions beyond its borders — began to absorb the fact that an 18-day mass movement of largely nonviolent protest brought down a nearly 30-year military dictatorship and renewed the country’s lease on life."

Ruling Egypt After Mubarak: Presidential Contenders Emerge from Time Magazine
"Even before President Hosni Mubarak left office on Friday, a number of hats were already in the ring to succeed him."
National elections do require credible national candidates -- so this is good.

What Was Mubarak Thinking? Inside the Mind of a Dictator from Time Magazine
"That Mubarak at last did heed the will of his people is a good and sensible thing for him to have done. That it took him so long says a lot about what goes on in the mind of a dictator and how hard it can be to make him see the world the way everyone else does."

Arab Rulers Confront a New World (David Gardner) from the Financial Times [of London]
"Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution last month blew a hole in the armour of the Arab security state, and the lazily settled opinion that Arab autocracies, with their backbone in the military and their nervous system in the security services, were bulletproof. Egypt’s Nile Revolution is of altogether another order.  It has dropped a great boulder into the stagnant pool of Arab despotism that will set waves coursing across the region. Egypt’s insurgents did not just take power from Hosni Mubarak. They have leeched it from every autocrat in the Arab world."

With Access to Information, the Liberation of Arab Lands Has Begun from the Asahi Shimbun [of Japan in English]
"The democratization of the Middle East has now begun, with the youth using tools like Twitter and Facebook. For these young people, who exchange their own opinions and news via the Internet, statements from leaders and government are no longer so easy to swallow. … . At long last, it's out with the old and in with the new."

What Democracy Will Bring the Arab World (Rami Khouri) from the Daily Star [of Lebanon in English]
"he overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and the transitions to new governance systems in Egypt and Tunisia – with others sure to follow – promise the birth of a more democratic, humanistic Arab world, assuming the transitions persist, which I believe is certain. Here are 10 things that may emerge from the current changes and which will determine if real democratization is underway."

Arab Leaders, Facing Calls for Reform, Consider Next Move from the New York Times
"Across the Arab world on Friday, thousands of people poured into the streets to celebrate the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt after nearly three weeks of demonstrations against his almost 30-year rule."

Algerian Protesters Clash with Police as Egypt Fervour Spreads from the Guardian [of the UK]
"400 arrested as officers enforce no-protest ban in Algiers.  Up to 5,000 protesters rally in Yemeni capital of Sana'a.  Arab leaders make concessions to avoid repeat of Egypt."

Yemen: Pro-Government Forces Attack Demonstrators from Human Rights Watch
"Hundreds of men armed with knives, sticks, and assault rifles attacked anti-government protesters in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, as Yemeni security forces stood by, Human Rights Watch said today. Within an hour, the 1,000-plus protesters had been pushed from the square and at least 10 had been detained by security forces, Human Rights Watch said."
Some analysis of these demonstrations is HERE.

Iran's Green Opposition Calls Rally Despite Government Ban from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Committee gathers support and asserts constitutional right to protest."
These folks are very brave.  I don't have a lot of confidence that Iran's Green Movement is in any condition to really take on the regime right now -- but, who knows?  In retrospect, it's clear that the Green Movement back in 2009 clearly presaged what has been happening in Tunisia and Egypt.  Maybe they will have some new tricks up their sleeve.

Bahrain Opposition Calls for Rally from Al Jazeera English
"Opposition groups call for protests on Monday as riot police clash with youths in Shia village in the west."

The impact of Egypt is not limited to the Middle East or to Arab states:
Russian Reaction to Egypt Restrained & Cautious from The Hindu [of India in English]
"Moscow's restraint was prompted, among other things, by concerns that the wave of unrest sweeping the Middle East and North Africa could lead to the radicalisation of the region — a major source of militants and money for Islamic insurgency in Russia's North Caucasus in the mid-1990s and early 2000s."

Eat The Future (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"On Friday, House Republicans unveiled their proposal for immediate cuts in federal spending. Uncharacteristically, they failed to accompany the release with a catchy slogan. So I’d like to propose one: Eat the Future."

When Democracy Weakens (Bob Herbert) from the New York Times
"As the throngs celebrated in Cairo, I couldn’t help wondering about what is happening to democracy here in the United States. I think it’s on the ropes. We’re in serious danger of becoming a democracy in name only. While millions of ordinary Americans are struggling with unemployment and declining standards of living, the levers of real power have been all but completely commandeered by the financial and corporate elite."

The GOP Cannot Control Its Own Noise Machine (The Egypt Edition) from Media Matters for America
"For sane observers, it will be hard to watch Beck's fear mongering tonight and not, on some level, laugh at the sad spectacle that the host has become as he sprints to the wrong side of history and digs in for the long haul. But imagine how painful Beck's performance tonight will be for pundits and leaders associated with the conservative movement in this country, and specifically the right-wing media."

Dems Look to Giffords for Senate Seat from Politico
"The race for Arizona’s open Senate seat has quickly focused in on one question: What will Gabrielle Giffords do?"
Um… there is something deeply unseemly and even offensive about these types of conversations.  The woman can barely speak, has months, probably years, of hard-slogging therapy to endure, and who knows the extent of damage to her deeper mental processes -- and you already have people wanting to exploit her tragedy to thrust her into some Senate race, one that (to be really meaningful) would have to seriously start in the next six months.  Crazy.

A related item:
Word and Lyric, Giffords Labors to Speak Again from the New York Times
"Representative Gabrielle Giffords, an eloquent speaker before she was shot in the head last month, is relearning the skill — progressing from mouthing words and lip-syncing songs to talking briefly by telephone to her brother-in-law in space."
And, in the spirit of the previous article, what, prey, was her first audible sentence? "What … are … my latest polling numbers?"

Incumbents, Beware (Charlie Cook) from the National Journal
"Redistricting was very, very good to House members from both parties a decade ago. Don’t expect it to happen again."

FUTURISTIC BRIDGE NUGGET!!
Building a Bridge Out of Wind: PICTURES from Discovery News
"If it's going to be possible to get all of our energy from renewable sources by 2030, we're going to need to get creative about where we put those solar panels and wind turbines. You have to give the designers of the "Solar Wind" bridge kudos for creativity then, as they have proposed a bridge that can generate enough renewable energy to power 115,000 homes."

VALENTINE'S DAY NUGGET!!
America's Most Romantic Main Streets (PHOTOS) from the Huffington Post
"The National Trust for Historic Preservation released their list of the most romantic Main streets in the America, just in time for Valentine's Day. The adorable streets--some of them romantically paved with cobblestones--are ideal for strolling lovers young and old."
Where's Main Street in East Liberty in Pittsburgh?  You have seductive views of Beer World and Jake's Notary.  What else could you possibly want?

News Nuggets 546

Scenes from Tahrir Square yesterday.  From the Huffington Post.

Egypt's Joy as Mubarak Quits (Tariq Ali) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"With Hosni Mubarak's departure, the age of political reason is returning to Egypt and the wider Arab world."
Here again -- this does not sound like the harbinger of Islamist fundamentalism.  Just the opposite.

In Mubarak's Final Hours, Defiance Surprises U.S. and Threatens to Unleash Chaos from the Washington Post
"The scheme would unfold Thursday, with the only uncertainty being Mubarak's fate. "There were two scenarios: He would either leave office, or he would transfer power," said a U.S. government official who was briefed on the plan. "These were not speculative scenarios. There was solid information" and a carefully crafted script.  But the Egyptian president decided at the last minute to change the ending. "Mubarak called an audible," the official said."

Fall of Mubarak Shakes Middle East from the Wall Street Journal
"Army Takes Control as President Yields to Furious Protests; Region Astir as Second Arab Leader Is Toppled in Two Months."

Mubarak Assets Frozen by Swiss Government from CNN Money
"Switzerland's government moved Friday to freeze any assets in the country's banks that might belong to former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak or his family, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday."

Mubarak's Lesson About The Limits of American Influence (Marc Ambinder) from the National Journal
"This morning--Washington time--word came from Mubarak’s inner circle that Mubarak had accepted his fate. The military accepted this on face value and began to execute what appeared to be a well-planned, highly public transition ritual. The Egyptian diplomatic corps began to tell their contacts in other countries. The American embassy in Cairo passed word directly to Obama through the National Security Staff and the State Department. This time, it seemed real. Obama allowed himself a rare moment of imprudence, predicting that the day ahead would be transformational and historic. Then Mubarak changed his mind."

Postcard From a Free Egypt (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
"Tomorrow we can all talk about how hard this transition will be, how many pitfalls and uncertainties lie ahead for Egypt, but to be in Tahrir Square tonight, to feel the energy and pride of a people taking back the keys to their country and their future from a tired old dictator, was a privilege."

After Thursday Speech, White House Pushed Mubarak: You Must Satisfy the Demonstrators In the Street from ABC News
"Sources tell ABC News that after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak spoke last night, handing over powers to his vice president but not stepping down, the White House and Obama administration in general conveyed to Egyptian government --at all levels – that his message was not enough for the demonstrators, whom they needed to satisfy or the crisis would continue and get worse."

Out of Egyptian Protests a New Obama Doctrine is Born (Simon Tisdall) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"US president's decision to back revolt against Mubarak-led repression has implications for region's autocrats."

Who Lost Egypt: Not Obama for Sure (Aaron David Miller) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Don't blame Washington for walking the political tightrope in Egypt. It's simply not our revolution."

Gates and Mullen in Close Contact with Egyptian Military (Josh Rogin) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The Gates and Mullen phone calls are emblematic of the sustained but quiet engagement with their military counterparts that the Pentagon has been undertaking throughout the crisis. That effort has been especially important in recent days, as the military's role has increased and its allegiances have come under closer scrutiny."

‘This Is Who Egyptians Are’ (Yasmine El Rashidi) from the New York Review of Books
An in-depth look at how events unfolded on the ground the four days before Mubarak stepped down.

Sometimes It's Right to Cooperate with Dictators from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"The uprisings in the Arab world have prompted much hand-wringing among Europeans, who worry that the West has been too lenient with the region's autocrats. Sometimes, however, tolerating dictators is very much in the West's best interest."
And sometimes it is the dumbest thing imaginable.  Lots of dictators in the Middle East seem to be very much misreading what's happening in Egypt and somehow thinking that Obama (or anyone) could (or should have) saved Mubarak.

Important reverberations around the Middle East:
Deep US-Saudi Rift over Egypt: Abdullah stands by Mubarak, turns to Tehran from the Debkafile [of Israel in English]
FYI: Debkafile is an Israeli intelligence news blog.
"The conversation between President Barack Obama and Saudi King Abdullah early Thursday, Feb. 10, was the most acerbic the US president has ever had with an Arab ruler, DEBKAfile's Middle East sources report. They had a serious falling-out on the Egyptian crisis which so enraged the king that some US and Middle East sources reported he suffered a sudden heart attack. Rumors that he had died rocked the world financial and oil markets that morning and were denied by an adviser to the ruling family. Some Gulf sources say he has had heart attacks in the past. Those sources disclose that the call which Obama put into Abdullah, who is recuperating from back surgery at his palace in Morocco, brought their relations into deep crisis and placed in jeopardythe entire edifice of US Iran and Middle East policies."

Blow-Up in the Gulf from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The revolution arrives in Bahrain ... and Kuwait, and the Emirates."

The Al Jazeera Effect: The Inside Story of Egypt's TV Wars and How Saudi Arabia Could be Next from Foreign Policy Magazine
""Long live Al Jazeera!" chanted Egyptian protesters in Tahrir Square on Feb. 6. Many Arabs -- not least the staff at Al Jazeera -- have said for years that the Arab satellite network would help bring about a popular revolution in the Middle East. Now, after 15 years of broadcasting, it appears the prediction has come true."

Echoes of Cairo In Tehran from The Diplomat
"Iran’s reformist Green Movement looks like it’s beginning to regroup. But is President Obama paying attention?"
Ahmadinejhad has been trying to spin the Egypt revolt like it is comparable with the 1979 Iran revolution -- but the truth is that its the Green Movement in Iran that is actually getting inspired.  Iran's conservative leadership are NOT HAPPY about the direction the Egypt protests have gone.  Iran's brand of "big change" is deeply threatened by what has happened.

Algeria Police Stifle Egypt-Inspired Protest from Reuters via RealClearWorld
"Thousands of police in riot gear blocked off the center of Algeria's capital on Saturday and stopped government opponents from staging a protest march that sought to emulate Egypt's popular revolt."

Who's Next? from Freedom House
"With Hosni Mubarak stepping down in Egypt, tyrants around the world may be anxiously wondering who will be the next to fall. Here are some gentle suggestions."

Israel's Moment to be Bold (Robert Shrum) from The Week
"The crisis in Egypt will present Israel with an opportunity to seize the high ground — and maybe peace, too."
A good sentiment -- but I suspect Israel has missed its opportunity to be bold.  What is predictable is that the Palestinians and the Egyptians will put ALL peace talks on hold until the Egyptians establish a new government.  Once THAT happens, what's predictable is that whoever is leading that new gov't is going to be MUCH MORE hard-nosed in its dealings with Israel -- and the PA will look for and expect that they have a NEW patron in Cairo.  Make no mistake: together the PA and new leadership in Cairo are going to put Netenyahu on the spot.  They are going to drive a MUCH HARDER BARGAIN!  Netenyahu and company will curse themselves for not seizing the many opportunities they have had in the last several years to cut a very favorable deal with the PA.  I suspect that the window of opportunity for a favorable deal got slammed shut yesterday.  Now, almost certainly the Israelis -- if they want to continue to enjoy some semblance of normalcy with Egypt [and other moderate Arab states] -- will have to FIGHT to resist much more serious concessions.

Republican Says Government Shutdown Possible, as House GOP Work to Bridge Divisions from CNN
"A top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee says that the fight to cut spending could lead to a government shut down."

Jon Kyl Retires: Who's the Next Senate Dropout? (David Graham) from the Daily Beast
"As the retirements of Jon Kyl and Jim Webb make plain, the era of Senator-for-Life Strom Thurmond is over. David A. Graham reports on what's pushing senators out early—and more possible retirees, from John Ensign to Ben Nelson."

The Republicans' CPAC Misfire (Eleanor Clift) from the Daily Beast
"Conservatives won big in the midterms by focusing on government, not social issues. But they seem to be going back to their old ways. Eleanor Clift reports from CPAC."

In the Belly of the Beast: CPAC's Carnival of Groups Offers a Glimpse into the Conservative Universe (Bradford Plumer) from the New Republic
"Down in the basement of the Marriott sits a convention hall lined with various groups hawking pamphlets and various bits of swag. The scene offers a glimpse of the varied organizations that compose the conservative universe."

Abraham Lincoln, Inflationist (Paul Krugman) form the New York Times
"There was a time when Republicans used to refer to themselves, proudly, as “the party of Lincoln.” But you don’t hear that line much these days. Why?"

MOBY DICK NUGGET!!
Divers Find Shipwreck of Doomed Sailor who Inspired Classic Tale of Moby Dick Off Coast of Hawaii from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"When, in 1820, a fierce sperm whale sank George Pollard's first whaling ship — Essex — it captured the imagination of author Herman Melville, who published the book in 1851. And, just three years after his first ship sank, a second whaler captained by Pollard, 30, struck a coral reef during a night storm and sank in shallow water. Marine archaeologists scouring remote atolls 600 miles northwest of Honolulu have found the wreck site of Pollard's second vessel, the Two Brothers."

ICE AGE NUGGET!!
"Remarkable" Ice Age Fossil Cache Found from National Geographic News
""I'm trying to think of a cooler fossil that I've even seen in my life," dig team member Kirk Johnson, chief curator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, said in a statement. The bison skull is part of a "bumper crop" of Ice Age animals recently discovered at the site, including American mastodons, Columbian mammoths, tiger salamanders, and a Jefferson's ground sloth—the first ever found in Colorado, according to the Denver museum."

News Nuggets 545

A spectacular scene of lightening over the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland.  From National Geographic.

UP-FRONT TELEVISION NOTE:
The coverage of demonstrations this morning on Al Jazeera English has been breath-taking!  Check it out HERE.

NEW YORK TIMES COLUMNIST NUGGETS!!
It just so happens that THREE of NYT's regular columnists were in Tahrir Square yesterday.  Here are their responses to Mubrak's announcement:

(1) The Mubarak Muddle (Roger Cohen) from the New York Times
The potential for greater violence in Egypt has risen. In a 17-minute speech on Thursday night, Mubarak acknowledged mistakes, promised reform and said, almost in passing, that his vice president, Omar Suleiman, was now in charge. But he defied the demand of protesters that he quit. Once again, he gave the impression he had not heard them at all.  If Egypt’s battered authorities had set out to choreograph treacherous muddle, they could scarcely have done a better job.

(2) Out of Touch, Out of Time (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
"Watching President Hosni Mubarak addressing his nation Thursday night, explaining why he would not be drummed out of office by foreigners, I felt embarrassed for him and worried for Egypt. This man is staggeringly out of touch with what is happening inside his country. This is Rip Van Winkle meets Facebook."

(3) The Pharaoh Refuses to Go (Nicholas Kristof) from the New York Times
"To me, this speech is a reminder of how entrenched the powers that be are in Egypt. They have their entire way of life — and billions of dollars — at risk, and they’re not going to go easily. My hunch is that at some point they’ll throw Mubarak overboard, but even then they may then seek to maintain Mubarakism without Mubarak. This could get uglier. It will certainly be historic."

NOTE: Nicholas Kristof's twitter feed from Cairo is (sometimes) HILARIOUS!  Example: "You know you're in trouble when: Iraq embassy in Cairo urges Iraqis to return home"
Check it out HERE.

Mubarak Reportedly Leaves Cairo from the New York Times 
"The Egyptian military appeared to assert its leadership Friday amid growing indications that President Hosni Mubarak was yielding all power. A Western official said that Mr. Mubarak had left the capital, though that could not be independently confirmed."
 
Obama Did Not Miss Any Chances In Egypt! from Daily Kos
"Reading Bill Press, a syndicated columnist for Tribune Media Services in his article, Obama meets foreign policy test with the crisis in Egypt, he clearly depicts that Obama did not miss any chance in Egypt and in fact has executed a well planned methodical approach to send a message to Mubarak that he has to step down in a sweet and respectful manner in order to end the civil unrest in Egypt."
The links to Bill Press's original article seems to be having problems -- hopefully they will get it back up and running.

Anatomy of a Dictatorship: Hosni Mubarak (Elizabeth Dickinson) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The many repressions of Egypt's 30-year-president."

Barack Obama is Not Jimmy Carter (Leon Hadar) from Al Haaretz [of Israel in English]
"The 1979 Iran crisis produced a heated debate over the U.S. policy response. Obama's response to the Egypt crisis has enjoyed wide bipartisan support."
NOTE: In the main, Al Haaretz has NOT been a friendly forum when it comes to the Obama WH.

In the Shadows With Counterterrorism Czar John Brennan, Obama's Secret Weapon (Michael Crowley) from Time Magazine
"Brennan, 55, is watching events in the Middle East. The U.S. gets invaluable assistance from friendly Arab states. In Yemen, for example, a fragile government has turned its army against radical Islamists. Though pessimists warn of Iran-style revolutions that could leave Islamists in power in many countries, Brennan sees a bright side. "I think it's going to have profound implications across the region in terms of moving ahead with political reforms that are overdue," he says of the peaceful demonstrations. "In many respects, I think it's a refutation of bin Laden and al-Qaeda's agenda of violence.""
I am beginning to come to the same conclusion.  DEPENDING ON HOW IT GOES IN EGYPT, we could be seeing the beginning of the end of Islamist fundamentalism as the driving force for change in the Middle East.  The Egyptian protests, if anything, find their roots in the pan-Arabist, secular movement of Nasser in the 1960s (with the added ingredient of democracy), not in the Iranian Revolution or Al Qaeda.  What has been interesting has been the silence from Al Qaeda on the protests.  Bin Laden KNOWS that if these protests succeed that HIS MODEL of dramatic change for the region will be COMPLETELY discredited!  People want better jobs, better educations, they want democracy and futures for their youth.  Bin Laden offers NOTHING for these people!

U.S. Preparing Aid Package For Egypt Opposition from Time Magazine
"To avoid a continuation of dictatorial rule under a new strong man or a dangerous power vacuum as weaker players try to seize control, Egypt will need to see the lightning-fast development of long-suppressed political parties. So the US is preparing a new package of assistance to Egyptian opposition groups designed to help with constitutional reform, democratic development and election organizing, State department officials tell TIME."

Insurance Reality Hits House GOP from Politico
"Ask any House Republican about repealing President Barack Obama’s health care law, and you’ll get the same fiery, self-assured talking points about tearing down what Speaker John Boehner has called a “monstrosity.”  But talk to some of the 16 freshman lawmakers who have declined their government health benefits, and you’ll hear a different side of the story — about tough out-of-pocket expenses, pre-existing conditions and support for health reforms that would help those who struggle with their coverage. As they venture into the free market for health insurance, these lawmakers — many of whom swept into office fueled by tea party anger over the health care law — are facing monthly premiums of $1,200 and fears of double-digit rate hikes.  The experience has caused some of them to think harder about the “replace” part of the “repeal and replace” mantra the GOP has adopted regarding the health care law."
KUDOS to those 16 GOP members who put their money where their mouths have been!!  What a RARE display of candor too for their willingness now to be STRAIGHT about how the experience has been for them and not simply lie their asses off as they quietly suck off some spouse's health plan.  NOW, how about some courage, the courage to alter their voting?

Obama’s Advantage: First Term Incumbents Rarely Lose but a Close Election Likely (Alan Abramowitz) from Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics
"Even without knowing what condition the economy will be in, whether a major international crisis will erupt, or who will win the Republican nomination, one crucial determinant of the outcome of the 2012 presidential election is already known. Barack Obama will be seeking reelection as a first term incumbent and first term incumbents rarely lose."

PolitiFact Rates Republican Statements as False at 3 Times the Rate of Democrats from SmartPolitics
"PolitiFact assigns "Pants on Fire" or "False" ratings to 39 percent of Republican statements compared to just 12 percent of Democrats since January 2010"
Gee -- I'm SO surprised!!

GOP Honeymoon Over from Public Policy Polling
"Whatever bounce in his polling numbers John Boehner got from becoming Speaker didn't last very long. When PPP started its weekly polling for Daily Kos last month Boehner's approval rating was a positive 35/28 spread. Within two weeks that was already on the decline to just barely favorable territory at 33/31 and now he's already in the red with the portion of voters who approve of him down to 28% and his disapproval at 30%."
Welcome to leadership, Mr. Boehner, you wanted it so bad.  The following story won't help these polling numbers.

John Boehner Sex Probe from the National Enquirer
"New Speaker of the House JOHN BOEHNER is embroiled in a bombshell sex scandal - involving at least two different women, The ENQUIRER has learned!  Capitol Hill insiders and political bloggers have been buzzing about an upcoming New York Times probe - detailing an alleged affair that the 61-year-old married father of two had with pretty Washington lobbyist  Lisbeth Lyons."
Yes - I know it is the Enquirer -- but they had it RIGHT on Gary Hart and on John Edwards!  When they nail a politician, they seem to have the goods.  We'll see.

News Nuggets 544

A baby African Elephant at a Zoo in Wuppertal, Germany.  From Zooborns.

The Crumbling Anchors of Mubarak's Support (Ashraf Khalil) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Mubarak may be holding on for now, but every day a little bit more, his base of support is eroding beneath him."

Protest in Egypt Takes a Turn as Workers Go on Strike from the New York Times
"As reports filtered in of strikes and unrest spreading to other parts of the city and the country, the government seemed to dig in deeper. Mr. Mubarak’s handpicked successor, Vice President Omar Suleiman, warned Tuesday that the only alternative to constitutional talks was a “coup” and added: “We don’t want to deal with Egyptian society with police tools.” But the pressure on Mr. Mubarak’s government was intensifying."

In Egypt, Why the Movement Believes Making Crowds Ever Larger is the Only Way to Win (Thanassis Cambanis) from the Atlantic
"Organizers of Tahrir Square are playing a numbers game. If more people show up each time they call for a big crowd - as happened on Tuesday, which drew perhaps the greatest amount of people since it all began on January 25 - then the revolution advances. That's their gamble."

Egypt's State-run Media Starting to Shift from Pro-Mubarak Coverage from the Washington Post
"Over the past few days, journalists working for Egyptian state media have orchestrated a remarkable uprising of their own: They have begun reporting news that casts the embattled government in a negative light."

Dictators' Sons, From Egypt to Libya, Are Doomed (Stephen Kinzer) from the Daily Beast
"Qaddafi's son has been linked to arms smuggling. Saddam's kids were rapists and torturers. Despot's children often hasten their fathers' downfall. Just ask Mubarak."

Will February 12 Bring Revolution to Algeria? from Foreign Policy Magazine
"While press coverage of the Middle East and North Africa has spent the past month focused on Tunisia and Egypt, Algerian opposition groups calling for mass protests on February 12 have stirred speculation that their country, now set to be the largest in Africa (given South Sudan's recent vote for secession), may be the next domino to fall."

Special Report: In Saudi Arabia, a Clamor for Education from Reuters News Service
"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia sits on more than a fifth of the globe's oil reserves and thanks to high oil prices it has almost tripled its foreign assets to more than $400 billion since 2005. The region's thinkers had a profound influence on the evolving western science of the Middle Ages. But from kindergarten to university, its state education system has barely entered the modern age. Focused on religious and Arabic studies, it has long struggled to produce the scientists, engineers, economists and lawyers that Saudi needs."
Boy -- I had assumed with all their oil wealth that Saudi youth would be getting a half-way decent education.  Guess not.  And for the brilliant Saudi leadership that thought this up, what kind of future did they think they were providing for young people!? Especially since they KNOW the oil spout won't last forever!  DUMB!

In the Middle East, a Catch-22 for the CIA (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
"Here's the bottom line: The CIA is caught in a jam that's emblematic of America's larger problem in the Middle East. The agency has been so focused on stopping al-Qaeda that it has been distracted from other questions. America depends on good intelligence as never before, and the simple truth is that the CIA has to lift its game."

52% of Americans Have Heard Little or Nothing about Egyptian Demonstrations from Pew Research via Americablog
"Our foreign policy decisions would be a lot better of people bothered to pay attention."
One the one hand, I think this is probably good for Obama, given the foreign policy contortions he and his team have had to go through in the last three weeks.  On the other hand -- it so showcases why the US seems to learn NOTHING from our own foreign policy mistakes.

Don’t Worry. Be Happy. (Gail Collins) from the New York Times
"In troubled times it’s important to pace yourself. There’s only so much you can worry about at once, and we’ve already got Egypt, the weird weather, rising food prices and unemployment. … At moments like this, I find it soothing to make lists of things that we don’t have to worry about at all."

Ideas Are Not The Same As Race (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"Every once in a while you get stories like this one, about the underrepresentation of conservatives in academics, that treat ideological divides as being somehow equivalent to racial differences. This is a really, really bad analogy."

Spokesman: Giffords Recovering Part of Her Ability to Speak from CNN
"U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, recovering from a gunshot wound to the head sustained January 8, is regaining part of her ability to speak, her spokesman said Wednesday. C.J. Karamargin would not divulge what Giffords has said, other than saying she asked for toast. "It's very good news," he told CNN."

Following up on yesterday's story about the GOP's failure to pass the renewal of the Patriot Act:
House GOP Has the Wheels Come Off... on Day 12 from Daily Kos
"In what was officially just the 12th day in session for the new House Republican majority, the wheels have come off the GOP vote-counting machinery. There were just two bills schedule for floor action yesterday, both under suspension of the rules, meaning they were thought to be non-controversial enough to pass with the required 2/3 majority. Neither one made it."

Republicans in House Battle Turmoil in Their Ranks from the New York Times
"Under pressure to make deeper spending cuts and blindsided by embarrassing floor defeats, House Republican leaders are quickly discovering the limits of control over their ideologically driven and independent-minded new majority."

Who Killed the Patriot Act? (Jacob Heilbrunn) from the National Interest
"One thing the vote suggests is that it will be more difficult for the GOP to demagogue national security as it did during the George W. Bush era. Bush used the Patriot Act as a club to bash Democrats as soft on fighting terrorism."

And the GOP Front-Runner Is … (Doyle McManus) from the Los Angeles Times
"There are really only two spots on the GOP presidential ballot. One is reserved for Mitt Romney. The other is for someone who isn't Mitt Romney."
I actually disagree with this assessment.  If Huntsman gets in, the centrist/business wing of the GOP will split just like the rest of the field.

SUBWAY ART NUGGET!!
Underground Art? Amazing Pictures Show Beauty of Swedish Subway Network from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Often described as 'the longest art exhibition in the world', the roof of one Stockholm station is red-lit, making it appear to be covered in billowing flames, and another boasts ancient-looking statues carved out of the tunnel walls."

ANIMAL NUGGET!!
Animals Make Friends Too from Discovery News
"Elephants, dolphins, primates and now bats have been shown to form human-like friendships."