News Nuggets 915

DAYLEE PICTURE: Peatland in Australia. From National Geographic.

TEN BEST NUGGETS OF THE WEEK!!

1.  The Iceman Leadeth: The Cool Diplomacy of Barack Obama (David Rothkopf) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"... the president has done what many wise leaders do and surrounded himself with top officials who complement his strengths -- deepening relationships, working them behind the scenes, offering warmth and an attentive ear where he can't or doesn't have the time to do so. ... Collectively and quietly, they have changed the character of America's relationships with the world."

2.  Deterring Iran is the Best Option (Fareed Zakaria) from the Washington Post
" It used to be the left that refused to accept the idea of deterrence — searching instead for options such as a nuclear freeze. And it used to be those on the right who would patiently explain the practical virtues of deterrence. ... Yet today it is the right that has decided that deterrence is a lie."

3.  Americans Don't Want a War (Paul R. Pillar) from the National Interest 
"They are being swayed by mindless alarmism, not sober considerations of what a nuclear Iran would mean—which makes their expressed aversion to a war all the more telling."

4.  Bin Laden’s Wives’ Stories of Post-9/11 Life Casts More Suspicion on Pakistan (Bruce Reidel) from the Daily Beast
"Pakistani officials have released the testimony of the three wives living with Osama bin Laden when he was killed. Apparently, Pakistani intelligence hoped this testimony would direct suspicion away from its door, but it does quite the opposite."

5.  "Showdown": Inside the Obama White House (David Corn) from Mother Jones Magazine
"My new behind-the-scenes book on how Obama reclaimed his presidency comes out next week. Here's an excerpt—on the night they got bin Laden."

6.  Church Puts Legal Pressure on Abuse Victims’ Group from the New York Times 
"Mr. Donohue said leading bishops he knew had resolved to fight back more aggressively against the group: “The bishops have come together collectively. I can’t give you the names, but there’s a growing consensus on the part of the bishops that they had better toughen up and go out and buy some good lawyers to get tough. We don’t need altar boys.”"

7.  'Game Change' Authors: Hillary Clinton in '16 (Tim Mak) from Politico 
"“Game Change” co-authors Mark Halperin and John Heilemann both predicted Wednesday that there was a high probability that Hillary Clinton would run for president in 2016. “What are the odds this morning that Hillary Clinton runs for president in 2016?” asked “Morning Joe” co-host Willie Geist. “99.4 [percent chance],” said Heilemann. “I think very high.”
What makes this slim story so interesting is that Malperin and Heilemann both have exceptional sources in the Clinton camp.  That these two are THIS CERTAIN that Hillary will run in '16 is important news by itself.

8.  "'We Have No Choice': One Woman's Ordeal with Texas' New Sonogram Law (Carolyn Jones) from the Texas Observer
"The painful decision to terminate a pregnancy is now—thanks to Texas' harsh new law—just the beginning of the torment."

9.  Centrist Women Tell of Disenchantment With G.O.P. from the New York Times  
"“We all agreed that this seemed like a throwback to 40 years ago,” said Ms. Russell, 57, a retired teacher from Iowa City who describes herself as an evangelical Christian and “old school” Republican of the moderate mold. Until the baby shower, just two weeks ago, she had favored Mitt Romney for president. Not anymore. "

10.  The Perils of Running Against a Fantasy Version of Obama (Jonathan Bernstein) from the Washington Post
"Want to see a great example of the closed GOP information feedback loop, and why it may prove dangerous for the Republican candidates? Think about the two Barack Obamas that Republicans are running against."

Now, for the regular news nuggets of Sunday, March 18, 2012.

Rise of the Single-Woman Voter (Hanna Rosin) from Slate
"The fight to win over the nation’s fastest-growing voting group—and the most misunderstood."

Susan G. Komen: Where’s the Party? (Amy Davidson) from the New Yorker 
"“I am writing to inform you that we have cancelled the Annual Awards Gala that was originally scheduled for May 17, 2012,” Blythe Masters, the chair of the board of directors for the Greater New York City affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, wrote in a letter dated yesterday. Now, why would that be?"

Denying Communion: A Priest and a Lesbian Set Off a Catholic Culture Clash from the Washington Post
"Conservatives have accused Johnson, an openly gay woman, of promoting a liberal political agenda at her mother’s funeral, of all places. The Washington archdiocese has accused Guarnizo, a Russian-ordained traditionalist with powerful friends, of intimidating parish staff after the incident and suspended him from his priestly duties. He, in turn, has essentially accused church officials of lying."

Republican Bill Would Enroll Seniors in Same Health Plans as Lawmakers (Julian Pecquet) from The Hill
"A group of Senate Republicans has introduced legislation that would end traditional Medicare and sign seniors up for the same private healthcare plans received by members of Congress.  The "Congressional Health Care for Seniors Act" would allow seniors to choose from the array of plans currently offered to the four million federal employees and their dependents in the Federal Employee Health Benefit program, starting in 2014. It would also gradually increase the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 70 over a 20-year period."
Breathtakingly cynical!  What the GOP has done here is proposed to (basically) buy off the current generation of seniors with a generous health plan in service of a plan to diminish or eliminate health care coverage in the future for everyone else.

Solar Energy Brings Food, Water, and Light to West Africa from National Geographic
"Robert Freling has been turning that doctrine on its head. The executive director of the Washington-based Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF), Freling has proven that solar power can be more economical than internal combustion engines, if the cost-benefit analysis looks beyond the short term."

White Like Me (Ronald Brownstein) from the National Journal
"Almost all of the people voting in GOP presidential primaries are white. That’s not good for the party—or the nation."

Brownstein gets a two-fer:
Obama's Key Groups Warming on the Economy (Ronald Brownstein) from National Journal
"In a trend with important implications for the presidential election, the latest Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor poll released today shows President Obama's strongest groups in the electorate expressing the most optimism about the trajectory of the economy. In the survey, both minorities and college-educated white voters were much more likely than working-class whites to say that they anticipate the economy will improve over the next year. Those well-educated whites are now also much more likely than their blue-collar counterparts to describe their current financial situation as excellent or good."

Why Conservatives Are Still Crazy After All These Years (Rick Perlstein) from Rolling Stone Magazine
"...are right-wingers scarier now than in the past? They certainly seem stranger and fiercer. I'd argue, however, that they’ve been this crazy for a long time. Over the last sixty years or so, I see far more continuities than discontinuities in what the rightward twenty or thirty percent of Americans believe about the world."

All Odds Aside, G.O.P. Girding for Floor Fight from the New York Times 
"For the first time in a generation, Republicans are preparing for the possibility that their presidential nomination could be decided at their national convention rather than on the campaign trail, a prospect that would upend one of the rituals of modern politics."

Two Men Ejected From Santorum Rally After Kissing from Huffington Post 
"Two men who kissed one another were kicked out of presidential candidate Rick Santorum's rally Friday evening at Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights."

Police Intervene, Arrest Ron Paul Backers at Missouri Caucus from ABC News 
"Police and organizers shut down proceedings at one of Missouri’s largest caucuses today, as Ron Paul supporters feuded with local GOP leaders."

E-BOOK PUBLISHING NUGGET!!
‘50 Shades of Grey,’ a Self-Published E-Book, Is the Future of Publishing (Lizzie Skurnick) from the Daily Beast
"50 Shades of Grey may not revolutionize porn, romance, chick-lit, or literature. But this one-click wonder is the future of how we’ll read."

News Nuggets 914

DAYLEE PICTURE: Climbing on the Grand Tsingy cliffs in the De Bekopaka National Park and Preserve in Madagascar.  From National Geographic. 

UP-FRONT CONTRACEPTION NUGGET!!
"'We Have No Choice': One Woman's Ordeal with Texas' New Sonogram Law (Carolyn Jones) from the Texas Observer
"The painful decision to terminate a pregnancy is now—thanks to Texas' harsh new law—just the beginning of the torment."

BOMB-SYRIA PUNDIT NUGGET [of a sort]!!
The Pentagon’s Cold Feet on Syria (Max Boot) from the Washington Post 
What follows is one of the clearest expositions demonstrating why the US gets itself entangled in unnecessary wars around the world.  I can't recall the last time this neo-con, Max Boot, saw a war he didn't want the US to get involved in.  Experience (no matter how recent or tragic) makes no difference for people like this.  His meme for today: why Obama needs to ignore the advice of all of his military brass and go to war in Syria anyway.  Absolutely incredible!
"It is understandable, and laudable, that military leaders are reluctant to send their troops into harm’s way. And just because defense officials tend to cry wolf doesn’t mean that they are always wrong or that their warnings should be disregarded. ... Today, in the case of Syria, any military action needs to be carefully thought through, but we should not refuse to act simply because of the worst-case scenarios being raised by the Pentagon."

And just to remind people:
An Unheralded Anniversary: Ending the Iraq War Has Strengthened Overall U.S. National Security from the Center for American Progress
"President Barack Obama came to office on a pledge to end the Iraq war, and his administration fulfilled that pledge—U.S. troops left the country last year rather than staying with an open-ended commitment that many had proposed. The redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq from 2008 to 2011 strengthened overall U.S. national security in five key ways:"

The bin Laden Plot to Kill President Obama (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
"Before his death, Osama bin Laden boldly commanded his network to organize special cells in Afghanistan and Pakistan to attack the aircraft of President Obama and Gen. David H. Petraeus. “The reason for concentrating on them,” the al-Qaeda leader explained to his top lieutenant, “is that Obama is the head of infidelity and killing him automatically will make [Vice President] Biden take over the presidency; Biden is totally unprepared for that post, which will lead the U.S. into a crisis. As for Petraeus, he is the man of the hour;. and killing him would alter the war’s path” in Afghanistan."

China Plans Faster Land Approval, Tax-Free Imports for Shale from the Bloomberg News
"China has yet to produce shale gas commercially as its explorers struggle to overcome the lack of domestic drilling expertise and geology that is tougher than in the U.S., where output has surged 15-fold in the past decade."

The Fracking Trade-Offs (David Sirota) from Salon
"The oil industry is muscling through pro-drilling legislation by tying it to appealing tax cuts and education bills."

Dharun Ravi Found Guilty in Rutgers Webcam Spying Trial from the Star-Ledger [of New Jersey]
"Former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi was found guilty today of a hate crime, evidence tampering and invasion of privacy, for secretly using a webcam to spy on his roommate’s liaison with another man in their dorm room.  In the high-profile case that sparked awareness of cyber-bullying and harassment of gay teenagers, Ravi, 20, was convicted on all 15 counts against him..."

‘Mediscare,’ Republican Style (Dana Milbank) from the Washington Post 
"For years, Republicans have insisted that they would not end Medicare as we know it and that any changes to the program would not affect those in or near retirement. In the span of 20 minutes Thursday, they jettisoned both promises. “The president and Harry Reid have been licking their chops for over three years now waiting for Republicans to actually try to deal with the large problems like Medicare,” Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) told reporters. “So, this is the moment they’ve been waiting for.” He’s right about that. "

Poll: Majority Don’t See Loss of Liberty in Obama Contraception Rules (Kristen Powers) from the Daily Beast
"Some 56 percent of Americans believe their freedom of religion is secure, despite conservatives’ continued protests over new rules for contraception coverage. Bad news for the GOP on the religious liberty vs. contraception debate:  Americans aren’t buying what you are selling."

Medical Community: Oppose the Mandatory Ultrasound Bills (Joan McCarter) from Daily Kos
"These mandatory ultrasound bills do directly jeopardize the doctor-patient relationship. They would also compel doctors to ignore the guidelines the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) on the use of ultrasound in pregnancy. ACOG's guidelines are very specific: ..."

Will Limbaugh, with the Help of Romney's Bain Capital, Bring Down Clear Channel? from Americablog
A bigger picture look at Limbaugh's parent company, Clear Channel.  The kind and extent of Bain Capital's baneful (I'm sorry. I couldn't resist!) involvement with Clear Channel is news to me.  
"So lets recap, Clear Channel is losing a large slice of advertising revenue for a broadcaster they are paying $38 million a year. The company has a market cap of $5.5 billion, and $19 billion in debt. Despite a junk bond rating, the company is planning to borrow another $2.2 billion to pay a $2 billion dividend to Bain Capital. That will leave the company with a market cap of $3.3 billion, and $21.2 billion in debt with $4 billion due in 2014 and another $12 billion up to 2016. And don't forget that in the increasingly likely case that these Vampire Capital tactics put Clear Channel into bankruptcy, Chapter 11 will allow the same management team who engineered it to stay in control and later find a new clutch of investors to bilk."

The Silence of the Lions (Kathleen Parker) from the Washington Post 
"As many have observed lately, including Peggy Noonan, who this week wrote a powerful column about misogyny aloft in the land, Rush Limbaugh isn’t the only culprit to use the word “slut” and “prostitute” to describe a woman with whom he disagreed."

The Perils of Running Against a Fantasy Version of Obama (Jonathan Bernstein) from the Washington Post
"Want to see a great example of the closed GOP information feedback loop, and why it may prove dangerous for the Republican candidates? Think about the two Barack Obamas that Republicans are running against. One of them is basically a fraud; he’s never held a job before he somehow wound up the Democratic nominee in 2008. Or, as Mitt Romney asserted today: “It’s hard to create a job if you never had one.” Oh, and he’s entirely dependent on a teleprompter. ... the more important point is that neither version builds a convincing case against supporting Obama in 2012."

The GOP Can’t Win with Only the Hard-Core Base (Jennifer Rubin) from the Washington Post
"There is no guarantee the Republicans will win with Romney, but they will certainly lose with Santorum. If you doubt it, look where he can win and where he can’t."

In GOP Race, Voters Divided Over Religion’s Place in Politics from the Washington Post
"Faith has emerged as a significant fault line in the Republican race for president, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, which shows that Rick Santorum’s supporters seek a much stronger role for religion in American politics than do voters who support rival Mitt Romney."

The Case for Crazy: What the GOP Would Learn by Picking Rick Santorum (John Avlon) from the Daily Beast
"The party faithful will get to experience the adrenaline rush of going off a cliff together, like Thelma and Louise—elation followed by an electoral thud."

WI-Legislature: State Sen. Galloway to Resign, Leaving Senate Split from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"State Sen. Pam Galloway, who faces a recall election this summer, plans to resign from the Senate shortly, leaving an even split between Republicans and Democrats."
Daily Kos analyzes the consequences for the GOP recall elections.

More on this here:
Senator Pam Galloway Resigns Seat On Wisconsin Legislature, GOP Loses Senate Control (John Celock) from the Huffington Post
"A Wisconsin state senator facing a June primary election abruptly resigned Friday, plunging the Senate into a tie and shaking up the state's political landscape. Sen. Pam Galloway (R-Wausau) announced she would be resigning effective Saturday from the seat she has held since her November 2010 election..."

OBAMA BOOK NUGGET!!
"Showdown": Inside the Obama White House (David Corn) from Mother Jones Magazine
"My new behind-the-scenes book on how Obama reclaimed his presidency comes out next week. Here's an excerpt—on the night they got bin Laden."

News Nuggets 913

DAYLEE PICTURE: Hot springs in the Afar depression in East Africa.  From National Geographic. 

UP-FRONT OBAMA CAMPAIGN VIDEO NUGGET!!
Obama Campaign Releases Full 17-Minute, First-Term Documentary from the Huffington Post
VERY inspiring!! Check it out!!

Subtle Signs Obama Diplomacy May Work on Iran (Barbara Slavin) from Al-Monitor
"After months of increasingly ominous war talk by the United States, Israel and Iran, there are intriguing signs of potential diplomatic progress over Iran’s nuclear program. A series of events – both internal and external – have improved the odds for fruitful negotiations when the United States and its U.N. Security Council partners plus Germany – the so-called P5+1 -- sit down with Iran sometime next month after the Iranian New Year."

The Goldilocks Principle (Aaron David Miller) from Foreign Policy Magazine 
"No one's perfect, and surely not President Obama. But in the rough and tumble world of foreign policy, it's hard to argue he hasn't done most things just about right."

Brace for China's Impending Crash (Gwynne Dyer) from the Japan Times [in English]
"China avoided that recession by flooding its economy with cheap credit — but that credit has mainly gone into financing the biggest property and infrastructure-building boom of all time. Such booms always end in a crash, but this time, we are told, will be different. ... "

Poll: Americans Favor Diplomacy Over Israeli Attack On Iran from Talking Points Memo
"As tensions rise over Iran’s nuclear program, a majority of Americans want Israel and the U.S. to pursue diplomacy over military action."

In Chicago, Meet the New Boss (Jonathan Alter) from the Atlantic
"I WAS WALKING AROUND my sister’s Near North neighborhood in Chicago recently and came upon a small patch of green called Bauler Park. Paddy Bauler was the rollicking tavern owner and 43rd Ward alderman who in 1955 famously shouted, upon hearing of the election of Richard J. Daley as mayor: “Chicago ain’t ready for reform!” More than half a century later, the man who not long ago represented Bauler’s neighborhood in Congress insists that Chicago is finally ready."

Labor's Lost Love for Obama Returns from Politico
"After three years of spats, President Barack Obama and the unions have embraced each other again. The AFL-CIO became the latest major union to support Obama’s reelection when it endorsed him this week, and the president’s rousing speech at a United Auto Workers assembly last month was punctuated with chants of “four more years!”"
This is good.  It's going to be an "all-hands-on-deck" kind of election if Obama is going to win.

That Big Obama Poll Drop? It Never Happened (Jonathan Bernstein) from the Washington Post
Remember that big drop in approval numbers Barack Obama suffered over the weekend? You’re remembering a phantom. The poll that got all the chatter going about Obama’s alleged drop was published on Monday by the New York Times. It found Obama’s approval rating at 41 percent, in polling taken from March 7-11. But we now have two new polls, one from Pew and the other from Reuters, that have Obama at 50 percent. So what’s going on?"

Taking Polls with a Grain of Salt (Steve Benen) from the Maddow Blog at MSNBC
"Both, however, were asking the same question: what happened to cause such a decline? The answer, in all likelihood, is nothing."

Obama-mentum (Charles Blow) from the New York Times
"What should really give Republicans sleepless nights (if the numbers hold) is the demographic groups currently supporting Obama. In the Pew poll, Obama outperforms Romney by 20 points among all women, and by 31 points among women aged 19-49.  He outperforms Romney by 28 points among young people 18-29 years old and ties him among people 65 and older. And he outperforms Romney in every region of the country and among every income group."

VP Choice Speculation Swirls Around Potential 2012 Republican Picks (PHOTOS) from the Huffington Post
"There are still more than five months to go until the GOP formally nominates a candidate at the Republican National Convention. Although Mitt Romney has the lead in delegates, the contest is far from over. But not having a nominee hasn't stopped speculation from running wild about which name will end up on the bottom half of the ticket."

On Mitt’s Months of Misery in the Primaries to Come (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast
"Romney used to be thought of as a formidable candidate. But now he's a punch-line and a punching bag. And that isn't going to change any time soon."

Mitt Romney Campaign Starting To Show Financial Strain from the Huffington Post
"The long and increasingly messy Republican presidential contest is starting to hit Mitt Romney where it hurts most: his wallet."

Has Mitt Romney Run a Lousy Campaign? (Molly Ball) from the Atlantic 
"The Republican presidential candidate is winning in the ugliest way imaginable. Is it all his fault, or has his team made a series of avoidable mistakes?"

Santorum Wins in the South, and Romney Gets Into Trouble Again (Jonathan Chait) from New York Magazine
"My 8-year-old daughter caught a glimpse of Mitt Romney on television this afternoon. “Mitt Romney is hilarious!” she exclaimed. I asked her why she thinks that. “Because,” she replied, “he always gets himself into trouble!”"
There is this equally hilarious addition to the story:
"And speaking of a failure to communicate, the Republican war on TelePrompTers has poetically backfired. It began as a quasi-racist meme among the fever swamps of the right, a way for right-wingers to express their belief that Obama is a brainless talking doll. By catering to it, Republicans backed themselves into a position where they can’t use TelePrompTers at all. The result is a series of rambling election night speeches that manage to be at once frightening and dull. The speeches, like the race, just go on and on and on."
Americablog has further commentary on this teleprompter issue HERE. As I have said before, the whole teleprompter kerfufal is dumb on so many levels.  These days, when a politician is in public ANYTIME and ANYWHERE, the mic is always "hot".  Someone is always watching and recording.  And given how desperate Obama's enemies are to misconstrue anything he says, he would be NUTS not to work off a teleprompter -- just as all his predecessors in the Oval Office did going back to Reagan.  I am certain George W. Bush's presidency would have induced fewer laughs and less embarrassment if he had avoided speaking "off the cuff" entirely.  Obama is much more facile than Bush in this regard.  Indeed, I have found both Barack and Michelle to be astonishing to the extent that they have gone years (no exaggeration) without making any serious verbal miscues while they are out just talking to voters. On the flip side, I find it an amazing gift to Democrats that Romney et al., now find themselves having to avoid this technology, greatly heightening their propensity for verbal blunders and bad speeches.  Incredible.

The World According to Santorum (Stephen Dworkin) from E! The Environmental Magazine
"GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum is perhaps the best example of how far the right wing has fled from scientific reality."

Rick Santorum’s Ugly Appeal to Rural Voters (Joel Kotkin)  from the Daily Beast
Santorum’s campaign of complaint plays into the worst stereotypes of rural life, while overlooking the brighter future already emerging in much of the hinterland. ... Santorum has become the candidate of rural and inertia, representing the isolated, aging, often modestly educated and overwhelming white residents nostalgic for a fading past."

Rick ‘Ahmadinejad’ Santorum (Patrik Etschmayer) from The News [of Switzerland in English]
“Rick Santorum combines the worst of what Republicanism and Catholicism bring together in the public square without provoking his own immediate arrest. … Should Santorum fail at the end - and it certainly looks like he will - he should consider converting from Roman Catholicism to Shiite Islam, in order to enter Iranian politics. He would feel right at home in a country where gays are hanged and liberals are tortured, and he'd also be able to leave behind the separation of church and state, which just makes him sick to his stomach.”

On Sandra Fluke -- what she can expect for opening her mouth on contraception:
"Sandra Fluke’s Boyfriend, Adam “Cutie Pants” Mutterperl, And His Radical Socialist Family from The Graph
"Recently, it was reported that Sandra Fluke is connected to none other than 1%’er, William (Bill) Mutterperl, through her boyfriend. However, it wasn’t reported who her boyfriend is. Everyone, meet Sandra’s boyfriend, wannabe producer, and amateur stand-up comic, Adam “Cutie Pants”
Mutterperl, in this video audition he submitted to a “reality” show..."
It gets worse.  The anti-Jewish undertones to this piece are unmistakable.  Moreover, I don't get that Sandra's boyfriend is any more a "public figure" than she is.  I'm wondering if there is not some more flirtation with libel here.

Republican Rift Opens Over Newt Gingrich's Future from Politico
"On Wednesday, prominent conservatives raised the volume of their calls to unite around a single conservative candidate in the primary race."

Why Newt Gingrich is Staying in the Race: 4 Theories from The Week 
"According to the pundits and number crunchers, Gingrich has no viable path to the GOP nomination. So why is he sticking around?"

HOLLYWOOD BOOK NUGGET!!
They’re the Top: A Review of Music Makes Me: Fred Astaire and Jazz by Todd Decker and The Astaires: Fred and Adele by Kathleen Riley (Arlene Croce) from the New York Review of Books
"Now that The Artist has whetted our interest in the silent film and the revolutionary impact of sound, it may be time to reconsider the career of the man who made the conversion to sound the basis of a whole new kind of movie, Fred Astaire."

News Nuggets 912

DAYLEE PICTURE: King James' statue in the palace at Hatfield.  From the Daily Mail of the UK.

Deterring Iran is the Best Option (Fareed Zakaria) from the Washington Post
" It used to be the left that refused to accept the idea of deterrence — searching instead for options such as a nuclear freeze. And it used to be those on the right who would patiently explain the practical virtues of deterrence. ... Yet today it is the right that has decided that deterrence is a lie."

Americans Don't Want a War (Paul R. Pillar) from the National Interest 
"They are being swayed by mindless alarmism, not sober considerations of what a nuclear Iran would mean—which makes their expressed aversion to a war all the more telling."

A Year into Uprising, Syrian Protesters Say They Won’t Give Up from the Washington Post
"More than 8,000 people are dead, tens of thousands have been detained, untold numbers have been tortured, others are missing, and nearly a quarter-million have been displaced from their homes, according to the United Nations. Still, there is no end in sight."

Is Robert Kagan Obama's Guru? (Jacob Heilbrunn) from the National Interest 
"Kagan is not a partisan. Instead, he's interested in ideas. The main idea that he's interested in is a simple but powerful one—that America is, by and large, a force for good in the world. If it goes AWOL, then democracy, liberalism and the other good things that America stands for would take a pasting around the globe. Kagan is probably closer to the older Democratic Truman-Acheson tradition than he is to any Republican foreign-policy traditions."

Cameron Bets on Obama (Oliver Kamm) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The British prime minister is a lot more like the American president than you think. And he clearly believes Barack is headed for victory in November."

Obama’s Love Fest with David Cameron (Jay Newton-Small) from Time Magazine 
"The visit, in contrast to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s tense reception last week, has been marked by the casual air between two men– “Barack” and “David,” they call each other–who seem to genuinely get along.  In fact, the trip has been so drama-free, it’s hardly made news in the U.S."

Ben Bernanke: The Villain (Roger Lowenstein) from the Atlantic
"The left hates him. The right hates him even more. But Ben Bernanke saved the economy—and has navigated masterfully through the most trying of times."

Republicans Losing on Birth Control as 77% in Poll Spurn Debate from Bloomberg News Service
"Americans overwhelmingly regard the debate over President Barack Obama’s policy on employer-provided contraceptive coverage as a matter of women’s health, not religious freedom, rejecting Republicans’ rationale for opposing the rule. More than three-quarters say the topic shouldn’t even be a part of the U.S. political debate."

But on the state level, GOP hard-liners are winning in their efforts to privatize higher ed.  Look no further than this item:
Pitt Officials Say University Could Drop State-Related Status from the Pitt News [of the University of Pittsburgh]
"Pitt’s 46-year run as a state-related institution might soon come to an end.
Since 1966, Pitt’s status as a state-related university has meant that in return for appropriations from the state, the University provides more reasonable tuition levels than Pennsylvania’s private universities. It also allows the University to run programs, such as public health outreach efforts, that benefit the Commonwealth."

Whether Romney or Santorum Wins, the Road to the Nomination Will be Ugly (David A. Fahrenthold and Philip Rucker) from the Washington Post
"A long series of primary fights would drain Romney’s campaign treasury and could tarnish his image before a general election against Obama. Already, Romney’s donors have grumbled that he doesn’t seem to be getting better as a campaigner. “He just doesn’t connect. He doesn’t draw energy from his crowds,” one of Romney’s donors said Wednesday. The donor spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about private discussions within the campaign."

Mitt Romney: Planned Parenthood, We're Going to Get Rid of That from KSDK News [of Missouri]
""The test is pretty simple. Is the program so critical, it's worth borrowing money from china to pay for it? And on that basis of course you get rid of Obamacare, that's the easy one. Planned Parenthood, we're going to get rid of that. The subsidy for Amtrak, I'd eliminate that. The National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities," he said. "

Mitt Romney Meets ‘Peasants with Pitchforks' (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post
"Mitt Romney is still the Republican front-runner by virtue of the delegates he relentlessly piles up. But Romney keeps failing to bring this slugfest to a close. No matter how much he panders and grovels to the party’s right, its supporters will never see him as one of their own."

Ricky makes a powerful pitch for the Latino vote!!
Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if You Want Statehood from Reuters 
"Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum told Puerto Ricans on Wednesday they would have to make English their primary language if they want to pursue U.S. statehood, a statement at odds with the U.S. Constitution."
Now, the question is: will Latinos listen to this clown and say, "Oh, that's just a clown," or will they, as I suspect, say, there goes another Republican disrespecting Latinos.  

I suspect the latter -- because of the following item..
How Mitt Romney Lost Latinos from Politico
"... with eight months to go before Election Day, Obama is on pace to match the 76 percent support he got from Latino voters in 2008 — and the GOP may be undoing a decade of work to attract Hispanics, thanks to its election-year rhetorical sprint to the right on immigration, a charge led by front-runner Mitt Romney."

The Dutch Euthanize the Elderly, and Other Lies About Europe (Heather Horn) from the Atlantic
"Santorum's strange claims are just the latest in GOP fear-mongering."

DOG NUGGET!!
Video: Tired of playing "ball" five times a day with your dog? This machine is for you from Americablog
"A friend recently asked me if my dog's ball was my her crack cocaine. He meant, does she want to play ball like a gazillion times a day, every day, non-stop, forever? Sadly, yeah."

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/the-dutch-euthanize-their-elderly-and-other-scary-gop-lies-about-europe/254462/

News Nuggets 911

DAYLEE PICTURE: Spectacular aurora blazing over Antarctica from the International Space Station.  From the Daily Mail of the UK.

UP-FRONT OUTRAGEOUS RELIGION NUGGET!!
Church Puts Legal Pressure on Abuse Victims’ Group from the New York Times 
"Turning the tables on an advocacy group that has long supported victims of pedophile priests, lawyers for the Roman Catholic Church and priests accused of sexual abuse in two Missouri cases have gone to court to compel the group to disclose more than two decades of e-mails that could include correspondence with victims, lawyers, whistle-blowers, witnesses, the police, prosecutors and journalists. The group, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, is neither a plaintiff nor a defendant in the litigation. ... Mr. Donohue said leading bishops he knew had resolved to fight back more aggressively against the group: “The bishops have come together collectively. I can’t give you the names, but there’s a growing consensus on the part of the bishops that they had better toughen up and go out and buy some good lawyers to get tough. We don’t need altar boys.”"
This WHOLE article will leave you shaking your head about the basic direction and the basic values supposedly espoused by the Catholic Church. It demonstrates a breathtaking degree of cluelessness. 

Rebekah Brooks Among Six Arrested in Phone-Hacking Investigation from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Former Sun editor held by Operation Weeting detectives on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice."

Don’t Tread on Us (Maureen Dowd) from the New York Times
"For the Republican uncivil war on women, we’ll need a take-no-prisoners Democratic general."

Obama’s Sudden Polling Crash (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"Is there an innocent explanation for two new surveys that show his approval rating falling to ominously low levels?"

Poll Shows Public Supports Obama on Gas Prices (Matthew Cooper) from the National Journal
"More Americans trust President Obama than congressional Republicans to make the right decisions to bring down the price of gasoline, according to a new poll, ... What’s more, as prices continue to rise and the specter of $5-per-gallon gas for the summer driving season looms over the political landscape, the latest United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll shows the public slightly more supportive of the energy priorities of the Democrats and the president than those of the GOP."
It seems to me this poll puts pay to the baseless media narrative that had surrounded Obama's dip in the polls seen early this week.  It makes you wonder: on what basis were those earlier assessments made?!

'Game Change' Authors: Hillary Clinton in '16 (Tim Mak) from Politico 
"“Game Change” co-authors Mark Halperin and John Heilemann both predicted Wednesday that there was a high probability that Hillary Clinton would run for president in 2016. “What are the odds this morning that Hillary Clinton runs for president in 2016?” asked “Morning Joe” co-host Willie Geist. “99.4 [percent chance],” said Heilemann. “I think very high.”

How Republicans Screwed Themselves With Their Own Proportional-Delegate Trap (John Avlon) from the Daily Beast
"Republicans in Alabama and Mississippi reside in a universe where virtually all white voters vote Republican. And no, this isn't just an Obama thing—Obama only got 11 percent of the white vote in Mississsippi in 2008, but that was barely worse than the 14 percent John Kerry got four years earlier. Increasingly, being a Democrat in the Deep South—a Democrat when it comes to national politics—means being African-American. This means that political polarization in the Deep South is of a different sort than it is elsewhere."

The South Rises for Santorum (John Dickerson) from Slate
"Even as Romney wins more delegates, he appears weaker with every contest".

Romney Barely Hanging On After Alabama and Mississippi (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast
"After Romney’s third-place finish, Santorum has a serious shot—and Mitt’s campaign is taking on water."

Mitt Romney Primary Results: After Big Defeats He's Left Only With Math (Sam Stein) from the Huffington Post
"Mitt Romney has always pitched himself as a numbers guy. ... So it is fitting, in a way, that after two big losses in the latest Republican primaries on Tuesday night, the main pitch for Romney's campaign is now, basically, mathematical probability"

Not Closing the Deal (Erick Erickson) from Red State
"Yesterday, Mitt Romney went on CNN and told Wolf Blitzer that Rick Santorum’s campaign was coming to a “desperate end.” That seems more apt this morning to Romney’s southern campaign. Given his poor showing, it’s understandable if you expect Newt Gingrich to call on Romney to get out."

Gingrich Won’t Quit the Race, but He’ll Make Sure Romney Doesn’t Win (Patricia Murphy) from the Daily Beast
"Gingrich is insisting he won’t leave the GOP field after two second-place finishes in must-win Alabama and Mississippi, but he’s acknowledging his campaign’s real strategy: ensure Romney doesn’t get nominated."
This actually doesn't make sense to me.  If that was Gingrich's clear-eyed intention, he would drop out and endorse Santorum.  That alone would do the most damage to Romney's chances.  Something else (or in addition) is going on here.  Two possibilities: (1) he's actually working with the Romney campaign to keep the anti-Romney vote divided; or (2) he knows this is his last chance to ever be president and can't bring himself to put aside his "destiny" as a great Churchillian global figure.  Of course, the latter is the most likely -- but I don't rule out No. 1.

Is The South Too Republican For Republicans? (Alec MacGillis) from the New Republic
"In small towns, many voters said they had noticed a cultural disconnect between themselves and the three East Coast-based candidates vying to lead their party."

WORTHLESS PUNDIT ALERT!!
Romney’s Dixie Debacle in Mississippi and Alabama Primaries (Paul Begala) from the Daily Beast
"Let me be the first to call on Mitt Romney to get out of the race. By placing third in Alabama and Mississippi, losing to Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich in both states, Romney has gone from inevitable to unelectable. Somebody strap him to the roof of one of his Cadillacs and drive him off to one of his many mansions."
Paul Begala's column today exemplifies a certain strain of commentary: his columns are routinely a type of partisan pipeline punditry.  While I usually share Begala's liberal leanings, I simply don't take what he says as any kind of reflection of what he actually thinks.  In my view, Begala (and others such as James Carville) use their big media bullhorns exclusively to promote Democrats, to promote a Democratic spin on any story, and (almost certainly) to generate partisan business for their personal consulting endeavors in Washington.  The GOP side is well-populated with this species of bell-weather, talking-points mouthpiece.  To be frank, those on the left also need to be called out for being the disingenuous, partisan media parasites that they are.

Interracial Marriage: Many Deep South Republicans Believe Interracial Marriage Should Be Illegal from the Huffington Post
"On Monday, polling firm Public Policy Polling (PPP) revealed that 29 percent of self-identified Republicans surveyed in Mississippi believe that interracial marriage should be illegal. Fifty-four percent said intermarriage should remain legal, and the rest responded that they weren't sure. The survey also found that 21 percent of self-identified Republicans polled in Alabama believe that interracial marriage should be illegal. Although the last U.S. anti-miscegenation laws were lifted more than four decades ago in 1967, many mixed-race couples in the Deep South are still struggling to feel safe and be accepted in their communities."

Sarah Palin’s Foolishness Ruined U.S. Politics (Richard Cohen) from the Washington Post
"At some point while watching HBO’s absolutely smashing (and terrifying) movie “Game Change,” it occurred to me that Sarah Palin has ruined America. The movie has been scalloped out of the book by the same name and focuses on Palin, rather than on the entire 2008 presidential campaign. The decision to do so was absolutely correct. With her selection as John McCain’s running mate, American politics lost its way — and maybe its mind as well."

SCIENCE NUGGET [of a sort]!!
Woolly Mammoth Cloned: Russian And South Korean Scientists Sign Deal To Bring Extinct Beast Back To Life from the Huffington Post
"Russian and South Korea scientists have teamed up to recreate a woolly mammoth – a prehistoric creature that last walked the earth some 4,500 years ago. ... The team aim to get to work on thawed remains of the extinct mammal recovered after global warming thawed Siberia’s permafrost. The mammoth’s tissues are to be cloned by using eggs taken from a modern Indian elephant, the Korea Herald reported."

AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY NUGGET!!
When Gen. Grant Expelled the Jews (Jonathan D. Sarna) from Slate
"How a notorious anti-Semitic order changed the course of Jewish life in America—ultimately, for the better."

PUBLISHING NUGGET!!
With This Machine, You Can Print Your Own Books at the Local Bookstore (Peter Osnos) from the Atlantic
"The Espresso Book Machine means that booksellers can publish and sell an enormous number of titles. But can they make the finances work?"

News Nuggets 910

DAYLEE PICTURE: A mural in the center of Athens, Greece.  From National Geographic.

UP-FRONT FILM NUGGET!!

The Road We've Travelled -- The Obama campagin film is being released on line this Thursday.  CHECK OUT the trailer HERE!

The Iceman Leadeth: The Cool Diplomacy of Barack Obama (David Rothkopf) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"...people have come to see Obama more for his actions than his sometimes too-businesslike demeanor.  ... Furthermore, the president has done what many wise leaders do and surrounded himself with top officials who complement his strengths -- deepening relationships, working them behind the scenes, offering warmth and an attentive ear where he can't or doesn't have the time to do so. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has masterfully and tirelessly shouldered much of the burden in this regard, but so too have Vice President Joe Biden, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, and the administration's two secretaries of defense, Bob Gates and Leon Panetta. Collectively and quietly, they have changed the character of America's relationships with the world."

Europeans Take Lead on Iran Nuclear Negotiations from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"The Europeans want to play a key role in the ongoing conflict with Iran over its disputed nuclear program, jumpstarting stalled negotiations in a bid to prevent Israel from taking military action. But can the EU's hapless foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who will lead the talks, make a difference?"

Obama's Iran Bluff (Amitai Etzioni) from the National Interest
"Commentators, however, are reading too much into Obama’s phrase “all options are on the table.”

Reality Check: A True Friend (Jeff Barak) from the Jerusalem Post [of Israel in English]
"A true friend will act exactly the way US President Obama has acted toward Israel throughout his presidency."

Game Over in Afghanistan (Fred Kaplan) from Slate
"American troops no longer serve a purpose there. It is time to get out. Now."

The Politics of Less (Larry M. Bartels) from Democracy Journal
"Why the coming battles over scarcity don’t necessarily favor the party of small government."

Barack Obama's Had a Pretty Damn Good Presidency (Kevin Drum) from Mother Jones Magazine
"Here are 13 reasons why Obama has done a much better job than progressives seem to give him credit for."

Clinton’s Triumph at State Raises Bar for Next Act (Albert R. Hunt) from Bloomberg News Service
"After the election, when the president-elect surprisingly offered her the post of secretary of state and she surprisingly accepted, there were more than a few predictions of disaster. She now is completing what she has said will be the final year of a successful stint as the top U.S. diplomat. A testament to her standing is the opening she has to become president of the World Bank. Others, including former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, are panting for the job. It would be Clinton’s for the asking. No one matches her global profile and political skills."

Barack Obama: Cold Fish or Warm Fuzzy Teddy Bear? (John Sides) from the Washington Monthly
"In James Fallows’s interesting take on the Obama presidency, he discusses the notion that Obama is “cold.”  He refers to this as one of “Barack Obama’s particular versions of the weaknesses every president brings to office” and one of “the diagnoses that I heard, and have myself observed.” ... This and similar assessments of Obama, which have been repeated over and over by political observers and pundits, were and are absolutely at odds with what a large majority of Americans think."
I totally agree with Sides here.  I have never found Obama to be "cold".  Analytical? Often -- but cold?  No.  I suspect what's happening here is that REPORTERS find him cold.  And there my suspicion is that the days when MSM reporters could expect any kind of warm treatment from a president are long over.  There is virtually no way a president can have an active, for-real reporter as their "good buddy."  The stakes are simply too high.

The Misunderstood Consequences of the Student Debt Crisis (Jordan Weissmann) from the Atlantic
"Americans, young and old, are buckling under the weight of their student debt. It's a threat to the middle class, and a symptom of a malfunctioning education system."

A related story:
Kids Today Still Screwed (Alex Pareene) from Salon
"Loan debt is growing, they're stuck in service jobs, and people keep telling them to go to North Dakota."

What the Limbaugh Ad Boycott Could Mean for Rush (Leslie Savan) from the Nation
"“Here’s what matters: how many listeners start to pull out,” Harrison continues. “Then there’s a problem for the future. We suspect that his audience is increasing now. The irony is that Limbaugh’s advertising is probably worth more than ever."

Rush’s Syndicator Suspends All Station Ad Requirements for Two Weeks from the Reid Report
"Right about now, Rush has got to be thinking real hard about the upkeep costs of that mega mansion of his in Palm Beach, and re-reading his contract to find out what Premiere’s out-clause is…"


Steve Schmidt’s Brutally Honest Assessment of Sarah Palin (Jonathan Capehart) from the Washington Post
"Schmidt’s blunt and unblinking honesty in talking about the selection of Sarah Palin as McCain’s vice presidential nominee and his role in that decision is to be commended. Others who would follow in his footsteps must learn from the mistakes he willingly admits he made.  "

Mike Huckabee Brings on Rush Limbaugh's Decline (David Frum) from the Daily Beast
"Huckabee’s about to take the mike. Can he push Limbaugh off the talk-radio throne?"


DA VINCI NUGGET!!
'Seek and You Shall Find': Secret Message That Led to 'Lost' Leonardo da Vinci Masterpiece Hidden Behind Wall for 400 Years from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"A hidden message in a painting has led to the first evidence of a 'lost' Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece that has lain hidden for 400 years in a secret compartment behind another mural in Florence, scientists announced today.   An 'endoscopic' probe was inserted into the interior of the wall in the Palazzo Vechio, and obtained chemical samples of a dark pigment which Da Vinci also used in the Mona Lisa."

BEACH NUGGET!!
Tide Waits for No Man: The Amazing Beach Artist who Starts Every Day with a New Canvas from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Artist Andres Amador has been at it again, carving intricate artworks in the sand – only for them to be washed away by the sea just hours later.  The American artist has been creating a series of new designs, spending hours painstakingly carving giant doodles on the beach, some spanning a massive 300 by 500 foot."

AIRPLANE ART NUGGET!!
Blue Sky Thinking: Disused Jets in U.S. Air Force 'Graveyard' Given New Lease of Life by World's Best Graffiti Artists from the Daily News of the UK]
"A cemetery of disused war planes in the scorching Arizona desert has been given a new lease of life – as part of an art project.  ‘The Boneyard Project’ resurrects disused warplanes that lie in the famous Boneyard in Arizona by letting graffiti artists paint them."

News Nuggets 909

DAYLEE PICTURE: The Snake River in Wyoming.  From National Geographic.

UP-FRONT ON-THE-MONEY FOREIGN POLICY NUGGET!!
In Obama Versus the Warmongers, Obama is the Better Bet (Kelly McParland) from the National Post [of Canada]
Lots of excerpts here.  Read the whole thing in full!!  It should also be noted that the National Post tends to be a right-wing paper.
" “Leading” to McCain means bombing the crap out of dictators, like in Iraq and Libya, and maybe Afghanistan too, though that was more about terrorism. It doesn’t mean pussyfooting around with diplomacy. ... How easy it is to throw around lives when you’re not actually in power (as McCain, remember, might have been if he’d beaten Obama in 2008). Just rain down some bombs on the bad guys. It will all work out, the U.S. knows how to handle military matters. Just look at the record. ... The lesson in every recent military venture the U.S. has engaged in has been to know your enemy, plan beyond the initial attack, establish a clear and achievable goal, designate an exit strategy beforehand, and co-ordinate as much as possible with allies to ensure there is broad international political and military support.  ... None of these lessons appear to have imprinted themselves on Republican thinking."

UP-FRONT GOOD NEWS ECONOMICS NUGGET!!
When was the last time we had a "good news" economics nugget?
This Is a Recovery Worth Getting Excited About (Derek Thompson) from the Atlantic
"Hey everyone? This is what a real recovery looks like. The economy added 227,000 jobs in February, and the unemployment rate held steady at 8.3%, even as more people joined the work force. The day's news is good. The trend line is even better. "

UP-FRONT WOMEN & POLITICS NUGGET!!
Centrist Women Tell of Disenchantment With G.O.P. from the New York Times  
A big excerpt here.  Read the whole thing!
"“We all agreed that this seemed like a throwback to 40 years ago,” said Ms. Russell, 57, a retired teacher from Iowa City who describes herself as an evangelical Christian and “old school” Republican of the moderate mold. Until the baby shower, just two weeks ago, she had favored Mitt Romney for president. Not anymore. She said she might vote for President Obama now. ... In Iowa, one of the crucial battlegrounds in the coming presidential election, and in other states, dozens of interviews in recent weeks have found that moderate Republican and independent women — one of the most important electoral swing groups — are disenchanted by the Republican focus on social issues like contraception and abortion in an election that, until recently, had been mostly dominated by the economy. And in what appears to be an abrupt shift, some Republican-leaning women like Ms. Russell said they might switch sides and vote for Mr. Obama — if they turn out to vote at all."

And, of course, Obama is no dummy:
Obama Plans Big Effort to Build Support Among Women (Jackie Calmes) from the New York Times
"President Obama’s re-election campaign is beginning an intensified effort this week to build support among women, using the debate over the new health care law to amplify an appeal that already appears to be benefiting from partisan clashes over birth control and abortion."

U.N. Won’t Back Down on Iran Nuclear Inspections (Michael Adler) from the Daily Beast
"In an exclusive interview, the head of the U.N.’s nuclear agency says it will demand Iran allow access to a key military site—even if it escalates tensions. Michael Adler reports."

The Islamic World's Quiet Revolution (Nicholas Eberstadt) from Foreign Policy Magazine
Forget politics. Muslim countries are poised to experience a new wave of change -- but this time it's all about demographics."

How India Became America (Akash Kapur) from the New York Times
 "The Americanization of India brings prosperity and the collapse of social structures — and young men calling their colleagues “dude.”"

The Go-Nowhere Generation (Todd Buchholz & Victoria Buchholz) from the New York Times
"... sometime in the past 30 years, someone has hit the brakes and Americans — particularly young Americans — have become risk-averse and sedentary. The timing is terrible. With an 8.3 percent unemployment rate and a foreclosure rate that would grab the attention of the Joads, young Americans are less inclined to pack up and move to sunnier economic climes.  The likelihood of 20-somethings moving to another state has dropped well over 40 percent since the 1980s..."

Major Victory in Anoka-Hennepin School District Bullying Lawsuit (Scott Wooledge) from Daily Kos
A very well-done summation concerning where the gay-students/bullying-in-schools conversation is these days.  It covers both breakthroughs and setbacks.  An excellent long-form piece!!
"A major battle was won this week in the war on school bullying. The 38,000-student Anoka-Hennepin school district outside Minneapolis, Minnesota settled a pending civil rights lawsuit filed last year by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) on behalf of students that alleged the school district failed to adequately provide for their safety and address their educational needs."
Some of you may remember this case from the excellent Mother Jones story about it which we posted here some weeks ago.

Romney’s Hispanic Problem is Serious (Andres Oppenheimer) from the Miami Herald
"Two new polls of Latino voters confirm what I have been writing for several months: Republican front-runner Mitt Romney is so unpopular among Hispanic voters that he would have a hard time winning the November elections. A nationwide poll of likely Hispanic voters released last week by Fox News Latino shows that if the election were held today, 70 percent of Hispanics would vote for President Barack Obama, while 14 percent would vote for Romney."

GOP Leaders Move to Protect their Own Reelection Prospects (Paul Kane and Rosalind S. Helderman) from the Washington Post
"As the presidential nomination fight promises to stretch into the spring, House and Senate Republican leaders are increasingly convinced that they must move ahead with an agenda of their own."
Rats ... jumping from a sinking ship?

More evidence for this here:
Tea Party Cold to U.S. Presidential Race Sets Sights on Congress from the Bloomberg News Service
"Republican U.S. Representative Roscoe Bartlett boasts that he voted against all of President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plans and was an early member of the House Tea Party Caucus. That’s not good enough for other anti-spending Republicans back home."

Catholicism is Not the Tea Party at Prayer (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post
"The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops will make an important decision this week: Do they want to defend the church’s legitimate interest in religious autonomy, or do they want to wage an election-year war against President Obama? And do the most conservative bishops want to junk the Roman Catholic Church as we have known it, with its deep commitment to both life and social justice, and turn it into the Tea Party at prayer?"

Top Democrats Raise Expectations For Holding The Senate from Talking Points Memo
"Their Senate majority widely believed to be in peril this November, top Democrats are invoking favorable events of late to raise expectations for holding on to the chamber, expressing a bullishness about the prospect that has been previously unforeseen."

Republican Turnout Lags Behind 2008 and 2000 White House Races from the Bloomberg News Service
"Dissatisfaction with the Republican presidential candidates contributed to lower voter turnout in this year’s early primary contests, compared with participation in 2008 and 2000, a new study suggests."

The Right’s Delusions About the Derrick Bell Video (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast
"The radical right hopes that a two-decade-old videotape of Barack Obama embracing radical professor Derrick Bell will sink the president. Don’t bet on it."

Celinda Lake: No Democratic Conspiracy With Sandra Fluke (UPDATE) from the Huffington Post
""I'm flabbergasted. I think it's bizarre," she said of the conspiracy claims. "All I can say is they're trying to deflect because they won't condemn Rush Limbaugh. They can't cut their losses and so they're trying to deflect, but they sound like raving maniacs. ... I don't think it's going to even remotely work.""

Signs of Stress in Newt's Campaign from Politico
"Repeatedly, Newt Gingrich’s campaign has approached the precipice. But as the former House speaker struggles to stay relevant after only winning two states, the likelihood that he has passed the point of no return is increasing. There are fleeting moments when it appears the campaign, and perhaps even Gingrich himself, knows that a big decision is looming after Tuesday, when Alabama and Mississippi voters head to the polls."

Terry England, Georgia Republican Lawmaker, Compares Women To Farm Animals from the Huffington Post
"“Life gives us many experiences,” England explained. “I’ve had the experience of delivering calves, dead and alive — delivering pigs, dead and alive. … It breaks our hearts to see those animals not make it.”"
Boy, once they get going, they can't stop!  It's almost like they can't help themselves.  Very ODD!

The Sugar Daddy Recession (Laurie Penny) from Salon
"The economic downturn has forced some women into arrangements with unsavory men, and made desperation into a fetish."

Ken Griffin, Billionaire Romney Backer, Says Super Rich Have 'An Insufficient Influence' On Politics from the Huffington Post
"In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Ken Griffin, founder of the hedge fund Citadel was asked if he thought rich people had too great of an influence on politics. "I think they actually have an insufficient influence," he responded. "Those who have enjoyed the benefits of our system more than ever now owe a duty to protect the system that has created the greatest nation on this planet.""
Oh, I get it.  It's YOUR DUTY to make sure the system is as rigged in your favor as possible!  Well, that's refreshing.

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY NUGGET!!
Great Depression in the Deep South: Remarkable Colored Photographs Capture Daily Life of African American Laborers (PHOTOS) from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"These incredible pictures depict the life of black tenant farmers and their families who lived and worked in the rural South as the Great Depression drew to an end. The colour photographs show African American men and women working in cotton plantations and tobacco farms, as well as pictures of them fishing and relaxing."