Paul Krugman
Eugene Robinson
Stephen Pearlstein
"There may be nothing more pathetic than a hedge-fund manager worked up in a moral lather, complaining that he hasn't been treated fairly." - Stephen Pearlstein
I want to begin with a feel-good piece by Dana Millbank in the Washington Post. Click on the link for the whole story of Captain Richard Phillips visiting the Senate: "Since his rescue at sea from pirates by Navy SEALs, captain Richard Phillips has had a hometown parade, a halftime award at a Celtics-Bulls game, a People magazine spread, a "Today" show interview and the offer of an audience with President Obama.
Yesterday, it was lawmakers' turn at hero worship. The members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee gazed at him in wonder -- as if hoping this real-life Peter Pan, having vanquished a real-life Captain Hook, could arrange for them to be sprinkled with fairy dust and offered a codel to Neverland..." I like to think that, given the circumstances, almost anyone could be transformed into a hero, and we can't give enough credit and appreciation to those who are able to rise...
Supreme Court Justice David Souter will retire in June, giving him a chance to spend a few years in peace in New Hampshire, on his family farm. This came as a bit of a surprise because there are two justices older, and it was thought that one or both of them would retire first.
Now comes the real bickering over his replacement. This is where the fangs and claws come out, the real jockying for influence and power, and the hilarious entertainment value in the confirmation hearings. Who can forget adding "Borking" to the lexicon, or the antics of Clarence "Coke Can" Thomas? But without a strong and vigorous part of opposition half of the fun is taken away...Josh Marshall at TPM has this to say: "I've heard a few people mention that this represents a political opportunity for the Republicans. But for the life of me I cannot see that. Supreme Court nominations are extremely high stakes battles for partisans on both sides and each party wants to hit a nomination struggle with the most political muscle possible. President Obama has extraordinarily high personal popularity at the moment. His approval rating, while down a bit off the inaugural high, has stabilized and even tracked up a bit at a strong 60%. His party is nearing 60 seats in the senate. And the Specter party-switch, while perhaps not that significant in numerical terms, has left the senate Republican caucus deeply split and demoralized -- with one faction savoring an emasculated, tea-bag-driven ideological purity and another disgusted with the party's ultras and anxious to reenter the actual national political conversation. In other words, it's about the worst footing imaginable for senate Republicans to try to defeat or stand united against whomever Obama chooses.
The way things might play out differently is if Obama chose someone who made it look like he was fatally over-reaching -- a nominee who could galvanize a sense that Obama's extremely powerful position right now made having a credible opposition party newly necessary. Unfortunately for the GOP, though, I just don't see that happening. He hasn't shown himself prone to mistakes like that, especially not errors rooted in excessive drama or over-extension. If anything the opposite."
Let's hope that Eric Cantor can pull the Republican Party together in the right direction with his rebranding efforts... What's that, Eric? On Fox News this morning: "Jane, it's not a rebranding effort," said Cantor. "What this is, is an attempt to engage and begin a conversation with the American people. what we're looking for on the National Council for a New America is to involve all the American people for wide-open policy debate about the issues confronting this nation, on the issues confronting the families and the communities across this country." I wonder who wants to start a conversation with Rep. John Boehner, Rep. Mike Pence, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Sen. Jon Kyl and Sen. Lamar Alexander. Do I get coffee and a scone out of it?
It seems that in 2012 both the American elections and the Russian elections will be on a parallel course, and it will soon be time to decide whom will run for the Russian Presidency. Mr Medvedev is supposed to be a warm seat, a placeholder for when Mr Putin will be eligible to run again, but his rising popularity may change that scenario.As Charles Clover writes from Moscow for the Financial Times: "Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s growing political stature is increasing the possibility that he will stand for re-election in 2012 in spite of assumptions that those polls would see Vladimir Putin’s return, according to a top Kremlin adviser.
Mr Medvedev and Mr Putin, who is now prime minister, will have to decide within the next year which of them will run for president in 2012, Gleb Pavlovsky, a political consultant and adviser to the president, told the Financial Times.
Many observers have assumed that Mr Medvedev is simply a caretaker president, who will stay in power until Mr Putin, who was constitutionally barred from the third presidential term in 2008, wants the job back.
But Mr Pavlovsky, a consummate Kremlin insider who advised both Mr Putin and Boris Yeltsin, his predecessor, said that exactly who stands for president in 2012 will depend on who emerges best from the economic crisis – and that as Mr Medvedev’s stature has grown, so has his clout to decide his own political destiny...Mr Pavlovsky added that the decision, which the two men must reach together, needed to be made by the autumn of 2010 at the latest, in order to avoid signs of a disagreement and allow for the preparation of a proper election campaign.
The 2012 elections will be the first time that a political transition has taken place without a single dominant political figure, combining constitutional power with informal influence and able to ensure his will is implemented." It's one scene where I'd love to be the fly on the wall. I wonder how good is Bob Woodward's relations with the Russians?
Late night jokes:
"Hey, have you all started making your summer vacation plans? I'm not sure what to do this year. I'm stuck between a Somali pirate cruise or a trip to a Mexican pig farm." --Jay Leno
"But, hey, people are very worried about this swine flu epidemic, but the best course of action is prevention. Like, if you go to IHOP and you order the pigs in the blanket, and you notice they're coughing, you don't want to eat that." --Jay Leno
"No, actually, that's a fallacy, too. They said today you cannot get swine flu from eating pork, which, of course, raises the question, so what were these guys doing with the pig?" --Jay Leno
"Senator Arlen Specter has a new reality show ? 'I'm a Republican Get Me Out of Here!'" --Jay Leno
"Seventy-nine-year-old Arlen Specter is now switching to the Democratic Party, which is a big loss for Republicans. You know, when they lose that young blood, it hurts." --Jay Leno
"Earlier tonight, President Barack Obama took an hour of TV time to address the American people, but the Fox network didn't air it, choosing instead to run their regular program 'Lie to Me,' which, I believe, was the name of the Republican response, actually." --Jay Leno
"Today was President Obama's 100th day in office. Isn't that amazing? Actually, when you think about it, George W. Bush was president for eight years, and he never came close to spending 100 days in the office. So, we're way ahead." --Jay Leno
"There's a new restaurant opening in Chicago called Felony Franks, which gives jobs to convicted felons. Yeah, isn't that amazing? Yeah. Imagine that, you could get your meal served to you by a former Illinois governor." --Jay Leno
David Letterman's Top Ten Reasons Arlen Specter Switched Parties
10. Heard the Democratic lounge's vending machine had Nutrageous bars.
9. When Barack smiles at you, the room just starts spinning.
8. GOP wouldn't give him the day off to attend Heidi and Spencer's wedding.
7. Wanted free video iPod from Obama.
6. Same reason 10 million other Republicans switched parties last November.
5. Uhh, pirates?
4. No #4 -- writer frightened by Air Force One fly-by.
3. It was buried in the fine print when he switched cable providers.
2. Wanted to hang out with a new group of white guys.
1. Well, why wouldn't someone want to be associated with Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney?
Mr Medvedev and Mr Putin, who is now prime minister, will have to decide within the next year which of them will run for president in 2012, Gleb Pavlovsky, a political consultant and adviser to the president, told the Financial Times.
Many observers have assumed that Mr Medvedev is simply a caretaker president, who will stay in power until Mr Putin, who was constitutionally barred from the third presidential term in 2008, wants the job back.
But Mr Pavlovsky, a consummate Kremlin insider who advised both Mr Putin and Boris Yeltsin, his predecessor, said that exactly who stands for president in 2012 will depend on who emerges best from the economic crisis – and that as Mr Medvedev’s stature has grown, so has his clout to decide his own political destiny...Mr Pavlovsky added that the decision, which the two men must reach together, needed to be made by the autumn of 2010 at the latest, in order to avoid signs of a disagreement and allow for the preparation of a proper election campaign.
The 2012 elections will be the first time that a political transition has taken place without a single dominant political figure, combining constitutional power with informal influence and able to ensure his will is implemented." It's one scene where I'd love to be the fly on the wall. I wonder how good is Bob Woodward's relations with the Russians?
Late night jokes:
"Hey, have you all started making your summer vacation plans? I'm not sure what to do this year. I'm stuck between a Somali pirate cruise or a trip to a Mexican pig farm." --Jay Leno
"But, hey, people are very worried about this swine flu epidemic, but the best course of action is prevention. Like, if you go to IHOP and you order the pigs in the blanket, and you notice they're coughing, you don't want to eat that." --Jay Leno
"No, actually, that's a fallacy, too. They said today you cannot get swine flu from eating pork, which, of course, raises the question, so what were these guys doing with the pig?" --Jay Leno
"Senator Arlen Specter has a new reality show ? 'I'm a Republican Get Me Out of Here!'" --Jay Leno
"Seventy-nine-year-old Arlen Specter is now switching to the Democratic Party, which is a big loss for Republicans. You know, when they lose that young blood, it hurts." --Jay Leno
"Earlier tonight, President Barack Obama took an hour of TV time to address the American people, but the Fox network didn't air it, choosing instead to run their regular program 'Lie to Me,' which, I believe, was the name of the Republican response, actually." --Jay Leno
"Today was President Obama's 100th day in office. Isn't that amazing? Actually, when you think about it, George W. Bush was president for eight years, and he never came close to spending 100 days in the office. So, we're way ahead." --Jay Leno
"There's a new restaurant opening in Chicago called Felony Franks, which gives jobs to convicted felons. Yeah, isn't that amazing? Yeah. Imagine that, you could get your meal served to you by a former Illinois governor." --Jay Leno
David Letterman's Top Ten Reasons Arlen Specter Switched Parties
10. Heard the Democratic lounge's vending machine had Nutrageous bars.
9. When Barack smiles at you, the room just starts spinning.
8. GOP wouldn't give him the day off to attend Heidi and Spencer's wedding.
7. Wanted free video iPod from Obama.
6. Same reason 10 million other Republicans switched parties last November.
5. Uhh, pirates?
4. No #4 -- writer frightened by Air Force One fly-by.
3. It was buried in the fine print when he switched cable providers.
2. Wanted to hang out with a new group of white guys.
1. Well, why wouldn't someone want to be associated with Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney?
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