The Commentariat -- March 20, 2013

That's it for today's links. Pesky "other obligations" are swamping me for the next several days.

Matt Spetalnick of Reuters: President Barack Obama arrived in Israel on Wednesday without any new peace initiative to offer disillusioned Palestinians and facing deep Israeli doubts over his pledge to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. Making his first official visit here as president, Obama hopes to use the trip to reset his often fraught relations with both the Israelis and Palestinians in a choreographed three-day stay that is high on symbolism but low on expectations."

** CW: A letter from Andrew Bacevich to Paul Wolfowitz, published in Harper's, which contributor cowichan recommends, is absolutely fascinating. Every bit of it rings true to me. ...

... New York Times Editorial Board: "Ten years after it began, the Iraq war still haunts the United States in the nearly 4,500 troops who died there; the more than 30,000 American wounded who have come home; the more than $2 trillion spent on combat operations and reconstruction, which inflated the deficit; and in the lessons learned about the limits of American leadership and power.... Yet none of the Bush administration's war architects have been called to account for their mistakes, and even now, many are invited to speak on policy issues as if they were not responsible for one of the worst strategic blunders in American foreign policy." ...

... Jessica Stern, in a New York Times op-ed: "That the war on terror, which created the political environment for invading Iraq, ended up exacerbating terrorism there and in the region is only one of the many tragic consequences of this ill-fated American escapade." ...

... "Decade of Despair." Ahmad Saadawi, in a New York Times op-ed: "The contradictions that had been contained under Saddam Hussein burst forth into the open. Lives were uprooted in the process. It is no surprise that, a decade later, some people find themselves yearning for the '90s."

Ed O'Keefe of the Washington Post: "Senate Democrats are preparing to move ahead with consideration of several proposals to limit gun violence, but prospects for the controversial ban on hundreds of specific weapons and parts are diminishing, according to lawmakers and aides familiar with the process. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the chief sponsor of the ban, said Tuesday that her proposal won't be included as part of a bill encompassing several proposals that the Senate Judiciary Committee approved last week and that the Senate is expected to begin debating when it returns from a two-week recess in early April." ...

... Harry Reid, Gutless Wonder. David Firestone of the New York Times: "... the dismissal of the assault weapons ban shows the power that gun lobbies like the National Rifle Association continue to hold over senior Democrats, including Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, who made the decision. The contrast to the political courage displayed by the governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper [D], could not be more clear." ...

... BUT Steve M. of No More Mister Nice Blog: "After all of Wayne LaPierre's paranoid ranting and raving..., 48% of Americans still saw the NRA in a positive light, according to one poll; 46% said the NRA better reflected their views on guns, as opposed to 41% who said President Obama did, according to another poll; yet another poll said that 44% of Americans trust Republicans on gun policy, vs. 42% for the president. And yes, this was even as poll after poll showed overwhelming support for universal background checks, and broad support for other gun control measures. I'm not angry at Harry Reid because he can read a poll -- as, presumably, can the seven Democratic senators running for reelection in 2014 in Romney states."

Ashley Parker & Michael Shear of the New York Times: "Republican opposition to legalizing the status of millions of illegal immigrants is crumbling in the nation's capital as leading lawmakers in the party scramble to halt eroding support among Hispanic voters -- a shift that is providing strong momentum for an overhaul of immigration laws." ...

... BUT Rick Klein of ABC News observes, Rand Paul's vague speech on immigration reform "suggests a party that's wrestling deeply with how to address issues around illegal immigration without alienating either Latino voters or a GOP base that continues to deride notions of citizenship for illegal immigrants as dangerous for both the party and the country." CW: obviously, it would be impolite to thumb one's nose at deranged racists. ...

... PLUS, Matthew Cooper of the National Journal: Paul "sees Hispanics as natural Republicans but for the immigration issue. But all of the polling data suggest otherwise. The Pew Research Center notes, 'Latinos have often been characterized as more socially conservative than most Americans. On some issues, such as abortion, that's true. But on others, such as acceptance of homosexuality, it is not. When it comes to their own assessments of their political views, Latinos, more so than the general public, say their views are liberal.' ... When asked if they backed President Obama's position that 'health insurance organizations should be required to cover contraception,' 68 percent of Hispanics said yes; only 11 percent said no." CW: might be a mistake at this point to tell Republicans they're delusional.

Igor Volsky of Think Progress: "Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said he would not support revenue increases in budget negotiations with Democrats during an appearance on Bloomberg TV Tuesday morning, explaining that the nation must reform the tax code by lowering rates and 'plugging loopholes' and achieve a balanced budget with spending cuts alone.... spending cuts have so far outnumbered revenue by nearly 3 to 1, which is why economists believe that 'the next installment of deficit reduction should reach $2 trillion and about half of it should come from higher taxes.' Ryan, meanwhile, has told voters for more than three years that he would pay for his massive tax breaks by closing tax loopholes without ever specifying which deductions or credits he plans to eliminate." CW: meanwhile, President Obama refuses to lead. ...

... Steve Benen lists a bunch of stuff about the budget & other matters which Paul Ryan accidentally forgot: "Everyone can be forgetful once in a while, but the Republican Budget Committee chairman seems to forget rather important details and developments so often, it's rather unsettling. The alternative, of course, is that Ryan's memory is fine and he shamelessly lies when it suits his purposes...." ...

... Former Very Serious Intellectual Golden Boy Not So Golden Now. Rasmussen Reports: "Even Republicans have a lower opinion these days of Congressman Paul Ryan.... A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 35% of all Likely U.S. Voters now view Ryan favorably. That's down 15 points from 50% in August just after Mitt Romney chose him as his running mate." Via Alex Rogers of Time.

Fifty-four percent (54%) have an unfavorable opinion of the Wisconsin congressman.

Simon Romero & Emily Schmall of the New York Times: "... behind the scenes, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who led the public charge against [Argentina's plan to approve gay marriage], spoke out in a heated meeting of bishops in 2010 and advocated a highly unorthodox solution: that the church in Argentina support the idea of civil unions for gay couples. The concession inflamed the gathering -- and offers a telling insight into the leadership style he may now bring to the papacy.... The approach stands in sharp contrast to his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who spent 25 years as the church's chief doctrinal enforcer before becoming pope, known for an unbending adherence to doctrinal purity."

AND C-SPAN callers seem to be penis-obsessed:

... Andrew Kaczynski of BuzzFeed with 10 great C-SPAN moments.

Congressional Race

Bruce Smith of the AP: "Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has advanced to a runoff in the Republican contest for an open congressional seat along the state's south coast. Meanwhile, the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert has won the Democratic primary for the seat. Elizabeth Colbert Bush on Tuesday handily defeated perennial candidate Ben Frasier and will face the winner of the crowded GOP primary in the May 7 general election. In early returns on Tuesday evening, it was unclear who Sanford would face in the April 2nd GOP runoff. Fifteen other Republicans were running including Teddy Turner, the son of media mogul Ted Turner."

Right Wing World

"Left Behind." McKay Coppins of BuzzFeed: "Some leaders of the religious right are openly worried this week after a sprawling 98-page report released by the Republican National Committee on how the party can rebuild after its 2012 implosion made no mention of the GOP's historic alliance with grassroots Christian 'value voters.' Specifically, the word 'Christian' does not appear once in the party's 50,000-word blueprint for renewed electoral success. Nor does the word 'church.' Abortion and marriage, the two issues that most animate social conservatives, are nowhere to be found. There is nothing about the need to protect religious liberty, or promote Judeo-Christian values in society.... To many religious conservatives, the report was interpreted as a slight against their agenda and the hard work they have done for the party."

... CW News for Religious Fundamentalists: The GOP party bosses really weren't that into you. P.S. You're part of the problem, not the solution.

Paul Bedard of the Washington Examiner: "The catfight between former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele and his replacement, Reince Priebus, has reached screech level, with Steele belittling the party's new focus on minorities as old news. Appearing on the 'Andrea Tantaros Show,' a nationally syndicated radio show, Steele said the GOP's $10 million minority outreach effort ignored his plan instituted four years ago and was the latest example of a bloated party apparatus."

Josh Israel of Think Progress: "A day after ThinkProgress and others reported that Joseph D. McDonald, Jr. (R), Sheriff of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, told a 'joke' at a Republican St. Patrick's Day breakfast suggesting the nation would be better off if President Obama were assassinated, McDonald stood by his joke and compared his critics to Nazis." Here's the original story, from Blue Mass Group, which contributor Akhilleus linked yesterday. ...

... More from Blue Mass Group: after national media picked up the story, people began posting criticisms on the Sheriff's official Facebook page. Someone almost immediately took down the comments & has now disabled the comments facility. "... by removing these comments, McDonald might be violating the state public records law."

News Ledes

Denver Post: "The executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, Tom Clements, was killed in his home Tuesday night, according to a statement from Gov. John Hickenlooper."

Reuters: "Afghan President Hamid Karzai and NATO-led forces have reached an agreement on the departure of foreign troops from a strategically key province near the capital, coalition forces said, but it was unclear if U.S. special forces would leave."

AP: "A mortar shell explosion killed at least seven Marines and injured several more during mountain warfare training in Nevada's high desert, prompting the Pentagon to immediately halt the use of the weapons until an investigation can determine their safety, officials said Tuesday. The explosion occurred Monday night at the Hawthorne Army Depot, a sprawling facility used by troops heading overseas, during an exercise involving the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Lejeune, N.C."

AP: "Computer networks at major South Korean banks and top TV broadcasters crashed en masse Wednesday, paralyzing bank machines across the country and prompting speculation of a cyberattack by North Korea."

ABC News: "In a study that's sure to shake up the soda ban debate, Harvard researchers have linked the sugary drinks to 180,000 deaths a year worldwide, 25,000 in the United States alone."

The Commentariat -- March 19, 2013

Jonathan Weisman & Annie Lowrey of the New York Times: "With the expected Senate passage as early as Tuesday of broad legislation to finance the federal government through Sept. 30, a lucky few programs will be spared the brunt of the automatic spending cuts -- known as sequestration -- now coursing through the federal government. Managers, especially in the Defense Department, will be given more flexibility to implement $85 billion in cuts.... The worst of the cuts in federal spending to a major infant nutrition program would be reversed. Embassy security and construction could be spared in the wake of the consulate attack in Benghazi, Libya. And child care subsidies, once seen as critical to the success of welfare reform, would take a haircut, not the hammer blow that President Obama once loudly warned was coming."

Katrina vanden Heuvel of the Nation, in the Washington Post: "Last week in Washington was a tale of two budgets. One of them used popular, common-sense plans to create millions of jobs. The other had a battery of discredited ideas that would kill jobs and derail the recovery. Guess which one much of the mainstream media were chattering about?"

Peter Baker & Steven Greenhouse of the New York Times: "Mr. Obama's nomination [for labor secretary] of Thomas E. Perez, who has racked up record discrimination and housing claims as head of the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department, generated criticism from some Senate Republicans who called him a divisive and political choice." ...

... Brian Beutler of TPM thinks the Perez confirmation process will not go well for the GOP: "Perez is a Hispanic leader and as head of DOJ's civil rights division one of the Obama administration's most progressive officials.... Thus, on the day of its unveiling, the Growth And Opportunity Project [a/k/a the 'Outreach to Schmucks" program] faces a major challenge to its own raison d’être. [Wait till] the party's simultaneously filibustering a qualified candidate to be the only Latino in Obama's second-term cabinet [while] the conservative media lapses into another Sotomayor-like spectacle of racial panic and drags elected officials with them." Rush Limbaugh is already there, saying Perez "might as well be Hugo Chavez and is comparing him to the Grand Kleagle of Klan." ...

Hola, Amigos!... This out of David Vitter's office: "U.S. Sen. David Vitter [RHookers-La.] announced his commitment to block the nomination of Thomas Perez as Secretary of the Labor Department until the Department of Justice responds to his 2011 letter related to spotty enforcement of the National Voter Registration Act in Louisiana. Perez was closely involved in the controversial New Black Panther voter intimidation case before the Department of Justice." ...

     ... Ian Millhiser of Think Progress: "The decision to drop most of the allegations against the New Black Panther defendants -- the decision that many on the far right now object to -- happened on May 18, 2009. Perez did not take over the Civil Rights Division until the next October." Read the whole post. ...

... AND this from Sen. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III [RConfederacy-Ala.]: "... illegal workers ... illegal immigration ... Casa de Maryland ... fringe advocacy group ... illegal immigrants ... illegal labor sites ... illegal immigrants ... illegal immigrants ... flawed immigration policies ... undermines legal work requirements." Beauregard got all that into two short grafs. ...

... Steve Benen has a pretty good overview of the Rush-Malkin-Vitter-Sessions Latino Outreach Program. It's going well! Hispanic voters are sure to take notice.

Joe Nocera: "... as a longtime Democratic member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations -- and as its chairman since 2007 -- [Carl] Levin [Mich.] has done more than anyone to expose the scams, the conflicts, the wrongdoing and the sheer idiocy of the financial industry from the run-up to the financial crisis to the present day. Every time Levin's subcommittee holds a hearing, it should shame Attorney General Eric 'Too Big to Jail' Holder Jr." Nocera adds,

Sometime in the next few months, the permanent subcommittee plans to call the Internal Revenue Service to task for allowing the political super PACs to be classified as tax-exempt 501(c)(4)s. 'Tax-exempt 501(c)(4)s are not supposed to be engaged in politics,' he said. 'It is against the law to do so.' Then he added, with a certain undeniable relish, 'We're going to go after them.'

Gary Langer of ABC News: "Support for gay marriage reached a new high in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, marking a dramatic change in public attitudes on the subject across the past decade. Fifty-eight percent of Americans now say it should be legal for gay and lesbian couples to wed." ...

... Andy Borowitz: "The decision of Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) to support same-sex marriage after learning that his son was gay has inspired hundreds of other Republican lawmakers to stop speaking to their children immediately, G.O.P. leaders confirmed today."

Sahil Kapur of TPM: "Justices Antonin Scalia and Sonia Sotomayor clashed Monday during Supreme Court oral arguments about whether states may require residents to submit proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. The outcome of the case is uncertain as the justices appeared narrowly divided." ...

... Ed Kilgore: "... the Arizona case is a straight-out matter of the extent to which federal election laws may trump (or more technically, 'pre-empt') state election laws." ...

... CW: I'm just waiting for Scalia to declare the entire Constitution unconstitutional because the framers went to the Constitutional Convention with the original intent to revise the Articles of Confederation, not to scrap the Articles & write a new constitution. Probably the only thing holding him back is that dumping the Constitution would put him out of his job-for-life.

Jennifer Preston of the New York Times: "... Alexandria Goddard, a crime blogger whose early and dogged research helped bring national attention to the [Steubenville rape] case, is still fending off criticism that she helped create 'an Internet lynch mob.' 'I am just the messenger here,' said Ms. Goddard, 45, who once lived in Steubenville and began following the case closely after she read what was being said online about the 16-year-old victim.... Her expertise creating social media profiles of teenagers whose parents want to know what their children are doing online gave her a distinctive window on the situation."

Dylan Matthews of the Washington Post has an excellent explanation of the Cypriot bailout crisis. Russian mobsters!

Tom Heneghan of Reuters: "With every day Pope Francis reigns, his style reveals more contrasts with his predecessor Benedict in ways that amount to an unspoken criticism of how the retired pontiff conducted his papacy. The enthusiasm former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio has ignited among Catholics by approaching the job like a parish priest rather than a papal monarch points to a yearning for a leader the Church has not seen since the charismatic Pope John PaulII." ...

... Elsewhere in religious news, the History Channel is defending its hit series "The Bible," whose producer Mark Burnett cast an Obama look-alike as Satan, a resemblance first noted by Glenn Beck. ...

... Andy Towle of Towleroad: Burnett's advisors on the project comprised an "interfaith panel included pastors Joel Osteen, Rick Warren and T.D. Jakes, Bishop Michael Sheridan, Focus on the Family president Jim Daly and Rev. Samuel Rodriguez ... a 'Who's Who' of notorious evangelical homophobes." ...

Glenn Greenwald: yes, the Iraq War was about oil. Bush speechwriter David Frum, who was privy to talks between Darth Cheney & Ahmed Chalabi, the Iraqi exile whom neocons planned to install as Iraqi leader, confirms the talks were about oil. Frum's Newsweek piece is here.

Hey, it's EIGHT Pinocchios for Michele Bachmann in her outstanding CPAC performance -- four yesterday, four today. Glenn Kessler: "...there really aren't enough Pinocchios for such misleading use of statistics in a major speech."

It is one thing for the New York Times to print op-eds by ultra-conservatives, but WTF are they doing running an op-ed by Senate candidate & renowned crackpot Rep. Paul Broun (RCrazy-Ga.)?

Local News

Jack Healy of the New York Times: "Eight months [after the Aurora, Colorado, theater shooting, Gov. John] Hickenlooper [D-Colo.] is poised to sign some of the toughest new gun control laws in the nation, capping a journey that has transformed a popular, data-driven Western Democrat who takes his son shooting into an unlikely frontman for bringing new gun laws into the center of the United States. The bill signing is expected on Wednesday."

Pretend President Paul News *

Erica Werner of the AP: "Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is endorsing a pathway to citizenship for the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants, a significant move for a favorite of tea party Republicans who are sometimes hostile to such an approach. In a speech to be delivered Tuesday morning to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the potential 2016 presidential candidate declares, 'If you wish to live and work in America, then we will find a place for you.' ... Paul's path to citizenship would come with conditions that could make it long and difficult for illegal immigrants."

* Had I been president..., I would have relieved you of your post. -- Rand Paul to Hillary Clinton

News Ledes

AP: "Federal authorities say a civilian defense contractor who works in intelligence at Pacific Command gave his Chinese girlfriend information on existing war plans and U.S. nuclear weapons. Benjamin Pierce Bishop, 59, appeared in court Monday to face one count of communicating national defense information to a person not entitled to receive it and one count of unlawfully retaining national defense documents and plans." CW: the "girlfriend" is 27. Another bummer for Bishop: his girlfriend doesn't really love him. Just a bad day all around.

AP: "Just hours ahead of an expected vote in the country's 56-member Parliament on the seizure of a percentage of deposits, officials sought to limit the impact on small savers. A new draft bill discussed in Parliament's finance committee proposed to spare all deposits below €20,000 ($25,900) from a charge. Those between €20,000 and €100,000 would still have a 6.75 percent charge imposed, and those above €100,000 would be hit for 9.9 percent, in line with the original plan.... A vote in favor of the bank account confiscation is needed if Cyprus is to get €10 billion in rescue loans from its euro partners and the International Monetary Fund. The seizure of deposits is meant to raise €5.8 billion, which is part of the country's rescue."

AP: "Syria's opposition coalition early Tuesday elected a little-known American-educated IT manager and Islamic activist to head an interim government to administer areas seized by rebel forces from President Bashar Assad's troops. Ghassan Hitto received 35 votes out of 48 ballots cast by the opposition Syrian National Coalition's 63 active members during a meeting in Istanbul."

Reuters: "Pope Francis inaugurated his papacy on Tuesday with an address calling for the defense of the weakest in society and of the environment, saying that otherwise the way was opened to death and destruction. Addressing an estimated 200,000 people and many foreign leaders gathered under bright sunshine in St. Peter's Square, the Argentine pope underlined his constant message since he was elected by a secret conclave of cardinals last Wednesday - that the Church's mission was to defend the poor and disadvantaged." CW: still, it never crosses the minds of John Boehner, Paul Ryan & other GOP Catholics that Saint Peter will condemn them to hell, fire & brimstone for their anti-Christian policies. Kinda makes one think they just might be pretend Catholics. ...

... Here are excerpts from Francis's homily, provided by the Vatican.

Reuters: "A dozen car bombs and suicide blasts tore into Shi'ite districts in Baghdad and south of the Iraqi capital on Tuesday, killing more than 50 people on the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein. Sunni Islamist insurgents linked to al Qaeda have vowed to step up attacks on Shi'ite targets since the start of the year in an attempt to provoke sectarian confrontation and undermine Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government."

Chicago Tribune: "Ruth Ann Steinhagen, whose shooting of Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Eddie Waitkus in 1949 inspired part of the [Bernard Malamud] novel 'The Natural,' died in Chicago at 83."

The Commentariat -- March 18, 2013

** Michael Luo of the New York Times: "The National Rifle Association and its allies are challenging states' efforts to take guns away from domestic violence offenders who have been served with civil protection orders.... In statehouses across the country, though, the N.R.A. and other gun-rights groups have beaten back legislation mandating the surrender of firearms in domestic violence situations.... Intimate partner homicides account for nearly half the women killed every year, according to federal statistics." Read the whole article. This is a situation where the NRA has persuaded state & federal legislators to effectively grant licenses to kill (mostly) women. ...

... Benjamin Goad of The Hill: "A growing number of states are moving forward with legislation to exempt them from new federal gun controls and, in some cases, brand as criminals anyone who tries to enforce them. While many of the bills are considered symbolic or appear doomed to fail, the legislative explosion reflects a backlash against legislative and regulatory efforts in Washington to tamp down on gun violence."

Paul Krugman: "The really striking thing, during the run-up to the [Iraq] war, was the illusion of consensus. To this day, pundits who got it wrong excuse themselves on the grounds that 'everyone' thought that there was a solid case for war. Of course, they acknowledge, there were war opponents -- but they were out of the mainstream.... What we should have learned from the Iraq debacle was that you should always be skeptical and that you should never rely on supposed authority. If you hear that 'everyone' supports a policy, whether it's a war of choice or fiscal austerity, you should ask whether 'everyone' has been defined to exclude anyone expressing a different opinion. And policy arguments should be evaluated on the merits, not by who expresses them...."

Obama 2.0. Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Obama plans to announce Monday that he will nominate Thomas E. Perez, who heads the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department, to be the next secretary of labor, a choice that promises to provoke a debate with Republicans about voting rights and discrimination."

Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "In Congress, Republicans are pushing an agenda that is almost identical to the one that their party lost with in November, with no regrets and few efforts to reframe it even rhetorically. The House will vote this week on the third iteration of Mr. Ryan's budget, which would again try to turn Medicare into a subsidy for private insurance purchases, slash the top income tax rate and cut deeply into programs the president campaigned to protect. On Wednesday, Senate Republicans forced a vote to eliminate financing for the president's health care law. The effort failed, 52-45, but it was at least the 54th time that one chamber or the other had voted on a proposal to repeal all or part of the law, which was enacted three years ago.... Which raises the question: What are elections for?" ...

... AND. Greg Sargent watched the Sunday shows: "The GOP position, with no exaggeration, is that the only way Republican leaders will ever agree to paying down the deficit they say is a threat to American civilization is 100 percent their way; they are not willing to concede anything at all to reach any deal involving new revenues to reduce the deficit, or to get the entitlement reform they want, or to avert sequestration they themselves said will gut the military and tank the economy But ... but ... but Obama needs to lead and prove he's Serious by offering still more entitlement cuts than he already has!"

... BUT -- Lipstick on an Elephant. AP: "The Republican National Committee will formally endorse immigration reform on Monday and outline plans for a $10 million outreach to minority groups -- gay voters among them -- as part of a multi-step roadmap designed to make the GOP more 'welcoming and inclusive' for voters who overwhelmingly supported Democrats in 2012." ...

     ... Update: the report is here. ...

... Zeke Miller of Time: "More than anything, [the report] is a rejection of the politics of 'arithmetic,' as RNC Chairman Reince Priebus will say when he announces the report's recommendations in a thinly veiled shot at Mitt Romney's 47 percent comments. 'The RNC cannot and will not ..write off any demographic, community, or region of this country.'"

... UH-OH. Alexander Burns of Politico: "An outside group aligned with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has commissioned a report that warns conservatives against adopting an all-spending cuts, all-the-time message, and suggests that leaders on the right put a heavier emphasis on less abstract issues such as education and gas prices. The poll, commissioned by the nonprofit YG Network and obtained by Politico, shows that even Americans concerned about deficits and debt are far more concerned with their own personal economic well-being."

Fire Ed DeMarco. Annie Lowrey of the New York Times: "Prominent state attorneys general are calling on President Obama to fire the acting director[ Edward J. DeMarco] of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and name a new permanent director, arguing that current policies are impeding the economic recovery. Under ... DeMarco, the F.H.F.A., which oversees the bailed-out mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has refused to put in place a White House proposal to reduce the principal on so-called underwater mortgages.... Led by Eric T. Schneiderman of New York and Martha Coakley of Massachusetts, the attorneys general argue that writing down the principal on underwater mortgages ... would aid the recovery. They note that write-downs were a central part of a multibillion-dollar mortgage settlement that 49 state attorneys general negotiated with five major banks a year ago."

I tend to agree with Glenn Greenwald's column, published last week, on President Obama's penchant for secrecy. ...

... BUT Driftglass's note of caution is worth heeding: "Mr. Greenwald does have the litigator's fetish for framing every sentence in the most aggressively dichotomous way possible down cold. Ordering dessert with him must be a bitch; 'Are you going to order the tiramisu or are you objectively pro-Hitler?' Because in Glennview there are always two-and-only-two acceptable positions on all issues: agreeing with Glenn 100% right down the line and worse-than-Cheney." Read all of Driftglass's post.

Charles Pierce responds to this BBC report, which I linked this past weekend & thought was a very big deal, but which received little attention here in the Good Ole U.S.A.: "There were 22,000 more Americans who died in Vietnam after Nixon sabotaged the peace talks in order to win an election."

CNN Feels Really Sorry for Rapists. David Edwards of Raw Story: "CNN broke the news on Sunday of a guilty verdict in a rape case in Steubenville, Ohio by lamenting that the 'promising' lives of the rapists had been ruined, but spent very little time focusing on how the 16-year-old victim would have to live with what was done to her":

... Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs: "CNN continued with this awful slanted reporting throughout the afternoon ... even after a storm erupted on social media, condemning their coverage. The sheer contempt they showed for their audience, and for the victim of this terrible crime, was breathtaking." ...

... Mallory Ortberg of Gawker: "It's perfectly understandable, when reporting on a rape trial, to discuss the length and severity of the sentence; it is less understandable to discuss the end of two convicted rapists' future athletic and academic careers as if it were somehow divorced from the laws of cause and effect. Their dreams and hopes were not crushed by an impersonal, inexorable legal system; Mays and Richmond raped a girl and have been sentenced accordingly.... That isn't how rape trials ought to be discussed by professional journalists." ...

... Charles Pierce monitors the Sunday shows, including CNN's poor-little-rapists marathon.

Right Wing World *

Has-Beens Bickering. Sahil Kapur of TPM: Palin & Rove take swipes at each other. AND more from David Edwards of Raw Story.

E. J. Dionne asks if conservatives "believe in American greatness.... Conservatives ... need to consider where the strong America they honor came from in the first place."

"At CPAC, the Marriage Fight is Over." Chris Geidner of BuzzFeed: "Opponents of gay rights spoke to a nearly empty room, while supporters had a standing room-only crowd:"

Joe Coscarelli's story on the son of the New York City Fire Chief -- who is apparently in line to become an FDNY firefighter -- is not the type of local story I usually link, but it's disgusting enough to read. And you know the little Nazi (perfectly apt term here) is gonna get the job.

* Where there is sometimes good news.