The Commentariat -- December 27

My column in today's New York Times eXaminer: "If it’s Tuesday, it must be time for David Brooks to tell us that government doesn’t work and Americans are immoral." The NYTX front page is here. ...

... Dean Baker in the New York Times eXaminer on Brooks' complaint that our economy is no longer nearly as "vibrant" as it was a 100 years ago: "The fact that factories can produce large amounts of output with 100 workers is in fact evidence of economic vibrancy, not the opposite. This is called 'productivity growth.' It is the main measure of the economy’s ability to raise living standards through time. The fact that 100 people in a factory can produce the same output as 1000 people did 30 years ago means that we are potentially much richer than we were 30 years ago. We can have the other 900 people doing other productive work. Alternatively, we can all work many fewer hours."

Eric Lichtblau of the New York Times: "Largely insulated from the country’s economic downturn since 2008, members of Congress — many of them among the '1 percenters' denounced by Occupy Wall Street protesters — have gotten much richer even as most of the country has become much poorer in the last six years.... Congress ... has long been populated with the rich.... But rarely has the divide appeared so wide, or the public contrast so stark, between lawmakers and those they represent.... Members of Congress are getting richer compared not only with the average American worker, but also with other very rich Americans."

Ethan Bronner of the New York Times: "An Israeli television station reported last spring on numerous trips Benjamin Netanyahu had taken as an elected official to Paris, London and New York before becoming prime minister in 2009. Accompanied by his wife, he flew first class and stayed in baronial hotel suites.... The bills, displayed on screen, were paid for by wealthy friends.... But instead of accolades for its journalism, Channel 10 is now fighting for its life, and Mr. Netanyahu’s hostility toward it is being cast as part of a broader cultural and political war in Israel between the left and the right involving efforts to control the judiciary, the reporting of news and public discourse."

Right Wing World

Barbara Morrill of Daily Kos: "Last week, [Ron] Paul walked out during an interview with CNN's Gloria Borger after being asked about the newsletters, saying'"I didn’t write them, I disavow them, That’s it.' Uh huh." This week, the Huff Post found 1996 newspaper items like this: "He [Paul] said he has written 'thousands of items' during the past 20 years and that releasing these materials would be impractical." As Morrill writes, "Busted." ...

... Joan McCarter of Daily Kos: according to former Ron Paul staffer Eric Dondero, Paul loves teh gays; Dr. Paul is just petrified to use "gay toilets." He's a doctor! A medical doctor! ...

... Here's Dondero's full statement, which he released to Right Wing News. ...

... John Cole of Balloon Juice comments. ...

... Former Bush II speechwriter David Frum, in a long post for CNN: "The daffy old coot side of Ron Paul's personality is genuine enough. The crank side is certainly genuine, as are at least some of the racial views. Even after Paul abandoned the crude race-baiting of his 1990s newsletters, he continued to engage in elaborate apologetics for the Confederate side of the Civil War. Also genuine, however, is the huckster aspect of the Ron Paul persona." CW: the long knives are out. ...

... CW: Andrew Sullivan, who is wrong about almost everything except gay rights, un-endorses Ron Paul, but not strongly enough, IMHO.

Speaking of Liars. Alan Cole of CNN: "Newt Gingrich claims that it was his first wife, not Gingrich himself, who wanted their divorce in 1980, but court documents obtained by CNN appear to show otherwise.... 'It was (Jackie Gingrich) that requested the divorce, not Newt,' the [Gingrich] campaign website said.... After initially being told that the divorce documents were sealed, CNN on Thursday obtained the folder containing the filings in the divorce.... Newt Gingrich filed a divorce complaint on July 14, 1980, in Carroll County, [Georgia].... 'Defendant shows that she has adequate and ample grounds for divorce, but that she does not desire one at this time,' her petition said." ...

NEW. Jonathan Karl of ABC News: Newt RomneyCare.

News Ledes

New York Times: "A senior Iranian official on Tuesday delivered a sharp threat in response to economic sanctions being readied by the United States, saying his country would retaliate against any crackdown by blocking all oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for transporting about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply."

Washington Post: "Sen. Ben Nelson, the Nebraska Democrat who built an image as a moderating influence on his party, announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection in 2012, improving Republican chances of winning the seat and taking control of the Senate in 2013."

New York Times: "The Kremlin on Tuesday announced the reassignment of Vladislav Y. Surkov, the architect of the highly centralized political system that has come under waves of protest from middle-class Muscovites over the last month. Mr. Surkov, a former advertising prodigy, coined the term 'sovereign democracy' to describe his system, which preserved the electoral process but hollowed out institutions capable of challenging the Kremlin’s power."

Al Jazeera: "Israel has launched multiple airstrikes in the Gaza strip, killing a former fighter and wounding at least 10 others, according to Palestinian officials. The Israeli rocket hit a car parked next to a motorcycle belonging to the man. Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian group, says he was a former member. Another airstrike hit a Hamas police vehicle and injured an officer and four others." ...

     ... Haaretz: "The Israel Air Force conducted a second strike of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, just hours after the Israeli army confirmed it targeted a terror operative in the coastal strip. A statement by the IDF Spokesman's Office said that the second strike targeted a global Jihad terror cell in the northern Strip that was planning to attack the western part of Israel's border with Egypt."

New York Times: "President Obama said Tuesday that he would nominate Jeremy C. Stein, a Harvard economist, and Jerome H. Powell, a former private equity executive, to fill the two vacant seats on the Federal Reserve’s board. The pairing of Professor Stein, a Democrat, and Mr. Powell, a Republican, is a carefully weighted gesture, a pragmatic attempt to satisfy Senate Republicans who have repeatedly refused to allow votes on nominees for regulatory positions."

New York Times: "The Syrian government pulled tanks from the streets of Homs on Tuesday as Arab League observers arrived in the besieged city to monitor pledges by the government to withdraw troops and heavy weapons from residential areas." Al Jazeera story here. ...

     ... Al Jazeera Update: "Syrian government forces have reportedly fired tear gas and live rounds at thousands of protesters in Homs, as Arab League monitors finished their first day of observation in the city that has been the centre of the anti-government protest movement." With video.

Reuters: "Retailer Sears Holdings Corp said it plans to close 100-120 Kmart and Sears Full-line stores and expects its adjusted fourth-quarter EBITDA to more than halve from a year ago. The company reported $933 million in adjusted fourth-quarter earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization last year." AP story (via NYT) here.

AP: "Britain's Prince Philip returned to the royal family's country estate Tuesday, after a spell in the hospital undergoing treatment for a blocked coronary artery." Guardian story here.

The Commentariat -- December 26

My column in today's New York Times eXaminer is on Ross Douthat's column, which he titled "The Cratchit Tax Credit." I call it the "Ebenezer Scrooge Tax Break," and I explain why. God bless us, every one.

Ed Pilkington, et al., of the Guardian write an overview of the Bradley Manning pre-trial proceedings. If you missed the as-it-happened stories (which were few and far between), this is a good place to catch up.

Paul Krugman follows up on the new EPA regs on mercury. "... the payoff to the new rules is huge: up to $90 billion a year in benefits compared with around $10 billion a year of costs in the form of slightly higher electricity prices.... And it’s a deal Republicans very much want to kill. With everything else that has been going on in U.S. politics recently, the G.O.P.’s radical anti-environmental turn hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves."

Joe Stephens & Carol Leonnig of the Washington Post: "Meant to create jobs and cut reliance on foreign oil, Obama’s green-technology program was infused with politics at every level, The Washington Post found in an analysis of thousands of memos, company records and internal ­e-mails. Political considerations were raised repeatedly by company investors, Energy Department bureaucrats and White House officials. The records, some previously unreported, show that when warned that financial disaster might lie ahead, the administration remained steadfast in its support for Solyndra."

Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "With the United States facing the reality that its broad security partnership with Pakistan is over, American officials are seeking to salvage a more limited counterterrorism alliance.... The United States will be forced to restrict drone strikes, limit the number of its spies and soldiers on the ground and spend more to transport supplies through Pakistan to allied troops in Afghanistan, American and Pakistani officials said. United States aid to Pakistan will also be reduced sharply, they said."

Maureen Dowd offers a theory on Charles Dickens' obsession with Christmas.

E. J. Dionne: Mitt "Romney is saying things about the president that are flatly, grossly and shamefully untrue. But Romney’s sleight of hand is revealing: Republicans are increasingly inclined to argue that any redistribution (and Social Security, Medicare, student loans, veterans benefits and food stamps are all redistributive) is but a step down the road to some radically egalitarian dystopia. Obama will thus be the conservative in 2012, in the truest sense of that word. He is the candidate defending the modestly redistributive and regulatory government the country has relied on since the New Deal...."

Right Wing World *

Justin Gillis of the New York Times: "Scientists say they could, in theory, do a much better job of answering the question 'Did global warming have anything to do with it?' after extreme weather events like the drought in Texas and the floods in New England. But for many reasons, efforts to put out prompt reports on the causes of extreme weather are essentially languishing.... This year, when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tried to push through a reorganization that would have provided better climate forecasts to businesses, citizens and local governments, Republicans in the House ... blocked it. The idea had originated in the Bush administration, was strongly endorsed by an outside review panel and would have cost no extra money. But the House Republicans, many of whom reject the overwhelming scientific consensus about the causes of global warming, labeled the plan an attempt by the Obama administration to start a 'propaganda' arm on climate." ...

     ... Steve Benen comments.

Hate Groups for Ron Paul. Jim Rutenberg & Serge Kovaleski of the New York Times: "The white supremacists, survivalists and anti-Zionists who have rallied behind [Ron Paul's] candidacy have not exactly been warmly welcomed.... But he did not disavow their support. 'If they want to endorse me, they’re endorsing what I do or say — it has nothing to do with endorsing what they say,' said Mr. Paul, who is now running strong in Iowa for the Republican nomination." ...

... Ron Paul, Scam Artiste. Prof. Mark Kleiman in the Washington Monthly: "So the latest bit of filth Ron Paul signed but says he didn’t write was a pitch for an 'insider' investment newsletter warning of a 'coming race war' and 'the federal-homosexual cover-up on AIDS.' ... After claiming that his terms in Congress left him with a network of 'sources...,' Paul (or his ghostwriter) promised his intended victims: '… I give you the facts and analysis – and specific recommendations – you need to protect yourself, and dramatically increase your wealth, in the spastic economy of the 1990s....' The 'investment letter' racket represents a substantial source of income for wingnut pundits and websites." ...

... NEW. David Neiwert of Crooks & Liars: "The handwringing over whether Paul is a racist or not really is beside the point. Labels really become inconsequential when the real issue is how their politics would play out on the ground if they achieved power. And in the end, there is a reason racists support Ron Paul's agenda: It would be a dream come true, a return to the days when the freedom to oppress others was protected by the American legal system."

How Sleazy Is Romney? Washington Post Editorial Board! Mitt "Romney — breaking with the practice of previous Republican presidential candidates, including George W. Bush and John McCain — has refused to release the identities of his bundlers, the well-connected fundraisers who help the campaign haul in stacks of checks adding up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.... Now Mr. Romney has doubled down on this lack of transparency, telling NBC that he does not intend to release his tax returns even if he becomes the Republican presidential nominee.... Mr. Romney hides behind legal requirements." In fact, he won't even say whether or not he would release his tax returns should he win the presidency.

"Virginia's Ballot Debacle." Steve Benen: Newt "Gingrich ... assured supporters on Thursday that his name would be on the ballot. Complicating matters, the Gingrich campaign responded to the news by saying it would 'pursue an aggressive write-in campaign,' not realizing that this is forbidden under Virginia election law. Oops. Making matters slightly worse, Gingrich’s campaign director posted an item to Facebook that said, 'Newt and I agreed that the analogy is December 1941...' Yes, after having been denied a ballot slot, Gingrich’s thoughts turned to Pearl Harbor. There’s a good reason I describe the disgraced former House Speaker as a lousy historian. But this story is about more than just Gingrich’s failure.... Virginia has ridiculous ballot-access laws, which will exclude five of the seven Republican presidential candidates from even appearing on the state’s ballot."

* Where even the weather is secret.

News Ledes

AP: "The Obama administration is considering whether to allow Yemen's outgoing president [Ali Abdullah Saleh] into the United States for medical treatment, as fresh violence and political tensions flare in the strategically important Middle East nation." ...

     ... New York Times Update: "The Obama administration has decided in principle to allow the embattled president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to enter the United States for medical treatment, subject to certain assurances, two administration officials said Monday. But those conditions — including a proposed itinerary — have not yet been submitted to the American Embassy in Yemen, these officials said, and no visa has yet been issued to Mr. Saleh."

Los Angeles Times: "The Obama family celebrated a low-key Christmas, trading presents, attending church and singing Christmas carols before the first couple left their rented vacation home to meet troops and their families at a nearby Marine Corps base."

News Ledes -- December 25

Reuters: "Tens of thousands of flag-waving and chanting protesters called Saturday for a disputed parliamentary election to be rerun and an end to Vladimir Putin's rule, increasing pressure on the Russian leader as he tries to win back the presidency. The protesters shouted 'Russia without Putin' and 'New elections, New elections' as one speaker after another called for an end to Putin's 12-year domination of the country at the second big opposition rally in two weeks in central Moscow.

Reuters: "Pope Benedict called for an end to violence in Syria and a resumption of Middle East peace talks on Sunday on a Christmas Day marred by a bomb blast at a Catholic Church in Nigeria."

AP: "An explosion ripped through a Catholic church during Christmas Mass near Nigeria's capital Sunday, killing at least 25 people, officials said. A radical Muslim sect waging an increasingly sophisticated sectarian fight claimed the attack and another bombing in the restive city of Jos, as explosions also struck the nation's northeast."

AP: "With violence continuing, the leader of Syria's main opposition group is urging the Arab League to push for U.N. involvement in seeking an end to the bloodshed."

Los Angeles Times: "President Obama spent part of Christmas Eve playing golf with old friends from the islands and White House staff, while the first lady spoke with children who had called into NORAD’s special Santa-tracking phone line."

Los Angeles Times: "In a confidential deposition with congressional investigators, the then-head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives [Kenneth Melson] blamed agents, field supervisors and even his top command for never advising him that for more than a year, his agency allowed illegal gun sales along the southwestern U.S. border.