The Commentariat -- December 12

My column in the New York Times eXaminer, titled "Bill and Newt's Excellent Idea," is here. In it I refute the "wisdom" of Newt Gingrich's plan to implement a national identity card and New York Times columnist Bill Keller's support of Newt's plan. the NYTX front page is here.

** John Eidelson in Salon: "At a time of high unemployment and stagnating wages, the Boeing case shows why it is so hard for workers to collect a larger share of national income. It highlights Republicans’ resolute defense of law-breaking big business, and President Obama’s lack of equivalent fire in defense of the 99%.  Obama expresses sympathy for the occupation movement But it a case where he might have actually done something for the people who do America’s work, he passed.... Asked about the NLRB case at a June press conference, Obama said he shouldn’t comment on the details and then, rather than saying that in general workers need the freedom to go on strike, he said, 'as a general proposition, companies need to have the freedom to relocate.'" (Emphasis original.)

Tom Engelhardt in Salon: "... the electoral process has been occupied by the 1 percent; which means that what you hear in this “campaign” is largely refracted versions of their praise, their condemnation, their slurs, their views, their needs, their fears, and their wishes. They are making money off, and electing a president via, you. Which means that you — that all of us — are occupied, too. So stop calling this an 'election.' Whatever it is, we need a new name for it."

Matti Taibbi of Rolling Stone on indefinite detention of American citizens: "If these laws are passed, we would be forced to rely upon the discretion of a demonstrably corrupt and consistently idiotic government to not use these awful powers to strike back at legitimate domestic unrest."

Paul Krugman: ominous political trends, European-style. CW: I knew almost none of this; if you're as clueless as I was about what's going on in Hungary, for instance, read Krugman.

** Mission Creep Done Crept: "The Cowboy Chronicles." Glenn Greenwald in Salon: so now local police are using military drones to catch Americans suspected of cattle-rustling, Americans who incidentally belong to an anti-government group.

David Remnick, in a long New Yorker piece, ponders how far resistance to Vladimir Putin can go.

Elizabeth Warren's campaign sends me this new ad, which responds to the Crossroads GPS attack ads against her:

Alec Baldwin may be a jerk, but he's a hilarious jerk:

Right Wing World

Pretty clever. It's worthy clicking on to see the fine print:

Art by Brian McFadden of the New York Times. CLICK TO SEE LARGER IMAGE.Rick Hertzberg: Not long ago, the idea that Newt Gingrich could become president would be relegated to alternate-history fiction. Now it is "not inconceivable." ...

... AND here's Hertzberg on why Newt won the debate. ...

... David Remnick of the New Yorker: when it comes to pandering to Jews in hopes of softening their support for President Obama, to Newt Gingrich, "no pandering seems out of bounds." ...

... Phoebe Greenwood of the Guardian: Palestinian officials said the claims Gingrich made in Saturday's debate that Palestinian children learn terrorism in school "were based substantially on material produced by an Israeli organisation, Palestinian Media Watch," and are untrue. ...

... AND Ron Paul runs this devastating ad against Gingrich. Obama or his supporters could lose the purple hues and run the same ad in the general:

Jonathan Chait of New York magazine: Romney's electability problem: he's rich -- and he looks it. He knows that, and to counter it, he's made a capital gains tax proposal that he says will benefit the middle class. to the horror of conservatives, to push that tax reform, Romney sounds suspiciously like a librul, someone who recognizes the trade-off between taxes and spending. ...

... AND Jeff Zeleny & Ashley Parker of the New York Times: opponents -- except for frontrunner Newt Gingrich -- are using Mitt Romney's $10,000 debate challenge to Rick Perry to paint him as too rich & out-of-touch with middle-class Americans. Jon Huntsman, Jr., who wasn't invited to the debate because his poll numbers are too low, takes up Mitt's challenge (the video include the exchange between Romney & Perry):

... NEW. AND Paul Krugman bestows upon Romney the well-earned Silver Foot Award: "When a man worth circa $200 million offers to bet someone who isn’t that rich $10,000, he’s practically waving a sign saying that he has no sense of how other people live."

News Ledes

Washington Post: "President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki outlined a broad agenda for postwar cooperation Monday as they marked the impending end of America’s long conflict in the Middle East":

Reuters: "Anti-Wall Street demonstrators, confronted by police in riot gear, marched on several West Coast ports on Monday seeking to disrupt cargo traffic and re-energize their faltering protest movement. By singling out port operations from California to Alaska, organizers hoped to call attention again to U.S. economic inequalities, high unemployment and a financial system they complain is unfairly tilted toward the wealthy. The protests disrupted morning arrivals of trucks and dockworkers at some waterfronts, including two terminals effectively closed in Portland, Oregon."

New York Times: "At least 17 Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested on Monday at the World Financial Center, whose owner, Brookfield Properties, also owns Zuccotti Park." Includes video. ...

... New York Times eXaminer: "At an Occupy Wall Street protest today in the World Financial Center, New York Police Department officers, some in riot gear, began arresting protestors by slamming them onto the highly-​polished marble floors. A veteran and credentialed New York Times photographer, with a press pass around his neck, was repeatedly physically prohibited from photographing the arrests and police activity...."

AP: "With the U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq in its final days, President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will meet at the White House Monday to discuss the next phase of the relationship between their countries."

Washington Post: "It appears increasingly likely that, with little fuss, lawmakers will approve a bipartisan compromise in coming days that will keep government running past Friday, when a short-term funding measure that has kept the lights on expires."

AFP: "US online shopping rose 15 percent from November 1 to December 9 compared to the same period last year, according to industry tracker comScore."

Reuters: "A longtime ally of Vladimir Putin called on Monday for the creation of a liberal party to fill a void in Russian politics exposed by mass protests against the prime minister's 12-year rule, and cast himself as its potential leader."