It’s Sunday. It’s the Early-Bird News Round-Up

Good morning and welcome to Sunday.

On this day in history, June 26, 1973, former White House counsel John W. Dean told the Senate Watergate Committee about an “enemies list” kept by the Nixon White House.

Some links to go with your morning coffee, tea, or Mimosa:

~Well, I’m glad to report that heterosexual marriage has survived the NY vote legalizing gay marriage.

~Sarah Palin and Barack Obama are heading to Iowa on Tuesday.

~I think it’s fair to say Barack Obama’s foreign policy agenda is, well, not really an agenda. It’s hard to know where to start: the adoption of the Bush administration’s paternalistic rhetoric on the Libya/War Powers issue, the totally dead Mideast Peace process, the coming September vote at the UN for Palestinian statehood, the continuing crackdown in Syria, our schizophrenic behavior towards Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, the never-ending Afghanistan War…can anyone articulate for me what the Obama administration stands for in the Middle East?

~On a similar note, this embarrassment could have been avoided had Obama complied with the legal niceties of going to war and getting Congressional approval. Listening to the WH and State Dept. talk about the conflict that they say doesn’t involve “hostilities” is like a bad acid trip back to the Bush years.

~And it doesn’t help Obama that Admiral Sam Locklear confirmed to GOP Rep. Mike Turner that the scope of the war in Libya includes taking out Qaddafi and he also stated that he anticipates needing boots on the ground. Does that mean Obama lied to us about the mission, given he said this in March during his speech to the nation: “Broadening our military mission to include regime change would be a mistake…”?

Ok, this is an ACTUAL commercial airing in Europe and when I first watched it I thought it was going to be some sort of ad for a gay resort. Turns out, it’s about the importance of keeping your HEALTH INSURANCE information with you at all times.

Why doesn’t Harvard Pilgrim or Blue Cross Blue Shield do an add campaign like that?

~Oh my goodness, this is not good.

~The U.S. and Israeli govt have been doing everything in their considerable power to prevent the U.S. boat that is taking part in the Flotilla2 to Gaza, from leaving port in Greece. A complaint has now been launched against the boat saying it’s not seaworthy. All week long the State Dept. blasted the Flotilla participants as needlessly provoking Israel and made a thinly-veiled threat on Friday that they could be in violation of the law prohibiting giving material aid to terrorists. I have been following the Flotilla2 issue very closely on Twitter and I can tell you that many are interpreting Secretary Clinton’s statements as being a green light for Israel to attack the Flotilla.

~The side effect of the Arab Spring- a huge refugee crisis.

~Governor Rick Perry’s potential death penalty problem.

~The ghost of Lee Atwater.

Ok, lets take a break:

Now this Squirrel is just taunting this cat!

~Newsweek’s resident neocon Niall Ferguson fear-mongers about the rise of Turkey.

~A great article about how and why one of the world’s great economists, Joe Stiglitz, has been virtually ignored by the White House (which tells you a little bit about Obama’s view of economics- and it’s not good.)

~Obama, the GLBT community and the enthusiasm gap. Kerry Eleveld reminds the Obama administration that there is more to winning the hearts and minds of the gay community (and elections!) than simply assuming we have no one else to vote for.

~Former Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller has to reimburse the state of Alaska
for over $17,000 in costs associated with his bid to overturn Lisa Murkowski’s write-in victory.

~Fox is helping the GOP promote it’s anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric. That may not be the best long-term political strategy.

~Speaking of Fox, check out this link, it’s too funny. It shows actual news headlines vs. Fox News headlines.

~Sheila Bair, the outgoing head of the FDIC and a proponent of much-needed reforms, warns that legislators and banks (and the WH?) seem to be in danger of forgetting the lessons learned from the 2008 global financial crisis. Lessons, what lessons? Who in the GOP learned anything from the crisis? Who at the Chamber of Commerce and who at the Treasury Department?

~The NYT bemoans the phony “tough on terror crowd.” Uh, wasn’t the NYT a member of that club back in 2001 through about 2004?

~The Washington Post has an article that raises questions about the motives behind President Obama’s promotion of clean technology. You be the judge.

~Washington Post hack Dana Milbank once again portrays the progressive base’s complaints as mere squawking but of course, when conservatives complain about their politicians, well, that’s just principled disagreement, right? Honestly, I sometimes find it hard to believe that Milbank gets paid to write this stuff.

~The oil industry has formed a new astroturfing group that is bird-dogging GOP candidates on the campaign trail.

The End.

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