What Kind Of Day Has It Been

International

• Another day, another batch of Iranians rescued by the USN at sea.
• We moved closer to doomsday today. But not this close.
• Israel is preparing to receive Syrian refugees once the regime falls and the bloodletting begins.
• Ireland Scotland long a province be a nation once again. Bonus: A Nation Once Again

Domestic

• These folks that had exit polls for Iowa early that turned out to be the real exit polls have exit polls for New Hampshire, too. DCExile has no idea if they're real. The question of exit poll accuracy in general is an entirely different subject.
• Nate Silver says Romney wins with 39. I respectfully disagree--I think Romney pulls in less than 35, likely less than 33. 
• Damn it, yard signs do not vote. No, not even in New Hampshire.
• The Socialist Party of America had this to say about President Obama: 

The notion that Barack Obama is a socialist ranks among the greatest fairy tales in American society -- right up there with the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and the idea that if you work hard enough your children will live a better life than you," Socialist Party spokeswoman Lynn Lomibao said in an email. "Socialists know what Obama is: another corporate funded politician placed in the White House to protect the wealth and status of the 1 percent.

Satisfied, Republicans?

The Short List - January 10, 2012

International

• President Assad has gone on the offensive in Syria, claiming foreign interventions have fomented the sustained unrest in that country.
• With friends like these, Ahmadinejad continues his Latin American trip complete with TV show appearances and rants against the U.S.
• As the prison facility at Guantanamo Bay turns 10, human rights groups and detainees plan protests of the facility's continued existence.
• Suu Kyi, recently freed from house arrest, will run for parliament in Myanmar.

Domestic

• It's primary day in New Hampshire and the town of Dixville Notch once again claims its mantle as first primary in the nation.  Mitt Romney was leading going in to today, but he's been suffering some blows in recent days from his GOP rivals, especially from Newt Gingrich who seems to be balancing good Newt and bad Newt.
• At the White House, Chief of Staff Daley is out and OMB Director Lew will take up the post.
• Texas asks for more time for insurance providers in the state to achieve an 80/20 split of funds going to healthcare versus finds going to administrative costs and profits as part of the role out of the affordable care act.
• Roll Tide.

The Short List - January 9, 2012

International

• Iran has sentenced a former Marine, and they believe a CIA Agent, to death.  Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad flew to Venezuela hoping to find a friend.  There are reports this morning of diplomats confirming Iran's nuclear enrichment in a bunker.


• A gunman in an Afghan army uniform killed a US soldier in that country.


• The end of oil subsidies in Nigeria continue to be met with violence.


• Is the Arab Spring good or bad for the US?

Domestic

• Heavy is the crown as Romney took the majority if the barbs from GOP opponents yesterday morning.  There is an interesting shift where back in September is was pile on Obama.  Yesterday Romney wanted to talk about Obama and everyone else wanted to talk about Romney.  And for John Huntsman it all comes down to the Granite State.  Is it just me or would the best debate, the debate America deserves be the debate between Obama and Huntsman?


• The Supreme Court will hear arguments about Texas re-districting.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

International

• AQI continues to work to restart Iraq's sectarian civil war. Today, bombs targeting Shiites killed 72.
• Slate interviews Mustafa Barghouti on the issue of Palestinian statehood.
• Prosecutors in Egypt are seeking the death penalty for Mubarak. 
• Friend of the blog Reza Marashi made an appearance on the Diane Rehm show.
• Qatar owns up to the failings of Arab League monitors in Syria.

Domestic

• President Obama announced his vision for a less expensive defense posture.
• Rick Santorum is drawing large crowds and media attention in New Hampshire. He has moved to up to third place in one New Hampshire poll (although he still lags some 30 points behind Romney) and his fundraising is at an all time high.
• Romney's campaign suffers blowback on the weak McCain endorsement rally that we noted yesterday.

The Short List - January 5, 2012

International

• According to Afghan officials, Iran is making a move to get closer to Afghanistan in an attempt to marginalize America.  Meanwhile, Karzai has endorsed the idea of direct U.S.-Taliban negotiations, though he did manage to take a shot at the U.S. in the process.


• In Pakistan, the Pakistani Taliban claim to have killed 15 soldiers in North Waziristan.


• Activists in Syria claim the government there has staged tranquility for the benefit of the Arab League observers.

Domestic

• Heavy is the crown for Romney as the field of GOP candidates train their ire on him in the granite state.  Oh and Santorum believes there are no Palestinians in the West Bank.


• President Obama will visit the Pentagon today to announce his new strategic vision of the military intended to change the mission of the nation's military in light of a changing world and austere budget environments.  Some are concerned this new strategy would make the U.S. incapable of executing two wars at the same time.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

International

• Syrian activists complain that government tanks are still occupying cities in violation of the Arab League agreement. Arab League observers seem less relevant by the hour.
• EU agrees to embargo Iranian crude.

Domestic

• In the wake of last night's Iowa caucuses, Bachmann (5% of caucus attendees) dropped out but Perry (10%) stayed in--despite initial indications that Perry would retreat to Texas to "reassess" and drop out.
• John McCain endorsed Mitt Romney in New Hampshire. This Editor views McCain's endorsement as meaningless in a state Romney is likely to win handedly (and in a newscycle he has no hope of winning: see linked article's title).
• Obama belatedly recess appoints Richard Cordray. Finally.

The Short List - January 4, 2012

International

• Iran's warning to U.S. ships didn't impact the U.S. military, but has impacted oil prices.
• The U.S. continues to push Myanmar to reform.
• Syria claims the U.S. wants to stoke unrest in that country.  Stories like this make Santorum's criticism of Obama's reaction to the 2009 green movement in Iran all the more asinine.
• Armed groups continue to clash in Libya, but they have selected a new chief of the armed forces.

Domestic

• The Iowa caucus results are in and Romney wins by the skin of his teeth over Santorum.  Paul came in third, then Gingrich, Perry, and Bachmann.  Let the media story-telling begin: Romney has problems.  Santorum has surged.  Perry is heading back to Crawford Austin.  Gingrich is on the attack in New Hampshire.  Meanwhile, DCExile might just have to start the countdown clock til the end of the Bachmann campaign.
• Airlines are fighting in court a regulation that will compel them to disclose the full price of tickets, not just the base fare.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

International

• Iran warned the United States not to bring another carrier group into the Gulf. The United States told Iran, rightly, to go to hell.
• Syria's armed rebels threaten to escalate attacks.
• Israelis and Palestinians met today in Jordan.
• At the urging of the Afghan Taliban, a new umbrella group for disparate Pakistani militants has been announced. The Shura-i-Muraqba will (supposedly) unite the TTP, the Haqqani Network, Nazir's organization (erstwhile of the TTP), and Hafiz Gul Bahadur's organization. Notably, unlike the Afghan Taliban and the rest of the Pakistani groups now united, the TTP seeks the overthrow of Pakistan. This would seem to be rather problematic. [Note: Bill Roggio at Long War Journal attributes the umbrella organization to AQ and not the Afghan Taliban.]

Domestic Iowa

• As Jason noted, it's caucus day in Iowa. If you're an Iowan, find your caucus location through the Iowa GOP's website. Wikipedia does a good job of breaking down the Republican caucus process, which is substantially different than the Democratic caucus process--the GOP uses secret ballots and there is no viability threshold or realignment. I will be watching, beer-in-hand, with a few other veterans of '08, trying not to remember the pain of having my teeth kicked in. 
• Bonus: Why Iowa goes first.
• Double Bonus: Results.
• Triple Bonus (h/t Carly).

The Short List - January 3, 2012

After a holiday break, we're back.

International

• The Taliban has reportedly opened up its Qatar offices to U.S. officials to negotiate, however in their invitation to the U.S. they make no mention of the elected government in Kabul.


• Egypt is holding its third round of elections as the country moves forward to resolution.


• The Arab League may remove observers from Syria as reports of government violence against citizens and protesters continue.


• In South Sudan, tribal conflict has forced many thousands to flee their homes.  The UN is working to step in.


• In Libya two armed groups clashed over the detention of members of one of the armed groups.

Domestic

• It's Iowa caucus day and the Washington Post breaks down the final day of campaigning.  Meanwhile, Dan Balz asks if the candidate will shape the party or if it'll be the other way around.  And John Huntsman will be lonely in New Hampshire for just a few more hours.


• Another week, another cry for infrastructure investment.


• The minimum wage in Washington state.

The Hollowing Out of Higher Education

This piece in the Washington Post describes the decline of state dollars flowing to so-called "public ivies."  This connects to an issue that was brought up on last Sunday's Meet the Press.  Put simply, states aren't investing in higher education anymore.

From my own experience I saw tuition climb 24% from the freshmen year of college to my senior year at a state school in Illinois.  I also saw the graphs that charted how in the early 1980s for every $1 dollar of tuition paid by a student, the state of Illinois paid $9.  Now that ratio is close to or less than 1 to 1.

What this leads to is fewer kids going to college or those that do go amassing large amounts of debt that necessitates a high-paying job to service that burden, which are becoming harder to come by as well.  This was a major element of the Occupy Wall Street protests.  Now I know not everyone needs to go to college and I do think we need to direct more kids toward technical/vocational colleges then to English 101 then we currently do, but it's not like this money is being shifted.  It's just going away.  Surely it's in the national interest to have centers of learning to equip students with the knowledge and the critical thinking skills needed to drive innovation.  And yet, this is a topic that pops up and fizzles out.

When I think about this issue and those that would suggest I think everyone should get a college degree for free, (not a half bad idea) I am always reminded of this clip from The West Wing.  It's supposed to be hard, but surely the government has an interest in making it easier.  Surely those that want an education should be able to do so without racking up massive amounts of debt.

Chart of the Day

From the Washington Post, the Toil Index:

The Short List - December 16, 2011

International

• The Iraq war ends with a whisper.


• After the second round of voting in Egypt, there have been protests for accused military abuse of an activist.


• Putin takes to the airwaves following protests against his rule.  The Economist sat down with an author to discuss.


• The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court says the events surrounded the death of former Libyan despot, Muammar Qaddafi, may constitute a war crime.  The chief prosecutor is about 2 months behind Ben.


• Japan has declared the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor has reached "cold shutdown" which doesn't mean it isn't still a major hazard.


• Not even Batman can see a Chinese activist living in unofficial, but definitive isolation.

Domestic

• The final GOP debate before the Iowa caucuses was last night, and was a rather tepid affair by all accounts but The Fix has winners and losers.  NPR chronicles how Team Obama is rehearsing in Iowa.


• Congress has managed to keep government open again, but jobless benefits and the payroll tax still hangs in the balance.


• Christopher Hitchens has died at 62.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

International

• TIME named "The Protester" as its Person of the Year, 2011. Indeed, it was.
• Zardari is out of the hospital but he is not headed back to Pakistan yet.
• There have been a spate of right-wing attacks in Israel. Meanwhile, Tom Friedman penned an Op-Ed in the New York Times that has him getting the Walt/Mearsheimer treatment.

Domestic

• The Obama Administration lifted its veto threat against the NDAA after some of the offensive provisions were altered. It's still a truly bad bill, though -- and it's about to become a bad law.
• Mitt Romney, wealthy man, calls Newt Gingrich a wealthy man. I'm convinced that either could equally well represent the interest of the serfs working people.

• Leading with an image of Santorum, Bachmann, and Perry, Politico asks if GOP underdogs can shakeup Iowa. Answer: no. Hell, Intrade gives Ron Paul a better shot at winning than Romney.

The Short List - December 14, 2011

International

• Iran is sending its intelligence chief to Saudi Arabia to dispute the U.S. claims of the plot to kill the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S.


• SecDef Panetta says we're winning against the Taliban in Afghanistan.


• The second round of Egypt's rather complicated voting process is underway.


• As the U.S. leaves, tension builds in Kirkuk, Iraq.


• A Putin loyalist won't claim his seat in the Russian Doma.

Domestic

• The House passes a spending bill almost entirely along party lines.  Compromise, we don't has it.


• Love and marriage is apparently an institution you can disparage, or at least the marriage part.


• Christiane Amanpour's run on This Week will end and George Stephanopoulos will return.

Stanley Fish on the Study of Law

Stanley Fish puts clear words to the reason I was initially drawn to law school--and one of my greatest laments of law school in practice. I was fortunate in this pursuit in so far as I found a way to make it as reflective as possible. Many of my compatriots were not so. Instead, there's was by happenstance or design a more practical approach. One more in line with that of Segal's critique than of Leiter's response. I think many of them are pleased with this outcome but it certainly was not my preferred route. That said, it is much easier, I think, to experience law school as a practicum--mine, at least, was prefigured in that manner. Mr. Fish:

In his response to Segal’s essay, Brian Leiter, a professor of law at the University of Chicago, rejects the question of whether what one learns in law school is of any help: “The criterion of scholarly inquiry is whether it makes a contribution to knowledge and understanding, not whether it ‘helps.’” Leiter adds that what he calls “genuine” knowledge often does help with “a host of concrete and practical problems.” But he refuses (rightly, I think) to justify the academic study of law on that basis, for, he explains, “it is the central premise of a research institution that the measure of its achievement is the quality of the scholarship, i.e. its contribution to knowledge — whether of law or biology or literature — not its practical payoff in the short-term.”

The emphasis on practical short-term payoffs has already laid waste to the traditional project of the liberal arts, which may not survive. Is the law next? The law is surely a practice but it is also a subject, and if it ceases to be a subject — ceases to be an object of analysis in classrooms and in law reviews — its practice will be diminished. When a Times editorial declares that “[l]aw is now regarded as a means rather than an end, a tool for solving problems” rather than something of interest in its own right, one wants to say more’s the pity.

The Short List - December 13, 2011

International

• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has asked the UN Security Council to refer Syria to the ICC. The UN's number for Syrian's killed since the uprising/crackdown began has been revised up to 5,000.
• Iran has turned down a U.S. request to return the downed RQ-170 surveillance drone.
• Nearly a year after Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire, setting off the Arab Spring, Tunisia has a new president.

Domestic

• Gingrich continues to make waves in New Hampshire. Meanwhile, Mitt's opposition research is finding its way into Politico (again) and someone at the New York Times is carrying his water.
• #Occupy direct actions continue to be successful on the West Coast.
• Some truth about Tebow's miracles.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

International

• Twelve members of Al Qaeda (AQAP?) escaped from a prison in Aden. They dug a 6 meter long tunnel to do so. The last time this happened, the escapees went on to form Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
• In a briefing with PM Nuri al-Maliki, President Obama affirmed the U.S. commitment to Iraq beyond the U.S. withdrawal.
• Jay-Z Mikhail Prokhorov will run again Putin.
• Residents of Homs warn of an impending massacre.

Domestic

• SCOTUS will hear arguments over the Constitutionality of Arizona's horrific immigration law, S.B. 1070.
• The Economist.
• The Dow dropped 1.34% and gold was off 3%.
• And the Fish drop Sporano. 

The Short List - December 12, 2011

International

• Iran claims to be finishing gleaning data from the US drone they captured last week.  In other drone news Ben has published just this morning an article about flying drones and losing hearts and minds.


• As the U.S. forces continue to leave Iraq, Prime Minister Maliki will meet with President Obama at the White House today to try and better define the "post-war" relationship with Iraq.


• Syrians (a few of them) go to the polls today for local elections, but protests and violence continue.


• Pakistan has decided to continue the ban on NATO supply trucks through the country, though presumably armed militants are free to pass.


• British PM Cameron will go to Parliament (best described here) today to explain his veto of the proposed changes to the EU's Lisbon treaty.


• Several inmates in a Yemeni jail, including several Al Qaeda figures, have tunneled out.

Domestic

• The GOP candidates debated again over the weekend, Romney made a bet, Newt's a winner, but neither would beat Obama in South Carolina right now.


• Speaking of Obama, he spoke with 60 Minutes, had a great boat analogy.


• Congress is quietly working to keep the government running.  Oh that that didn't sound so absurd.