D.C. Exile

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2012-01-31T17:55:00.001-05:00

International

Syrian forces retook the Damascus suburbs the government lost control of over the weekend. Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council heard debate on the Arab League's transition proposal.
U.S. drone strike in Yemen kills 11. And, Prof. Robert Chesney considers U.S. intervention in Yemen's non-international armed conflict with AQAP (and gives me a shout-out).
Oh, Argentina, using the language of anti-colonialism while abjuring the self-determination of the Falkland Islanders.
The U.S. intelligence community believe Iran to be a greater threat than AQ (and its franchises).

Domestic

It's E-Day in Florida. Polls close at 8:00 pm Eastern; Romney is expected to win handedly. Results here. Note: Polls close at 7:00 pm local time so for the majority of the state, polls close at 7:00 pm Eastern but the western Panhandle closes at 8:00 pm Eastern.
Dear Sarah, the media giveth and the media taketh away.
The glory of quarterly FEC reports. Plus Colbert's.
The Dover Airforce Base burial scandal gets worse.

The Short List - January 30, 2012

2012-01-30T09:24:00.000-05:00

International

In Syria, the unrest has reached the suburbs of Damascus.

A "handful" of Americans have taken shelter in the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. This unusual move come sin the wake of Egyptian raids on NGOs.

Hussain Haqqani has once again been allowed to leave Pakistan.

European Union leaders meet again, continue to try to stave off crisis.

Raul Castro has said Cuban presidents should have term limits of 10 years.

Domestic

The FDA surveilled the personal emails of scientists and doctors that were likely whisteblowers against the agency, according to a law suit filed by a few of the scientists and doctors.

Freddie Mac is betting against homeowners.

A new casino in Atlantic City will have "term limits" on employment.

Correction -- Bani Walid Fighting Not A Pro-Qaddafi Uprising

2012-01-28T22:40:00.000-05:00

In Wednesday's WKODHIB, DCExile linked to a report indicating that the fighting in Bani Walid was sparked by pro-Qaddafi forces revolting against the NTC. That report was inaccurate.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2012-01-27T17:32:00.000-05:00

International

The Economist agrees: there's a civil war in Syria.

An American and Danish hostage rescued by Navy Seals this week may have benefited from a crooked cop.
France has agreed to withdraw its combat troops from Afghanistan by 2013, a year earlier than expected.
Israeli negotiators indicated their guiding approach to a two-state solution is the inclusion of existing settlement blocks in Israel. Yes, Margaret, neo-colonialism does exist.

Domestic

The Huckster says he didn't approve his appearance in this Gingrich ad.
The Department of Justice is making the severability argument in the alternative on health care reform.
Paul's racists chickens are coming home.

On Marginalia

2012-01-27T15:12:00.000-05:00

This Editor loves formatted, printed text; he loves marginalia; and he loves marking, dog-earing, and thumbnailing his way through books and articles. His Kindle receives a fair amount of attention but the inaccessibility of the text itself, the lack of pagination, and the repositioning of the text on the screen when one leaps to and fro footnotes are constant sources of aggravation. This comment, in the New Yorker hit home, particularly:

The Kindle allows for electronic marginalia via the “notes” function, but it feels all wrong: something about having to call up a menu and type a note on the keypad, with its little stud-like plastic buttons, makes the whole process seem forced and contrived. Marginalia are supposed to be spontaneous and fluent. “Noting” something on a Kindle feels like e-mailing yourself a throwaway remark. There’s also something attractive about the contrast between the impersonal authority of the printed page and the idiosyncrasies of the reader’s handwriting. A book someone has written in is an oddly intimate object; like an item of clothing once worn by a person now passed away, it retains something of its former owner’s presence.

The Short List - January 27, 2012

2012-01-27T09:03:00.000-05:00

International

Another dispatch from Syria indicates residential buildings were targeted by pro-Assad forces with many women and children killed.

Goodluck Jonathan has challenged Boko Haram, the radical Islamist terror group in Nigeria responsible for a series of recent attacks, to identify themselves and make their demands known.

There are whispers of progress from the Greek debt forgiveness talks.

The twitter revolution was always overstated, now it may be obsolete.

Domestic

The GOP candidates left standing debated again last night, and even with crowd reactions Newt failed to deliver a great performance. It will now be four weeks before the next debate, and I that point the debate could just end up being Gov. Romney of Massachusetts debating Presidential Candidate Romney of Wherecanilockupthemostvotesylvania.

The U.S. economy grew at 2.8% in the fourth quarter of 2011, which is the best quarterly growth number posted for the year.

Obama wants to pursue an "all of the above" energy policy.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2012-01-26T17:42:00.000-05:00

International

U.S. civil society boosters employed by organizations that were raided by the Egyptian authorities last month have been barred from leaving Egypt.
There's a civil war in Syria, folks. Meanwhile, an Arab League is slowly ratcheting up pressure on Assad, taking its plan to the U.N. Security Council. Reality to soon follow. Airstrikes thereafter.
In the wake of the daring U.S. rescue of an American and Dane held by Somali pirates, other pirate/hostage-takers are threatening other American hostages. It's notable that, while some commentators equate Somaliland and Puntland in their levels of stability, democracy, and security, that the pirate/hostage-takers are based in Puntland and rump Somalia, whereas Somaliland partners with NATO in policing its waters and prosecuting captured pirates.
More Somalia: a U.S. drone strike against a former British citizen hours after he made a phone call to his wife in the U.K. This Editor is curious about the use of force justification applicable to this case.

Domestic

The Department of Defense unveiled its 2013 budget plan today. The Pentagon plans to cut $487 billion over the next decade. In part, this is accomplished by shifting resources away from ground forces and towards robotics, like drones.
The STOCK Act, which received an oddly partisan (Democrat) standing ovation, is going to the floor.
Oh, that's rough, Republicans. That's rough.
What to watch for in tonight's 19th GOP primary debate. This Editor cannot take another one.
Secretary Clinton: Out.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2012-01-25T18:01:00.001-05:00

International

The slow-motion ouster of Bashar al-Assad appears to be speeding up with France and Britain beginning a push at the UN to that end. It will be interesting to see to what degree they follow the Libya playbook.
Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich has been demoted to private but will not serve any of his three-month sentence behind bars.
Worryingly, the NTC has recognized the local tribal government established in Bani Walid after the NTC was pushed out.

Domestic

Both the latest Quinnipiac and CNN/TIME/ORC polls showed Romney leading Gingrich 36 to 34 in Florida.
Geithner out if Obama is reelected (and out if Obama loses, too).
Oh! Fidel!
Gingrich accuses the President of practicing Peronism. This accusation is facially ridiculous.

The Short List - January 25, 2012

2012-01-25T09:15:00.001-05:00

International

Egyptians gathered in Tahrir square to commemorate the largely peaceful uprising that ousted Mubarak from power. The demonstration today was also a reminder to many Egyptians that the hard work is not over.

U.S. Special Forces rescued two aid workers who had been abducted in Somalia. All nine captors where killed in the raid.

Despite defaming the Arab League for launching a foreign plot to unseat the government, Syria has agreed to extend the observer mission there.

For the first time in three decades, Japan has reported a trade deficit.

The World Economic Forum is kicking off in Davos and the eurozone crisis is expected to dominate the agenda. NPR's Planet Money has a great podcast on who bought this Greek debt and the negotiations to have part of it forgiven.

Domestic

President Obama gave a stirring State of the Union speech last night. Well it was stirring if you think most Americans are getting a raw deal and that upward class mobility is largely a mirage. Your editors thought both his defense for why the rich should pay the same effective rate as everybody else and the metaphor of Seal Team Six and the U.S. government were quite effective. Ezra Klein outlines 5 policies to watch coming out of the speech.

Romney's Cayman Islands money indicates the adroitness of he and/or his tax advisers in avoiding paying taxes.

Same sex marriage made positive strides in 2011, but in the future its fate could be decided by the Supreme Court.

The U.S. dependence on foreign oil is on the decline.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2012-01-24T18:11:00.000-05:00

International

Qaddafi loyalists retook Bani Walid.
Ahmed M.I. Egal makes an excellent point--and one with which DCExile has long agreed--about Somalia and reconciliation.
Egypt is set to lift its decades old State of Emergency, with a proviso.
France backed off threats of a quick withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Domestic

Mitt Romney's wealth dominated political coverage today leaving Politico to ask whether he is too rich. And the DNC smells blood in the water.
Jeffery Toobin bemoans Super PACs. This Editor bemoans that ubiquitous misnomer.
Gingrich is up in every Florida poll on RCP since South Carolina.
Tonight is the State of the Union, DCExile provides you with a ~~guide~~ drinking game.

DCExile's 2012 State of the Union Drinking Game

2012-01-24T11:00:00.001-05:00

It’s that time again--the President’s Annual State of the Union Address. And, with it, time for DCExile’s Annual State of the Union Drinking Game. His is mandated by Article 2, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution. Ours is derived from an even hoarier source of law: custom. And, as the Sergeant at Arms announces the President’s entry into the House of Representatives, allow us to convene our tradition: Ladies and Gentleman, the DCExile State of the Union Drinking Game:

During the pre-game--err, we mean pre-speech--show, drink one sip of beer each time the Republican Primary is mentioned

During the pre-game show, drink one sip of beer each time a candidate in the Republican Primary is compared with the President
During the pre-game every time “wife” is preceded by a numerical qualifier, take a sip. When it applies to Gingrigh, drink a boilermaker. (Newt Gingrich, doing Pennsylvania proud since he decided to claim residency in a different state)
During the pre-game show, drink half your beer anytime a former Republican candidate is mentioned
Anytime “Fair Shake” is compared to “the New Deal,” “the Fair Deal,” “the Square Deal,” or any other deal, have a shot of beer
If the State of the Union is likened to your high school prom, drink from a plastic handle of vodka that cost no more than $12 (DCExile recommends Rubinoff)
One shot of Old Grand-Dad if the Sergeant at Arms appears to have not aged since the last State of the Union
As the President and Leadership walk down the aisle, drink one sip of beer each time Speaker Boehner winks at someone; one Shirley Temple each time a tear comes to Boehner’s eye -- in fact, apply this rule throughout the State of the Union Address
When Al Green is in the camera shot (and he will be), sing Here I am Baby into the mouth of your beer can like a microphone.
One shot of schnapps every time the First Lady and Invitees are shown
Shotgun a beer for “The State of our Union is Strong” or any variation thereon
Anytime the Republican members of Congress do something disrespectful that would have been considered treason under the George W. Bush administration, one shot of whiskey; throw the shot glass at the wall.
Half a beer for each standing ovation
Guzzle for Democrat-only standing ovation
Pinky out sip for Republican-only standing ovation (Look mom, Log Cabin Republicans do exist!)
Celebratory shot of tequila anytime there is bipartisan clapping
Every time the President says “challenge” or “challenged” spin around three times and drink half a beer.
“Fair Shake” = Shotgun a Beer
Every time the President says “Wall Street” fire off two desk pops and finish your beer.
Every time the President says “Main Street” exclaim, “I’m not licked!” and finish your beer.
Every time the payroll tax cut extension is mentioned, sip of beer (hey, we’re not trying to kill you)
If health care reform is mentioned, drink whiskey twice: once in celebration because it’s the water of life; once in disgust because you know the remaining Blue Dogs are going to run away from it
He says Iran, you drink Shiraz
He says Arab Spring (or Egypt or Libya or Syria or Yemen), you drink tea, smoke a hookah, and sneak a sip of beer
We hear Euro Crisis and you taste schnapps again
If Biden falls asleep in the background, email in sick to work the next day and declare a case day.

The Short List - January 24, 2012

2012-01-24T09:23:00.000-05:00

International

The Muslim Brotherhood, finding itself as the dominant party in Egypt, has decided to play it cool with the floundering Egyptian economy.

The Obama administration is looking to repatriate non-Afghan prisoners held in that country, in a move intended to avoid handing them over to the Afghans as the transition accelerates.

Syria says the Arab League is implementing a foreign conspiracy in suggesting Assad step down, and the state has vowed to continue to use force to quell the insurrection.

A deadly blast in Sadr City has killed at least eight people in Iraq. It is one of a growing number of attacks expected to precipitate now that the U.S. has almost entirely withdrawn.

Japan's Central Bank has downgraded its growth forecast for the nation rocked by a tsunami and nuclear disaster.

Domestic

President Obama will give his State of the Union address tonight at 9pm-ish ET. Some questions remain like is the State of the Union obsolete in our modern micro-news cycle? What would President Obama do with a second term? Will John Boehner tear up? When will DC Exile release the SOTU 2012 Drinking Game Rules? (The answer to that last questions is 11am ET)

The GOP candidates squared off in Florida last night, and Mitt "I made over $20 million this year without a wage-paying job" got some solid reviews for taking the fight to Gingrich. Here are six takeaways from Politico.

Our national nightmare is over for some, as Starbucks will begin to sell wine and beer at select stores to attract the evening crowd.

What Kind of Day Has It Been

2012-01-23T17:53:00.000-05:00

International

Sgt. Frank Wuterich, the only Marine still facing charges arising out of the Haditha Massacre, plead guilty to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter and dereliction of duty. He will face no more than 3 months in confinement and reduction in rank.
The ICC levels charges against four Kenyan leaders for the violence that followed Kenya's 2007 elections.
Libya remains fragile and unsettled months after the fall of Tripoli and the killing of Qaddafi.
Nigeria is becoming a horror show.

Domestic

Sen. Rand Paul was not detained by the TSA despite his assertions otherwise. Instead, after refusing to be pat-down following his triggering of a body scanner, he was escorted outside of the security area, booked on a new flight, and re-scanned without incident. Gawker has some harsh words for Senator Paul.
John Kiriakou, former CIA officer, has been charged criminally in relation to leaks about water boarding.
SCOTUS says you no to warrant-less GPS tracking.
DCExile has added a Republican Primary delegate counter to its sidebar. Stay abreast of the delegate race with DCExile.

The Short List - January 23, 2012

2012-01-23T08:38:00.001-05:00

International

The EU has placed sanctions on Iranian oil. But do sanctions work?

Syria has rejected a proposed transition plan released by the Arab League.

Egypt's newly elected assembly begins its first session.

Domestic

Romney, tasting his first real setback in South Carolina, comes out swinging in Florida, calling Gingrich a "failed leader."

Rep. Gabbie Giffords will step down to focus on her recovery.

Joe Paterno's legacy is outside of his hands now.

The New York (New Jersey) Giants will face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 46. Now for what really matters.

The Short List - January 13, 2012

2012-01-13T09:10:00.001-05:00

International

A few British sources are claiming Pakistani Prime Minister Yousef Reza Gilani called a UK diplomat expressing a panicky fear of an army coup being imminent.
In Nigeria, a union oil workers strikes will continue even has union leaders are negotiating with the President Goodluck Jonathan. **Editorial Note: Great name for a head of state or greatest name for a head of state?**
Myanmar's ruling junta continues to loosen its grip with the release of at least 100 political prisoners so far with an many as 651 expected to be release. According to state media they are being released to assist in "nation-building." ** Editorial Note: What the f*** did HRC say to these guys a few months back to get this kind of response?**
Former Taliban walking the beat in Northern Afghanistan. Sounds encouraging, but could be disastrous, especially considering this is in the North.
The U.S. is taking two army brigades (and a good chunk of its security umbrella) home. Europe will have to find their own armed forces.

Domestic

Romney is holding off most attacks against his time at Bain Capital, and those attackers won't be helped by a Four Pinocchios rating for King of Bain. There has been some great commentary about how strange it is to see Republicans attacking a Republican for doing the corporate thing. For Romney, even if he outlasts the Bain attacks, evangelicals could still line up behind one of the other guys and derail the whole thing.
The President asked Congress for the authority to streamline the organization of the federal government. The House GOP checked the caller ID, pick up the receiver, said "No," and hung up.
I'm re-linking this because it was that good, but the experience of old and new manufacturing in Greenville, SC. It is worth every minute to listen to. If you're more of a reader, the guy that put the report together has a cover story in The Atlantic.

**Programming Note: Your editor will be on travel the early part of next week, so the Short List may or may not be published.**

re: Executive Authority & War Making

2012-01-12T18:34:00.000-05:00

Over at Lawfare, Ben Wittes has been reposting Peter Marguiles' dispatches from the AALS conference. This one summarizes the discussion there had on the different views of the President's authority to engage in hostilities absent Congressional authorization. Back in March, DCExile echoed Jack Goldsmith (also of Lawfare) here. Now, Marty Lederman has outlined an eminently sensible approach:

Marty suggested that the Clinton and Obama Administrations have been seeking an alternative to these problematic approaches that accounts for all post-WW II executive practice with the (dramatic) exception of the Korean War. Marty cited Walter Dellinger’s OLC memos from the Clinton administration and Caroline Krass’s memo on initiation of the Libyan intervention, which calibrated the degree of presidential unilateralism permitted to the duration, intensity, and scope of the military intervention. In essence, those memos suggest (without articulating and hard and fast rules) that the President alone can authorize brief and relatively costless (in blood and treasure) interventions, while bigger, more protracted conflicts require congressional authorization.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2012-01-12T17:39:00.000-05:00

International

Yesterday, a video emerged of U.S. Marines (scout snipers, evidently) urinating on what appear to be Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. SecDef Panetta called President Karzai to assure him that there will be an investigation; reportedly, the Marines have already been identified. The Taliban have indicated the video will not affect their willingness to negotiate.
South Sudan six months on.
Al-Shabaab militants launched a raid into Kenya.

Domestic

Will Mitt suffer the fate of John Kerry and lose for failure to connect with voters?
Greenspan, when the sheen came off.
Dollar-dollar-bill, y'all.
The Justice Department gave the okay to the President for last week's recess appointments. This seems eminently reasonable.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2012-01-11T17:40:00.000-05:00

International

As Jason noted, another Iranian scientist was assassinated today. NPR notes that it was at least the fourth such assassination in two years (and the fifth in five years).
Today is the ten year anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo Bay (nee Camp X-Ray). Vanity Fair presents an oral history. The anniversary has been marked by a fair amount of nonsense and inaccuracy--unsurprisingly, Marc Thiessen took to the Diane Rehm Show to produce much of it.
Ranking countries by nuclear security.

Domestic

As Jason noted, I was totally wrong about Romney's showing in New Hampshire. What a tremendous night for Republican John Kerry.
My hopes and dreams for a Newt Gingrich scorned destroying the GOP are unraveling.
Elizabeth Warren had a huge haul in the fourth quarter.

The Short List - January 11, 2012

2012-01-11T09:13:00.002-05:00

International

An Iranian nuclear scientist was killed by a targeted car bomb Tuesday. The Iranian government is blaming Israel and the U.S. In other Iran news, China remains reluctant to cut Iranian oil imports.
Drone strikes have begun anew in Pakistan, as a strike is believed to have killed 4 militants. Unrelated, but related news, Pakistan's Defence Secretary has been fired.
North Korea may be looking for a food-for-nukes deal.
The Greek experience with austerity comes under questioning. **Editorial Note: So you're saying if you spend less money, the economy contracts? And I am shocked to find gambling going on in this establishment!**

Domestic

Romney wins New Hampshire with 39%, sorry Ben. Further down the card, it's Paul, Huntsman, Gingrich, Santorum, and Perry. Perry failed to capture more than 1%. As the Romney Inevitable Express starts to pick up steam, conservative activists look to block the tracks in South Carolina. And Dana Milbank, fun distraction at times, talks about being a journalist on the campaign trail.
Planet Money considers the past and future of American manufacturing.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2012-01-10T17:19:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-10T09:07:00.002-05:00

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

2012-01-09T09:14:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-05T17:18:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-05T08:59:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-04T17:16:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-04T07:21:00.003-05:00

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

2012-01-03T18:10:00.001-05:00

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

2012-01-03T07:30:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-29T13:00:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-21T17:26:00.000-05:00

From the Washington Post, the Toil Index:

The Short List - December 16, 2011

2011-12-16T09:10:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-14T17:41:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-14T08:27:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-13T12:11:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-13T09:16:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-12T17:30:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-12T09:18:00.002-05:00

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.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2011-12-08T17:30:00.000-05:00

International

Iran put on display the RQ-170 it captured. The drone, as you can see, is in good condition.
Invading Kenyan troops are now operating under the aegis of the African Union peacekeeping mission.
NATO to Russia: "Nuts." (On "Nuts.")
Syria: slowly but surely.

Domestic

Another tragic shooting at Virginia Tech.
Dumb as rocks.
Perry goes negative in Iowa. And he accidentally says we're at war with Iran.
Ahhh breaking down Thomas Friedman's garbage.

The Short List - December 8, 2011

2011-12-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

International

Drones as the escalation vis a vis Iran.

A blast has disrupted an oil pipeline near Homs in Syria, and in an interview with Barbara Walters Syria's President Assad tries to distance himself from the the violent actions of the military in responding to protests that may yet become full scale rebellion.

The Euro may be facing its Waterloo, if a different Frenchman isn't able to get traction with the proposal he put together with Angela Merkel.

The UN envoys meeting in Durban, South Africa edge closer to a fund to combat the effects of climate change.

America's war of choice is coming to a close. Thanks to all those men and women who served in Iraq, apologies for the political leadership you had to endure.

Domestic

My former governor gets 14 years and joins his gubernatorial predecessor behind bars.

The GOP will debate in Iowa on Saturday and Politico says this is to decide the "alpha dog."

Cantor vs. Boehner...again...

The Machinists Union approves a contract extension with Boeing, which will end the rancor over Boeing's union evading actions to move some production to South Carolina.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2011-12-07T17:30:00.000-05:00

International

Mexico foiled a bizarre plot to smuggle in one Qaddafi's sons.
She did it again. Secretary Clinton has, not for the first time in her life, stood up for human rights--specifically, by demanding the expansion of who benefits from human to come closer to the whole human family.
Pakistan's president has left Pakistan inspiring rumors and fears that a coup is imminent. Friend of the blog, Kalsoom, addressed the duality of man in this regard this morning.
Kenneth Pollack has been reading DCExile.

Domestic

The FDA's moves to expand access to the "morning after" pill has been stymied by HHS.
'All aboard the Gingrich express!' CNN/Time poll has Gingrich in first place in 3 of 4 early primary states. In New Hampshire, the loan holdout, Gingrich has added 21 points to his measure of support while Romney has lost 5, since the poll was last conducted a month ago. Mike Allen explains why it's for real real.
K Street was #Occupied. Also, check out some of the excellent art spawned by the #Occupy movement.
Finally, today is the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor--a date that has lived in infamy and one that set off a chain of events leading to a fair amount of the world we see today.

The Short List - December 6, 2011

2011-12-06T09:04:00.001-05:00

International

A bombing in Kabul at a Shiite shrine has left at least 54 dead.

The drone that's currently in Iran's possession belongs to the CIA and hosts sensitive technology.

In Kinshasa, the mood is tense as the results in the recent election there are set to be released.

The head of Hezbollah made a rare public appearance in Beirut.

Domestic

Democrats have scaled back the payroll tax extension, but still insist that a payroll tax for almost all Americans be paid by a small surtax on the small group of Americans making over $1 million dollars a year. Republicans have balked at the trade off. ** Editorial Note: This is the big philosophical divide playing out. On the one hand, Democrats want to give families that are struggling a break, but they want to pay for it so their asking millionaires to pay a bit more. Republicans feel like any tax increase is bad.**

Obama's deployment of the National Guard to the US-Mexico border, a drastic increase in ground forces despite GOP nominee statements, has led to the capture of over 25,000 illegal immigrants, but has cost $160 million. That breaks out to $6,271 per each person captured and many are wondering if it's worth the price tag.

Gingrich is the clear front runner in Iowa, and The Fix says Romney has an Iowa problem, but that wasn't a state Romney was ever going to push to hard in. If he falls behind in New Hampshire then he'll have problems. In the meantime he can be comforted by the money of billionaires.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2011-12-05T17:41:00.000-05:00

Intergalactic

For the first time, researchers at NASA's Ames Research Center have found a planet in the middle of the habitable zone. The researchers believe the surface temperature of the planet to be about 70F but the planet's composition is currently unknown.

International

Iran has placed the IRGC on alert as tensions between the West and Iran rise, even as the U.S. tries to pour cold water on the idea of a strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.
S&P placed 15 Eurozone countries--including France and Germany--on negative watch.
Sectarian violence persists in Iraq.
Several articles have appeared in recent days discussing the constant presence of Israeli drones over Gaza -- the drones are attended by a loud, constant buzzing sound.
The US drone lost over Iran may not have been downed by a cyber attack.

Domestic

The Postal Service, yet laboring under an artificial, Congressionally imposed deficit, will slow service and cut 28,000 jobs. Ridiculous. Only ideologues would purposely break a profitable entity and force it to reduce services to actually make it ineffective (rendering a myth a reality). Reminds me a bit of FEMA under Browny, or the whole federal regulatory apparatus under the Bush administration.
Mike Gundy is an idiot. Oklahoma State barely beat A&M (A&M of course was beaten by Arkansas, which was trounced by LSU)-- there's not a chance in hell OSU could beat LSU.
SCOTUS takes an interesting First Amendment suit involving a man who was arrested for berating and touch then-VP Cheney.

The Short List - December 5, 2011

2011-12-05T08:59:00.001-05:00

International

Iran claims to have shot down a surveillance drone that crossed into Iranian airspace and the U.S. has confirmed that a drone had been lost. There is some immediate concern that if a drone is in Iranian control, it could reveal some U.S. military secrets. The statement by the U.S. indicates the drone was flying over western Afghanistan and got lost.

Karzai projects that Afghanistan will be reliant on foreign aid until 2025 at the Bonn Conference, which has been hampered by the absence of the Taliban and Pakistan.

Syria has reacted positively, but notably has not approved, an Arab League request to send observers into the country.

The Euro crisis drags on, but Sarkozy and Merkel gather to hammer out a way forward. Meanwhile, in Ireland, the prime minster is warning it will get worse on the emerald isle before it will get better.

Domestic

Congress gets to work (hopefully) ahead of a holiday recess that might bring coal to the stockings of the unemployed and higher taxes to the working.

Occupy DC turns into a confrontation.

Cain suspends his campaign, but he can still raise money. Some of which might be going to the man he is rumored to want to endorse, Newt. Meanwhile, Newt's GOP critics have gone quiet.

The Short List - December 2, 2011

2011-12-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

International

The UN Human Rights chief is urging the protection of Syrians.

Gbagbo's lawyer decries his client's treatment, as the former president is transferred to the Hague to face charges at the ICC.

Camp Victory is returned to the Iraqis.

The German chancellor has said reforming the EU will take a long time and a renewed commitment for greater integration. It's an interesting position from the head of state who's country has born the brunt of propping up weaker economies.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas and a World Cup in Qatar? (bonus question mark)

Domestic

Two competing proposals to extend the payroll tax cuts and pay for the loss of revenue failed in the Senate yesterday. Democrats wanted to extend the payroll tax cuts, but put a 3.25% tax on millionaires to make up for lost revenue, while Republicans wanted to freeze the pay of federal employees and cut programs.

The Senate did pass a $622 defense bill, but it needs reconciled in conference and even then may be vetoed by Obama.

Herman Cain's star continues to fade as he tells the New Hampshire Union Leader that he did not tell his wife about his relationship with Ginger White, even though Cain was giving Ginger money to cover her bills. He continues to deny a sexual affair. Meanwhile, in the GOP primary, the gloves are coming off.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2011-12-01T17:30:00.000-05:00

International

Al-Qaeda is holding hostage a U.S. aid expert; Zawahri consciously links this hostage to both drone strikes and U.S. detention policy.
The TFG, the fictitious Somali government that bears the imprimatur of the international community, is along with North Korea the most corrupt regime in the world. Well done, all. Other highlights: Iraq is the 8th most corrupt state in the world. See the whole list here.
The U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights says Syria is in a civil war. From the reporting I've seen, the violence in Syria does not seem to rise to the level of armed conflict--this seems more rhetorical to me.

Domestic

That this resulted in a deadlock is terrifying.
Ken Cuccinelli will run for Governor of Virginia in 2013.
Ray Kelly was honored with 2011 Bull Connor Award (h/t GD).
Apple ditches Carrier IQ.
The Wall Street Journal carries the opposition research water for the Romney Campaign.

The Short List - December 1, 2011

2011-12-01T08:55:00.001-05:00

International

Optimism is short lived as the upswing in markets yesterday after news of a Euro rescue trends downwards on new reports of slow European growth.

It was also Sanctions Day in the EU yesterday as the union approved new sanctions on Iran, in respond to the storming of the UK embassy, and on Syria, in response for the excessive force the despotic government has used to quell unrest.

The former envoy to the U.S. for Pakistan has been banned from leaving the country as the Supreme Court investigates his involvement with a memo seeking U.S. help in weakening the Pakistani military.

Gary Locke, U.S. Ambassador to China, rock star. Seriously?

Domestic

The rise of the surveillance technology industry and its rise in keeping dictators in place comes under question.

Police closed the Occupy encampments in Los Angeles and Philadelphia leaving scant few encampments left. As the movement occupies less and less, it struggles to figure out its next move.

Romney faces the unexpected in Gingrich, but Ron Paul helps in a new ad that pushes Gingrich's "serial hypocrisy." A similar phrase was made at the political round table on Meet the Press this past Sunday.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2011-11-30T17:30:00.001-05:00

International

Britain closed its embassy in Tehran and expelled Iran's delegation to the UK in response to yesterday's attack.
Evidently the Egyptian coup government will be challenged by the Muslim Brotherhood.
Israel has relented in its illegal sequestration of Palestinian Authority taxes.

Domestic

U.S. stocks rose 4% on news of central bank intervention to stave off Europe's crisis.
Gingrich has broken into Romney's consciousness--and his remarks. An Insider Advantage poll of likely Republican primary voters in Florida yesterday put Gingrich at 41 -- +24 on Romney; a 27 point swing since the last IA poll was conducted at the first of October.
Herman Cain's foreign policy vision received some criticism from us and from others (h/t Nick). His reassessment shows no sign of leading to his withdrawal from the race.
Oh, good, there's a key-logger built into Android (and Blackberry). This Wired article is quite good (includes a video by the developer who discovered the logger that is worth watching) and raises questions about wiretapping violations.
And Politico discovers that the wet-behind-the-ears, right wing ideologues who were elected in 2010 were--brace yourselves, now--filled with unrealistic expectations.

The Taxonomy of Herman Cain’s World View

2011-11-30T13:45:00.000-05:00

Herman Cain released his vision of U.S. foreign policy this week. The primary document containing his vision weighs in at just6.5 pages. In that brief space, Mr. Cain really simply assesses U.S. relations with a handful of states. In an even briefer brochure, Cain lays out his “pillars” of U.S. foreign policy. In the short exposition of his philosophy he notes that his is a “pragmatic and principled approach.” One might suggest the two are necessarily contradictory. If Mr. Cain has found a way to resolve the apparent contradiction between principle and pragmatism, it is certainly worth some description that his foreign policy vision currently lacks.

These pillars consist of platitudes that, unsurprisingly, don’t address any real issues or problems. For example, the pillar “Reassert U.S. Leadership” includes “reassure our friends and deter our adversaries.” Outstanding, Mr. Cain; your nuanced perspective on the world would do George Kennan proud. Let us not bother with any sort of criteria or principles to assess who is a friend and who is an ally. Let us instead skip to the chase and reassure our friends and deter our adversaries. How might we do that? Are we not currently providing assurance to our friends?

This pillar also includes, “re-examin[ing] our role in the United Nations.” Obviously, this trope is meant to be red meat to the anti-UN constituency of the GOP base. There is no indication of what this would entail—though, as a member of that base, we are supposed to infer this would mean quitting the UN—no indication of the criteria used to reassess our position, no indication of what the better position would be. Indeed, as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, vested with a veto, there is no better position to have within the United Nations. Oddly, in his exposition, Cain declares he will “never relegate the U.S.A. to being just another country in the United Nations.” The U.S. is of course not “just another country”—it’s one of five possessing a veto. So far as this Editor knows, there is no move afoot to make it one.

Further, it is unclear to this Editor, at least, how quitting the UN—again, presumably the inference we are to draw, as members of the GOP base—exhibits leadership, unless we are leading the U.N. to its demise. Of course, a number of our friends—e.g., the United Kingdom, classified as “special relationship”—apparently buy into the utility of the United Nations. This Editor is not sure how leading the U.N. to its demise would reassure our friends.

Another pillar, “Restore Our Global Competitiveness,” is really focused on domestic policy and includes implementing the 9-9-9 plan, making free trade work for the United States, outgrowing our competitors, and ending our dependence on overseas oil. With the exception of implementing the 9-9-9 plan, there is no indication of how any of these would be implemented in practice. Although, improving our global competitiveness is a worthy goal, this Editor would like to see more details. Additionally, the 9-9-9 plan reportedly increases the tax burden on poor Americans, how this improves our global competitiveness is lost on this Editor.

The third and final pillar of Mr. Cain’s plan, “Counter Urgent Threats” is quite specific in its goals but, unfortunately, light on details. This pillar includes stopping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, fixing border security “for real,” and shielding us against “cyber and electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) attacks.” There is no indication as to why cyber attacks and EMP attacks are lumped together. They both deal with (vaguely) electronics, but beyond that they are totally different. It is nice to see, however, that Newt Gingrich’s reference to EMP attacks in the last debate has penetrated the public consciousness enough that Mr. Cain felt it necessary to address.

Perhaps the most controversial portion of Mr. Cain’s foreign policy vision is his taxonomy of nations. Cain has categorized select nations into the following categories “special relationship,” “friend and ally,” “friend and partner,” “friend,” “strategic partner,” “danger and opportunity,” “competitor,” “rival,” and “adversary regime.”

Classification	State
Special Relationship	United Kingdom
Friend and Ally	Canada, Israel, Japan
Friend and Partner	Mexico
Friend	Brazil
Strategic Partner	India
Danger and Opportunity	Egypt, Pakistan
Competitor	China
Rival	Russia
Adversary Regime	Iran, North Korea, Venezuela

This taxonomy of nation-states is certainly more nuanced than President Bush’s dichotomy—with us or against us—but it is hardly nuanced. What makes Mexico merely a Friend and Partner rather than a Friend and Ally? Why is Egypt, like Pakistan, a Danger and Opportunity? What does that mean for uncategorized Tunisia? But what strikes me most is that Israel is lumped in as merely a Friend and Ally with Canada and Japan. This is an odd downgrade for a candidate in a field that has been falling over itself to be the greatest friend to Israel (particularly, the right wing of Israel) imaginable. That too is worth some explanation.

The Short List - November 30, 2011

2011-11-30T08:00:00.001-05:00

International

Secretary Clinton visits Myanmar today becoming the first secretary of state to visit the country in more then 50 years. The visit is hoped to jump start at democratization in the country that has been ruled by an oppressive and secretive military junta since 1962.
Lebanon's prime minister has transferred Lebanese funds to the Hariri Tribunal in a move he claims isn't a victory for any specific party, but which still threatens to collapse the government.
Following the ransacking of the British embassy in Tehran, reportedly by Basij militia members, Norway and Britain have withdrawn an unspecified number of staff from their embassies there. The incident has also exposed the deep fissures within the Iranian political class and surely made many observers consider the Iranian Hostage Crisis, which began in 1979.
Back in the UK proper, public sector strikes have begun to protest pension reforms and austerity measures.
Turkey, Syria's largest trading partner, has implemented sanctions on members of the Syrian regime freezing assets held in Turkish banks.

Domestic

Earmarks are bad, except when they're for your district, at least that appears to be what the Republican leadership thinks as it ignores its own declared moratorium on seeking the pork.
Police in Los Angeles raided the Occupy LA camp and arrested 200.
Congress took a baby step toward immigration reform as a measure passed the House that would end country specific worker visa caps.
American Airlines, the only airline that remained solvent after 9/11, has now declared bankruptcy. I can't help but think the declaration went like this.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2011-11-29T17:31:00.000-05:00

International

An Iranian student demonstration protesting British sanctions morphed into an assault on the British embassy in Tehran. Foreign Secretary William Hague says the Iranian regime is responsible for its failure to defend the embassy -- he is absolutely correct.
The ICC--one of several international institutions lately testing its strength--issued a warrant for Laurent Gbagbo. Cote d'Ivoire ~~is expected to~~ has already turned him over.
Serbian Kosovars attacked NATO peacekeepers. The President of Serbia has condemned these Serbs and asked that they abandon the barricades because it is harming Serbia's bid for EU membership. That's pretty incredible given the import of Kosovo to Serbia's national mythology (and given what rough shape the EU is in).

Domestic

A new Rasmussen poll has Gingrich up to 24 in New Hampshire--just 10 points behind Romney and 16 points better than he polled a month ago. Nate Silver thinks the 8-week gap between New Hampshire and Super Tuesday will break Gingrich's Big Mo should he win New Hampshire (h/t CH).
Herman Cain, on the other hand, is reported to be reassessing his candidacy. Announcing this to senior staff on a conference call this morning, Cain noted that he had reassessed his candidacy following earlier sexual harrassment allegations.
Jay Newton Small of TIME argues that Michele Bachmann is angling to be Romney's Veep in the Sarah Palin-John McCain model.
The Udall Amendment was defeated today so the NDAA remains terrible and Congress is, for the sake of political points, actually weakening our ability to address terrorism.
Finally, the Monkey Cage posted this graphic the other day -- note the inflection point in Cain's favorability rating; note also that Cain was the only candidate aside from Gingrich to have generally positive favorability trend:

The Short List - November 29, 2011

2011-11-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

International

In a blow to an internationally facilitated resolution in Afghanistan, Pakistan will not attend a conference in Bonn in protest over the NATO airstrike that killed 24. However, so far this hasn't impacted the anticipated U.S. drawdown in the country which will remove 40,000 soldiers by the end of 2012.

Al-Shabab has banned several NGOs and aid groups, putting thousands of refugees at risk if they can't get the supplies they need to survive.

The "pilots" of the 21st century.

The Malaysian government has passed a ban on street protests.

Domestic

Newt Gingrich has taken a big lead over his GOP rivals in recent polling in South Carolina, where a recent poll shows he has over twice the support of Romney or Cain. Of course, Cain has other issues as his studiously uninformed approach to foreign policy is immediately followed by accusations of a 13 year affair, which is alleged to have ended just as Cain's presidential campaign began.

All I want for Christmas is for Congress to help the unemployed out. Tell you what, in the spirit of giving let's help the states out too.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2011-11-28T17:36:00.000-05:00

International

The imbroglio following the ISAF airstrike on Pakistani border posts has gone from bad to worse, as TIME reports that the airstrike lasted for two hours and continued even after Pakistani officials pleaded with NATO to stop.
A UN Human Rights Commission report states that Syria has committed crimes against humanity in its ongoing crackdown on dissidents. Syria was sanctioned by the Arab League over the weekend. And there are reports that Syrian troops fired on civilians trying to flee across the Jordanian frontier yesterday. Syria appears to be doing its damnedest to anger all of its neighbors and achieve even greater isolation.
Must read on George Kennan from The New Yorker (h/t EH).
FP profiles Pakistan's new ambassadress to the United States.

Domestic

Johnathan Martin at Politico agrees with DCExile's assessment of Gingrich's place in the GOP field.
Gov. Perry has won the coveted endorsement of Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio, Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, holds outsized importance among conservatives (Maricopa County has a population of 3.8 million) due to his incredibly hardline stance on immigration. He was a key ally of recently recalled Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce, architect of the infamous and unconstitutional S.B. 1070.
Rep. Barney Frank will not be seeking reelection.
Gov. Sam Brownback apologizes for his staff being a bunch of tattletails (and for their trampling on free speech). Actually, for my money, the overzealous staffer is forgivable--the Shawnee Mission Public School system on the other hand needs a lesson in civics and some PR help.
The NBA lockout is over.

Decorum

2011-11-28T11:00:00.002-05:00

In general, I am a proponent of decorum and civility—particularly, in the public sphere. In these pages, I have voiced my displeasure with breaches of decorum like that of Rep. Joe Wilson when he shouted at the President. And, though this blog has a progressive slant, my ire in this respect is non-partisan or, perhaps, bipartisan. Which brings me to the incident on Jimmy Fallon’s show last Monday.

For those of you who do not know, Rep. Michele Bachmann appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s late night show last Monday. The Roots are the house band for Jimmy Fallon and, during their tenure, they have established a tradition of playing entrance music customized for particular guests. For Michele Bachmann, the Roots played “Lyin’ Ass Bitch.” Both Fallon and NBC have apologized since and, reportedly, the Roots were severely reprimanded.

Now, the Republican field has been subject to a fair amount of derision from this blog—and ole crazy eyes has been no exception. There is much to mock about these characters and few could argue that Bachmann in particular is deserved of kid gloves. She is indeed a liar—she emits falsehoods about the President, his policies, and their effects on thecountry seemingly with every breath. She is building a career on paranoia and sensationalism; she is a demagogue; and she has built her career on terrorizing the American people into voting for her out of fear. Her attacks on the President are unsupported—indeed, unsupportable—and one could be forgiven for wishing upon her turnabout as fair play.

Yet, Bachmann is a member of Congress and a candidate for the Presidency. Estimably, she has dedicated her life to public service—even if she does not honor it as such. She served as an attorney for the IRS and now she serves in Congress. That dedication alone is worthy of respect. What’s more, though, she was invited to be a guest on the Jimmy Fallon show. The bare rules of etiquette and hospitality dictate that she be accorded respect on not be subject to insult by her hosts. Like it or not, the Roots, in the employ of NBC, were her hosts. Worse, they did not challenge her on the veracity of particular statements, they did not engage her in debate, they did not give her an opportunity to respond. No, she was made the butt of a joke she likely did not even understand (this Editor doubts that Rep. Bachmann was able to recognize the song, let alone identify its name to decode the insult). Certainly, anyone who survived high school can sympathize with this scenario.

This Editor has no love lost for Rep. Bachmann. But he believes the behavior of the Roots late Monday night to be abhorrent. He would rather like a great deal more civility in American politics—this desire extends to Michele Bachmann even if she is unlikely to behave civilly herself and will instead continue to peddle lies and misrepresentations about the President.

The Short List - November 28, 2011

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

And I'm back.

International

After weeks of unrest, Egyptians are queuing up at the polls to vote in the first election since the ouster of Mubarak. Today's vote is the first in an elaborate system that will last until March and has your editor concerned that the initial fervor might be tamped down by the complexity and length of the process.

In Yemen, Saleh has transferred power and an opposition figure has been named interim prime minister, but tensions still roil.

I have been blogging for a while, but US-Pakistani remain awful. There are new grievances following a NATO airstrike that killed 24 civilians.

The Arab League has approved sanctions against Syria as violence persists in the country. The move by the Arab League is intriguing because it could harbinger Arab League complicity with international intervention in Syria, a la Libya, but the sanctions stop far short of that move.

European debt remains a millstone around the neck of the global economy.

Domestic

Occupy movements have persisted and Occupy Los Angeles have defied the mayor's request to vacate the lawn of city hall by midnight pacific time.

A quietly passed bill is seen as smart deregulation.

Meanwhile over the weekend it was spend baby, spend. Though at the moment the strong weekend has not compelled forecasters to become more optimistic about the season's shopping.

Union Leader Endorses Newt Gingrich

2011-11-27T18:32:00.001-05:00

Cementing his status as real contender, today the Manchester Union Leader--New Hampshire's statewide conservative newspaper--endorsed Newt Gingrich for President of the United States. The editorial itself is a study in ahistorical narrative. It describes former Speaker Gingrich as a man not only capable of improving Washington, but a man who has already improved Washington. That is odd praise for a man many--on either side of the aisle--hold responsible for inaugurating (in the Union Leader's words, innovating) the hyper-polarized era of American politics, currently crippling our country. See, e.g., the Empty Chamber Speeches.

No matter. Gingrich has climbed recently as the latest GOP not-Romney flavor of the month. He is polling, today, at 27% in Iowa, 7 points better than Romney--for those of you keeping score at home, Iowa polls are actually fairly useful for the Republican caucuses in contrast to the Democratic caucuses--and his performance during CNN's national security debate was policy-heavy and focused. He has, as this blog surmised way back when his campaign launched, become a legitimate candidate both for the Republican nomination and for the Presidency--one that stumbled early but did not implode. He could still easily go the way of Pawlenty, Bachmann, Cain, and Perry but with just six weeks to go before Iowa and New Hampshire, Gingrich appears to be peaking at the right time and managing to do so in two places at once.

This Editor, at least, believes the Republican field has finally found its not-Romney--and, perhaps, its nominee.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T10:12:00.002-05:00

To you and yours from DCExile.

Live Blogging The November 22 Republican Debate

2011-11-21T18:29:00.000-05:00

DCExile will be live blogging tomorrow night's CNN Republican debate on National Security. If you were with us last time, you can expect the same sort of fun. Because National Security always brings out the best in the Republican field, we may even make it into a drinking game. GOP National Security Debate

Fox News Makes You Dumber

2011-11-21T15:09:00.000-05:00

Really, though.

Chart of the Day

2011-11-19T13:53:00.000-05:00

From The Economist:

The Short List - November 17, 2011

2011-11-17T09:06:00.000-05:00

International

Yesterday, Kuwaiti protesters stormed Kuwait's parliament and marched on the PM's house, demanding his resignation.
In the wake of the Free Syrian Army's attacks on military installations in Damascus, Sergei Lavrov has compared the situation in Syria to a civil war. The Economist reported at the end of October that defections from Syria's army were increasing and others have speculated that Wednesday's attacks indicate that the FSA has achieved an operational critical mass.
A bizarre political drama is playing out in Pakistan today, after reports of serious intrigue involving a Pakistani business man, the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pakistani Ambassador to the United States, and, potentially, Zadari himself.

Domestic

Congress: always looking out for the kids.
Gingrich, back from the dead. Meanwhile, Cain's unbearable lightness of policy is catching up to him.
Look, I don't like Speaker Boehner, but I don't understand why Politico is making fun of him crying. Two things: 1. I don't have a problem with a man being overcome by patriotism or inspiration in the face of someone who, you know, went to the moon; 2. we all know Boehner cries at the drop of a hat.

Intervening in Somalia

2011-11-10T16:28:00.000-05:00

In a guest post at CFR, Mohammed Jallow argues for a stronger AU military intervention in Somalia to complement Kenya’s incursion (currently bogged down in Somali mud). Jallow writes, “With all these converging forces pressing on al-Shabaab, there is once again another opportunity to end the Somali conflict, at least from a military perspective.” He also claims:

If the AU manages to secure more troops and contributions from other countries, launching an offensive against al-Shabaab from the north could shrink the size of al-Shabaab controlled territory, and cut off its supply lines, effectively starving it of much needed resources to sustain a long fight. Simplistic as that may sound, there is real potential here for a military end to al-Shabaab’s dominance over Somalia, as well as removing the threat it poses to the transitional government and the AU forces protecting it.

But is this right? It is unclear to me that a stronger military to response is any kind of solution to the manifold problems accompanying Somalia’s twenty-year collapse. There is no evidence to indicate that Somalis will respond with anything other than hostility to significant foreign military intervention. Every major foreign intervention since Somalia’s collapse has been unwelcome: the U.N. and U.S. intervention in 1992; the Ethiopian intervention in 2006; and the ongoing African Union mission to Somalia. Worse, none of these interventions has delivered any sort of measurable progress in terms of stabilizing Somalia—in fact, Ethiopia’s invasion arguably did more harm than good by ousting (and subsequently radicalizing) the closet thing that Somalia had seen to a central government in twenty years.

After twenty years of failed attempts to graft a solution onto Somalia, one would expect the international community to take stock and try something else. In particular, the international community ought to look north of Mogadishu to the Republic of Somaliland. Although it has been basically ignored by the international community, Somaliland is a model of success. Its success is attributable to its organic, indigenous conflict resolution process—a process that relied at the outset on traditional power centers and a gradual enlargement of participation to ensure legitimacy and buy-in from stake holders including tribal leaders, rebel fighters, and the people of Somaliland. Importantly, this process of indigenous conflict resolution occurred in parallel with a home-grown disarmament campaign that successfully demilitarized a population that had been engaged in a decade-long civil war.

The success of indigenous conflict resolution among Somalis need not be limited to Somaliland, however. It is little wonder that the closest Somalia has come to a functioning central government in the last twenty years was the brief reign of the Islamic Courts Union. Unlike the farcical Transitional Federal Government, the ICU earned the buy-in of a substantial portion of rump-Somalia’s populace, it was able to administer justice, and it had a stabilizing effect. While we may bristle at the draconian operation of some of the Courts (they were disaggregated), there is a lesson to be learned from their brief success—and from the abject failure of everything before and everything since Ethiopia’s invasion. Namely, that external solutions—especially those that rely on or incorporate individuals with no real constituency within Somalia—are non-starters.

It is for this reason that Jallow’s hope is misplaced. No amount of Kenya, Ethiopian, Uganda, South African, or Nigerian troops can fix Somalia unless they mean to permanently occupy the country. Even then, it is far more likely that a protracted nationalist insurgency will arise to oppose such an occupation than Somalia would be stabilized. Nor is it an answer that the TFG has given the AU or Kenya or any other actor its blessing to operate in Somalia. The TFG has no writ and its collaboration with (and reliance upon) outsiders serves only to underscore this fact.

So, to answer the question posed in Jallow's title: No, collective military action is not the answer.

The Short List - November 8, 2011

2011-11-08T08:45:00.001-05:00

International

Syrian troops stormed a restive neighborhood of Homs in another attempt to quell the still simmering rebellion in the country. Meanwhile, Secretary Clinton defended the Obama administration policy in the Middle East, noting that every situation is different.
The Euro mess continues as Italy's parliament prepares for a vote on its own austerity measures, which could further imperil the chronically imperiled Prime Minister Berlusconi.
Polls have opened in Liberia in the presidential run-off vote, though the specter of violence looms large.
China faces some issues as it seeks energy from Burmese despots.

Domestic

A woman has stepped forward and outlined specific allegations against presidential hopeful Herman Cain. The physical nature and specificity of the allegations will require the campaign to directly address an issue it has sought to avoid.
The Supreme Court will consider if the warrant-less and indefinite use of GPS tracking devices by law enforcement runs afoul of the fourth amendment.
Municipal leaders try to balance civil rights and maintaining order as the Occupy protests continue.

Mischaracterizing the Law of Drones

2011-11-06T18:08:00.000-05:00

Adam Entous, Siobhan Gorman, and Julian Barnes’ reporting in the Wall Street Journal indicates that the United States views its covert drone campaign in Pakistan to be an armed conflict, governed by international humanitarian law. As I’ve argued elsewhere, the hostilities between the United States and various organized armed groups operating in Pakistan—and there are many such groups—are sufficiently intense to rise to the level of an armed conflict, triggering international humanitarian law. IHL provides a state with the authority to use force as a first resort against hostile civilians who directly participate in hostilities. The low-level foot soldiers of the various armed groups in Pakistan are such civilians directly participating in hostilities and they are lawful targets for as long as they are directly participating in hostilities.

Thus, Spencer Ackerman’s mischaracterizations aside, the fundamental question of who can be targeted is not one of policy but of law. Limiting drone targeting in Pakistan to high-level leadership was an implicit indication that the United States was invoking a state’s inherit right of self-defense. The expansion in targeting to include low-level fighters indicates a recognition on the part of the United States that it is engaged in one (perhaps several) armed conflicts in Pakistan. It is within the framework of armed conflict that the United States finds the authority to target a broader set of individuals and not just those whose killing is necessary to disrupt an imminent armed attack—the requirements for a state to use force in self-defense. Notably, the refusal to expand the use of drones in Yemen to include low-level fighters may suggest that the United States does not believe it is engaged in an armed conflict in Yemen, a very interesting point unto itself.

Moreover, the criticism that Ackerman levels—“CIA Drones Kill Large Groups Without Knowing Who They Are”—is misplaced and wrongheaded. Under neither self-defense nor the law of armed conflict is it necessary for the CIA to know who it is targeting. Under self-defense it may be useful for a state to know who it is targeting to be assured that it has made out the requirements of self-defense, but it is not required. Under the law of armed conflict, however, this criticism becomes ridiculous. In a non-international armed conflict, one that takes place between a state and a non-state actor, targetability turns on whether the target is directly participating in hostilities. As for the laundryman in Ackerman’s hypothetical, he is collateral damage. Whether his death renders the use of force unlawful depends on whether, from a prospective view, his death (and those like him) is disproportionate to the military advantage gained by killing the target.

There is plenty to question about the U.S. drone campaign in Pakistan and elsewhere without confusing paradigms or leveling critiques that make no sense.

The Short List - November 2, 2011

2011-11-02T09:40:00.002-04:00

International

Finance ministers from around the world are trying to have Greece walk back its planned referendum on the rescue package the EU has cobbled together.

Britain's high court has denied Julian Assange's request to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of sexual misconduct.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has ordered the building of 2,000 new housing units in East Jerusalem, and Israel decided to freeze Palestinian Authority tax revenue in response to Palestine being admitted as a full member to UNESCO.

Fourteen countries are gathering in Turkey to discuss the future of security in Afghanistan, as foreign troops begin to prepare for withdrawal.

Domestic

Two settlements regarding sexual harassment perpetrated by Herman Cain hasn't dented his reputation in Iowa so far, but one of the claimants would like to be released from her non-disclosure agreement to tell her side of the story. And as reported in Democracy in America, video of the victim recounting her story can quickly change the situation.

Freshmen Congressmen are upset that the Super Committee is working in such secrecy. Perhaps the members of the committee are concerned if words like taxes or Medicare leak that people will stake out positions they can't walk back from. Meanwhile, Erskine Bowles has floated a $2.6 trillion deal that's intended to split the difference between the rumored Republican and Democrat plans' divide.

A Super PAC supportive of President Obama is set to begin attacks on Mitt Romney.

The U.S. and the state of Texas will square off in federal court to discuss the legality of Texas congressional redistricting.

After Iraq, Iraq v. Iran

2011-11-01T10:15:00.000-04:00

I tend to agree with Walt's assessment that U.S. withdrawal from Iraq may actually undermine, as opposed to bolster, Iran's position vis-a-vis Iraq:

Ever since 2003, the U.S. presence in Iraq has reinforced cooperation between Iran and some significant portions of Iraq's Shiite community, and especially those elements (such as Muktada al Sadr's Mahdi Army) who really wanted the United States to get out. But once we withdraw, then it is far from obvious that the bulk of Iraqis -- including most Iraqi leaders -- will want to become a satrap for Iran. It's true that the Sunni-Shiite divide provides Iran with some avenues of influence in Iraq society, but there's also the enduring division between Arabs and Persians and Iraq's overriding interest in not allowing Iran to become a hegemonic power in the Gulf region. Let's not forget that the two countries fought a brutal and costly war for most of the 1980s, and plenty of Iraqi and Iranian Shiites killed each other during that conflict.

The Indochina war offers an obvious historical analogy. One of the reasons the United States fought there for so long was the familiar domino theory -- the dubious idea that a communist victory in Vietnam would trigger a cascade of falling dominos and undermine the entire US position in Asia (and possibly elsewhere). But when the United States finally got out, the exact opposite thing happened: none of our other Asian allies abandoned us and China and Vietnam had a rapid falling-out that led to war between the two communist states in 1979. And over time, of course, China abandoned Maoism and Vietnam grew more and more interested in better relations with America. And let's not forget that fourteen years after Saigon fell, it was the Soviet Union that ended up on the ash-heap of history. Once we stopped pouring troops and bombs into Indochina, in short, our strategic position began to improve and we could focus on the more serious aspects of Cold War competition.

In short, if you really think Iran is a threat to dominate the Gulf region, and if you also believe that states tend to balance against threatening powers instead of band-wagoning with them, then you should also expect the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq to encourage more regional powers--including Iraq--to take actions to limit Iranian power and influence. And that might also include being a bit more favorably inclined toward the United States, despite all the other things we do that tick off people in that part of the world. That could be why we're getting a positive response to these new initiatives, and that's why getting out of Iraq may actually bolster our overall strategic position.

Putting aside the historical analogy, the notion that Iran will continue to dominate Iraq and the wider Gulf upon U.S. withdrawal seems misplaced. First, as Walt notes, Iranian strength will likely inspire balancing on the part of Iran's neighbors. Second, for historical and cultural reasons, Iraq is more likely to align with its Arab neighbors (who will engage in balancing) than to band-wagon with Persian Iran, despite the fact that the majority of Iraqis are, like the vast majority of Iranians, Shiite.

The Short List - November 1, 2011

2011-11-01T08:59:00.002-04:00

International

The Greek government has called for a national referendum on the EU rescue package sending stocks crashing and causing MF Global to file for bankruptcy over its exposure to European debt.

In Libya, a new interim Prime Minister has been named, but the country is already having some trouble turning the militias that helped lead the rebels to victory into regular army units.

UNESCO admitted Palestine to the body as a full member, and in response the U.S. has stopped payment on $60 million in annual funding to the organization.

In Egypt, protesters are coming to the aid of a blogger who was arrested and refuses to recognize the military court the government sought to try him in because the military is the group bringing the charges against him.

Amnesty International has been critical of the Ugandan government's crackdown on opposition groups, protesting the higher prices in the country.

Domestic

Herman Cain spent much of yesterday addressing sexual harassment claims that two former employees have levied against him. But Cain's shifting story over a 24 period has raised more questions than it has answered.

Score a point for civility, oh wait, take that point down.

The Super Committee is running out of time, but Social Security is on the table. No words yet is tax increases are also on the table.

Some Jewish leaders believe Obama needs to make a visit to Israel or else lose Jewish support, though I think Matt Yglesias might find this argument a bit lacking.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2011-10-31T17:45:00.000-04:00

International

The Economist pens an almost wistful obituary of Muammar Qaddafi. David Bosco considers the potential pitfalls awaiting an ICC prosecution of Saif al-Islam Qaddafi.
More signs pointing towards the reality of the Iranian plot to assassinate Adel al-Jubeir.
The United States cut off funds to UNESCO--the UN body responsible for, among other things, designating World Heritage sites--because the body granted Palestine member-state status, within that organ of the UN. The United States believes the Palestinian bid for membership (and thereby, de jure statehood) in the UN is premature and that Israelis and Palestinians should work together toward the two state solution. In other news, the Egyptian-negotiated ceasefire designed to end the cycle of rockets-then-air strikes in Israel and Gaza appears to be moribund.
And the world's 7th billion inhabitant may or may not have been born somewhere today. Regardless of the questionable precision, the fact is there are a lot of folks on the planet today.

Domestic

Politico broke a story this morning about two women accusing Herman Cain of sexual harassment during his tenure as head of the National Restaurant Association. The Cain camp has issued a series of more strident denials over the course of the day, ranging from denying the charges, denying any awareness of the settlement, and to claiming he's subject to a "witch hunt." Cain leads a new Texas poll that has Perry down.
BHO is coming back to infrastructure investment.
Another day, another Executive Order.

The Short List - October 28, 2011

2011-10-28T09:27:00.000-04:00

International

It's been confirmed that the U.S. Air Force is flying reaper drones out of a small civilian air field in Ethiopia to surveil and attack targets inside Somalia.

Security forces in Tunisia had to fire in the air to disperse protesters, unhappy their favored party had not done better at the polls.

The UN decided to remove the no-fly zone restrictions over Libya yesterday, despite NTC objections. Meanwhile, reports are emerging that Qaddafi's intelligence chief was injured in custody in what would be a clear violation of international law.

Flooding continues in Thailand.

Domestic

Speaker Boehner says new revenues are a non-starter as he rejects a leaked proposal from the Super Committee Democrats that would have cut the federal deficit by $3 trillion, but included $1.3 trillion in new tax revenue. **How do you negotiate with someone over deficit reduction when seemingly ANY revenue generation is a non-starter?**

States struggle to cover their Medicaid commitments as federal money drys up.

New York State struggles with whether to continue to tax millionaires.

Gov. Rick Perry may bail on some of the future GOP debates.

The Short List - October 26, 2011

2011-10-26T08:29:00.000-04:00

International

Libya's leaders have asked for NATO to remain in the country through the end of the year to ensure remaining Qaddafi loyalists don't attempt a counter attack.

Turkey continues to seek survivors in the rubble following this week's earthquake, and has agreed to accept international assistance after initially declining the offer.

South Africa is rethinking its initial approval of Walmart's purchase of the country's largest retailer, Massmart, but not for the reasons many protesters might think.

Following the success of the elections on Sunday, Tunisia will prepare to congregate a national assembly to rewrite the constitution.

Domestic

President Obama will announce a plan today to ease the burden of student loans on college graduates, many who recently find themselves facing a difficult job market.

Gov. Rick Perry has a tax plan that fits on a postcard, that would give people the option to opt in to a 20% flat tax. This is in the latest in a series of plans though some scions of conservative thought are less them amped about Perry's plan.

The PATRIOT Act turns 10.

A former director at Goldman Sachs will surrender to police to face insider trading charges.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2011-10-24T19:29:00.000-04:00

International

Amid speculation that Turkey may establish a buffer zone within Syria, at the end of last week, Turkey met with the Syrian opposition council for the first time. Libya~~'s new government~~ recognized that same Syrian opposition body--becoming the first state to do so.
An-Nahda declared victory in Tunisia's first election since Ben Ali's ouster. Winning elections provides another similarity between Ghannouchi and Khomeini. Former Congresswoman Jane Harman described the elections as "hands down the best, most promising election I have ever witnessed, including those I have seen in the United States."
As Jason noted this morning, the death toll in the Turkish earthquake continues to trend upward.
Libya claims that Saif Qaddafi is planning to flee the country on a forged passport.

Domestic

The mess of Bachmann's campaign keeps getting ink. As a former field staffer, it is difficult for me (without knowing either the particularized experience of these staffers or their professional experiences before this campaign) to assess their grievances. That said, it kind of strikes me as the sort of bellyaching that comes from inexperienced field staff.
Ahhh, the impact of Occupy Wall Street, already altering the narrative--this Editor wonders, though, if the change in message means the death of the jobs bill (in any form); as such, he will remove the message discipline counter. Meanwhile, the President runs against Congress. Classic re-elect tactic. And he takes a stick Minority Leader McConnell, that ole son of a [Editor's note: this is a family blog].
Sweet Sassy Mollassy, it's the Newt & Herman show. Speaking of Cain, he's a man without a machine. But, boy can he sing!

The Short List - October 24, 2011

2011-10-24T08:53:00.002-04:00

International

Over the weekend a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Eastern Turkey. The search for survivors continues, but already over 200 people have been reported dead.

In Tunsia, citizens went to the polls in the first free and fair election in the country ever and the first for any Arab Spring country. Counting is underway, but results aren't likely to be released until Tuesday. Meanwhile, in Libya, the country formally declared independence yesterday following the killing last week of Qaddafi. Already the hand wringing in the West has become over how Islamist is too Islamist.

In Syria, the US ambassador has returned to Washington, but has not been formally recalled. There is some speculation this temporary recall is for the ambassador's safety.

In Mexico, as police are re-tasked to deal with violence, drug crops are allowed to flourish.

Following President Obama's announcement that all combat troops will withdraw from Iraq by the holidays, Secretary Clinton warned Iran not to misread American resolve.

Domestic

Obama's policies haven't done as much to help struggling homeowners, in part because he hasn't spent enough or gone big enough. Meanwhile, none of the GOP presidential hopefuls could articulate what they'd do, let alone what they'd do different from Obama, to abate the housing crisis.

The Department of Defense is leading the way in trying to utilize green technology and is helping some start-ups further develop products. Meanwhile, the Center for a New American Security's National Security blog has been giving a lot of ink to alternative energy.

Many expensive drugs are about to pass their patent limit so generics could be close on the horizon.

After bailouts and attempts at reform, it's business as usual on Wall Street. But we really need to repeal Dodd-Frank?

The Tea Party is losing some of its vigor on the Hill.

The Short List - October 21, 2011

2011-10-21T08:03:00.002-04:00

International

Qaddafi is dead, which is probably old news at this point, but The Washington Post account would seem to suggest that Ben's post is highly relevant as the sequence of images versus the fatal bullet to the head seem to suggest he was not killed in the course of capture, prompting the UN to delay Qaddafi's burial so an inquiry can be performed. Meanwhile, the impact of digital images. Also, a tale of two approaches in Iraq and Libya.

In Iraq, the U.S. has closed out its northern base.

Sec. Clinton, after visiting Libya and Afghanistan, is in Pakistan less to heal damaged relations then to push the Pakistanis to get tough on the Haqqani network.

Al-Shabab claims to have killed 150 African Union peacekeepers from Burundi and even went so far as to display over 70 bodies of slain soldiers.

Investors in Greek bonds may be forced to accept a 50% loss according to an EU/IMF analysis.

Domestic

Senate Republicans blocked a cloture motion on a bill that would have provided money to local governments to higher teachers and first responders.

Two men have been indicted by a grand jury for their involvement in the alleged Iranian assassination plot.

The Occupy movement accepts some help from unions to have greater logistical reach.

The burden of student loan debt shackles the options graduate can choose.

The Killing of Qaddafi, War Crime

2011-10-20T14:19:00.002-04:00

Al-Jazeera English has obtained video showing Qaddafi alive at the time of his capture. Qaddafi is clearly disoriented and bleeding from his head. Although this blog--and this Editor in particular--has been consistently supportive of the NTC and NATO's involvement in the Libyan revolution, that Qaddafi was killed shortly after strikes this Editor as a war crime.

As Article 3 Common to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 states:

In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each Party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions:
(1) Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed ' hors de combat ' by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.
To this end, the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:
(a) violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;
(b) taking of hostages;
(c) outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment;
(d) the passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court, affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.
(2) The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for.

(emphasis added). Qaddafi was apparently killed after he was rendered hors de combat by both capture and, apparently, injury. That is murder--and likely a war crime. His body was then taken to Misurata and dragged through its streets. That is mutilation--and also likely a war crime.

It is important to remember that this sort of conflict--a civil war--is exactly the type of conflict in the minds of the drafters when they wrote Common Article 3. It is important to remember it is triggered when there is an armed conflict in the territory of a High Contracting Party; it does not matter that the NTC is only a nascent government and not a well-established state, nor does it matter that the NTC was not the government of Libya when Libya ratified the Geneva Conventions. They are bound by it under the law of state succession. Moreover, the Geneva Conventions are jus cogens and would apply even if Libya weren't a High Contracting Party.

UPDATE: A colleague points out that we do not know whether Qaddafi was killed after that footage or whether he succumb to his wounds. This is an excellent point. If he merely succumb to his wounds, then there was no murder. However, mutilation still stands.

The Short List - October 20, 2011

2011-10-20T07:59:00.002-04:00

International

NTC forces are reporting they have captured Qaddafi, but the claims can not be independently confirmed. What is largely confirmed is that NTC forces have conquered Sirte.

As the general strike in Greece enters day two, the parliament there is expected to consider final passage of an austerity bill which helped prompt the general strike in the first place.

US funds intended to push for privatization may have instead given resources for crony capitalism in Egypt.

Domestic

Rick Perry and Ron Paul have lobbied for energy subsides in the state of Texas, despite both decrying such subsides in the GOP debates. I must admit I'm very surprised to see Ron Paul mentioned.

The supercommittee's deadline is approaching, but as of yet there is still no consensus.

President Obama is outpacing the GOP field in fundraising from the financial sector.

A dispatch from Occupy Boston and another from Occupy Wall Street.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2011-10-19T17:38:00.001-04:00

International

The United States will re-engage--or at least, have exploratory talks on the possibility of re-engagement--with North Korea.
Greece's 48-hour general strike became quite violent today.
Kosovar Serbs are refusing to remove barriers they setup to keep Kosovo's government from extending its writ over the last bits of ethnically Serb-controlled territory.
Second in a string of surprise visits, Sec. Clinton arrived in Kabul.
President Saleh continues along the slowest relinquishing of power ever.
Affirmed: the Declaration of Independence was lawful. Or maybe not. Strictly speaking, secession violates domestic law--that seems self-evident, doesn't it?--but it's not, today, unlawful under international law. It may have been during the 18th century, though.

Domestic

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) announced that he would not endorse a Republican candidate before the caucuses. Although he did not endorse a candidate in 2007, either, Grassley previously endorsed George W. Bush in 2000, and Bob Dole in 1996 and 1988.
The U.S. Marine Corps beat a quick retreat on their KIA memorial bracelet ban.
Oh lord, you just know the Factor is going to make this into an Obama-is-a-book-burning-fascist thing.

The Short List - October 19, 2011

2011-10-19T08:56:00.000-04:00

International

After Kurdish PKK fighters launched an attack in southeastern Turkey that killed 26, the Turkish military has reportedly made an incursion into northern Iraq to attack the PKK in refuge there.

Secretary Clinton assures the Libyan transitional government that they U.S. is on their side.

As the Gilad Shalit prisoner swap continues to unfold, forty Palestinians that Israel deemed too dangerous to return to Palestine have arrived in exile in Syria, Turkey, Qatar, and Jordan. Meanwhile, with Palestine's application for membership sitting idle in the UN Security Council, they are seeking full membership instead with UNESCO. If the body approves the measure, then the U.S. is required by law to stop paying dues to the UN. Since it came up in the debate last night, I thought I'd note that in FY2009 the U.S. government gave the UN just over $6 billion or 1.3% of the $447 billion jobs plan President Obama recommended to Congress and 0.002% of total federal government expenditures.

There are reports of more deaths in Yemen as protests and clashes continue.

The U.S. is waiting on a UN rights abuse inquiry before deciding to sign a $53 million deal with Bahrain.

A massive general strike in Greece is bringing the country to a halt again. This particular strike is expected to be the largest in several years.

Domestic

The GOP debate last night was far chippy-er then debates past. The transcript of our live blog can be found here, while Chris Cillizza says Romney was a winner and Cain was a loser last night along with Michele Bachmann who "every answer [she] gave was the dictionary definition of a non sequitur." Politico gives you eight takeaways, my personal favorite is "Herman Cain likes fruit, if not details." Fact Checker considers some of the "factual" doozies from last night.

In a bizarre, and sad story 48 potential dangerous animals including lions and tigers escaped from a private sanctuary outside Columbus, Ohio. At present 35 of the animals have been confirmed killed.

President Obama will announce a public-private partnership today that will see 25,000 veterans employed over the next two years.

Nuclear energy is doomed to be politically contentious.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2011-10-18T17:50:00.000-04:00

International

Kenya's progress in its invasion of Somalia has slowed under heavy rains--for those of you keeping score at home, this is the second time one of Somalia's neighbors has invaded the beleaguered failed state in the last five years. A Kenyan delegation made a surprise visit to Mogadishu today to assure the TFG that Kenya does not intend to occupy Somalia. In other Somali news, a car bomb in Mogadishu killed four. This Editor wonders what the ICJ would say about this invasion--do a few kidnappings justify this action as self-defense? Do kidnappings of foreign civilians even rise to the level of an armed attack? If they do, which this Editor doubts, is this invasion proportionate? Under the Congo case, likely not.
Yemen.
Hey, the world is going to end (again?) on Friday.

Domestic

Obama's immigration credentials are further undermined by revelations that, for the third year running, his administration has been responsible for record-setting deportations.
CBS bemoans the incumbency advantage. Funny, I don't remember anyone whining about the outrageous Mission Accomplished boondoggle.
Iowa has set its caucus date for January 3, 2012. Four years to the day after the last one.
As Jason noted, he and I will be live blogging tonight's GOP debate. And Politico gives us 8 things that the GOP should avoid.

Live Blogging the GOP Debate

2011-10-18T15:00:00.000-04:00

Ben and I will be live blogging the Western Republican Presidential Debate tonight at 8pm ET. Check back in then to see what we think of what the candidates think.

<p>&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=358247e705" &amp;gt;Western Republican GOP Debate&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;</p>

The Short List - October 18, 2011

2011-10-18T08:49:00.001-04:00

International

Secretary Clinton is in Libya today to show support, and some aid dollars, to the transitional government there.

Iranian President Ahmadinejad has denied Iran's involvement in the alleged plot to kill the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S., saying the announcement by the U.S. was to distract from our country's economic troubles. **Editor's Note: Points for creativity** Meanwhile, Western diplomats and nuclear experts believe Iran's nuclear program isn't progressing quickly. In more bad press for Iran, a new UN report claims that hundreds of prisoners have been executed by the Iranian government without any semblance of due process.

Gilad Shalit, the Israeli solider captured by Hamas in 2006, has been reunited with this family as the proposed prisoner swap takes place between the two parties.

There are reports that al-Awlaki's teenage son, a U.S. citizen, was killed in a drone strike on Friday and the family is speaking out.

The Venezuelan Supreme Court has barred a chief opposition figure from seeking the presidency, removing another potential challenger to Hugo Chavez.

Domestic

There is yet another GOP debate this evening and your editors will be live blogging the whole affair. Here are five things to watch for. Meanwhile, Iowa has set their caucus date for January 3rd and Ron Paul has a plan to cut $1 trillion dollars in the first year of his presidency, eliminating five departments and the TSA.

Bank of America earned $6.2 billion in the third quarter. Meanwhile Goldman Sachs reports a $428 million loss(NYT) in the quarter. But of course, this could all just be corporate fraud. **Editorial Note: If we should just trust in markets, and markets are built on information, but the people providing the information are lying, how can we just trust markets?**

Is there a bait and switch going on with the end of farm subsides(NYT)?

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2011-10-17T18:19:00.001-04:00

International

NTC fighters took the center of Bani Wald, today, leaving Qaddafi loyalists with only pockets of that city and of Sirte.
U.S. drone strikes in Northwest Pakistan have accelerated as U.S.-Pakistan relations have gotten worse. It is perhaps a mark of how badly things are going that, as Pakistan says it's ready to negotiate with the Pakistani Taliban again, the U.S. is bombing so-called 'Good Taliban' positions.
Noah Feldman weighs in on the killing of Anwar al-Aulaqi--this Editor disagrees with some of what Feldman says, including his comparison of uniformed soldiers in IAC. Significantly, that uniformed soldier would not get a hearing before being killed in combat, as Feldman notes, but he would if he were captured.

Domestic

SCOTUS has granted cert to a case involving a federal law criminalizing lying about military honors. It also granted cert for an interesting corporate liability/Alien Tort Claims Act case.
New Yorkers support Occupy Wall Street.
The President is still pushing the jobs bill -- good on ya, Mr. President.

The Short List - October 17, 2011

2011-10-17T08:56:00.002-04:00

International

Pakistan's government seems to be returning to truces to deal with the Taliban, despite the violence perpetrated on the country in the past few years.

Kenyan troops, in a nominally Kenyan-Somali joint operation, have pushed al-Shabab out of two towns near the Kenyan border.

The Arab League has decided not to suspend Syria from the group, but instead insisted government and opposition forces meet in Cairo to discuss the situation. The Syrian government has refused. Of note, the Arab League ostracized Qaddafi in Libya and that was largely seen as the moment NATO forces to begin to intervene, so the actions of this body are important to watch.

In Yemen, violence bubbles up again as pro-Saleh and opposition forces squared off in the capital city of Sanaa.

The Israel-Hamas prisoner swap is finding many critics in Israel.

Domestic

President Obama dedicated the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial yesterday, giving a great speech.

Herman Cain was on Meet the Press yesterday. He managed to talk past 9-9-9 questions, against logical questions. He either would not embrace or was unfamiliar with neoconservatism. And he would not seek a federal ban on same sex marriage, which made Rick Santorum upset on the one hand, but happy to be covered for being upset on the other. **Programming Note: Ben and I will be live blogging the GOP debate tomorrow night.**

Veterans have trouble finding jobs, in part because employers don't know what their skills translate to in the working world.

House GOP freshmen struggle to raise money, which (because of money's outsized influence in campaigns) could make the Tea Party insurgency rather brief.

Checking in with the deficit reduction super committee.

The St. Louis Cardinals are headed to the World Series. Political significance? None. Significance to your editor? Tons.

The Short List - October 14, 2011

2011-10-14T08:44:00.001-04:00

International

The U.S. will send former military personnel to Libya to attempt to track down and destroy surface-to-air missiles that Qaddafi had stockpiled, for fear they may fall into terrorist hands. Speaking of Qaddafi, a senior NTC official says their forces are tracking Qaddafi via satellite as he stays mobile in southern Libya. Whenever I hear about tracking someone via satellite, I always think about this.

On the heels of S&P downgrading Spain's sovereign debt, the G-20 finance ministers will meet to discuss what to do with a anemic (potentially non-existent) recovery.

The CIA says they have killed the highest ranking member yet, of those targeted, of the Haqqani network via drone strike in northwest Pakistan.

President Obama has said Iran will be held to account for the alleged bombing plot, and while that is likely to be more sanctions as we see in Syria sometimes the expected targets don't feel the sting as much as the broader populace.

Domestic

Hermain Cain's 9-9-9 plan would put a greater burden on the poor then current tax code, and as it happens when you are the (almost) front runner people are beginning to wonder what Cain brings beyond 9-9-9.

So many jobs plans, so little time. Though the Congress did approve three free trade deals long languishing in legislative purgatory, giving President Obama a slight victory though not everyone is excited about the trade deal. **Editor's Note: Cutting the corporate tax rate may be a good idea, but the issue right now is not that companies don't have enough cash so tying that to a short-term jobs bill is very misleading.**

Mitt Romney doesn't fear a trade war with China in an op-ed your editor finds a bit disconcerting.

As the Occupy movements continue, Democrats have a difficult time so far connecting with the anger.

The Short List - October 13, 2011

2011-10-13T08:59:00.000-04:00

International

There are unconfirmed reports that yet another Qaddafi son has been captured. Despite such reports in the past, no sons of Qaddafi have been captured by NTC fighters. Meanwhile, NTC fighters have reached the coastal route in Sirte, cutting off the escape of remaining Qaddafi loyalists.
Questions continue to swirl around the alleged Iranian assassination plot. Friend of the blog, Reza Marashi addresses it at the Huffington Post. Some question whether the plot was real, others what the U.S. should do about it.
The world-wide Blackberry outage is over! After three days, your Torch or Bold should have buzzed back to life this morning. This Editor and long-time--though no longer--Blackberry user wonders if this outage is the nail in RIM's coffin.

Domestic

Big Money Obama pulled in $70 million in the third quarter for the re-elect.
Foreclosure is giving way to demolition. What a great use of homes and resources.
Scott Brown may be a member of the esteemed ranks of Senator-plagiarists.
The Washington Post fact-checks Cain's 9-9-9 plan. Cain himself will be on MTP this Sunday.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

2011-10-12T18:00:00.000-04:00

International

NTC forces press the attack in Sirte and Reuters captures this stunning footage:

Unfortunately, weapons are flowing out of Libya and into Egypt's black markets. This bodes poorly for Egypt given its current troubling state.
Slovakia: spoiler no more.
China and Vietnam moved closer to settling a longstanding maritime dispute. No word on whether the agreement in principle covers the Spratly Islands, as well.

Domestic

Turns out Obama's job bill is popular with Americans. Unfortunately, it's only really popular when the various provisions are listed to the respondents. So much for message discipline. Still, the President keeps pressing the attack--good for him.
Sidney Tarrow says that Occupy Wall Street (and its spin offs) are less movement and more a "constituent moment" like the Great Depression coalition. Meanwhile, Peter Dreier says OWS will get co-opted and that that is a good thing. As for those who continue to say that the message of Occupy isn't clear, your Editor will let this picture (taken at last Wednesday's rally) do the talking for him:

Hey, maybe we'll have a budget.

An Anecdotal Comparison of Efficient Judicial Systems

2011-10-12T10:46:00.000-04:00

Khalid Sheik Mohammed - captured on March 1, 2003, and still not prosecuted as of October 12, 2011.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutalla - captured on December 25, 2009, charged, arraigned, and plead guilty as of October 12, 2011.

Who says Military Commissions are more effective?

The Short List - October 12, 2011

2011-10-12T08:50:00.001-04:00

International

As details continue to emerge on the foiled plot to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the U.S., Iran has called the allegations "childish." Meanwhile, the early words used to describe the plot by pundits are brazen and bizarre. A primer on Iran-Saudi relations is always useful when a story like this breaks.

Syrian refugees in Turkey appeal for international intervention, while in Damascus a huge pro-Assad rally took place.

The Senate does its best to pick a trade war fight with China.

Domestic

Mitt Romney is everybody's big winner from last night's GOP debate. Chris Cillizza covers all the winners and losers, while Politico's Maggie Haberman has six takeaways from the debate. Your editor still believes this is a race between Romney and Perry, but Huntsman (if he can learn when to let a joke die) could muscle his way in there. **Programming Note: DCExile will live blog the GOP debate next Tuesday night.**

Senate Republicans (and two Democrats) voted against the full Obama jobs bill, but then came back later and said they didn't mind many of the elements. They just wanted a political win against the president. Leadership?

Chrysler and the United Auto Workers have reached a deal on a new labor agreement that would create over 2000 new jobs.