So the birther thing is kaput. That was easy. But the hijacking of the prevailing conversation in Washington by Republican extremists continues apace–in this case, abetted by elite establishment types (and especially by those high-minded Wall Streeters who gave you the Great Recession). And so, for the umpteenth time:
Miscellany
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Morning Must Reads: Traction
- Weak growth (as expected) in the first quarter: The economy grew at a 1.8% annual rate.
- Incoming Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s central challenge at the Pentagon will be the budget.
- With increasing military and intelligence overlap, David Petraeus’ selection for the CIA might be explained in one word: Pakistan.
- From the
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Ben Bernanke Channels Jerry Seinfeld
In the Federal Reserve’s first press conference in 32 years, Chairman Ben Bernanke today announced…nothing. He didn’t exactly say nothing. But he basically said that despite the weak economy, he’s decided to do nothing. …
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Q&A: Tea Partying Former CEO Herman Cain
Sitting in his Atlanta office over looking a golf course, Herman Cain contemplates what life could have been. “My plan was to be on cruise control at this particular point in my life,” the 65-year-old former Godfather’s Pizza CEO says. Cain retired from the corporate world 15 years ago. Since, he’s served on a few boards – …
The Real Birth Certificate Winner: Hawaii’s Department of Health
The Hawaii Department of Health, unlucky keeper of President Obama’s long-form birth certificate, has been bombarded with hundreds of demands for information since the birther fervor heated up in 2008. According to Janice Okubo, the department’s public information officer, many of those requests come from the same people over and over …
The New Security Team
The rumors have been floating around for months–I helped in the floating process, back in February–but it now seems likely that Leon Panetta will be the next Secretary of Defense, David Petraeus will replace him at CIA, General John Allen will replace Petraeus as commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan and Ryan Crocker will come out of …
Morning Must Reads: Moving
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The Republican Crackup
Ezra Klein–this is boring, but it’s almost always the case–has yet another smart piece today in which he posits Barack Obama as a moderate Republican from the early 1990s. I don’t know about the label, but the substance is …
Paul Krugman, Important Person
Paul Krugman is not my cup of tea. Even when he writes things that I agree with, which is almost never, he manages to strike tones of smugness and condescension that make my skin crawl. Of course, just because I feel this way doesn’t mean everyone should.
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