And so politics heats up now to a fever pitch. Back by popular demand: our Around the Sphere blog linkfest that will be your cyberspace road map to some good reading.
But this time there will be a difference: this and future editions of Around the Sphere will NOT be limited to only political posts. You’ll find some other nonpolitical gems in there.
And, as usual, links in this linkfest do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Moderate Voice or its many writers. Also as usual, we here at TMV try to offer you a variety of viewpoints on the theory that reading something you (or any one of us here at TMV) disagree with won’t cause brain cancer.
Those Jews Are Polluting Christmas With Their Darn Christmas Songs! What do they know? (And before I get emails labeling me as anti-semetic and TMV as an anti-semitic site…I am Jewish and that was a wisecrack. Such disclaimers are necessary in the Internet age where everyone is poised to express outrage. FYI, I’m a Reform Jew: my synagogue was so reform that my rabbi’s name was Jesus Christianson..)
Obama’s Not-So-New World Order? RealClearWorld’s Kevin Sullivan, writing in the New York Daily News, gets a sense of deja vu. Here’s the beginning:
It was a key and decisive moment for the commander in chief. Outlining his intentions to send American servicemen and women overseas to fight an uncertain war, the President defended his war strategy, arguing that the stakes were not just about one country, but “a big idea.”
That idea, argued the President, was a world system based on universal principles and mutually agreed upon rules. A world where “diverse nations are drawn together in common cause to achieve the universal aspirations of mankind.”
At first blush you might think such sentiments were delivered by President Obama, but those lofty lines of world community and shared ideals didn’t come from the 44th President, but in fact from the 41st. And while analysts attempt to parse Obama’s words in order to assemble a foreign policy doctrine, they’d perhaps be better served by revisiting the vision of a New World Order mapped out by former President George H. W. Bush.
Rarely has a foreign policy been so truly misunderstood as Bush’s New World Order doctrine. While most of its detractors tended toward the fantastical – fears of an America subservient to United Nations dictate, sprinkled with paranoid visions of mysterious black helicopters – the actual foreign policy vision expressed by Bush was one of modesty, discretion and fairness. It would be, Bush hoped, a design for the post-Cold War world.
There’s a lot more so read all of it.
Battle of the Titans Polemicists: It’s Bill O’Reilly versus Laura Ingraham.
Climate Change Science is Like Nazi Medicine: You didn’t know that? Well, Bill Bennett does.
Everyone is so Rushed These Days: Especially Senate Majority Harry Reid for legislative and weather reasons…
Who is It Who’s Really Pushing the “Climategate” Theme? It’s this guy.
Chris Henry: From redemption to death..
Rahm Emanuel Suggests Not To Worry About The Left and the left is increasingly angry at him. How not to win friends and influence people? As skippy the bush kangaroon notes (he writes in lower case and invented the word “blogtopia”), Emanuel is now losing a whole batch of votes…and he gives some examples..
Is The Tea Party Unbeatable? The Tea Partiers now rank higher then the Demmies or GOPers. What does this mean? Here’s a roundup.
Joe Lieberman Revisited: Ezra Klein (as much a must-read as a WaPo blogger than he was when he was off on his own) looks at what Connecticut’s Senator has wrought — and how it has thrown progressives into near chaos. He notes that Lieberman seems to be truly enjoying his role. Read it in full. Tom Watson notes a larger Lieberman shift.
The Democrats Eat Their Own: MoveOn.org is opposing the Lieberman-influenced health care reform plan — a development of big interest on RedState.com. And Michelle Malkin, in another one of her posts packed with links, says “Welcome to the Democratic Party’s Civil War.” Also check out Bruce McQuain. (Be sure to read my earlier post about Democratic inflighting and the party’s seeming political death wish..)
Left-Right Populist Outrage Will Defeat Health Care Reform: That’s Jane Hamsher’s prediction, writing on The Huffington Post.
The Politico Blows It? The ever-thoughtful Dave Schuler notes that the Politico reported Barack Obama was “visibly angry” in Copenhagen. But later he asks was he REALLY? As a former reporter (overeas and on two big chain newspapers) it needs to be said: it is easy to write a piece and even unconsciously heighten the drama by an adjective that doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.
But Is Obama Just Another “Sloganeering President?” The Garlic says THIS..
A Publisher Apologizes for a columnist who called for a bounty on Obama’s head. As we’ve said before: American politics on both sides is devolving into hatred. Given this context, why wouldn’t compromise be seen as treason to many on both sides? The constant anger is causing some to feel burned out. Read this post (with some adult language) from an author who also blogs.
Major Parties, Minor Parties and Anti Parties: Nancy Hanks takes a comprehensive look. And here’s a defense of political parties.
A Look at Lady Killers: And by that I mean ladies who kill. Read Dr. Helen.
A Truly Grotesque Story: A mother smothers her newborn – and apparently can’t be charged with it.
Iran On The Move: It has seized an Iraqi oil well..
Obama’s Afghanistan Policy: Some regional perspectives via Atlantic Review
It’s a Gloomy Xmas for Retailers in Spain.
Pondering Tiger Woods, Golf, and the role of Celebrity: A MUST READ from Cobb.
Some Geeky Games Worth Playing: Tips from Wil Wheaton HERE.
Something to Seriously Ponder: The Joy of Respecting Self and Respecting Others.
ATTENTION ALL FOOTBALL FANS! Be sure to read GTL’s NFL picks HERE.
Editor’s Note: This is a special catch up edition of Around the Sphere. Future editions may not be as long as this.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.