The View From Here

Morning reads for 11/24

1. The Washington Post reports that the president will likely announce his decision on troop levels in Afghanistan in a national address next Tuesday.
2. Though it may be a dirty word in Washington right now, Eugene Robinson says that rationing may be the only "honest solution" to rising health care costs.
3. Charlie Rangel and John Murtha have thrown their support behind a war surtax bill dubbed pay-as-you-fight that might impact President Obama's decision on Afghanistan.
4. Could a third-party candidate shake up the 2012 presidential election? Can someone make the leap from TV punditry to the White House? Lou Dobbs may be the man who answers both questions.

Thoughts after today's show...

Sen. Lieberman said this morning that he would not vote for the Senate health care reform bill as it stands, despite his vote last night to move forward with debate of the legislation.   

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Just hours after the critical vote, four high-powered senators - Lieberman, Durbin, Hutchison and Feinstein - joined me on Meet the Press.  Partisanship remained high over the most contentious element of the bill: the public option. 
 
Lieberman said, “I don’t think anybody feels this bill, as Senator Reid put it down, though we made a lot progress in blending bills together, I don’t think anybody thinks that this bill will pass.”
 
Hutchison echoed Lieberman’s sentiments, citing cost as the main reason for her opposition.  It’s an argument that holds some traction with Democrats.  Durbin admitted that Congress wants to move past health care and on to the economy by the beginning of 2010, an election year.  The Illinois senator said the public option is negotiable – again signaling the anxiety Democrats are feeling to get health reform done.
 
The senators also weighed in on Afghanistan, the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and new guidelines released that women should wait until their 50s for mammograms.

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Plus, Amb. Nancy Brinker and Dr. Nancy Snyderman debated the differing opinions surrounding mammograms, breast cancer, and how best to treat and prevent the disease.

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What I'm reading 11/19

1. Nicholas Kristof says that opponents of health care are on the wrong side of history, and will be remembered alongside those who opposed Social Security and Medicare.
2. "So let's fail in Afghanistan.  Fail in the right way now, and the Afghans will have a chance of succeeding."  -    Gerard Russell's unique perspective on the way forward in Afghanistan.
3. George Will argues that a federal law requiring Americans to buy health insurance is unconstitutional.
4. John Conyers (Michigan-D) criticizes President Obama's leadership on healthcare saying he is tired of the president "bowing down to every nutty right wing proposal on health care."

Above the fold today, 11/18

1. Thomas Frank writes that Sarah Palin shows a knack for self-pity and vindictiveness in her new book.

2. Sen. John Kerry says the goal in Afghanistan is to “transition so that we can draw down our forces over a period of, say, four to five years.”

3. Sec. Clinton made a surprise visit to Afghanistan today for the inauguration of Hamid Karzai.  Clinton called it a chance for the embattled Afghan leader to strengthen government accountability and improve the lives of his people.

4. Richard Wolffe analyzes why President Obama can’t wait to get home from Asia.

5. Part of the reason the president’s trip to Asia is being dubbed a flop is because of the bow he took for the emperor of Japan.  But, bowing used to be a standard greeting in America, too.

6. Maureen Dowd worried that reading Sarah Palin’s book may teach her that she is not American.  Instead, she found out how much she has in common with the former vice presidential candidate.

What I'm reading today, 11/11

1. On this Veterans Day, here are some tributes from around the Web to the men and women who fought for our country.

2. President Obama will consider a new compromise plan for sending additional troops to Afghanistan, reports the Wall Street Journal.  The plan could deploy 30,000 to 35,000 new forces and 10,000 military trainers over the next year or longer.
3. Goldman Sachs C.E.O. Lloyd Blankfein recently said he was “doing God’s work.”  Maureen Dowd disagrees.
4. Students received an unexpected lesson in journalism recently when Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy made a visit to their Manhattan high school.  Someone from Kennedy’s office insisted on approving an article written for the school newspaper about the justice’s visit. 
5. Jonah Goldberg writes that Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan’s Muslim faith should not be credited as the motive for his attack.  But it also should not be disregarded.

What I have my eye on 11/10

1. Bob Herbert criticizes the president's priorities and questions why "we're worrying about Kabul when Detroit has gone down for the count."
2. There are more than two sides in the health care debate.  John Dickerson of Slate provides a guide to the many factions in the House and Senate that Democratic leaders must herd into a united coalition.
3. Is the abortion issue taking over the health care debate? Politico reports that the argument over federal funding of abortion nearly derailed the House bill, and might be a major obstacle in the Senate as well. 
4. The 5 senators who could determine the fate of health care reform.
5. Steven Rosen urges President Obama to use today's meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu to ease the administration's pressure on Israel and warm an alliance that may have cooled over the last year.

Morning reads for 11/5

1. E.J. Dionne says that Tuesday's elections proved that the thrill is gone for both Obama-style progressives and Palin-style conservatives.
2. Ruy Texeira tells Democrats there is no reason to panic and that Obama remains popular in Virginia, New Jersey, and the country as a whole.
3. Iran's opposition movement resurfaced yesterday, disrupting government led rallies in Tehran, and making personal appeals to President Obama.
4. Congratulations to the Yankees for winning their 27th World Series title.  But there's always next year for my Dodgers...

What I'm viewing today, 11/4

1. Marc Ambinder breaks down 11 ways to think about last night’s election results.

2. In a piece that is telling of some Americans frustration with Afghanistan, George Will writes that looking for legitimacy in Kabul is like looking for a unicorn.

3. The Sara Palin endorsed Doug Hoffman did not win New York’s 23^rd district last night.  But the former VP candidate writes that Hoffman’s run is the first step in a new kind of grass roots politics.
4. Jonah Goldberg writes that it’s time to give conservative ideas a try.
5. Maureen Dowd recalls a dinner she shared with Rush Limbaugh and how his comments about Barack Obama have been hypocritical.

A few morning reads for 11/3

1. Eugene Robinson reviews Obama's record and finds that Obama has lived up to his campaign promise for change.  On the other hand, Arianna Huffington is dismayed that the audacious candidate has turned into the timid president.
2. Congressional insiders believe that there are still more delays coming in the push for health care reform, and that it is unlikely a bill will reach the president before the end of the year.
3. Obama is putting the pressure on Afghan president Hamid Karzai to tackle corruption.  Pat Buchanan sees history repeating itself, and warns Karzai to "read up on the fate of the Diem brothers" in Vietnam.
4. Conservative activists are targeting moderate Republican candidates in Congressional races across the country leaving some to wonder if there is a civil war forming within the GOP?