The Commentariat -- March 12

Gen. Wesley Clark, in a Washington Post op-ed: "... the basic requirements for successful intervention [in Libya] simply don't exist, at least not yet: We don't have a clearly stated objective, legal authority, committed international support or adequate on-the-scene military capabilities, and Libya's politics hardly foreshadow a clear outcome. We should have learned these lessons from our long history of intervention. We don't need Libya to offer us a refresher course in past mistakes." ...

... BUT. Lloyd Grove in the Daily Beast or Newsweek or whatever: former president Bill Clinton favors imposing a no-fly zone over Libya. Clinton said Thursday, "'We have the planes to make an appropriate contribution to this.' ... Clinton ... argued that Gaddafi himself has already internationalized the conflict by hiring foreign mercenaries 'at $2,000 a day,' to kill Libyans. 'It’s not a fair fight,' the former president said, under questioning by Newsweek and Daily Beast Editor in Chief Tina Brown. 'They’re being killed by mercenaries. I think we should support them.'”

The Sphinx Strategy. Jim Kuhnhenn of the AP: "... the White House sees no upside in outspokenness." White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer says the public wants President Obama to lead; "they don't want him serving as a cable commentator for the issue of the day."

CW: in his news conference yesterday, President Obama defended the exteme treatment WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning is receiving at Quantico. Not everyone in his Administration is on the same page. Philippa Thomas reports that in a public meeting held earlier this week about the news media's role in foreign policy, State Department spokesman P. J. Crowley said , "What’s being done to Bradley Manning by my colleagues at the Department of Defense is ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid.'” Josh Rogin of Foreign Policy writes that Crowley has since confirmed he made those remarks but that they were his "personal opinion." He also said, "I defer to the Department of Defense regarding the treatment of Bradley Manning."

Suzy Khimm of Mother Jones: "A killer tsunami has devastated Japan and is now threatening Hawaii and the Pacific Coast of the US. But just last month, Republicans voted to gut funding for the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center — a cut that would cripple the National Weather Service's ability to issue warnings about such disasters." Yeah, because who cares if we lose some of those elite West Coast libruls?

Killing Him Softly. Republican Joe Scarborough clearly is not a Mitt Romney fan. David Axelrod, on the other hand, says he loves Romneycare. All in all, a fine double-team schtick against Mitt:

Right Wing World

CW: I hadn't intended to link to Gail Collins' column because it's all about the Newt. It's a very fine column, of course, but I urge you also to read Gemli's comment (#1) on her column. Here's his closing graph -- a classic!:

These hypocrites always seem to find God just when it’s politically convenient to do so, and claim that He has embraced them. Personally, I wouldn’t embrace Gingrich if I were wearing a hazmat suit and a respirator. And it’s us humans who will have to vote for him and live with the embarrassing consequences, not some deity who is clearly undiscriminating about the company He keeps. Let's all say a prayer that we don't make a mistake we will certainly live to regret.

Andrew DeMillo of the AP: maybe those apparent gaffes of Mike Huckabee's -- about President Obama & actor Natalie Portman -- weren't gaffes at all. CW: the premises of all of them (several about Obama & two about Portman, if you consider it a gaffe to call a respected actor a "starlet" -- I do) would resonate with much of Huckabee's base. The attention Huckabee's remarks have drawn, though derisive, comes from the main stream and left; could be a campaign moneymaker for the Huckster.

In an interview with Robert Costa of the National Review, Rick Santorum explains why Newt Gingrich really isn't a hypocrite. Santorum likens his own smoking pot in college with Gingrich's multiple, long-lasting infidelities & his (Gingrich's) unceremonious dumping of his wives. Another example of why "santorum" should remain a generic noun. ...

... Speaking of santorum, James O'Keefe -- wait for this -- did a great deal of creative editing of his little sting operation against NPR. Ben Smith remarks, "It's either depressing or sort of wonderful that Glenn Beck's The Blaze was the one to catch some really serious, dishonest lily-gilding in the NPR sting; to-wit: 

      ... ** Scott Baker of The Blaze describes one edit of the O'Keefe tape: "the clip in the edited video implies [NPR exec Ron] Schiller is giving simply his own analysis of the Tea Party. He does do that in part, but the raw video reveals that he is largely recounting the views expressed to him by two top Republicans, one a former ambassador, who admitted to him that they voted for Obama." Baker's piece picks up on several other egregious edits that completely or partially change the meaning of Schiller's remarks. In one case, he appears to endorse extremist Islamic views; he's actually responding to a remark about the group's restaurant reservations. Schiller lost his job over this; so did the NPR CEO Vivian Schiller (no relation). When are real people ever going to learn that the Brietbart-O'Keefe-Tucker Carlson crowd are the santorum of Right Wing World and their breathless, game-changing "exposés" are never what they appear to be. (Think Shirley Sherrod here; think ACORN.)

Local News

Iowa Open Mic. Steve Benen: a couple of top Iowa Republicans are caught discussing a proposed carry law. One of the bill's supporters, the state House Speaker Pro Tem, describes the bill as "The crazy, give-a-handgun-to-a-schizophrenic bill." Includes video. CW: they know what they're doing; they just don't care about the consequences they foresee. P.S. Family-values legislators sure do swear a lot.

Casey Grove of the Anchorage Daily News: "Five people in the Fairbanks area were arrested Thursday by state and federal law enforcement on charges connected with an alleged plot to kidnap or kill state troopers and a Fairbanks judge, according to the Alaska State Troopers." Note to Peter King: as far as I know, these homegrown terrorists are not "radicalized" Muslims. How about conducting a hearing on "radicalized Second Amendment/sovereign citizen" groups.

News Ledes

Wisconsin State Journal: "For a fourth straight Saturday, tens of thousands of protesters opposed to the controversial budget repair bill Gov. Scott Walker signed into law Friday descended on the state Capitol calling for Walker's ouster, while some are calling for a general strike. The crowd swelled as the 3 p.m. rally started and a bitter wind picked up. Protesters from neighboring states joined locals in the slow march around the Capitol."

** New York Times: "An explosion at a nuclear power plant in northern Japan on Saturday blew the roof off one building, brought down walls and caused a radiation leak of unspecified proportions, Japanese officials said, after Friday’s huge earthquake caused critical failures in the plant’s cooling system." The Washington Post story is here: four other reactors are in peril. Los Angeles Times story here: as many as 1,700 may have perished in the quake & tsunami.

... New York Times: "The death toll from the tsunami and earthquake, the strongest ever recorded in Japan, was in the hundreds, but Japanese news media quoted government officials as saying that it could rise to more than 1,300, most of them drowned. About 200 to 300 bodies were found along the waterline in Sendai, a port city in northeastern Japan and the closest major city to the epicenter." ...

... AP Update: "Cooling systems failed at another nuclear reactor on Japan's devastated coast Sunday, hours after an explosion at a nearby unit made leaking radiation, or even outright meltdown, the central threat to the country following a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. The Japanese government said radiation emanating from the plant appeared to have decreased after Saturday's blast, which produced a cloud of white smoke that obscured the complex. But the danger was grave enough that officials pumped seawater into the reactor to avoid disaster and moved 170,000 people from the area." ...

... Kyodo News Update: "The loss of life and destruction caused by Friday's catastrophic earthquake in Japan grew Saturday, with the combined number of people who have died or remain unaccounted for expected to exceed 1,800, while an explosion occurred at a nuclear power plant injuring four workers."

Washington Post: President "Obama's cautious commitment to the [Libyan] rebel movement, which he said is 'just getting organized' in its fight to end Gaddafi's 41-year rule, mirrored the stance taken Friday by European leaders, who until now had been speaking more boldly than Obama on how best to assist Libya's opposition. At an emergency European Union summit, leaders declared that Gaddafi can no longer be considered Libya's leader and must step down immediately. But they stopped short of formally recognizing the rebel movement or endorsing military action to support its armed struggle."

Los Angeles Times: "Rep. Gabrielle Giffords ... 'is making leaps and bounds in terms of neurological progress,' doctors said Friday, and there is 'a good possibility' she will be able to attend the final launch of the space shuttle Endeavour, which her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, will command in April. Giffords' speech 'is getting very good' and she 'is starting to walk with assistance,' said Dr. Dong Kim, director of Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center...." Arizona Republic story here.

Politico: "Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has come out in opposition to the House’s attempts to defund Planned Parenthood, making her the first Republican senator to specifically support the beleaguered organization."

New York Times: "The Justice Department is investigating allegations that a mortgage subsidiary of Morgan Stanley foreclosed on almost two dozen military families from 2006 to 2008 in violation of a longstanding law aimed at preventing such action."

Washington Post: "National Football League team owners locked out the league's players Saturday, shutting down professional football for the first time in 24 years and plunging the nation's most popular and prosperous sport into a time of uncertainty."

The Commentariat -- March 11

The President's Press Conference:

     ... Here's the AP story on the news conference. The complete transcript from the White House is here.

Paul Krugman: at a recent conference on healthcare policy, "... Republican staffers jeered at any and all proposals to use Medicare and Medicaid funds better.... Republicans ... have spent the past two years putting cynical, demagogic attacks on any attempt to actually deal with long-run deficits at the heart of their campaign strategy."

Ezra Klein: Speaker John "Boehner frequently says that 'the American people want us to cut spending,' but he never says that 'the American people want us to cut non-defense discretionary spending' [which is all Republicans will put on the table]. And that's because they don't.... What this debate is really about: not cutting spending or reducing the deficit, but cutting spending Republicans don't like while avoiding any and all tax increases -- even if that means the country has higher deficits and the middle- and working-class bear more of the burden."

A Must-Read: Karen Garcia's take on "the Commander-in-Cute," or the President in Abdication. If you, too are wondering where that guy is, Garcia smokes him out at a few photo ops. ...

     ... CW Update: looks as if Garcia really smoked the President out: he just completed a press conference, taking questions covering a wide range of issues.

How Washington Works (Note President Obama's contribution). Economist Keith Hennessey has a good summary of why Congressional Democrats can't win:

Rather than good cop, bad cop, Republican Leaders are playing bad cop, worse cop with their Members.Boehner and Leader McConnell are together the bad cop.... At the same time, they can privately tell the Democratic negotiators, 'You think we’re bad?  You should see our freshman. They’re nuts. We’re not sure we can deliver them for anything short of the House-passed bill.' ... The freshman / Tea Party / conservative rank-and-file Republicans are the worse cop.... The Republican Leaders’ weakness at delivering votes for a weak bill becomes negotiating strength. In contrast, we know that if the President supports a deal, he can deliver a significant fraction of the Democratic party to vote for it. This Presidential vote-delivering strength weakens Democratic negotiators. ...

... Oh, look, here's an example from today's news. See Paul Ryan play bad cop:

They literally think you can just balance it, you know, (by cutting) waste, fraud and abuse, foreign aid and NPR. And it doesn't work like that. -- Paul Ryan, on Congressional tea party Republicans

Justin Lahart & Mark Whitehouse of the Wall Street Journal: "U.S. families — by defaulting on their loans and scrimping on expenses — shouldered a smaller debt burden in 2010 than at any point in the previous six years, putting them in position to start spending more."

Derek Thompson of The Atlantic: the Congressional Budget Office finds that "repealing the health insurance mandate would trim our deficit at the cost of more uninsured people and higher health care premiums."

New York Times Editors: "... stripping the unions of their rights was never about the [Wisconsin state] budget, especially once the unions agreed to significant concessions on pensions and health care. It was always about politics. Governor Walker had hoped to hide behind a cooked-up budget crisis, but the fleeing Democrats at least succeeded in pulling away that facade." ...

... Greg Sargent: "I've got an advance look at some new polling by Survey USA that finds solid majorities in two [Wisconsin] GOP senate districts support the recall of their senators." The poll was taken before the Wisconsin legislature passed the bill to severely curb union bargaining rights. "A MoveOn official adds that the organization has already raised over $800,000 to support the recall drives against GOP senators." ...

... Steve Benen: get over it, conservatives. Recalls are part of the democratic process, and what Gov. Walker & Wisconsin Republican legislators did -- pass a very unpopular law they didn't campaign on -- is exactly what recall elections are for.

... Jennifer Epstein of Politico: "AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is anointing Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker the 'Mobilizer of the Year' for galvanizing union members and supporters into action." ...

... Think Wisconsin public workers will organize a general strike? Not likely now. Andy Kroll of Mother Jones: The "reform" bill passed by both houses "authorizes state officials to fire any state employee who joins a strike, walk-out, sit-in, or coordinated effort to call in sick."

Alessandra Stanley of the New York Times: "... there were so many angry charges of McCarthyism and countercharges of 'political correctness' that it sometimes seemed that the topic at hand on Thursday in Washington was the radicalization of the House Homeland Security Committee, not American Muslims." ...

... AND the Washington Post headline writer for David A. Fahrenthold & Michelle Boorstein sums it up nicely: "Peter King's Muslim hearing: Plenty of drama, less substance." ...

... Dana Milbank lambastes King & the Republicans on his committee.

New York Times Editors: an amicus brief by former prosecutors "underscores why the [Supreme Court] justices should uphold the judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that [former Attorney General John] Ashcroft forfeited immunity when he devised the strategy that led to the statute’s misuse." You can read the brief here (pdf).

David Hilzenrath of the Washington Post: "The Securities and Exchange Commission needs more money to meet its expanding responsibilities, but it hasn't made the most of the funds it already has, according to a study of the agency ordered by Congress last year." The agency is experiencing "low morale, few staff members with experience working in financial markets, and a slowdown in reviews of money managers and brokerage firms." Republicans want to cut the SEC budget.

Right Wing World

Your Joke about Rand Paul's Shit Goes HERE. Matthew Jaffe of ABC News: "Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY, today went off on a tirade about toilets in the midst of an Energy & Natural Resources Committee hearing on energy efficiency standards for certain appliances." And here it is:

News Ledes

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Gov. Scott Walker signed the bill Friday that repeals most collective bargaining by public employee unions. He signed the bill privately in the morning and will hold a news conference later in the day.... Also Friday, Walker directed the Office of State Employment Relations to rescind layoff notices because the Legislature had passed the bill."

New York Times: "A devastating tsunami hit the coast of northeast Japan on Friday in the aftermath of an 8.9 magnitude earthquake about 80 miles offshore, killing at least 23 people and injuring many more. The earthquake triggered widespread power blackouts, and countries across the Pacific Ocean, from Russia to South America and including Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States, braced for possible tsunami waves." ...

     ... AP Update: "... waves washed ashore on Hawaii and the U.S. West coast, where evacuations were ordered from California to Washington but little damage was reported. The entire Pacific had been put on alert — including coastal areas of South America, Canada and Alaska — but waves were not as bad as expected."

... Washington Post: "The White House announced Thursday that it will send a government aid team into rebel-held parts of Libya and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she will meet next week with representatives of the transition council, moves that edged the Obama administration closer to the formal Libyan opposition."

New York Times: "Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates sharply rebuked allies at a NATO meeting for effectively abandoning the war."

New York Times: "With little hope of a budget deal being reached before the end of next week, House Republicans are preparing another short-term spending measure to give the House and Senate a chance to come to agreement over a broader plan to keep the government operating through Sept. 30."

Washington Post: "The House on Thursday voted to end the Federal Housing Administration Refinance Program, one of two federal foreclosure-assistance programs on the chopping block this week."

New York Times: "A House subcommittee voted on Thursday to strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its power to regulate greenhouse gases, chipping away at a central pillar of the Obama administration’s evolving climate and energy strategy."

The Commentariat -- March 10

Vow of Bigotry. There have been numerous protests and newspaper articles demonizing these hearings, but I wanted to let you know that I will not back down to the hysteria created by my opponents and will continue with the hearings. -- Rep. Peter King (R-NY), in an e-mail to supporters; includes a link for donations

Delusions of Grandstanding. Keep doing what you’re doing. All I’d be worried about is some congressman or senator who thinks he’s Dick Tracy or James Bond or tries to get cheap headlines by holding Sunday news conferences announcing some big ‘disclosure.’ -- Character in Peter King's novel Vale of Tears. Read more excerpts here. Really, do.

The only real testimony we have on it was actually from Sheikh Kabbani, who was a Muslim leader during the Clinton Administration, he testified, this is back in 1999 and 2000, before the State Department that he thought over 80 percent of the mosques in this country are controlled by radical Imams. Certainly from what I've seen and dealings I've had, that number seems accurate. -- Peter King, Jan. 24, 2011. Glenn Kessler, the Washington Post fact-checker, was going to give King "quite a few Pinocchios" until King told him he was taking back his claim ...

... Amy Sullivan of Time on Rep. Keith Ellison's (D-Minn.) testimony before King's panel -- literally a tearjerker. Update 1: C-SPAN has the video here. Rep. Ellison's remarks begin about 21 min. in. His closing remarks, which Sullivan highlights, begin at about 33 min. into the video. Update 2: Here are Ellison's closing remarks. ...

... Chris Good of The Atlantic has the full text of Ellison's remarks, as prepared. ...

... A little perspective from Josh Gerstein of Politico: "While King has been slammed for focusing solely on Muslims — the title of his investigation is 'The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response' — five Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee hearings since 2006 have had the phrase 'violent Islamist extremism' in their descriptions.... Observers and some Muslim activists said King’s plan triggered an intense reaction because of the congressman’s own past statements that Muslims found offensive...."

Nicholas Kristof, with a little help from Air Force Gen. Merrill McPeak, makes the case for imposing a no-fly zone over Libya. ...

... Scott Wilson of the Washington Post: "President Obama is content to let other nations publicly lead the search for solutions to the Libyan conflict, his advisers say, a stance that reflects the more humble tone he has sought to bring to U.S. foreign policy but one that also opens him to criticism that he is a weak leader."

Justice Scalia Objects -- to the "Utter Nonsense" of His "Unprincipled," "Irrational," "Incoherent" Fellow Justices. Linda Greenhouse, in the New York Times: "the question raised by Justice Scalia’s most recent intemperate display remains: what does this smart, rhetorically gifted man think his bullying accomplishes?" ...

... Stephen Colbert interviews Rep. Anthony Weiner about Justice Clarence Thomas' "objectivity" on healthcare legislation:

... Dahlia Lithwick, in Slate, on the Justices's views of privacy rights: "As they come to the realization that there are indeed no more private spaces in America, some justices might be more inclined to chip away at the First Amendment to protect what's left of them."

Greg Sargent: "In a situation where they had repeated opportunities to resolve this standoff and plausibly declare victory for themselves, [Wisconsin Republicans] have now ensured that this battle is only going to escalate.... A lawyer told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the move appeared to violate the state's open meetings law. One assumes this is headed for court, but let's just presume for the moment that the move will stand.... This kind of conduct is exactly what recalls are for." ...

... Lee Fang of Think Progress: "In an interview with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly..., State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), one of [Gov. Scott] Walker’s closest allies in the legislature, confirmed the true political motive of Walker’s anti-union push. Fitzgerald explained that 'this battle' is about eliminating unions so that 'the money is not there' for the labor movement. Specifically, he said that the destruction of unions will make it 'much more difficult' for President Obama to win reelection in Wisconsin." With video.

Tony Romm of Politico: "Democrats on the Senate’s newest privacy panel are urging Facebook to 'reverse' a plan that would allow app developers the ability to request access to users’ addresses, phone numbers and other contact information. It’s the strongest signal of concern yet coming from Capitol Hill, where other members have questioned Facebook’s new feature since the social network disabled it amid controversy in January."

Liam Stack & Neil MacFarquhar of the New York Times: "The files have started flowing out of Egypt’s dreaded state security headquarters, part of the post-uprising rush to excavate some of the state’s darkest corners.... Egyptians want an accounting for years of arrest and torture, and a way to prevent any organization from gaining such powers in the future.... Charred pages blowing around the grounds of state security buildings underscored fears that much information was already being lost. On Saturday night, the sight of a dump truck emerging from the Cairo compound laden with shredded paper sent protesters into a fury, creating the momentum that drove the crowd past the army soldiers outside and into the hastily abandoned main building."

Dan Balz of the Washington Post remembers Post columnist & political reporter David Broder, who died Wednesday. ...

... Rick Hertzberg: "As a columnist, he was relentlessly, irritatingly 'centrist,' which, over the past couple of decades, usually meant splitting the difference between the views of moderate-to-liberal Democrats and those of very conservative Republicans. His reportorial shrewdness was impressive, but his wisdom was numbingly conventional. So I’ve done my share of knocking 'Broderism' over the years. But today I’m remembering David Broder simply as a kind man."

Right Wing World

Lies & the Lying Liars, a Media Matters video:

Like the proverbial monkey who types out the complete works of Shakespeare, sometimes David Brooks gets it right:

Newt Gingrich is not going to be President. I wouldn't let that guy run a 7-Eleven, let alone a country. No management skills.
-- David Brooks

Local News

Richard Perez-Pena of the New York Times: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's "misstatements, exaggerations and carefully constructed claims belie the national image he has built as a blunt talker who gives straight answers to hard questions, especially about budgets and labor relations. Candor is central to Mr. Christie’s appeal, and a review of his public statements over the past year shows some of them do not hold up to scrutiny." Here are paraphrases of a few whoppers: "New Jersey’s public-sector unions routinely pressure the State Legislature to give them what they fail to win in contract talks. Most government workers pay nothing for health insurance. Concessions by school employees would have prevented any cuts in school programs last year."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Emotions ran high at a much-anticipated hearing Thursday on the radicalization of American Muslims, with some witnesses describing what they called a stealth campaign to promote extremism and terrorism in American mosques and others expressing concern that such broad accusations could themselves alienate Muslims and empower Al Qaeda."

New York Times: "The state Assembly voted 53-42 Thursday on a bill that sharply curtails bargaining rights for government workers, sending the bill to Gov. Scott Walker who promised to sign it as soon as possible.... The police ... denied entry to legislators, including at least two Democratic Assembly members — David Cullen and Elizabeth Coggs. Mr. Cullen was turned away even after displaying his Assembly identification." ...

... Wisconsin State Journal: "Thousands of protesters rushed to the state Capitol Wednesday night, forcing their way through doors, crawling through windows and jamming corridors, as word spread of hastily called votes on Gov. Scott Walker's controversial bill limiting collective bargaining rights for public workers. The Capitol overnight crowd had gone mostly silent by 2:15 a.m. Thursday after a nearly continuous stream of protest songs, drumming and the occasional bagpiping since about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Protesters on the ground floor of the state Capitol rotunda led others in Woodie Guthrie's 'This Land Is Our Land' just after 2 a.m. then joined about 200 others snoozing in sleeping bags along the Capitol walls."

New York Times: "A first cousin of Afghanistan’s president was killed Wednesday during a night raid by NATO and Afghan forces in which they detained the man’s son as a suspected Taliban commander, as well as several of the family’s bodyguards. The case brought the sensitive issue of civilian casualties into the presidential palace and added to the already tense relationship between the Afghans and the Americans."

AP: "With fierce barrages of tank and artillery fire, Moammar Gadhafi's loyalists threw rebels into a frantic retreat from a strategic oil port Thursday in a counteroffensive that reversed the opposition's advance toward the capital of Tripoli and now threatens its positions in the east." ...

... BBC News: "Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi's security forces detained and beat up a BBC news team who were trying to reach the strife-torn western city of Zawiya. Members of the three-man team were beaten with fists, knees and rifles, hooded and subjected to mock executions by Libyan troops and secret police. The three were detained on Monday and held for 21 hours, but have now flown out of Libya." With a compelling video.

... New York Times: "Moving ahead of its allies, France said on Thursday that it would become the first country to recognize Libya’s rebel leadership in the eastern city of Benghazi and would soon exchange ambassadors with the insurgents." ...

... Politico: "Defense Secretary Robert Gates is beginning consultations in Brussels with his defense counterparts on an issue that has divided Washington and capitals across Europe: Should NATO intervene militarily in Libya?"

The Hill: "Senate Democrats suffered a wave of defections Wednesday as their proposal to cut just over $6 billion from federal spending this year went down to defeat. The Democratic bill attracted two fewer votes than the rival GOP measure that would cut spending by another $57 billion this year."

New York Times: "Faced with growing protests throughout Yemen calling for him to step down, President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced on Thursday that a new constitution to transfer power from the president to a parliamentary system would be drafted and put to a referendum by the end of this year."

Leading by Example. New York Times: "The Dalai Lama announced on Thursday he would formally relinquish his political leadership role in the Tibetan exile government, a decision intended to strengthen the democratic structure of the Tibetan movement on the eve of elections to choose a new generation of political leaders."