The Commentariat -- March 30, 2015

Internal links removed.

CW: My husband, who was Italian by birth and an American citizen, told me once that the only ethnic group that Americans -- in general -- felt comfortable dissing were Italians. His comment surprised me, & I thought maybe he was a bit overly-sensitive. When I was a child I heard people disparaging Italians, but had not heard such remarks for decades, partly, I suspected because of the efforts of the American-Italian Defamation League & similar groups.

Yesterday, my husband finally won his argument. I made the mistake of responding to a comment that bordered on an Italian slur but didn't go over the line, IMO. I should not have done that, as later in the day, the conversation in which I participated devolved into indisputable ethnic slurs. I bear responsibility for letting this happen, and -- as the saying goes -- I apologize to anyone who was offended. If you weren't offended, you should have been.

(If you're not sure you're delivering an ethnic slur, plug in the word "Negro" & see if you would feel comfortable making the remark to an African-American. If the answer is no, don't share your thought here, please.)

In future, I will endeavor to delete all comments that include a whiff of negative ethnic stereotyping. Again, I am sorry I allowed this to happen here, where bigotry should enjoy no privilege.

*****

Jonathan Weisman & Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times: "Senate Republicans bolted for a two-week spring recess with the confirmation of Loretta E. Lynch as attorney general in jeopardy, and themselves in a quandary: Accept a qualified nominee they oppose because she backs President Obama's policies or reject her and live with an attorney general they despise, Eric H. Holder Jr.... Lawmakers have found nothing in Ms. Lynch's background to latch on to in opposition, and many are loath to reject the first African-American woman put forth to be the nation's top law enforcement officer. But, they say, their constituents have told them that a vote for Ms. Lynch affirms Mr. Obama's executive actions on immigration, which she has said she finds lawful." ...

... CW: I really find it unpossible that the Senate would not confirm Lynch. The GOP's behavior is despicable.

Tom Keane in Politico Magazine: "'Can Elizabeth Warren be the new Ted Kennedy?' wonders Boston Globe columnist Joan Vennochi in a recent column. One answer is that she doesn't have to be; after all, Ted Kennedy wasn't always Ted Kennedy either. The second answer is that she already is."

Paul Krugman: Republicans have been forced to think up & disseminate outlandish "facts" to support their anti-ObamaCare mania. "... what we're looking at here is the impact of post-truth politics. We live in an era in which politicians and the supposed experts who serve them never feel obliged to acknowledge uncomfortable facts, in which no argument is ever dropped, no matter how overwhelming the evidence that it's wrong."

Kimberly Railey of the National Journal: "... as [Rep. Aaron] Schock [R-Ill.] departs public office, Illinois Republicans are quietly closing up a political machine that distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars around the state. Schock has pumped money into dozens of races in Illinois ... during his rise up the political ladder. Now, the political network Schock formed is unraveling, leaving some in Illinois — especially downstate Republicans -- wondering who else might get caught up in a wide-ranging investigation and how much they'll miss Schock's help."

Tim Devaney of the Hill: "A high-stakes legal dispute pitting McDonald's Corp. against labor unions is set to enter a crucial phase this week, when the National Labor Relations Board takes up consideration of a case with major implications for franchise businesses. An NLRB administrative law judge on Monday will begin weighing whether McDonald's should be responsible for what employees say are poor working conditions and low pay at many of its franchise restaurants."

... there's a very real chance that the next president of the United States could replace four justices. --Ian Millhiser ...

... This Supreme Court Is a Lot Like Earlier Supreme Courts. Elias Isquith of Salon: "As [Ian] Millhiser sees it, the Supreme Court has spent most of its existence standing athwart history, yelling, Stop! From gutting the civil rights acts of the post-Civil War era to attacking business regulations to weakening protections for children, minorities and immigrants, the court Millhiser describes has much more often than not worked to return power to those in society who need it least, and abuse it most."

Judith Schaeffer, in Slate, notes that at his confirmation hearings, then-Judge John Roberts essentially spoke in favor of same-sex marriage; that is, that he confirmed that the "right to marry" is broader than any historical prohibitions against it, like miscegenation laws.

** Paul Rosenberg, in Salon, takes a look at the big picture & its historical underpainting to conclude that the GOP really does aim to destroy democracy. "... part of what makes things much easier for Republicans in this era is that -- with few exceptions -- they're not going up against FDR-style social democrats, with the full-bodied set of attitudes, assumptions, principles and expectations entailed in that constitutional order, but instead face neoliberal Democrats who desire compromise in a framework of diminished expectations." ...

... CW: Besides the examples Rosenberg provides, you probably can think of others; for instance, the seemingly odd movement to repeal the 17th Amendment, which mandates the direct election of senators.

Brinkman's Strategy. Julian Borger of the Guardian: "There are less than two full days to go before an end-March deadline for agreeing a political framework to contain Iran's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief, and the atmosphere in Lausanne has taken on the nervous edge of an endgame.... The negotiations are still stalled within sight of the finishing line. There are still many issues still up in the air in Lausanne, but diplomats here say they believe most would resolve themselves if a couple of obstinate problems could be overcome. Those two issues are the extent to which Iran would be allowed to carry out research and development on new models of centrifuge in the last years of a deal, and -- the stickiest problem by far -- the lifting of UN security council sanctions." ...

... David Sanger & Michael Gordon of the New York Times: "For months, Iran tentatively agreed that it would send a large portion of its stockpile of uranium to Russia, where it would not be accessible for use in any future weapons program. But on Sunday Iran's deputy foreign minister made a surprise comment to Iranian reporters, ruling out an agreement that involved giving up a stockpile that Iran has spent years and billions of dollars to amass.... Western officials confirmed that Iran was balking at shipping the fuel out, but insisted that there were other ways of dealing with the material. Chief among those options, they said, was blending it into a more diluted form." ...

... Simon Sturdee, et al., of AFP: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a dire warning Sunday about a possible nuclear accord with Iran as talks in Switzerland towards the outline of a deal intensified days before a deadline. 'The dangerous accord which is being negotiated in Lausanne confirms our concerns and even worse,' Netanyahu said in remarks broadcast on public radio. He said the 'Iran-Lausanne-Yemen axis' was 'dangerous for all of humanity' and that combined with Tehran's regional influence, a nuclear deal could allow Iran to "conquer" the Middle East.'" ...

... Juan Williams of the Hill: "Speaker John Boehner[s (R-Ohio) trip to Israel this week is so blatantly political that even the avowedly impartial Associated Press describes it as looking 'like a jab at the White House.' It is worse than that.... The real issue here is the way Boehner is recklessly sowing division along party lines on Israel. He is also -- intentionally or not -- heightening the silent but simmering racial tensions that increasingly divide Americans on the subject. The racial division is the most troubling of all to me, as a black American." ...

... Steve Coll of the New Yorker: "After six years in office, and after repeatedly following the advice of his generals, only to see their predictions fail, Obama is choosing the risks of nuclear diplomacy over yet more war. It is the best of bad options, but it could be better still."

Yara Bayoumy & Mahmoud Mourad of Reuters: "Saudi Arabia accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of hypocrisy on Sunday, telling an Arab summit that he should not express support for the Middle East while fuelling instability by supporting Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad."

Presidential Race

John Wagner of the Washington Post: "Former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley said Sunday that the presidency 'is not some crown to be passed between two families,' sounding more resolute than ever about taking on Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination. O'Malley, who has been aggressively positioning himself as a more liberal and forward-looking alternative to Clinton, said during an appearance on ABC News's 'This Week' that 'new perspective and new leadership is needed.'"

Ted Cruz Is Still Obnoxious: Evan McMurry of Mediaite: "State of the Union temporary host Dana Bash pointed out to Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) Sunday morning that he and President Barack Obama shared notable similarities in their biographies and qualifications before the seeking the White House (an example of the limits of political analogy). Given that the GOP has made so much hay over Obama's supposed 'inexperience,' how, Bash asked, could they nominate Cruz? Cruz argued that his pre-Senate experience dwarfed Obama's. 'Unlike Barack Obama, I was not a community organizer before I was elected to the Senate,' he said. 'I spent 5 1/2 years as the solicitor general of Texas ... I supervised and led every appeal for the state of Texas in a 4,000-person agency with over 700 lawyers.'" ...

... CW: Cruz falls back on a stupid dog-whistle confederate talking point, ignoring Obama's 12-year career as an Illinois legislator & his side-job as a university lecturer. By Cruz's standard, we should describe Paul Ryan as nothing but a one-time Weinermobile driver & Scott Walker as a former McDonald's burger flipper. ...

... So this is hilarious. Kevin Robillard of Politico: "Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is swearing off negative campaigning as he begins his run for the White House. 'There may be other candidates who choose to throw rocks in my direction,' the GOP presidential hopeful said in an interview aired Sunday on CNN's 'State of the Union. I'm not going to engage in the personal mudslinging, in the negative attacks on people's character.'"

Joby Warrick of the Washington Post: Chris Christie was a big promoter of wind energy -- until he met the Koch boys. His "enthusiasm for wind energy appeared to flag around the time he began exploring a run for the Republican presidential nomination. Political opponents say the turning point was a series of meetings in 2011 and 2012 with key Republican donors, including billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, oil-industry magnates who have bankrolled campaigns against renewable energy."

Alina Selyukh & Sarah Lynch of Reuters: "Former Hewlett-Packard Co (HPQ.N) Chief Executive Carly Fiorina said on Sunday the chances she would run for the U.S. presidency in 2016 were 'higher than 90 percent' and that she would announce her plans in late April to early May." ...

... CW: Fiorina has never held elective office & "frequently has been ranked as one of the worst CEOs of all time." So. An excellent presidential candidate.

Beyond the Beltway

Stephanie Ebbs of ABC News: "Indiana's controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act will not be changing despite critics saying it allows business owners to discriminate against members of the LGBT community, state Gov. Mike Pence said [Sunday] during an exclusive interview on ABC's 'This Week.' Pence described the media coverage and opposition to the law as 'shameless rhetoric,' saying it strengthens the foundation of First Amendment rights rather than discriminates. 'We're not going to change the law,' he said, 'but if the general assembly in Indiana sends me a bill that adds a section that reiterates and amplifies and clarifies what the law really is and what it has been for the last 20 years, than I'm open to that.'" With video. ...

... David of Crooks & Liars: Mike Pence refused to answer George Stephanopoulos's repeated question: "And so yes or no, if a florist in Indiana refuses to serve a gay couple at their wedding, is that legal now in Indiana? Yes or no?" CW: So I'm pretty sure we all -- including Pence -- know what the answer is. ...

... John Cole of Balloon Juice: Pence is "stuck, and he doesn't know what to do, so he will keep denying and deflecting while Indiana loses millions of dollars in business and travel and tourism. It is always important to remember, that when discussing Mike Pence, that he is really, really, stupid...." ...

... Sarah Parvini & Nigel Duara of the Los Angeles Times: Hoosiers are mystified & dismayed that a discriminatory law is upsetting people. ...

... Tim Cook, Apple CEO, in a Washington Post op-ed: Among the states, "In total, there are nearly 100 bills designed to enshrine discrimination in state law. These bills rationalize injustice..., go against the very principles our nation was founded on, and they have the potential to undo decades of progress toward greater equality."

News Ledes

New York Times: "On Monday, the [U.S.] government charged that in the shadows of an undercover investigation of Silk Road, a notorious black-market site, two federal agents sought to enrich themselves by exploiting the very secrecy that made the site so difficult for law enforcement officials to penetrate. The agents, Carl Mark Force IV, who worked for the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Shaun W. Bridges, who worked for the Secret Service, had resigned amid growing scrutiny, and on Monday they were charged with money laundering and wire fraud. Mr. Force was also charged with theft of government property and conflict of interest."

Guardian: "The personal details of world leaders at the last G20 summit were accidentally disclosed by the Australian immigration department, which did not consider it necessary to inform those world leaders of the privacy breach.... An employee of the agency inadvertently sent the passport numbers, visa details and other personal identifiers of all world leaders attending the summit to the organisers of the Asian Cup football tournament."

Washington Post: "One person was killed and another was injured Monday morning when police with the National Security Agency opened fire on a vehicle whose driver refused commands to stop at a security gate, according to a statement from the agency. The vehicle slammed into a police cruiser after shots were fired." ...

... ABC News: "Sources say the two inside [the vehicle] were men dressed as women. Preliminary information indicated the two men were partying at an area hotel with a third individual when they took that individual's car without permission. However, it's still unclear how or why they ended up at the NSA gate."

New York Times: "Ehud Olmert, the former Israeli prime minister who was forced from office under a cloud of corruption, was convicted on Monday of fraud and breach of trust in a retrial of a case involving an American businessman, whose sensational testimony in a Jerusalem court in 2008 was instrumental in Mr. Olmert's downfall. The American businessman, Morris Talansky, said at the time that he had provided Mr. Olmert with about $150,000 over 13 years, mostly in cash stuffed into envelopes, an assertion Mr. Olmert vehemently denied. Mr. Talansky, known as Moshe, had said that much of the money was earmarked for election campaigns but that some was for Mr. Olmert's personal expenses."

The Commentariat -- March 29, 2015

Jamelle Bouie: "If liberals want someone to lead Senate Democrats, they should look to longtime Washington Sen. Patty Murray, who is the fourth-ranking Democrat in the caucus." Bouie makes the case for Murray, & makes a strong case against Elizabeth Warren, who, he argues, would have to drop her liberal causes as the leader of the entire caucus....

... CW: I would add that a new Senator like Warren -- quick study or not -- does not have the experience & knowledge to negotiate the arcane Senate rules & traditions. I am hardly one to argue that "Well, that's the way we've always done it" has any validity, but I'm not sure Warren even knows the secret handshake yet. ...

     ... Update. Colin Campbell & Hunter Walker of Business Insider interview staffers who pretty much back me up on this by highlighting, among other things, Schumer's "master[y] of Senate procedures" & "the somewhat antiquated culture of the Senate, where 'civility' is often prized." ...

... Harry & the Bloggers. Dave Weigel on how Harry Reid learned to use liberal bloggers to help him stop Dubya's agenda.

William Hartung of the Center for International Policy in Salon: President Obama & hawk-in-chief John McCain both want to raise the Pentagon budget; it's only a question of how much. But the real issue is that the Pentagon "needs" the money only because its so-called "strategy" is to "cover the globe." It's time to think up a new strategy.

CW: Opinion pieces that begin like this tend to annoy me: "In many ways, America deserves Ted Cruz. After all, it's been nearly eight years since voters (and the Supreme Court) elected a cocksure, right-wing adopted Texan, long on discredited ideology but short on wits, who plunged the United States into a sinkhole of economic and foreign policy chaos from which it has yet to fully emerge." And I'm not even good at arithmetic.

Over there is Right Wing World, they're thinking Harry Reid's New Year's Day injuries were the result of a run-in with mobsters for whom he failed to deliver. CW: Confederates might be sort of stupid, but -- to give them their due -- they do have the imaginations of 14-year-olds & other action-movie fans.

The audio of the oral arguments in Texas v. Sons of Confederate Veterans is here. The page also includes a link to the transcript of the arguments. Adam Liptak of the New York Times has an analysis here (March 23).

Presidential Race

I'm pretty sure New Hampshire's definition of gun control is kind of what it is in Texas. Gun control means hittin' what you aim [at]. -- Ted Cruz, to a New Hampshire audience ...

... David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "There are 15 noteworthy contenders for the Republican Party's presidential nomination. Together, they own at least 40 guns.... Former Florida governor Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie -- don't own a gun at all.... Nevertheless, their political views on guns are almost all the same. Nearly every GOP contender is broadly opposed to new limits on the purchase or use of guns. In fact, with the exception of Christie -- the field's one true outlier -- those who have been rated by the National Rifle Association range from A-plus all the way down to ... A-minus."

Maureen Dowd has a go at "Bush 45," & her column is worth a read, for once. "Jeb wants it both ways. His litany of foreign policy advisers is a list divided against itself. He wants the money and dynastic privilege that comes with his name, even as he insists he's a fresh slate."

Invisible Man. AP: "Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker left a tour of the U.S.-Mexico border without addressing questions being raised about his stance on immigration. The likely Republican presidential contender remained invisible to reporters on Friday during a visit that could have given him a chance to spotlight illegal immigration and border security."

Argumentum Nixonum. Jesse Byrnes of the Hill: "Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus blasted Hillary Clinton on Saturday for wiping her server and permanently deleting all emails. 'Even Nixon didn't destroy the tapes,' Priebus said in a statement."

Beyond the Beltway

Tim Swarens of the Indianapolis Star: Indiana "Gov. Mike Pence, scorched by a fast-spreading political firestorm, told The Star on Saturday that he will support the introduction of legislation to 'clarify' that Indiana's controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act does not promote discrimination against gays and lesbians.... [BUT] Asked if that legislation might include making gay and lesbian Hoosiers a protected legal class, Pence said, 'That's not on my agenda.'" ...

... Tim Evans of the Indy Star: "The continuing blowback over Indiana's new 'religious freedom' law hit home Saturday, with Indianapolis-based Angie's List announcing it is canceling a $40 million headquarters expansion. The decision is a direct result of passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, co-founder and chief executive officer Bill Oesterle said Saturday."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Rescue workers recovered two bodies on Sunday in the wreckage of the explosion and fire that happened last week in the East Village, the police said. One of two bodies was identified by family members as Nicholas Figueroa, 23. The second body was not yet identified.... Officials said the fire was most likely set off by a gas explosion. The explosion blew off the facade of the building, before spreading to four neighboring ones. Three of the buildings -- 119, 121 and 123 Second Avenue -- were reduced to rubble."

AP: "Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen will continue until Shiite rebels there 'withdraw and surrender their weapons,' a summit of Arab leaders decided Sunday, as they also agreed in principle to forming a joint military force. The decision by the Arab League puts it on a path to potentially more aggressively challenge Shiite power Iran, which is backing the Yemeni rebels, known as Houthis."

Baltimore Sun: Protesters show up outside Bill Cosby's Baltimore performance, and one interrupts his show.

The Commentariat -- March 28, 2015

Internal links removed.

Mike DeBonis & Sean Sullivan of the Washington Post: Harry Reid's "retirement announcement came Friday accompanied by an almost magical development: a quiet and bloodless succession. Reid's endorsement of his top deputy, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) makes Schumer the heavy favorite to assume the Democratic leader's chair in 2017, forestalling a messy intracaucus battle that would have played out over the next two years.... Schumer is vice chairman of the Democratic Conference, the third-ranking party leader, but has long been seen as more likely to succeed Reid than the No. 2, Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.)." ...

... Manu Raju & Burgess Everett of Politico write what they say is the "inside story" on how Schumer got (or, rather, will get) the leadership job. ...

... Nora Kelly of the National Journal: "Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid was just finishing up a discussion on collective bargaining during a Friday appearance on Nevada Public Radio when an unexpected fan called in. It was President Obama." ...

... Molly Ball of the Atlantic on Harry Reid & his career. A most enjoyable read.

Alex Ronan of New York: "Long-action reversible contraceptives — which include IUDs and under-the-skin implants ... are the most effective form of birth control aside from sterilization: Failure rates range between .05 percent and .8 percent (by comparison, the failure rate of the pill is 9 percent, and for condoms, 18 percent). LARCs are also invisible to nosy parents. New research shows that when teen girls get LARCs for free, teen pregnancy rates drop dramatically." So naturally, Republican men oppose them. Because IUDS are responsible for "stopping a small child from implanting." CW: I wonder why Republicans promote abstinence, which also "stops a small child from implanting."

President Obama & David Simon, creator of "The Wire," have a conversation about drug-use abatement.

Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "An examination of the server that housed the personal email account that Hillary Rodham Clinton used exclusively when she was secretary of state showed that there are no copies of any emails she sent during her time in office, her lawyer [David Kendall] told a congressional committee on Friday." ...

... Lauren French of Politico: "'While it is not clear precisely when Secretary Clinton decided to permanently delete all emails from her server, it appears she made the decision after October 28, 2014, when the Department of State for the first time asked the Secretary to return her public record to the Department,' Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), chairman of the Select Committee on Benghazi, said in a statement. Clinton was under a subpoena order from the panel for all documents related to the 2012 attacks on the American compound there.... Gowdy said that Clinton's response to the subpoena means he and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) will now contemplate new legal actions against Clinton." ...

... Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Responding to controversy over Hillary Clinton's use of a private email account as the nation's top diplomat, Secretary of State John Kerry is asking the agency's internal watchdog to launch a review of how it handles its records and responds to requests for information."

White House: "In this week's address, the President highlighted the progress made protecting American consumers since he signed Wall Street reform into law five years ago, including an important new step taken by the independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau earlier this week toward preventing abuses in payday lending":

Emily Flitter of Reuters: "Big Wall Street banks are so upset with U.S. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren's call for them to be broken up that some have discussed withholding campaign donations to Senate Democrats in symbolic protest.... Citigroup has decided to withhold donations for now to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee over concerns that Senate Democrats could give Warren and lawmakers who share her views more power.... JPMorgan representatives have met Democratic Party officials to emphasize the connection between its annual contribution and the need for a friendlier attitude toward the banks...." ...

... Elizabeth Warren responds: "In 2008, the financial sector collapsed and nearly brought down our whole economy. What were the ingredients behind that crash? Recklessness on Wall Street and a willingness in Washington to play along with whatever the big banks wanted.... The biggest banks on Wall Street have made it clear that they expect a return on their investment in Washington.... The big banks have issued a threat, and it's up to us to fight back."

When Being a Do-Gooder May Be Unethical. Anna Palmer & John Brenahan of Politico: "The House Ethics Committee is launching a full-scale investigation into whether Kentucky Republican Rep. Ed Whitfield improperly aided his wife's lobbying work for the Humane Society Legislative Fund."

Liz Sly of the Washington Post: "The meltdown in Yemen is pushing the Middle East dangerously closer toward the wider regional conflagration many long have feared would arise from the chaos unleashed by the Arab Spring revolts. What began as a peaceful struggle to unseat a Tunisian dictator four years ago and then mutated into civil strife now risks spiraling into a full-blown war between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran over a country that lies at the choke point of one of the world's major oil supply routes."

Melissa Eddy, et al., of the New York Times: "Andreas Lubitz, the pilot at the controls of the Germanwings jetliner that crashed into the French Alps on Tuesday, had a mental illness but kept the diagnosis hidden from his employer, the authorities said Friday.... Prosecutors said Friday that among the items found at Mr. Lubitz's home were several doctors' notes stating that he was too ill to work, including on the day of the crash...." ...

     ... UPDATE: "Andreas Lubitz ... sought treatment for vision problems that may have jeopardized his ability to continue working as a pilot, two officials with knowledge of the investigation said Saturday." ...

... Ben Knight, et al., of the Guardian: "The co-pilot on the Germanwings flight that crashed in the French Alps wanted to ... 'do something' history would remember him by, according to reports. Andreas Lubitz, 27, had hidden a sicknote declaring him unfit to work on the day of the disaster.... According to the German newspaper Bild, a former girlfriend of Lubitz, identified only as Mary W, said he had told her last year: 'One day I will do something that will change the whole system, and then all will know my name and remember it.'" ...

... It didn't take long for confederate Islamophobes to "discover" that Lubitz was a Muslim convert. Even if the "facts" haven't quite been "authenticated," we do know for sure that Lubitz took his pilot training in Bremen, a German town that has a mosque which has been investigated for ties to ISIS. Also, Lubitz took a break from his pilot training six years back when he "probably converted to Islam." ...

... CW: I was going to suggest that if the loon contingent could just peg Tim McVeigh as a Muslim, their absurdist world would be perfect. Oh, they're way ahead of me. According to a 2010 story in the conspiracy-driven Accuracy in Media (great handle!) organization, "Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh was in fact a front man for Middle Eastern terrorists. The third terrorist, in addition to the two, McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who were convicted, was an Arab." Turns out Bill Clinton covered up the "real story" for "political reasons."

Mairav Zonszein of the Guardian: "Israel killed more Palestinian civilians in 2014 than in any other year since the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip began in 1967, a UN report has said. Israel's activities in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem resulted in the deaths of 2,314 Palestinians and 17,125 injuries...."

... CW: Those Palestinians killed & injured were Israeli citizens, if not by choice. By comparison, imagine if the U.S. government had killed more than 90,000 Americans last year, approximately the same percentage as the percent of its citizens the Israeli government killed. ...

... Jimmy Carter in a Washington Post op-ed: "Ultimately, only a peace agreement that grants freedom to self-governed Palestinians can bring the security that both the Israeli and Palestinian people deserve. As long as Palestinians remain divided, it will be difficult for any leader to sell to the Palestinian people a peace agreement with Israel. Absent such an agreement, lifting the closure and jump-starting Gaza's reconstruction can do much to avert the next war."

Presidential Race

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "When former Secretary of State James A. Baker III accused Israel's leader this week of undermining the chances of peace in the region, he said nothing more than the kinds of things he had said at times when he was in office a quarter-century ago. But the instant backlash from fellow Republicans that prompted Jeb Bush, the son of Mr. Baker's best friend, to distance himself underscored just how much their party has changed on the issue of Israel.... Within minutes, conservatives on Twitter blasted Mr. Baker..., who had just been listed as an adviser to Jeb Bush.... By the next morning, Jeb Bush authorized his spokeswoman to publicly differ, but [billionaire Sheldon] Adelson and other pro-Israel donors are said to remain incensed at Mr. Bush for not stopping the speech or dumping Mr. Baker."

Dylan Byers of Politico: "Former press hound Scott Walker limits media availability in wake of slip ups." CW: When stupid keeps dripping from your mouth, it's a darned good idea to try to keep your lips zipped.

He's still Ted Cruz. -- New Hampshire Republican, on why Cruz won't win the state's primary

James Hohmann of Politico: Political operatives think Ted Cruz has little a chance of winning either the Iowa or New Hampshire primary -- or the nomination. ...

... BUT maybe you'll want to take Gail Collins' Ted Cruz quiz anyway. For one thing, guessing the answers is easy. For another, it made me like avocados (& here I don't mean Spanish-speaking lawyers, especially not Cruz) even more.

Old Randy/New Randy. The Most Interesting Man in Politics Is Now a Confederate Bore. Steve Benen: "Rand Paul seemed to fascinate much of the Beltway media, not through adept legislating, but by taking positions that break with GOP orthodoxy.... He opposed aid to Israel, was open to immigration reform, wasn't crazy about Guantanamo Bay, opposed war with Iran, was eager to cut military spending, was a civil libertarian on issues involving the national security state, and had some libertarian instincts on social issues.... However..., the new [Rand Paul] supports aid to Israel, opposes immigration, wants to keep Guantanamo open, signed onto the Iran sabotage letter, wants to increase military spending, supports the use of domestic drones, and [strongly opposes gay marriage]."

Beyond the Beltway

Michael Barbaro & Erik Eckholm of the New York Times: "An Indiana law that could make it easier for religious conservatives to refuse service to gay couples touched off storms of protest on Friday from the worlds of arts, business and college athletics and opened an emotional new debate in the emerging campaign for president.... A similar furor was building in Arkansas on Friday as the State Senate adopted a version of the bill that has inflamed the state's corporate giants, like Walmart, and high-tech companies the state is now wooing."

We've had an epidemic of racism all across our country. Ferguson, Missouri, might be the best-known case. -- David Boren, University of Oklahoma president ...

... Joey Stipek & Richard Perez-Pena of the New York Times: "A racist song that caused a national uproar when it was caught on video was a fixture within a fraternity chapter at the University of Oklahoma and not an anomaly, the university reported Friday, and members first learned it at a gathering of the national fraternity four years ago. 'It was learned by chapter members on a national leadership cruise sponsored by the national organization of Sigma Alpha Epsilon,' the university said in a brief report on the results of its inquiry into the episode. 'Over time, the chant was formalized in the local S.A.E. chapter and was taught to pledges as part of the formal and informal pledgeship process.'" CW: Fraternities usually manage to be a little worse than you imagined.

Andrea Chang, et al., of the Los Angeles Times: "A civil-court jury Friday returned a verdict in the high-profile Ellen Pao gender discrimination case, finding that powerful venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers did not discriminate against her because of her gender and did not retaliate when she protested her treatment."

News Ledes

Washington Post: "Arab leaders vowed Saturday to back the embattled Yemeni president as a Saudi Arabia-led coalition intensified airstrikes on Shiite rebel targets across Yemen, escalating a conflict that many residents fear could lead to a land invasion.... The Saudis and their allies think that the Shiite rebels are backed by Iran and that Tehran is trying to exert control over a country that had been an ally of Riyadh and Washington."

Telegraph: "A close media aide to Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian president, has sought political asylum in Switzerland after travelling to Lausanne to cover the nuclear talks between Tehran and the West.Amir Hossein Motaghi, who managed public relations for Mr Rouhani during his 2013 election campaign, was said by Iranian news agencies to have quit his job at the Iran Student Correspondents Association (ISCA). He then appeared on an opposition television channel based in London to say he no longer saw any 'sense' in his profession as a journalist as he could only write what he was told."