The Commentariat -- March 21, 2013

Ari Rabinovitch & Allyn Fisher-Ilan of Reuters: "President Barack Obama said on Thursday that settlement building in the occupied West Bank did not 'advance the cause of peace', but stopped short of demanding a construction freeze to enable negotiations to resume. Speaking at a joint news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Obama said he remained committed to the creation of an 'independent, viable and contiguous' Palestinian state, but said achieving that goal would not be easy." ...

... Mark Landler & Alan Cowell of the New York Times have more.

The Sequester Matters. Andrew Kaczynski of BuzzFeed: "This isn't cancelled White House tours, these are real people losing pay and losing their jobs." In a video at the linked page, Kaczynski compiles "today's sequester news, as reported by local cable news outlets."

Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post: "The House by a vote of 221-207 passed a budget blueprint by Rep. Paul Ryan -- his third proposal in three years -- and was moving quickly toward final passage of a short-term funding measure to keep the government operating beyond the end of this month. The bill to avert a shutdown cleared the Senate on Wednesday." ...

... Jeremy Peters & Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "The irreconcilable views that the two parties hold on economics, public spending and the role of government could not have been in starker conflict [yesterday]. As House Republicans moved ahead with their latest attempt to dismantle President Obama's health care overhaul -- they voted on one measure that would do so on Wednesday and will vote on another on Thursday -- Democrats were holding a news conference in the basement of the Capitol heralding the third anniversary of the law’s passage."

Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times: "Despite a high-profile push by President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the assault weapons ban never had a chance of passage." ...

... They should actually do a real background check on everyone. -- John Boehner * ...

     * ... Just Kidding. Steve Benen: "... a policy that requires real background checks on everyone is the centerpiece of President Obama's efforts to combat gun violence, and it's an idea that enjoys overwhelming support from Americans. But Republicans and the NRA continue to strongly oppose the policy, making Boehner's response on national television a pleasant surprise....[Jake] Tapper [of CNN] later reported that the Speaker's office said Boehner misspoke, and he only supports Justice Department background checks 'that are already required that are not necessarily done.' In other words, when Boehner endorsed 'real background check on everyone,' he did not mean that he actually supports 'real background check on everyone.'" Read the whole post.

Tom Edsall in the New York Times: "The Priebus report and Rove's Conservative Victory Project together mark a significant escalation in the battle between the center and the right over the soul of the Republican Party. What has yet to be determined is whether they are fighting over a patient who can be quickly resuscitated or a patient with a chronic but not fatal illness — or a corpse." ...

... Ed Kilgore: "... the prevailing issue isn't talking complacent conservatives into the kind of 'move to the center' that normally is the product of two consecutive presidential losses, adverse demographic trends, and abysmal party approval ratings. It’s stopping an even more drastic 'plunge to the right' in an environment where Rand Paul and Ted Cruz are becoming maximum GOP stars for arguing that moderation is the party's problem, and finding candidates to buck the trend is even harder than ignoring the elephant in the room."

New York Times Editors: people against who a temporary protective order has been granted should have to give up their guns.

Linda Greenhouse on the evolution of public and judicial attitudes about same-sex marriage: "With a majority of the public now supporting same-sex marriage (overwhelmingly among Democrats and young people, and even by a slim margin of Republicans under the age of 50), those who believe, as I do, that the Constitution acquires meaning outside the courts are seeing powerful validation."

Catherine Saint Louis of the New York Times: "The American A.academy of Pediatrics declared its support for same-sex marriage for the first time on Thursday, saying that allowing gay and lesbian parents to marry if they so choose is in the best interests of their children."

Peter Manseau, in a New York Times op-ed: in South America, Roman Catholic priests just get married. So maybe Pope Francis will come around. "For now the discipline of celibacy remains firm," [then-Cardinal Bergoglio] told Rabbi Abraham Skorka in a 2010 interview. "... For the moment, I am in favor of maintaining celibacy, with the pros and cons it has, because there are 10 centuries of good experiences rather than failures."

Local News

Jeff Mapes of the Oregonian: "Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown will present Oregon legislators with an ambitious plan Wednesday that would ensure that almost all eligible Oregonians are automatically registered to vote. Brown plans to unveil legislation that would use driver-license data and -- eventually -- data from other government agencies to register citizens." CW: some places are so civilized.

News Ledes

Denver Post: "The executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections Tom Clements, was killed in his home Tuesday night, according to a statement from Gov. John Hickenlooper."

Reuters: "Afghan President Hamid Karzai and NATO-led forces have reached an agreement on the departure of foreign troops from a strategically key province near the capital, coalition forces said, but it was unclear if U.S. special forces would leave."

AP: "A mortar shell explosion killed at least seven Marines and injured several more during mountain warfare training in Nevada's high desert, prompting the Pentagon to immediately halt the use of the weapons until an investigation can determine their safety, officials said Tuesday. The explosion occurred Monday night at the Hawthorne Army Depot, a sprawling facility used by troops heading overseas, during an exercise involving the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Lejeune, N.C."

AP: "Computer networks at major South Korean banks and top TV broadcasters crashed en masse Wednesday, paralyzing bank machines across the country and prompting speculation of a cyberattack by North Korea."

ABC News: "In a study that's sure to shake up the soda ban debate, Harvard researchers have linked the sugary drinks to 180,000 deaths a year worldwide, 25,000 in the United States alone."

The Commentariat -- March 20, 2013

That's it for today's links. Pesky "other obligations" are swamping me for the next several days.

Matt Spetalnick of Reuters: President Barack Obama arrived in Israel on Wednesday without any new peace initiative to offer disillusioned Palestinians and facing deep Israeli doubts over his pledge to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. Making his first official visit here as president, Obama hopes to use the trip to reset his often fraught relations with both the Israelis and Palestinians in a choreographed three-day stay that is high on symbolism but low on expectations."

** CW: A letter from Andrew Bacevich to Paul Wolfowitz, published in Harper's, which contributor cowichan recommends, is absolutely fascinating. Every bit of it rings true to me. ...

... New York Times Editorial Board: "Ten years after it began, the Iraq war still haunts the United States in the nearly 4,500 troops who died there; the more than 30,000 American wounded who have come home; the more than $2 trillion spent on combat operations and reconstruction, which inflated the deficit; and in the lessons learned about the limits of American leadership and power.... Yet none of the Bush administration's war architects have been called to account for their mistakes, and even now, many are invited to speak on policy issues as if they were not responsible for one of the worst strategic blunders in American foreign policy." ...

... Jessica Stern, in a New York Times op-ed: "That the war on terror, which created the political environment for invading Iraq, ended up exacerbating terrorism there and in the region is only one of the many tragic consequences of this ill-fated American escapade." ...

... "Decade of Despair." Ahmad Saadawi, in a New York Times op-ed: "The contradictions that had been contained under Saddam Hussein burst forth into the open. Lives were uprooted in the process. It is no surprise that, a decade later, some people find themselves yearning for the '90s."

Ed O'Keefe of the Washington Post: "Senate Democrats are preparing to move ahead with consideration of several proposals to limit gun violence, but prospects for the controversial ban on hundreds of specific weapons and parts are diminishing, according to lawmakers and aides familiar with the process. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the chief sponsor of the ban, said Tuesday that her proposal won't be included as part of a bill encompassing several proposals that the Senate Judiciary Committee approved last week and that the Senate is expected to begin debating when it returns from a two-week recess in early April." ...

... Harry Reid, Gutless Wonder. David Firestone of the New York Times: "... the dismissal of the assault weapons ban shows the power that gun lobbies like the National Rifle Association continue to hold over senior Democrats, including Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, who made the decision. The contrast to the political courage displayed by the governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper [D], could not be more clear." ...

... BUT Steve M. of No More Mister Nice Blog: "After all of Wayne LaPierre's paranoid ranting and raving..., 48% of Americans still saw the NRA in a positive light, according to one poll; 46% said the NRA better reflected their views on guns, as opposed to 41% who said President Obama did, according to another poll; yet another poll said that 44% of Americans trust Republicans on gun policy, vs. 42% for the president. And yes, this was even as poll after poll showed overwhelming support for universal background checks, and broad support for other gun control measures. I'm not angry at Harry Reid because he can read a poll -- as, presumably, can the seven Democratic senators running for reelection in 2014 in Romney states."

Ashley Parker & Michael Shear of the New York Times: "Republican opposition to legalizing the status of millions of illegal immigrants is crumbling in the nation's capital as leading lawmakers in the party scramble to halt eroding support among Hispanic voters -- a shift that is providing strong momentum for an overhaul of immigration laws." ...

... BUT Rick Klein of ABC News observes, Rand Paul's vague speech on immigration reform "suggests a party that's wrestling deeply with how to address issues around illegal immigration without alienating either Latino voters or a GOP base that continues to deride notions of citizenship for illegal immigrants as dangerous for both the party and the country." CW: obviously, it would be impolite to thumb one's nose at deranged racists. ...

... PLUS, Matthew Cooper of the National Journal: Paul "sees Hispanics as natural Republicans but for the immigration issue. But all of the polling data suggest otherwise. The Pew Research Center notes, 'Latinos have often been characterized as more socially conservative than most Americans. On some issues, such as abortion, that's true. But on others, such as acceptance of homosexuality, it is not. When it comes to their own assessments of their political views, Latinos, more so than the general public, say their views are liberal.' ... When asked if they backed President Obama's position that 'health insurance organizations should be required to cover contraception,' 68 percent of Hispanics said yes; only 11 percent said no." CW: might be a mistake at this point to tell Republicans they're delusional.

Igor Volsky of Think Progress: "Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said he would not support revenue increases in budget negotiations with Democrats during an appearance on Bloomberg TV Tuesday morning, explaining that the nation must reform the tax code by lowering rates and 'plugging loopholes' and achieve a balanced budget with spending cuts alone.... spending cuts have so far outnumbered revenue by nearly 3 to 1, which is why economists believe that 'the next installment of deficit reduction should reach $2 trillion and about half of it should come from higher taxes.' Ryan, meanwhile, has told voters for more than three years that he would pay for his massive tax breaks by closing tax loopholes without ever specifying which deductions or credits he plans to eliminate." CW: meanwhile, President Obama refuses to lead. ...

... Steve Benen lists a bunch of stuff about the budget & other matters which Paul Ryan accidentally forgot: "Everyone can be forgetful once in a while, but the Republican Budget Committee chairman seems to forget rather important details and developments so often, it's rather unsettling. The alternative, of course, is that Ryan's memory is fine and he shamelessly lies when it suits his purposes...." ...

... Former Very Serious Intellectual Golden Boy Not So Golden Now. Rasmussen Reports: "Even Republicans have a lower opinion these days of Congressman Paul Ryan.... A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 35% of all Likely U.S. Voters now view Ryan favorably. That's down 15 points from 50% in August just after Mitt Romney chose him as his running mate." Via Alex Rogers of Time.

Fifty-four percent (54%) have an unfavorable opinion of the Wisconsin congressman.

Simon Romero & Emily Schmall of the New York Times: "... behind the scenes, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who led the public charge against [Argentina's plan to approve gay marriage], spoke out in a heated meeting of bishops in 2010 and advocated a highly unorthodox solution: that the church in Argentina support the idea of civil unions for gay couples. The concession inflamed the gathering -- and offers a telling insight into the leadership style he may now bring to the papacy.... The approach stands in sharp contrast to his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who spent 25 years as the church's chief doctrinal enforcer before becoming pope, known for an unbending adherence to doctrinal purity."

AND C-SPAN callers seem to be penis-obsessed:

... Andrew Kaczynski of BuzzFeed with 10 great C-SPAN moments.

Congressional Race

Bruce Smith of the AP: "Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has advanced to a runoff in the Republican contest for an open congressional seat along the state's south coast. Meanwhile, the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert has won the Democratic primary for the seat. Elizabeth Colbert Bush on Tuesday handily defeated perennial candidate Ben Frasier and will face the winner of the crowded GOP primary in the May 7 general election. In early returns on Tuesday evening, it was unclear who Sanford would face in the April 2nd GOP runoff. Fifteen other Republicans were running including Teddy Turner, the son of media mogul Ted Turner."

Right Wing World

"Left Behind." McKay Coppins of BuzzFeed: "Some leaders of the religious right are openly worried this week after a sprawling 98-page report released by the Republican National Committee on how the party can rebuild after its 2012 implosion made no mention of the GOP's historic alliance with grassroots Christian 'value voters.' Specifically, the word 'Christian' does not appear once in the party's 50,000-word blueprint for renewed electoral success. Nor does the word 'church.' Abortion and marriage, the two issues that most animate social conservatives, are nowhere to be found. There is nothing about the need to protect religious liberty, or promote Judeo-Christian values in society.... To many religious conservatives, the report was interpreted as a slight against their agenda and the hard work they have done for the party."

... CW News for Religious Fundamentalists: The GOP party bosses really weren't that into you. P.S. You're part of the problem, not the solution.

Paul Bedard of the Washington Examiner: "The catfight between former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele and his replacement, Reince Priebus, has reached screech level, with Steele belittling the party's new focus on minorities as old news. Appearing on the 'Andrea Tantaros Show,' a nationally syndicated radio show, Steele said the GOP's $10 million minority outreach effort ignored his plan instituted four years ago and was the latest example of a bloated party apparatus."

Josh Israel of Think Progress: "A day after ThinkProgress and others reported that Joseph D. McDonald, Jr. (R), Sheriff of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, told a 'joke' at a Republican St. Patrick's Day breakfast suggesting the nation would be better off if President Obama were assassinated, McDonald stood by his joke and compared his critics to Nazis." Here's the original story, from Blue Mass Group, which contributor Akhilleus linked yesterday. ...

... More from Blue Mass Group: after national media picked up the story, people began posting criticisms on the Sheriff's official Facebook page. Someone almost immediately took down the comments & has now disabled the comments facility. "... by removing these comments, McDonald might be violating the state public records law."

News Ledes

Denver Post: "The executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, Tom Clements, was killed in his home Tuesday night, according to a statement from Gov. John Hickenlooper."

Reuters: "Afghan President Hamid Karzai and NATO-led forces have reached an agreement on the departure of foreign troops from a strategically key province near the capital, coalition forces said, but it was unclear if U.S. special forces would leave."

AP: "A mortar shell explosion killed at least seven Marines and injured several more during mountain warfare training in Nevada's high desert, prompting the Pentagon to immediately halt the use of the weapons until an investigation can determine their safety, officials said Tuesday. The explosion occurred Monday night at the Hawthorne Army Depot, a sprawling facility used by troops heading overseas, during an exercise involving the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Lejeune, N.C."

AP: "Computer networks at major South Korean banks and top TV broadcasters crashed en masse Wednesday, paralyzing bank machines across the country and prompting speculation of a cyberattack by North Korea."

ABC News: "In a study that's sure to shake up the soda ban debate, Harvard researchers have linked the sugary drinks to 180,000 deaths a year worldwide, 25,000 in the United States alone."

The Commentariat -- March 19, 2013

Jonathan Weisman & Annie Lowrey of the New York Times: "With the expected Senate passage as early as Tuesday of broad legislation to finance the federal government through Sept. 30, a lucky few programs will be spared the brunt of the automatic spending cuts -- known as sequestration -- now coursing through the federal government. Managers, especially in the Defense Department, will be given more flexibility to implement $85 billion in cuts.... The worst of the cuts in federal spending to a major infant nutrition program would be reversed. Embassy security and construction could be spared in the wake of the consulate attack in Benghazi, Libya. And child care subsidies, once seen as critical to the success of welfare reform, would take a haircut, not the hammer blow that President Obama once loudly warned was coming."

Katrina vanden Heuvel of the Nation, in the Washington Post: "Last week in Washington was a tale of two budgets. One of them used popular, common-sense plans to create millions of jobs. The other had a battery of discredited ideas that would kill jobs and derail the recovery. Guess which one much of the mainstream media were chattering about?"

Peter Baker & Steven Greenhouse of the New York Times: "Mr. Obama's nomination [for labor secretary] of Thomas E. Perez, who has racked up record discrimination and housing claims as head of the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department, generated criticism from some Senate Republicans who called him a divisive and political choice." ...

... Brian Beutler of TPM thinks the Perez confirmation process will not go well for the GOP: "Perez is a Hispanic leader and as head of DOJ's civil rights division one of the Obama administration's most progressive officials.... Thus, on the day of its unveiling, the Growth And Opportunity Project [a/k/a the 'Outreach to Schmucks" program] faces a major challenge to its own raison d’être. [Wait till] the party's simultaneously filibustering a qualified candidate to be the only Latino in Obama's second-term cabinet [while] the conservative media lapses into another Sotomayor-like spectacle of racial panic and drags elected officials with them." Rush Limbaugh is already there, saying Perez "might as well be Hugo Chavez and is comparing him to the Grand Kleagle of Klan." ...

Hola, Amigos!... This out of David Vitter's office: "U.S. Sen. David Vitter [RHookers-La.] announced his commitment to block the nomination of Thomas Perez as Secretary of the Labor Department until the Department of Justice responds to his 2011 letter related to spotty enforcement of the National Voter Registration Act in Louisiana. Perez was closely involved in the controversial New Black Panther voter intimidation case before the Department of Justice." ...

     ... Ian Millhiser of Think Progress: "The decision to drop most of the allegations against the New Black Panther defendants -- the decision that many on the far right now object to -- happened on May 18, 2009. Perez did not take over the Civil Rights Division until the next October." Read the whole post. ...

... AND this from Sen. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III [RConfederacy-Ala.]: "... illegal workers ... illegal immigration ... Casa de Maryland ... fringe advocacy group ... illegal immigrants ... illegal labor sites ... illegal immigrants ... illegal immigrants ... flawed immigration policies ... undermines legal work requirements." Beauregard got all that into two short grafs. ...

... Steve Benen has a pretty good overview of the Rush-Malkin-Vitter-Sessions Latino Outreach Program. It's going well! Hispanic voters are sure to take notice.

Joe Nocera: "... as a longtime Democratic member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations -- and as its chairman since 2007 -- [Carl] Levin [Mich.] has done more than anyone to expose the scams, the conflicts, the wrongdoing and the sheer idiocy of the financial industry from the run-up to the financial crisis to the present day. Every time Levin's subcommittee holds a hearing, it should shame Attorney General Eric 'Too Big to Jail' Holder Jr." Nocera adds,

Sometime in the next few months, the permanent subcommittee plans to call the Internal Revenue Service to task for allowing the political super PACs to be classified as tax-exempt 501(c)(4)s. 'Tax-exempt 501(c)(4)s are not supposed to be engaged in politics,' he said. 'It is against the law to do so.' Then he added, with a certain undeniable relish, 'We're going to go after them.'

Gary Langer of ABC News: "Support for gay marriage reached a new high in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, marking a dramatic change in public attitudes on the subject across the past decade. Fifty-eight percent of Americans now say it should be legal for gay and lesbian couples to wed." ...

... Andy Borowitz: "The decision of Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) to support same-sex marriage after learning that his son was gay has inspired hundreds of other Republican lawmakers to stop speaking to their children immediately, G.O.P. leaders confirmed today."

Sahil Kapur of TPM: "Justices Antonin Scalia and Sonia Sotomayor clashed Monday during Supreme Court oral arguments about whether states may require residents to submit proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. The outcome of the case is uncertain as the justices appeared narrowly divided." ...

... Ed Kilgore: "... the Arizona case is a straight-out matter of the extent to which federal election laws may trump (or more technically, 'pre-empt') state election laws." ...

... CW: I'm just waiting for Scalia to declare the entire Constitution unconstitutional because the framers went to the Constitutional Convention with the original intent to revise the Articles of Confederation, not to scrap the Articles & write a new constitution. Probably the only thing holding him back is that dumping the Constitution would put him out of his job-for-life.

Jennifer Preston of the New York Times: "... Alexandria Goddard, a crime blogger whose early and dogged research helped bring national attention to the [Steubenville rape] case, is still fending off criticism that she helped create 'an Internet lynch mob.' 'I am just the messenger here,' said Ms. Goddard, 45, who once lived in Steubenville and began following the case closely after she read what was being said online about the 16-year-old victim.... Her expertise creating social media profiles of teenagers whose parents want to know what their children are doing online gave her a distinctive window on the situation."

Dylan Matthews of the Washington Post has an excellent explanation of the Cypriot bailout crisis. Russian mobsters!

Tom Heneghan of Reuters: "With every day Pope Francis reigns, his style reveals more contrasts with his predecessor Benedict in ways that amount to an unspoken criticism of how the retired pontiff conducted his papacy. The enthusiasm former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio has ignited among Catholics by approaching the job like a parish priest rather than a papal monarch points to a yearning for a leader the Church has not seen since the charismatic Pope John PaulII." ...

... Elsewhere in religious news, the History Channel is defending its hit series "The Bible," whose producer Mark Burnett cast an Obama look-alike as Satan, a resemblance first noted by Glenn Beck. ...

... Andy Towle of Towleroad: Burnett's advisors on the project comprised an "interfaith panel included pastors Joel Osteen, Rick Warren and T.D. Jakes, Bishop Michael Sheridan, Focus on the Family president Jim Daly and Rev. Samuel Rodriguez ... a 'Who's Who' of notorious evangelical homophobes." ...

Glenn Greenwald: yes, the Iraq War was about oil. Bush speechwriter David Frum, who was privy to talks between Darth Cheney & Ahmed Chalabi, the Iraqi exile whom neocons planned to install as Iraqi leader, confirms the talks were about oil. Frum's Newsweek piece is here.

Hey, it's EIGHT Pinocchios for Michele Bachmann in her outstanding CPAC performance -- four yesterday, four today. Glenn Kessler: "...there really aren't enough Pinocchios for such misleading use of statistics in a major speech."

It is one thing for the New York Times to print op-eds by ultra-conservatives, but WTF are they doing running an op-ed by Senate candidate & renowned crackpot Rep. Paul Broun (RCrazy-Ga.)?

Local News

Jack Healy of the New York Times: "Eight months [after the Aurora, Colorado, theater shooting, Gov. John] Hickenlooper [D-Colo.] is poised to sign some of the toughest new gun control laws in the nation, capping a journey that has transformed a popular, data-driven Western Democrat who takes his son shooting into an unlikely frontman for bringing new gun laws into the center of the United States. The bill signing is expected on Wednesday."

Pretend President Paul News *

Erica Werner of the AP: "Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is endorsing a pathway to citizenship for the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants, a significant move for a favorite of tea party Republicans who are sometimes hostile to such an approach. In a speech to be delivered Tuesday morning to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the potential 2016 presidential candidate declares, 'If you wish to live and work in America, then we will find a place for you.' ... Paul's path to citizenship would come with conditions that could make it long and difficult for illegal immigrants."

* Had I been president..., I would have relieved you of your post. -- Rand Paul to Hillary Clinton

News Ledes

AP: "Federal authorities say a civilian defense contractor who works in intelligence at Pacific Command gave his Chinese girlfriend information on existing war plans and U.S. nuclear weapons. Benjamin Pierce Bishop, 59, appeared in court Monday to face one count of communicating national defense information to a person not entitled to receive it and one count of unlawfully retaining national defense documents and plans." CW: the "girlfriend" is 27. Another bummer for Bishop: his girlfriend doesn't really love him. Just a bad day all around.

AP: "Just hours ahead of an expected vote in the country's 56-member Parliament on the seizure of a percentage of deposits, officials sought to limit the impact on small savers. A new draft bill discussed in Parliament's finance committee proposed to spare all deposits below €20,000 ($25,900) from a charge. Those between €20,000 and €100,000 would still have a 6.75 percent charge imposed, and those above €100,000 would be hit for 9.9 percent, in line with the original plan.... A vote in favor of the bank account confiscation is needed if Cyprus is to get €10 billion in rescue loans from its euro partners and the International Monetary Fund. The seizure of deposits is meant to raise €5.8 billion, which is part of the country's rescue."

AP: "Syria's opposition coalition early Tuesday elected a little-known American-educated IT manager and Islamic activist to head an interim government to administer areas seized by rebel forces from President Bashar Assad's troops. Ghassan Hitto received 35 votes out of 48 ballots cast by the opposition Syrian National Coalition's 63 active members during a meeting in Istanbul."

Reuters: "Pope Francis inaugurated his papacy on Tuesday with an address calling for the defense of the weakest in society and of the environment, saying that otherwise the way was opened to death and destruction. Addressing an estimated 200,000 people and many foreign leaders gathered under bright sunshine in St. Peter's Square, the Argentine pope underlined his constant message since he was elected by a secret conclave of cardinals last Wednesday - that the Church's mission was to defend the poor and disadvantaged." CW: still, it never crosses the minds of John Boehner, Paul Ryan & other GOP Catholics that Saint Peter will condemn them to hell, fire & brimstone for their anti-Christian policies. Kinda makes one think they just might be pretend Catholics. ...

... Here are excerpts from Francis's homily, provided by the Vatican.

Reuters: "A dozen car bombs and suicide blasts tore into Shi'ite districts in Baghdad and south of the Iraqi capital on Tuesday, killing more than 50 people on the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein. Sunni Islamist insurgents linked to al Qaeda have vowed to step up attacks on Shi'ite targets since the start of the year in an attempt to provoke sectarian confrontation and undermine Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government."

Chicago Tribune: "Ruth Ann Steinhagen, whose shooting of Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Eddie Waitkus in 1949 inspired part of the [Bernard Malamud] novel 'The Natural,' died in Chicago at 83."