Featured Articles — April 2, 2009

April 2, 2009 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under Featured Articles 

Interesting Takes From Home And Abroad:

Obama Hits Resistance at G-20 By Jonathan Weisman, Alistair MacDonald, Jonathan Weisman, and Carrick Mollenkamp, The Wall Street Journal
President Barack Obama had more success with former Cold War combatants than with some European allies as the Group of 20 summit of world leaders began, starting new talks on arms and trade with Russia and China but facing a challenge from France and Germany over economic leadership.

Obama Flexes His Muscles By David Broder, Washington Post
Last week’s edition of the Economist, the shrewd British journal, had a lead editorial expressing serious misgivings about Barack Obama. “His performance has been weaker than those who endorsed his candidacy, including this newspaper, had hoped,” it said.

Republicans let Obama goad them into releasing a budget. Maybe they shouldn’t have. By Christopher Beam, Slate
Capitol steps. Click image to expand.A bicamerial group of Republicans on the Capitol stepsWatching congressional Republicans elaborately introduce their second alternative budget—this time with numbers—it was hard not to see them as victims of a cruel prank.

NATO at 60: Alive and Kicking By Jaap De Hoop Scheffer, New York Times
The global economic crisis has, quite rightly, been front page news. Governments are working to coordinate their actions, including through the G-20 meetings in London, because it is crystal clear that this is a transnational problem that needs multilateral solutions.

Obama’s formula for disaster By David Frum, This Week
President Obama got a heaping serving of good news in Monday’s Washington Post poll. He remains strongly personally popular, and the public’s heavy mood of pessimism has lifted somewhat: 42 percent now say the country is on “the right track,” nearly triple the number who thought so before the election—and the best number in five years.

Now, Obama ‘Owns’ General Motors By Steve LeVine And Theo Francis, Business Week
Obama’s economic legacy may hinge on whether he becomes known as the President who saved the U.S. car industry or the one who destroyed it.

How do we save NATO? We quit By Andrew J. Bacevich, Los Angeles Times
The alliance has lost its sense of purpose. The way to get it back is for the U.S. to withdraw and let Europe be responsible for its own defense.

China arrives as a world power today – and we should welcome it By Timothy Garton Ash, The Guardian
Young Chinese will decide their country’s future role on the world stage, and it is time to engage with them.

Spend It in Vegas or Die Paying Taxes By Arthur Laffer, The Wall Street Journal
In most cases, people who inherit wealth are lucky by an accident of birth and really don’t “deserve” their inheritance any more than people who don’t inherit wealth. After all, few of us get to choose our parents. It’s also arguable that inherited wealth sometimes induces slothfulness and overindulgence. But the facts that beneficiaries of inheritances are just lucky and that the actual inheritance may make beneficiaries less productive don’t justify having an estate tax.

Charm Offensive By Laura Secor, The New Republic
You could almost hear the international sigh of relief that greeted President Obama’s videotaped message to Iran last week. After eight years of bluster and threats, an American president civilly addressed both Iran’s people and its leaders; he spoke of mutual respect, of Iran’s role in making the world “a better and more beautiful place,” of “shared hopes” and “common dreams.”

The President Is ‘Keeping Score’ By Karl Rove, The Wall Street Journal
“Don’t think we’re not keeping score, brother.” That’s what President Barack Obama said to Rep. Peter DeFazio in a closed-door meeting of the House Democratic Caucus last week, according to the Associated Press.

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