HOT5 Daily 8/14/2010

1. "The West Is in Denial over Turkey" Willful blindness.

Representative Sample: The accumulating evidence all points to the same conclusion: Turkey has switched its allegiance from the West to the radical axis led by Iran. And it seems doubtful that any Western action could reverse this shift totally. But because Turkey still needs the West in many ways, a strong Western response probably could at least moderate its behavior.

2. "Israel About to Attack Iran? No. Iran About to Get Nuclear Weapons? Also No. "Links an informative analysis.

Representative Sample: There's been a new round of speculation on Israel attacking Iran's nuclear facilities to prevent Tehran from getting nuclear weapons. I will repeat my earlier point: This is not about to happen, certainly not in the next year and, in my opinion, better not to happen at all.

3. "Why are animals cute?" Evolutionary cuteness?

Representative Sample:If, like me, you’re one of those softies who likes cute animals—especially baby animals—and visits places like The Daily Squee, Zooborns, or Acting Like Animals, and if you’re also a tad reflective, you may have asked yourself, “Why do I find these things so god-damned adorable?”

4. "Have Arabs Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Iranian Bomb?" Not Exactly.

Representative Sample: Among others, Pew Global Attitudes’ June poll arrived at different conclusions from the UMD/Zogby/Telhami poll on this question. In the three countries in which Pew and Telhami polling overlapped—Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon—Pew found that in only one country, Lebanon, citizens became less concerned between 2009 and 2010 about the threat from an Iranian nuclear weapon.

5. "How Do We Wean the People Off the Socialist Dope?" File this under things that aren't going to happen.

Representative Sample: I wouldn’t want to be in a politician’s shoes on this one. Especially one with good intentions. Smitty took a look at Paul Ryan’s Road Map, and notes that it’s a tacit acceptance of the current situation. (In his defense, Ryan posted this op-ed in the Washington Post.) I have to say, I applaud Ryan’s attempt to work with what we have, in the present climate.

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