Newspapers around the world are reacting to the latest violence in Gaza, as Israel considers a ground invasion and Hamas continues lobbing rockets into Israeli territory.
Also, the GOP continues to illustrate their stupidity with the "Barack the Magic Negro" story and Caroline Kennedy's interview with the New York Times gets some rather harsh reviews.
The situation in Gaza is intensifying Sunday morning, as Israel warns of a ground invasion and Hamas calls for a new intifada and launches missiles deeper into Israeli territory. The UN Security Council called for an "immediate halt to all violence" in Gaza. This is, of course, the big story this morning and it is reflected on headlines throughout the world:
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The cycle of violence continues, as the Los Angeles Times reports:
Yehya Ayman, 12, ran around in shock and resisted his father's attempts to pull him away from the bodies of his uncle and brother.
"I want to see them. I am not afraid," Yehya said.
The boy then turned to a militant fighter and pleaded, "You have to shell [the Israelis] and take revenge for us."
It is hard to see today how this cycle can ever come to an end. Perhaps I am too pessimistic today given the events of the weekend. Obama and Clinton will have their work cut out for them when they finally take office.
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Speaking of Obama, he has not said much on the situation yet, although he has spoken to Rice. Alex Koppelman at Salon speculates on how a President Obama would react to the situation in Gaza, given his past statements on Hamas:
Obama had sounded the same theme four months earlier. In March, Obama said, "The violence in Gaza is the result of Hamas's decision to launch rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, and Israel has a right to defend itself." In fact, he also said something that sounds nearly identical to what Bush spokesperson Johndroe said today about civilian casualties. Said Obama, "I remain very concerned about the fate of civilians and urge Israel to do all it can to avoid civilian deaths and to keep its focus on Hamas, which bears responsibility for these events."
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Editor & Publisher thinks there is a big difference in domestic and foreign media coverage of the situation in Gaza:
If the usual process ensues, the U.S. media will play down questions about whether Israel overreacted in its massive air strikes on Gaza, while the foreign press -- and even Haaretz in Israel -- carries more balance accounts.
Do you observe a difference between U.S. and international media reports? The biggest difference I've spotted this morning is the extent of the reporting. There seems to be more extensive and original reporting in international papers and on foreign websites, while the majority of U.S. media outlets are relying on the AP wires.
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In political news, the GOP is still getting fall-out from the "magic negro" CD. When will the GOP realize that making fun of minorities is probably not the best way to reverse the losses they suffered in the 2008 election? Myron Pitts at the Fayetteville Observer (NC) argues that the Republican Party is completely tone-deaf when it comes to racial issues:
Before this year, I used to marvel at how spectacularly tone-deaf the Republican Party is when it comes to race relations. Then I witnessed the Republican National Convention in September, and everything became clear. The Republicans simply have no black people to talk to about such matters. Over the several days of the convention, the only black faces I saw were Michael Steele, who is up for party chairman, and country singer Cowboy Troy.
So, while it may seem a no-brainer to the rest of us that a prominent politician should not be celebrating a song about our president-elect called “Barack the Magic Negro,” the concept is less clear to people moving in a nearly all-white vacuum. To top things off, the person who circulated a CD with a song of that title is actually up for GOP chairman. Tennessean Chip Saltsman wants to be the party leader. The current chairman has tried to clean up the little mess, but really no one really cares at this point. We all saw that convention and know what the deal is.
Pitts believes the GOP could go a long way towards enhancing their attempts at diversity by dethroning Rush Limbaugh as the de facto king of the Republican Party. Probably not a bad idea.
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Of course, the RNC Chairman is "appalled," but Steve Benen notes that it took Mike Duncan almost a full day to denounce the CD:
It's hard to pick the most obvious embarrassment for Republicans here. That the party's favorite right-wing blowhard (Rush Limbaugh) would promote such a song on his radio show? That a candidate for RNC chair would use the song as a Christmas gift? That the candidate for RNC chair would assume that Republican Party leaders would enjoy it?
That Mike Duncan would wait 22 hours before saying anything about this, only denouncing Saltsman -- a rival for his job -- after the Politico noted that party leaders had only offered "odd silence" in response to the story?
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Caroline Kennedy gave an interview to the New York Times, which is not getting the most favorable reviews:
Caroline Kennedy's Times interview today seems to have been a bit rockier than her NY1 rollout yesterday, as the story seems to capture some friction with the reporters, and as she declines to take any policy stances.
In the New York Times analysis of the interview, the reporters call Kennedy "elusive" and somewhat vague:
After weeks of criticism that she had not opened up to the public or the press, Ms. Kennedy has embarked on a series of interviews. But in an extensive sit-down discussion Saturday morning with The New York Times, she still seemed less like a candidate than an idea of one: forceful but vague, largely undefined and seemingly determined to remain that way.
Ouch. The headline at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is Kennedy evasive with reporters, which is not much more favorable. And Willie Brown at the San Francisco Chronicle says Caroline Kennedy in for a rough ride.
Kennedy also gave an interview to the New York Daily News.
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Anne Glusker looks at how Caroline Kennedy's story is much like those of other women who have juggled raising kids and pursuing their professional ambitions:
Caroline Kennedy, of course, doesn't share my concerns about lifetime earnings losses or 401(k) plans. But she does have to worry about being unfairly penalized for her unconventional résumé, about being nastily pigeonholed as a mere "happy housewife." For her sake, and that of all us in-and-out, stopping, opting, part-time, full-time working mothers, I hope she gets a fair shake.
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Hehe! Jackie Calmes, one of the pool reporters covering Obama in Hawaii, takes a shot at FOX News as she describes the Hawaiian shaka gesture that Obama flashed after leaving the gym. From the pool report:
Fold three middle fingers and extend the pinkie and thumb. Looks nothing like a terrorist fist jab.
The "terrorist fist jab" story should go down in history as one of the dumbest media stories ever. Props to Calmes for making fun of FOX, it's always a good time.
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So what's on your mind this morning?