Kamail's Blog (4)

Liberal activists who have expressed reservations about Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor have done her a favor. Instead of coming across as an unalloyed darling of the left, cheered by liberals and scorned by conservatives, she is now politically positioned in the “middle” — exactly where a high court hopeful awaiting confirmation hearings wants to be. Reaction to Judge Sotomayor has not been uniform among liberal groups that often make common cause, in large part because she does not hav… Continue

Less inventory liquidation and a smaller drop in exports were factors in the adjustment up from the originally estimated 6.1% GDP drop. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had expected first-quarter GDP would be revised to a 5.5% decline. The inventory revision, while a plus for first-quarter GDP growth, implies a bigger overhang to be worked off in the current, second quarter. The 5.7% GDP drop was smaller than the 6.3% tumble GDP took in the fourth quarter, bolstering the case the rece… Continue

Something has changed in Washington. This new US President, Barack Obama, is unlike any that an Israeli leader has faced before. Certainly he shares Washington's traditional concerns for Israel's security. But his election victory marked a defeat for the neo-conservative Right and the Christian fundamentalists, the ideological camps that have provided the backbone of uncritical support for Israel over recent years. Mr Obama's popularity extends to America's influential Jewish community - an over… Continue

The reports of the missile test and the boat movements came from South Korea's Yonhap news agency, which said the nearly 300 Chinese fishing boats had dwindled by about half. It was not known whether the Chinese boats had been warned to move by North Korean officials or they left on their own hoping to avoid clashes in the area. South Korea is preparing for possible missile or artillery strikes near the disputed western sea border, the Seoul-based daily Chosun Ilbo reported Thursday. The North… Continue