Blog Heap of Links for the day 26 March 2011

The White House website proudly says 'President Obama is committed to creating the most open and accessible administration in American history.' But try telling Vice President Joe Biden's staff that, after they held a local reporter in a closet for hours after he was invited to cover a Florida political fundraiser because they did not want him talking with the guests. As the unaware $500-a-head invitees dined on caprese crostini with oven-dried mozzarella and basil, rosemary flatbread with grapes honey and gorgonzola cheese, grilled chicken Caesar and garden vegetable wraps, veteran reporter Scott Powers was locked away.

Why is Obama helping Al-Qaeda in Libya? Why is America helping terrorists who fought against the US in Iraq and Afghanistan? Does a country run by Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists run more efficiently than a country run by an anti-American megalomaniac? Do we have any assurances that Al-Qaeda will not end up in control of Libya? Did Obama ask any of these questions before he rushed into war?

There has been plenty of bipartisan baying about Obama's circumvention, and there are some Democrats who seem genuinely concerned to have been blown off by the president when it comes to making war. ... Congressional Republicans have been squeamish about trying to back the president down on spending and borrowing for fear that a government shutdown means political oblivion for the GOP. Trying to push back on a president over a shooting war must seem like an even more unappealing option.... But most Democrats seem to have already rationalized their way out of confronting the president.

There are so many other women, like the nameless, anonymous readers who have emailed me, sharing their stories, sometimes for the first time. Many of these women were Leftists who turned conservative because of harrowing experiences in radical movements. Was Stanley Ann Dunham one of them; was she a brainwashed victim of a Communist upbringing? Or was she simply an independent thinker, who willingly and happily forged her life's path?

And the girl turned when she heard her father enter the room. "Doing your homework, honey?" "Yes, Dad," she said, resignedly. "I have to do a biography." The father perked up, curious. "Who's the subject?" he asked, secretly hoping as all fathers do that it might just be him. "Barack Obama," she replied. "Who?" asked the father.

AL-QAEDA'S offshoot in North Africa has snatched surface-to-air missiles from an arsenal in Libya during the civil strife there, Chad's President says. Idriss Deby Itno did not say how many surface-to-air missiles were stolen, but told the African weekly Jeune Afrique that he was "100 per cent sure" of his assertion.

(NY Times) — In post-revolutionary Egypt, where hope and confusion collide in the daily struggle to build a new nation, religion has emerged as a powerful political force, following an uprising that was based on secular ideals. The Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group once banned by the state, is at the forefront, transformed into a tacit partner with the military government that many fear will thwart fundamental changes. It is also clear that the young, educated secular activists who initially propelled the nonideological revolution are no longer the driving political force — at least not at the moment.

A man apparently trying to save his wife with CPR collapsed himself, fell on top of her and died Wednesday night in the couple's home in the town of Joyce on the Olympic Peninsula. Rescuers broke into the home and tried to revive both the man, 60, and his wife, 59, but both died.

The catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan's east coast March 11 have left 10,151 people dead, and at least 17,053 were still unaccounted for till Saturday.

By any objective measure, the War On Drugs is a disastrous failure. It's time to end this madness now.

Geraldine A. Ferraro, who earned a place in history in 1984 as the first woman and first Italian-American to run on a major party national ticket, has died, according to her family. Ms. Ferraro passed away today at Massachusetts General Hospital, surrounded by her loved ones. The cause of death was complications from multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that she had battled for twelve years. Ms. Ferraro was seventy-five years old.

Petraeus on the meaning of true importance...

Geraldine Ferraro died today of blood cancer. As the first female vice presidential candidate in 1984, she inspired a generation of women, including me. The moment I knew Sarah Palin has the majesty of soul to be a great leader came during her speech after John McCain announced he had selected her as his running mate, when she thanked Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton, both Democrats, for their accomplishments in clearing the way for other women to run for vice president and president. This video includes both that moment and the moment on the Greta van Susteren show when Rep. Ferraro said that Gov. Palin was the FIRST PERSON EVER TO THANK HER for her achievements as a trailblazer for women.