June 29—Here are links to some of the things I’m reading this morning:

US Politics

• New York Times: Obama’s Position on Gay Marriage Faces New Test
• Michelle Bachmann: People want to see me “Mud-Wrestling” with Sarah Palin
• Politico: Bill Clinton: Stimulus Plan Wasn’t Big Enough
• The Atlantic: Tim Pawlenty’s Foreign-Policy Speech Refutes Itself
• HuffPo: Senator Ron Johnson Pledges to Bring Senate to Halt Over Debt Negotiations

International

• New York Times: Greek Parliament Approves Austerity Plan
• BBC: Egypt Orders Probe into New Tahrir Clashes
• Politico: Rep. Kucinich’s Syria Visit Raises Eyebrows
• Saudi Law Approves Marriage With Foreigners

Finance/Economics

• WaPo: Explaining the Debt Ceiling Debate
• NY Times: Bank of America Sets Aside $14 Billion to Settle Subprime Mortgage Claims
• Fortune: Defending Skype & Private Equity

Technology

• TechCrunch: Anonymous Declares War on the City of Orlando
• Fake Sean Connery-Steve Jobs Letter Becomes Twitter Sensation
• FOX News: “Anonymous” Hackers Target Orlando, FL Websites
• PC World: Google+ Social Network: Hands-On First Impressions

Entertainment

• Gawker: Charlie Sheen to Make New, Terrible-Sounding Sitcom

shortformblog:

pantslessprogressive:

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley issued a statement late Saturday saying that fellow Justice David Prosser choked her and disputing claims that she attacked him first.

“The facts are that I was demanding that he get out of my office and he put his hands around my neck in anger in a chokehold,” she said. “Those are the facts and you can try to spin those facts and try to make it sound like I ran up to him and threw my neck into his hands, but that’s only spin.” [read more]

Big news. Prosser says he won’t say anything until an investigation happens. This story has come to blows.

The New York Times… June 25, 2011:

New York Allows Same-Sex Marriage, Becoming Largest State to Pass Law

“Lawmakers voted late Friday to legalize same-sex marriage, making New York the largest state where gay and lesbian couples will be able to wed and giving the national gay-rights movement new momentum from the state where it was born.”

Productivity and stylishness be damned!

In case you were paying attention to the debt ceiling debate or whether Republicans would try to halt the funding of military operations in Libya, then you may have missed that yesterday was “Seersucker Thursday,” the US Senate’s annual Costume Party tradition of… fashion?

Mint juleps and good times were had by all.

This week, Jon Huntsman—former Utah governor and President Obama’s ambassador to China—kicked off his presidential campaign with a pledge to remain civil.  He didn’t attack President Obama and said that he respected him.  And Huntsman framed his candidacy around issues, not personalities. “The question each of us wants the voters to answer,” said Huntsman, “is who will be the better president, not who’s the better American.”

Huntsman’s approach is a refreshing change, and he ought to be praised for taking the high road. But will everyone else let him?

Huntsman can adhere to the Queensberry Rules, but it’s likely others won’t. Primaries can be tough bare-knuckle brawls. Before you know it, we’ll start hearing rumblings that it’s all too good to be true—that he’s nothing but a focus-grouped Frankenstein, or that he’s not “tough enough” to challenge Obama in the general election.  Ironically, it’s Huntsman’s moderate positions and attempts at civility that make him the biggest threat to Obama’s re-election.  As an editorial in The Salt Lake Tribune said, Huntsman is, “…the one who will be the most difficult [for Democrats] to paint as a far-right, isolationist, Medicare-killing radical with a fuzzy grasp of either economics or history.”

Let’s hope voters reject the political attacks that come Huntsman’s way and allow him to stay above the fray because if they don’t, and Huntsman gets dragged into the mud, he may have little choice other than to dive right in himself.