| | November 28, 2011 | | FINALLY NATO’s bombing of Pakistani soldiers this week was a complete disaster—but it highlights the emergence of a cohesive Obama foreign policy, writes The Daily Beast’s Peter Beinart. The strike comes after a series of decisions, most significantly the assassination of bin Laden, in which Obama put killing al Qaeda terrorists ahead of America’s relationship with Pakistan. It also shows that the U.S. is moving offshore: securing our interests from the sea and the air—and staying out of the mess on the ground. Middle East Egyptian citizens lined up on the streets Monday to vote in the country’s first free elections in decades. They’re electing members to the lower house of Parliament, and the Muslim Brotherhood is expected to do well. The long lines indicated good turnout despite the fact that political parties had little time to campaign. Meanwhile, Egypt’s military leader, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, issued a stark and troubling warning. "Either we succeed - politically, economically and socially - or the consequences will be extremely grave and we will not allow that," he said. Desperate Measures After the Financial Times’ Wolfgang Münchau declared over the weekend, “The eurozone has 10 days at most,” European leaders are scrambling for a plan. According to The Wall Street Journal, they are now considering “fiscal union”: making budget discipline in member countries legally binding and enforceable by European authorities. Such measures have long been considered political nonstarters, but recent turmoil in Germany, Italy, and Spain is changing some minds. The Journal says Germany and France are leading the push for the new plan. Standoffs No pepper spray yet: Occupy L.A. protesters defied the city’s overnight eviction deadline Monday, with thousands of protesters converging on the group’s encampment in a park outside City Hall. The LAPD was put on tactical alert, meaning officers would not respond to low-priority radio calls; the police force has been vague on its plans but is in riot gear. The force has warned that people will be arrested, although a commander tells the Los Angeles Times, “Our goal is to not arrest anybody." DONE Syracuse University fired assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine Sunday. The news comes after a third accuser came forward to the police to allege Fine of sexually abusing him as a child and an audio tape between Fine's wife and an accuser became public. Zach Tomaselli, a 23-year-old from Lewiston, Maine, said Fine molested him in 2002 in a Pittsburgh hotel room when he was only 13 years old. Tomaselli himself is facing sexual-assault charges in Maine involving a 14-year-old boy. The recording, which has reportedly been with ESPN and the police for 10 years, shows Mrs. Fine acknowledging that she knew of her husband's actions and that she slept with an accuser after he turned 18. Fine was placed on administrative leave two weeks ago after police said he was being investigated on molestation charges, and officers searched his home on Friday. | |
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