Three GOP leaders with three ideas on the debt

For Republicans, the debt talks have shown three leaders calling three different plays, each trying to push and pull congressional Republicans in his direction. So far, all three have failed to find a plan that all of them can support.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) declared on June 19 that there wasn’t enough time to approve any of the plans to raise the government’s debt ceiling by the Aug. 2 deadline. He proposed a short-term hike to buy more time.

Two days later, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) declared short-term deals a non-starter and said “there are no votes” for any grand bargain including higher tax revenue.

The next night, House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) snuck into a secret meeting with President Obama to launch an effort for a “big deal” including hundreds of billions of dollars in new revenue.

McConnell, Boehner and Cantor say they are on the same side and never publicly criticize one another. But for the past five weeks, each has appeared to play to different audiences inside the Grand Old Party, with different motivations, according to aides and Republican lawmakers.

With an eye on history, Boehner has repeatedly sought to throw the “Hail Mary” pass by getting a massive deal that would create a path toward reining in runaway debt.

With an eye on the 2012 elections, McConnell privately has doubted Boehner could get Obama to agree to a large spending-reduction plan with no tax increases, so he worked on back-up plans.

With an eye on the 87 freshmen who propelled the GOP into the majority, Cantor served as the protector of the House conservative flank.

This chasm has emerged as the key stumbling block in ongoing efforts to cinch a final deal to avert a potential federal default. Only in the past 24 hours have they appeared to encircle the same plan: a revised version of McConnell’s idea for a temporary increase. Even that faces obstacles. On Saturday, Obama again pronounced his staunch opposition to such an idea.

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Norway Incident

Norway is accustomed to seeing itself lauded as the healthiest, wealthiest and most peaceful country in the world. On Friday, that changed. The horrific events of that day have left the country in mourning. Its enviable position at the top of so many league tables for wellbeing is now clouded by a tragedy of a kind that no parent, no relative, no friend should ever endure. We send our condolences to all those who have lost loved ones. The bombing in Oslo that left the city looking like a war zone was followed by the slaughter of dozens of young people, members of the Norwegian Labour youth league, on the island of Utoya, 15 miles west of the capital. They had been unable to find a hiding place from the man armed with a gun whom they believed was a helpful policeman.

At the time of writing, it is unclear whether Anders Behring Breivik, the 32-year-old suspected of both attacks, had accomplices. He is Norwegian born and well educated; he ran his own company cultivating vegetables and reportedly lived with his mother in an affluent area of Oslo. Until Friday, he must have appeared an average model Norwegian citizen, possibly even abiding by what is known in Scandinavia as Jante Law, the Nordic version of tall poppy syndrome. It was invented by Aksel Sandemose, a Danish-Norwegian author in the 1930s. It satirically describes how, since the collective and equality are so important in Scandinavian societies, there are rules to inhibit self-glorification. Rules that, it seems, Anders Behring Breivik has now broken in the most terrible manner.

By a terrible irony, the young people who have lost their lives did so precisely because, in attending a summer camp, they wanted to be active and engaged citizens. It would be a huge disservice to them if the anti-immigrant rhetoric of which Anders Behring Breivik was apparently fond stokes greater antipathy to Norway's immigrants. In times of chaos, it is all too easy to turn on "the other" in our midst.

Scandinavia in particular has developed a strain of political discourse that has given rise to parties that many would categorise as on the extreme right; some have won seats in parliament. The hard-right Swedish Democrats, for instance, entered parliament for the first time last September with 20 seats. Actions such as those that ripped into Norwegian society on Friday cannot be allowed to boost the support of those advocating division, discrimination and violence.

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Incubus

If not now when ?.

Pasadena

Pedestrian robbed at gunpoint by three men

Three men robbed a 65-year-old man early Monday as he walked along Lake Avenue, authorities said.

The man was walking on Lake Avenue near Santa Barbara Street about 4 a.m. when he noticed a dark-colored sedan drive past him and turn onto Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena police Lt. Rodney Wallace said.

When the pedestrian reached the intersection, three black men wearing dark clothing confronted him, the lieutenant said. One of the men pulled a handgun and demanded money.

When the victim told the robbers he had no money, one of them reached into his pocket and helped himself the the victim's wallet before all three fled, Wallace said.




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Ted Danson Joins 'CSI'

Score one for the good guys.

The CSI team is about to get a much-needed boost from a new lead investigator played by Ted Danson. Danson will replace Laurence Fishburne, who left the CBS procedural drama in May after joining the cast two years ago to fill the void left by former star William Petersen.

Laurence Fishburne Leaves 'CSI'

"You can create a new character on the page, but until the perfect actor comes along and breathes life into it, it's just words," said executive producer Carol Mendelsohn. "We're very excited Ted Danson came along."

Entertainment Weekly reports that Danson—who's won several Emmys for his work on Cheers and Damages and currently stars with Zach Galifianakis on HBO's Bored to Death—won the role over actors including Tony Shaloub, Robin Williams, and John Lithgow.

Think You Know CSI? Take Our Quiz?

"From the moment we all started talking about the role, it was clear he couldn't be more perfect," said executive producer Don McGill. "Intelligence, wit, warmth, depth of character, and emotion, he brings it all. And now he'll have to bring latex gloves, too."

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