SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:50 P.M. ET: 

SPINE?  REALLY? – From WaPo:  "The Obama administration said Friday that it would block Iran’s nominee as ambassador to the United Nations from entering the United States, setting up a new confrontation with Tehran just as relations with the Islamic republic appeared to be improving.  The decision to bar entry to the diplomat, who was allegedly involved in the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, followed intense political pressure on the administration from Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill. But it also marked a rare instance in which Washington has effectively vetoed another country’s preferred choice as envoy to the United Nations."  Typical WaPo story, isn't it?  I hadn't noticed the improvement of relations with Iran.  And the chap wasn't "allegedly" involved in the embassy seizure.  He's admitted he had a role, but claims it was peripheral.  Glad to see a little spine at the White House, although the usual Obama crowd must fear that the president has gone American.

MORE EMPLOYEES THAN VIEWERS – Al Jazeera ain't makin' it in America.  From Hollywood Reporter:  "Al Jazeera America, which launched last August with nearly 850 employees and 12 news bureaus in the United States, has laid off dozens of employees as part of restructuring. The channel is disbanding its sports unit and scaling back its social-media-driven show The Stream from a daily show to a once-a-week program."  Their audience numbers are abysmal – maybe 15,000 viewers a day.  Maybe Americans aren't keen on watching a news organization owned by foreign potentates, in this case the royal family of Qatar.

A BIT OF EMBARRASSMENT – From The Week:  "White House Press Secretary Jay Carney and his family are featured in a worshipful profile in this month's Washingtonian magazine.  It's the sort of adoring journalistic exercise reserved for only the most handsome of the power elite. In it you can find out details about the Carney dog (a cousin to presidential pooch Sonny!), and how much the press secretary's tie costs ($135).  But keen observers may notice the kitchen decor in the photo: Soviet propaganda posters. They really are the perfect pop of color whether you are the dour and sincere Nikita Khrushchev or the cheeky press-wrangler for a president who is constantly accused of being a socialist himself."  Yikes.  Didn't Carney think of taking down the posters, or did he think they would get him extra Brownie points in the Obama White House?

April 11,  2014