memeorandum: why did economists not spot the crisis? (Fault Lines)

5:20 PM ET, February 6, 2011

Top Items:

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:

Winning The Future In Egypt (Ongoing...) — Team Obama delivers another ‘WTF’ moment in Egypt, with Hillary Clinton saying Mubarak needs to go and the US special envoy saying his “continued leadership is critical”. The Times papers this over as best they can:

Discussion: US Department of State, Washington Post, A Chequer-Board of Nights …, CNN, AMERICAN DIGEST and PostPartisan

Emptywheel:

Claiming Consensus, Omar Suleiman Promises to Hold Protesters Accountable — The key to understanding Omar Suleiman's statement claiming there is “consensus” in how to move forward in Egypt is to see how he redefines the crisis from being caused by legitimate grievances voiced by the “youth” …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and Guardian

David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:

Protesters Vow to Escalate Pressure on Mubarak — CAIRO — Representatives of the Egyptian democracy movement vowed Sunday to escalate their pressure for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, even as his government sought to portray itself as well on the way to successfully negotiating an end to the uprising now in its 13th day.

Discussion: News Desk, Calculated Risk and Prairie Weather

David E. Sanger / New York Times:
As Mubarak Digs In, U.S. Policy in Egypt Is Complicated

Discussion: Hot Air, Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post, CNN, Guardian, Washington Post, BAGnewsNotes and Political Punch

Peter Schroeder / The Hill:
Kerry: Everyone surprised by uprising

Discussion: The Politico

Associated Press:
Egypt regime offers new concessions to opposition

Discussion: News: News blog, Raw Story, msnbc.com and New York Times

Washington Post:
In Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood reverses course, agrees to talks on transition

Discussion: New York Times, Commentary, Prairie Weather and The Daily Dish

Rep. Ben Quayle / The Politico:

President Reagan's jelly beans — When I was a child, President Ronald Reagan was the nice man who gave us jelly beans when we visited the White House. — I didn't know then, but I know it now: The jelly beans were much more than a sweet treat that he gave out as gifts.

Discussion: CNN, Telegraph, TBogg, Scared Monkeys and The Gateway Pundit

Patrick Edaburn / The Moderate Voice:

Ronald Reagan Would Have Wanted Balance — As we mark the 100th birthday of Ronald Reagan there are posts and commentaries in abundance all over the internet and in watching them I can't help but to try and consider what the man himself would have wanted to see today.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Andrew Coffin / Big Government:

Exclusive: Governor Palin Visits Reagan Country — Sometimes it's the questions you don't ask that are telling. Case in point: the New York Times account of our event with Governor Palin last night. — Young America's Foundation hosted Governor Sarah Palin for the keynote address at the opening banquet of our Reagan 100 weekend.

Discussion: Tammy Bruce, The Gateway Pundit, Connecting.the.Dots and The Caucus

Michael R. Blood / Associated Press:

Cheney calls Mubarak a good friend, US ally — SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Former Vice President Dick Cheney on Saturday called Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak a good friend and U.S. ally, and he urged the Obama administration to move cautiously as turmoil continued to shake that nation's government.

Discussion: Cubachi, Taylor Marsh, The Mahablog, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Liberty Pundits Blog

Bridget Johnson / The Hill: Cheney: Remember that Mubarak has been ‘a good man, a good friend and ally’

Keach Hagey / The Politico:

Bill O'Reilly interview of Barack Obama could be victory for both — With a classic showman's swagger, Bill O'Reilly has declared that more people will see his live pre-game interview with President Barack Obama on Sunday than “any other interview that's ever been done in the history of mankind.”

Discussion: CNN, Don Surber, The Moderate Voice and Althouse

Los Angeles Times:

Koch brothers now at heart of GOP power — The billionaire brothers' influence is most visible in the makeup of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where members have vowed to undo restrictions on greenhouse gases. — Demonstrators rally in Rancho Mirage during a retreat organized by the Koch brothers.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars

The Huffington Post:

Glenn Beck Stands By Egypt Caliphate Conspiracy Theory: 'I'm Not Wrong' (AUDIO) … After being derided and charged with trafficking in wild conspiracy theories, Glenn Beck redoubled his warnings that the uprisings in Egypt could lead to an Islamic caliphate spreading across the Middle East on his radio show Thursday.

Discussion: Lippmann's Ghost, The Reaction, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Other McCain and Mediaite

Fault Lines:

why did economists not spot the crisis? — CHICAGO - At the height of the financial crisis, the Queen of England asked my friends at the London School of Economics a simple question, but one for which there is no easy answer: Why did academic economists fail to foresee the crisis?

Discussion: Sky Dancing and Yglesias

CNN:

Valerie Jarrett thinks 4-star general is waiter — (CNN) — Four-star Army Gen. Peter Chiarelli — the number two general in the U.S. army — says he is absolutely not offended that Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett mistook him for a waiter at a fancy Washington dinner this week and asked him for a glass of wine.

Aljazeera:

Egypt remains at an impasse — Crowds occupy Cairo demanding president's resignation, while Muslim Brotherhood says it will join talks with government. — After nearly two weeks of anti-government demonstrations in Egypt, the standoff continues between tens of thousands of protesters …

Discussion: Al Jazeera Blogs

BBC:
Egypt unrest: US disowns envoy comment on Hosni Mubarak

Discussion: Sky Dancing, Political Punch, NO QUARTER, The Daily Beast and Newshoggers.com

David Brody / The Brody File:

Exclusive: Sarah Palin Interview With The Brody File — In an exclusive interview with The Brody File, Sarah Palin criticized President Obama for his handling of the situation in Egypt saying that this was his, “3am White House phone call” and, “that call went right to the answering machine.”