News for August 11

Georgia on My Mind

Find updates, quick reports and background on news coverage of the conflict between Russia and the breakaway Georgian province South Ossetia, including:

Matthew Yglesias |  We should also remember that in the scheme of things, Georgian territorial integrity is not the most important item on the US-Russian docket — getting Russia to do what we want vis-à-vis the Iranian nuclear program is way more important than getting Russia to do what we want vis-à-vis Georgia. Is that fair to the Georgians? Of course not.

Foreign Policy Passport |  The latest on the fast-moving conflict.

Truthdig |  For those who never heard of South Ossetia before fighting between Russians and Georgians erupted there, the BBC’s Paul Reynolds provides some needed background and analysis, including this pearl of wisdom: “Do not punch a bear on the nose unless it is tied down.”

The Edwards Affair

AlterNet |  With all this griping about Edwards, it’s time to ask why McCain’s political career isn’t suffering for his adulterous affairs.

• Why I Also Didn’t Write on John Edwards  |  Michael Calderone at Politco
• Give John Edwards Credit for This Much  |  Dallas Morning News Religion Blog

Clinton Told to Portray Obama as Foreign  |  Politico

Mark Penn, the top campaign strategist for Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign, advised her to portray Barack Obama as having a “limited” connection “to basic American values and culture,” according to a forthcoming article in The Atlantic.

Tyson Plant Reinstates Labor Day  |  New York Times

Facing criticism for negotiating a contract that substituted a Muslim holiday for Labor Day as one of the plant’s eight paid holidays, Tyson Foods and the union at its poultry plant in Shelbyville, Tenn., said Friday that they had agreed to reinstate Labor Day as a paid holiday.

Background: News for August 6