2 articles worth reading in Today's NYT

1) Illegal immigration, at its core, a 20th century concept (read Mae Ngai's Impossible Subjects), remains an issue of labor. That's not to say people don't emigrate to enjoy our quality of life or to escape various sorts of repression, but the motor of illegal immigration, especially from North to South in the Western Hemisphere, revolves mostly around labor. That's why it's promising to see that the AFL-CIO and Change to Win, according to today's NYT, reached an accord on working with President Obama to forge meaningful legislation to end the squabbling over illegal immigration. The two labor groups are proposing the creation of a non-partisan commission to judge the need for labor in the US. The group will function like a release valve to fulfill the needs of the US labor market. Of course, the Chamber of Commerce (who also launched an anti-EFCA ad blitz in the past week) will oppose it at some level. story

2) Acknowledging that the Bush strategy pertaining to Iranian enrichment failed, Obama has agreed to drop it as a prerequisite for diplomatic discussions. In the diplomatic game of sticks and carrots, the US and its European allies would demand greater levels of inspection and a possible suspension of enrichment as the centerfuges continue to spin, a "warm shutdown." This approach shows the pragmatism of the Obama administration to accept the level of Iranian nuclear achievement. It would be unrealistic to expect Obama to enact such sweeping change as promised during the campaign, but this step, and others in the same vein, offers tangible evidence of how the President and Secretary Clinton can restore the US' diplomatic advantage. story