Media Alert: Turkeys, Afghanistan and Copenhagen

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Just a friendly head’s up that at 1:06 pm sharp, I’ll be chatting with the erudite Jerome McDonnell on Chicago Public Radio’s “Worldview.” Along with Brian Lehrer, Warren Olney, Diane Rehm, and a few others, Jerome is one of the best ideas wrestlers in serious radio journalism. The topic will be Afghanistan.

Manhattan Subway Deal Goes to China State Firm: Giving it All Up To China Makes No Sense

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I am one who favors a constructive partnership with China in solving many of the tough global challenges out there — and believe that Zachary Karabell is right that the two economies’ fortunes are fused together for some time, and policy makers need to get their heads around what that means.

Who is Hot and Who was Blocked (or Forgotten) at First White House State Dinner

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The White House just released the list of those attending the State Dinner honoring India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Cool list actually. But not just because it’s India night — but because there are a lot of folks that could push other agendas in Obama Land.

Pricing Out an Afghan Surge: $65 Bill Could Go to $105 Billion per Year

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The Pentagon, which favors a surge in US troops to Afghanistan knows how defense bidding goes. They’ve seen enough of it from the large defense contractors to know that you bid low and reconcile at a multiple of two or three times higher than the contract later.

JFK Remembered: What Kennedy Would Approve of and Be Disappointed By in the Time of Obama

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This is a guest note by Ted Sorensen, whose most recent book is Counseler: A Life at the Edge of History. Sorensen, former special counsel and adviser to President John F. Kennedy, is a widely published author on the presidency and foreign affairs.