Recent developments

Syriza victory

Germany continues to insist that Greece will necessarily carry on with with its existing austerity regime in order to get the next installment of its bailout.  What Merkel and Co. fail to note is that the next bailout installment is earmarked to make payments on earlier loans, and the Greeks themselves will see not a cent.  After five years of depression (not recession), the last think Greece needs is higher taxes and more cuts in government services.  Alexis Tsipras knows this, and can feel quite confident that the troika will not go out of its way to screw itself, and thereby destabilize the euro.  There will be renegotiation.

Netanyahu address

I have a feeling that Boehner's invitation to Bibi to address Congress will backfire against both of them.  Boehner has given Obama a splendid opportunity to snub the Israeli hawk, and close a little more of the distance between the USofA and Iran.  Was the invitation AIPAC's idea?  Probably.  AIPAC doesn't lobby for Israel, it lobbies for Likud.

ANWR

Lisa Murkowski is livid, and Obama is grinning, even though he knows that permanently excluding oil and gas drilling from the Reserve won't be happening under this Congress.  Most of what we're likely get from Our President over the next two years is a succession of symbolic gestures, but while provoking Yosemite Sam impersonations from Republicans actually accomplishes nothing, it's still fun.

"American Sniper"

I have a copy, but I haven't gotten around to watching it yet.  Eastwood actually is a talented director when he's not having conversations with empty chairs, so whether or not the film is "politically significant," it most likely will be watchable.