Burma, Bush and Baseball--plus news from Pakistan

Since firsthand news is not flowing from Burma after the government cut off the country’s Internet access, a New York Times article today combines its news on the protests with analyses of American strategies to end the confrontation. The article includes a short list of policy options being considered internally by the Bush government, procured under condition of anonymity but nonetheless illuminating. There is also a focus on background details, such as U.S. refusal to accept the junta’s renaming of the country as Myanmar and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice’s use of the “traditional” name Rangoon for the capital, renamed Yangon. The article is very balanced in its perception of President Bush’s diplomatic role: human rights advocates do not blame Bush for lack of trying, although one American diplomat suggests this is a “legacy moment” for the President. The New York Times and Bush are in the same position right now: there’s not much that they can say or do about Burma, but you can’t say they aren’t trying.

The Times of London turns its attention to central Asia, where there is news to report from Pakistan. The article reports that the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled that President Pervez Musharraf will be allowed to stand for re-election, even as he currently serves as military chief. The article reflects the dissatisfaction many Pakistanis have with the ruling and makes the news relevant to Westerners by explaining that the U.S. and the U.K. fear political unrest will distract Musharraf from his campaign against Taliban and Al-Qaeda operatives near the Afghan border.

Much closer to home, the Washington Post has an in-depth interview with Jenna Bush on her upcoming book. The article begins by pandering to all the celebrity-esque coverage Bush claims not to read about herself by leading with gossip about the possibility of her being pregnant (she says she’s not) before introducing the issue on which she chosen to comment to the press: her new book. The rest of the story’s coverage is more focused on the issue at hand—that of Jenna Bush’s new status as an author and the platform from which she can act after having volunteered for UNICEF—but certain gossipy elements seem out of place and unnecessary in the Post. This is not a situation where readers need to know Bush is wearing a Lela Rose dress: save that commentary for reporting on state dinners.

While D.C. focuses on its darlings, Boston media focus on the most important thing to Massachusetts natives this morning: the Red Sox first American League East title in 12 years. The Boston Globe article on the victory focuses as much on the celebration as the game itself: details such as team owner John Henry’s “shampoo of Korbel California Champagne Extra Dry from Papelbon” and the playing of “The Impossible Dream” on the organ at midnight capture the mood of mass revelry.