Pravda:

The Obama administration announced plans Monday to hold a forum on jobs and economic growth at the White House on Dec. 3, after which the president will go on the road to demonstrate his concern about the nation's rising jobless rate.

With the nation's unemployment rate at its highest level in 26 years, President Obama plans to bring together CEOs, small business owners and financial experts* to sound out ideas for continuing to expand [?] the economy and create jobs.

"During these difficult economic times, we have a responsibility to consider all good ideas to encourage and accelerate job creation in this country," Obama said in a statement.

The president outlined plans for the forum before leaving for Asia last week, but at the time had not nailed down a date. The White House said Obama would follow the forum with a visit to Allentown, Pa., for the first stop of what the White House is calling a Main Street Tour, which will take him to across the country over several months.

Months. So, we're going to have to go through the campaign of 2008 all over again.

Pravda buries the lead:

Allies [of departing White House counsel Gregory Craig] also note that he oversaw the successful confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court and praised him for trying to keep Obama in synch with some of the ideologically liberal ideas he promoted in the campaign.

McClatchy called their shot on this "Rahmian act of public humiliation" back in September.

More from McClatchy. Say, why aren't Pravda and Izvestia covering this?

Lord Byron, Don Juan, canto I, verse CXVII:

And Julia's voice was lost, except in sighs.

Until too late for useful conversation ;
The tears were gushing from her gentle eyes,

I wish, indeed, they had not had occasion ;
But who, alas ! can love, and then be wise?

Not that Remorse did not oppose Temptation ;
A little still she strove, and much repented.
And whispering "I will ne'er consent " — consented.

Pravda:

After claiming for months they couldn't vote for a bill without the strongest possible government-run insurance option, liberals are putting aside their disappointment over the weaker version in the legislation for a historic chance to remake America's medical system.

"The current language is far weaker than what I would have preferred, and I think that is also true of the Progressive Caucus," Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, said Friday. "But because I did not come up here to participate in gridlock and acrimony, I have told leadership that I am willing to compromise."

Indeed. The temptation to engage in yet another narrative of weakness is almost overwhelming. But isn't it more fair to say, "Mission accomplished?"

Pravda has what looks like a fine report today on AIDS programs in Washington, DC. Here's how they describe it:

About this Investigation
Over ten months, the Washington Post analyzed the spending, services, and finances of every specialized AIDS organization funded by D.C.'s HIV/AIDS Administration from 2004-2008, an estimated 90 groups, building a database from tax returns, audits, lawsuits, real estate records, D.C. Council records, and corporate and police reports. The Post also obtained grant agreements, invoices and government correspondence for about 60 of these groups. The newspaper interviewed dozens of people with HIV or AIDS patients, their families and service providers, and visited more than a dozen offices across the city.

The largest possible sum at issue seems to be $25 million, since that's the total sum available to non-profits, where the problems seem to be concentrated.

So, one question:

Instead of Pravda and Izvestia? Instead of "access journalism"? Good questions, Yves!

Because the banksters looted their pension funds, too. Quelle surprise. I'll just quote one or two "tells" from David Cho in Pravda to point out some features of the discourse. This is good:

Before the crisis, many public pension funds had experimented with risky trading techniques or committed more of their money to hedge funds and other nontraditional firms, which in turn invested some of it in complex mortgage securities. When these melted down, pension funds got burned.

Note lack of agency.

[A]lready, some funds are seeking to trim benefits to conserve money. Some governments have also proposed increasing the amount of public money paid each year into the funds. In practice, however, some political leaders have begun doing the opposite -- cutting annual contributions to pension funds -- as a way of balancing state and local budgets buffeted in the recession by falling tax revenue and rising costs.

And note the toxic leader meme. These are not "leaders" but officials. They are not leading us, but responsible to us (see, e.g.)

Of course, in the toxic and degraded atmosphere of Versailles:

Pravda:

Winning the Nobel Prize will allow Obama to go to his divided Democratic caucus and make the case far more forcefully that the time is now to stay united behind him on Afghanistan.

I give! Just stop!

To it's credit, Pravda has reader Q&A sessions with some of its pundits, notably David Broder and Howie Kurtz. But this from Krugman is the best I've seen, bar none. Best questions, best answers. Go read.

Stump Lane:

It’s going to become a pain in the ass to conquer the entire Middle East if we don’t act soon. “Soon” meaning immediately. If it isn’t too late already. The time for inspections and diplomacy is over. Et cetera.

Well, that's sorted.

Total invitation to p0wnage from Pravda.

The story is "out there" (I'll get to the newest Barron's shortly), and so far, Krugman's been silent. Neither agreement, nor debunking.

It's definitely night time for the economy, so why isn't the dog barking? Curious!