NYTimes Round-up

Semi-weekly New York Times links:

• Apparently, this is how you export democracy.
• As usual with plans authored by Congressional Republicans, first responders will be harmed in Boehner's budget deal, but it passes just the same. Also, wasn't it just Sunday that the pundit class was claiming Boehner's leadership was on the rise?
• Paul Krugman does a little gloating now that President Obama is pledging to tackle the debt. Not at all what I'd expect from a person dreading Wednesday's speech. Meanwhile, the NYTimes commits itself to some spurious questions while managing to forget that President Obama is only planning to raise taxes on individuals in the top 2%. The better question is, "Will the rich accept tax increases?"
• A might-miss profile piece on the "most contrarian" award winner of the House freshamn class.
• Opposition makes strange bedfellows in Libya
• And the NYTimes decides the President is on a vision quest. Hopefully be able to convince Rand Paul to try some peyote and lose himself trying to find aqua buddha.
• As always, try not to end up on death row in Texas. Actually, to be safe, just don't go to Texas.