Appeasement

Do the Republicans scent blood? One sign that they might came this week, in the form of a sharp letter from John Boehner, leader of the Republicans in the House of Representatives, to the head of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) lobby—long a good friend to the party. Mr Boehner denounced as “appeasement” the lobby’s decision to support Barack Obama’s plans for health-care reform. But that decision was made months ago; attacking it now is surely a sign that the Republicans think Mr Obama is suddenly in trouble. And with some justification. First, the Democrats failed to meet the president’s deadline for getting health bills out of both the House and the Senate by August. Next, as politicians headed home to conduct townhall meetings during this month’s recess, they encountered many constituents angry about the dangers— real or imagined—to be wrought by health reform. Some of these grumblers were planted by conservative groups, but many others were genuinely afraid or upset.

Voters attention

Voters may not be paying much attention to Afghanistan right now, but Congress is growing increasingly uneasy, says Jessica Mathews, the president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a think-tank. Lawmakers worry that the costs of America’s huge and open-ended commitment may outweigh its benefits. Counter-insurgency campaigns typically take many years, cost a fortune in blood and treasure and end in failure. The people who know most about Afghanistan are often the gloomiest. “Is Nation-Building Doomed?” asks Foreign Affairs. “Is It Worth It?” wonders the American Interest. Mr Biddle, who wrote the article in the American Interest, thinks the war is worth fighting, but only barely. The costs will be high, the outcome uncertain. Mr Obama’s strategy promises more bloodshed in the short run in exchange for a chance of stability in the long term. That is hardly a combination that will appeal to voters, so it will be hard to sustain political support for it for long enough to make it work.

The National Interest

Perhaps, if America were to abandon Afghanistan and the Taliban took over again. Denying them a safe haven is obviously in America’s national interest. But there are several other wild places where al-Qaeda might also set up shop, such as Yemen, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan, the Philippines or Uzbekistan. “We clearly cannot afford to wage protracted warfare with multiple brigades of American ground forces simply to deny al-Qaeda access to every possible safe haven. We would run out of brigades
long before bin Laden ran out of prospective sanctuaries,” writes Stephen Biddle of the Council on Foreign Relations, a think-tank. Mr Obama knows this, of course. His purpose in committing so many troops to Afghanistan is not merely to prevent al-Qaeda from returning but also to prevent the country from collapsing into chaos and destabilising its nuclear-armed neighbour, Pakistan. That is too complicated to put on a bumper sticker, but Mr Obama still has the political capital to attempt it.

The Extremist

Osama bin Laden plotted the toppling of the twin towers from Afghanistan. Overthrowing the Taliban regime that sheltered him was the right thing to do. If elected, Mr Obama promised to pull out of Iraq and concentrate on Afghanistan. As president, he has kept his word, though not as quickly as he said he would. “We will remove all our troops from Iraq by the end of 2011,” he reiterated this week, “and for America, the Iraq war will end.” At the same time, he is sending more troops to Afghanistan. Their mission, he says, is to “disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda and its extremist allies”.Like George Bush before him, Mr Obama reckons that the best way to sell a war to Americans is to mention al-Qaeda early and often. But also like Mr Bush, his war is more complicated than he makes it sound. American troops are not really fighting al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, because they are not there any more. The group’s surviving leaders have mostly fled to neighboring Pakistan.

More about limbs

The shape of a dinosaur’s feet depended on whether it walked on two or four legs. Four-legged dinosaurs had similar front and rear feet, spreading their weight on hooflike toes. Two-legged dinosaurs could use their front feet like hands, grasping at prey or holding plant food.
STOUT LIMBS
Widely spaced toes and thick, stout limb bones helped Triceratops spread the weight of its massive body. The shorter forelimbs carried the weight of Triceratops’ huge head. Much of the body weight was supported by the long and powerful rear legs. Short and stubby toes on all four feet ended in hoof-shaped claws.
GIANT CLAW
The powerful carnivore Baryonyx had one of the largest dinosaur claws known. The curved talon, which was 12 in (31 cm) long, formed a huge weapon on Baryonyx’s hand.
IGUANODON HAND
Iguanodon could use its hands in several ways. It could use the hoofed middle fingers for walking, and the long fifth fingers could hook onto plants. The thumb spikes were probably defensive weapons used for stabbing enemies.
CLAW FOR PROTECTION
Apatosaurus, a giant sauropod dinosaur, had a pointed claw on each front foot, which it may have used for defense.
DINOSAUR PRINT
Iguanodon left many clues behind when it became extinct. When it walked on damp sand or mud it left footprints, which dried and became preserved. The footprints of an adult Iguanodon would have been about 35 in (90 cm) long.

Dinosaur limbs

Dinosaurs held their legs directly beneath the body, unlike other reptiles, which crawl with their legs held out from the sides of the body. Huge herbivorous dinosaurs, such as Diplodocus, walked on all fours with front and rear legs supporting bulky bodies. Most carnivores, such as Albertosaurus, walked on the two back legs, leaving the front limbs free for catching and holding prey.
FLESH AND BONE
The rear legs of Albertosaurus were powered by large muscles that pulled on the bones to make them move. The ankle and metatarsals worked as part of the leg, giving a longer stride.
MYSTERIOUS DINOSAUR
Almost all that is known of Deinocheirus is this huge pair of arms and hands. Thes forelimbs are 8ft (2.4 m) long. It is thought that Deinocheirus belonged to a group of dinosaurs called ornithomimosaurs. The huge hands would have been used to catch
and hold prey.
GOOD SUPPORT
Five widely spread toes on the rear feet of Diplodocus helped support the dinosaur’s enormous weight. The first three toes had claws. A padded heel, like that of an elephant, cushioned the thundering footsteps.
FLEET FOOT
Ornithomimus was one of the speediest dinosaurs. Its three foot bones were locked together, making a long extension to the leg. Running on the tips of its toes, it could take long strides. Ornithomimus may have reached top speeds of 37 mph (60 km/h) – fast enough to escape most predators.
LEGS LIKE PILLARS
The heaviest dinosaurs had pillarlike legs, like those of elephants. Brachiosaurus weighed about 0 tons (tonnes) so it needed thick, strong legs to support its body.

Heads

Crests, frills, horns, and spikes adorned the heads of many dinosaurs. These decorations helped dinosaurs identify one another and were sometimes used for signaling. In a competition for territory, or control of a herd, the dinosaur with the most spectacular head might well have been the winner. Horned herbivores may have used their weapon for defense against hungry carnivores.
BIRD BEAK
Gallimimus ate plants, insects, and lizards with its long, toothless beak. Itslarge-eyed skull looks very much like that of a big bird.
HEAD CREST
Oviraptors may have used their head crest to signal to one another. Although toothless, their beaked jawsmay have been powerful enough to crush shellfish. HORNS AND FRILLS The ceratopsian group of dinosaurs had heads with a variety of frills and horns. These plant eaters probably used such decorations to frighten off attackers or to attract a mate.
STRONG SKULL
The massive head of Albertosaurus was built for strength. It could withstand the shock as Albertosaurus crashed, open-mouthed, into its prey. Huge jaws carried the deadly sharp teeth, and spaces in the skull left room for bulging muscles.
NOISY CRESTS
Corythosaurus carried a plate of bone high on its head which formed a crest. Males and females probably had different-sized crests for recognizing each other. The crests also had tubes inside them with which Corythosaurus was able to make sounds.

DINOSAUR ANATOMY

THE SIZE AND SHAPE of a dinosaur’s head, body, and legs help us to tell one dinosaur from another, and also tell us how the body parts were used. From the skeleton inside to the scaly skin outside, each part of a dinosaur helps build a picture of these amazing animals.
Body power
The shoulder and pelvic muscles were crucial areas of power for light, fast runners as well as slow, heavy plodders. The largest dinosaurs were not always the mightiest. Some of the smallest dinosaurs were powerful runners
PROTECTIVE CAGE Like all dinosaurs, Brachiosaurus had a cage, formed from vertebrae, ribs, and sheets of muscle, to protect the vital internal organs.
FIGHTING MALES
Strength and power were not always used to kill. Male dinosaurs may have fought each other over females or to win or defend territory. Beaten, and possibly bruised, the loser would need to move on to other hunting grounds.
STRONG MUSCLES
Centrosaurus needed powerful muscles to move its heavy, bulky body. Muscles attached to the pelvis and shoulders pulled and lifted strong legs. When running fast, Centrosaurus would have been difficult to stop in its tracks.
ORNITHOLESTES
Small and lightweight, Ornitholestes used much of its energy powering long legs when chasing small prey such as lizards and mammals.