An interesting piece on Mitt Romney and Mormonism in the National Review. While it will not, in my estimation, be a major factor in the race, Romney's religion will continue to be a factor, whether he likes it or not.

President Sarkozy of France gets a little perturbed at some photographers (including the AP's Jim Cole, well known to us in NH media circles) while vacationing here in the Granite State.

Michael Yon, a former soldier who has done some excellent reporting from Iraq, reminds readers why we are fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq. Speaking of Al Qaeda, there is some evidence that a terrorist cell may be plotting here in the United States. Of course, I continue to wonder why they haven't hit us since 9/11. Are our security folks that good, or are they simply so incompetent that they have not been able to mount an operation while we've been on the offensive in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. The answer is probably a combination of the two.

Iran is executing people at a rate not seen since the early 1980s. Is Ahmadinejad consolidating his power in anticipation of the death of Ayatollah Khamenei? Or is something else going on? I haven't a clue. The problem is, I don't think the "experts" can figure it out, either.

Some thoughts on what the U.S. government will need in terms of support for the next military intervention, based on some lessons learned from the Iraq intervention. From a domestic political standpoint, I'm not sure any future administration will be able to justify any intervention that smells like a long-term commitment unless we've just suffered a devastating attack here at home.