No one wins a war? Hmmm....that may be true, but some folks certainly lose. Just go ask a Carthaginian, if you can find one.

Still, while I do not take the pacifist position stated in the piece I link to above, I do agree that certain wars are extremely unwise. Ralph Peters, a former soldier, understands the consequences of war and writes this piece about what it would take to use military force to destroy Iran's nuclear weapons program. It makes sobering reading, and it reinforces my belief that the U.S. should not take military action against Iran, unless the people of this country are behind the idea of total war, and that is unlikely.

The New York Times has this piece about what the people inside Iraq are thinking about Obama and his troop withdrawal plan.

Susan Estrich, looking at the Presidential polls, is worried. It should be a big Democratic year, and yet Obama and McCain are close.

A look at the Electoral Map over at RealClearPolitics shows some reason for optimism in the Obama camp. Rhodes Cook also points out that a surge in Democratic Party registration numbers is also reason for optimism for the Democrats. Stu Rothenberg thinks the race will be determined by what happens in 5 key states.

I think the race is close because people are uncertain that Obama is the right man to lead us in dangerous times. He appears too Liberal to some, too much of a waffler and/or opportunist to others, and he's too Black for an unknown number of others. He is, in many ways, an unconventional choice, and that is going to be his biggest challenge. Like Reagan in 1980, he is going to have to reassure voters that he can do the job. He's not a left-wing radical (as Reagan had to convince folks that he was not a right-wing radical), he's not a lightweight (as Reagan, the former actor, had to convince folks as well) and he can earn the respect of the other nations of the Earth. Like 1980, the debates will be the key. If, on national television, Obama can cut through the doubts, he will win.