At least one Liberal does not like the Value Added Tax (VAT).

Jeff Jacoby argues for term limits for Supreme Court justices.

Is there an emerging private sector economy in the Palestinian areas that can create political stability leading to a true, viable Palestinian state? Tom Friedman thinks it is possible.

Dick Morris believes President Obama has badly bungled the oil spill response.

Czar Vladimir still has his spies hard at work here in the USA, but now has lost the services of 10 of them, as the FBI smashes a Russian spy ring. The New York Post manages to find the one sexy, red-headed spy, to lead their coverage of the story.

Fewer women, especially educated white women, are having children in the United States, numbers which are similar to those seen in Europe. I have long believed that once women get the opportunity to achieve educational, social and economic parity with men in a society, they lose their appetite for having lots of children, and some choose not to have any at all. If women all across the world achieve educational, social and economic parity with men in all societies, we will see population growth slow, then stop. Then we will see decline. That, of course, is if present trends continue. Of course, they never do, do they.

Camille Paglia has some thoughts on how our modern, middle-class life leads to the erosion of sexuality.

The Supreme Court decides that the right to bear arms, which in a previous case they decided DID constitute an individual right, also applies to the states. I have long believed that the Second Amendment does guarantee an individual right to bear arms, so I agree with both decisions.

The poll numbers for Obama and the Democrats continue to drop, which they ought to blame on the Greeks, of all people, according to this piece.

The most popular politician in Massachusetts? Why, it's newly elected Republican Senator Scott Brown.

Paul Krugman continues to bang the drum for more government spending to avert another economic depression (which he believes would be the third in our history after the Long Depression which followed the panic of 1873 and the Great Depression which followed the stock market collapse of 1929).

Krugman's views continue to get hammered by people both in Europe and America.

Robert J. Samuelson says economists like Krugman may be relying on a science that is dubious and shaky, at best.

Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia is dead at age 92.

Two stories that are signs of the potentially terminal illness facing Europe as we know it. In Germany, a Jewish dance group is stoned by a group of Arab youths. In France, unions go on strike protesting a plan that would raise the retirement age to 62. The governments and peoples of Europe do not seem to know what to do about the changing nature of their populations, as very low birth rates are combined with an inability to assimilate immigrants, especially Muslim immigrants, and the population seems unwilling to face fiscal reality. A bad combination.

On June 25, 1950 the army of the People's Republic of North Korea invaded South Korea, starting a war that is still going on, as Arthur Herman writes in this piece.

Paul Krugman writes about the Chinese currency problem.

Some elements inside Pakistan's Army and government, sensing U.S. weakness, are trying to establish a foothold in Afghanistan.

What he said in this article in Rolling Stone magazine may get him fired, but the real question is whether or not General McChrystal could have won the war with the resources given him by President Obama, and under the conditions set by the President, especially the withdrawal deadline. The other pertinent question is asked by Tom Friedman in his column on the subject. Essentially, if we go all out to win in Afghanistan, what are we winning? In Iraq, if we win, we get a functioning Arab Muslim democracy in the heart of the Arab Muslim world. If we win in Afghanistan, we get a barely functioning, still tribal, still primitive backwater.

Max Boot thinks the war can still be won.

Doris Kearns Goodwin wonders what Lincoln would do, while another historian ponders what Roosevelt and Truman did with wayward generals.

The editors at The Weekly Standard want the President to use this crisis to change course on Afghanistan toward a path to victory (which would include a promise to stay as long as it takes, which I believe is the one thing President Obama will not do).

On a different subject, Jeff Jacoby points out there is no such thing as a "good" communist.

Fred Barnes looks at a new poll of "Wal-Mart moms" which shows more trouble for the Democrats.

Our top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, is coming to Washington today for a special meeting with the President in the wake of a profile in Rolling Stone magazine that includes a number of critical comments by McChrystal about various members of the Administration. Con Coughlin believes President Obama will sack McChrystal in the wake of these comments. I believe he should be sacked, not just for the comments, but also for poor job performance. I do have some sympathy for McChrystal, however, as I believe he was handed an impossible situation, forced to deal with a President at home who does not understand how to wage war (and does not want to), and a President in Afghanistan who only wants to hold onto as much power and money as he can get for himself, his family and his cronies. That, of course, does not even take into account the fact that he has to deal with the Taliban and their allies inside Pakistan, not to mention the problems with his 'friends', the CIA, the State Department, the UN, and our NATO allies. I can't imagine why any General would want the job.

After a series of really poor columns, David Brooks hits a home run with this one.

As frustration mounts concerning the gushing oil well in the Gulf, here is one proposal that would put the Navy in charge and have them use explosives to shut down the well. The Navy does know a thing or two about underwater explosions, and working in the deep ocean.

Is Charlie Crist Florida's version of Arlen Specter?

Barack Obama and the war against Israel.

George Will writes about the ludicrous rules of engagement that are endangering our soldiers and marines in Afghanistan.

Liberals are in agony over the performance of the President, but some continue banging the drum for what they think is right, even if it will never happen.

Will Rahm Emanuel quit after the mid-term elections?

Fareed Zakaria says expecting a revolution in Iran is a fantasy.

Robert Samuelson says expecting our economy to transition from petroleum to other energy sources is a fantasy.

Some thoughts on the fall of France. I just re-read Alistair Horne's To Lose a Battle, which is the last of his trilogy about the Franco-German wars (the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, World War I and World War II). The Germans launched their offensive on May 10, 1940. On June 21, the French signed a humiliating armistice that resulted in the outright occupation of half their country and the creation of a puppet regime called Vichy France. It is a story not just of military incompetence on the part of the French generals, but of the moral and psychological defeat of a people who did not have sufficient will to resist their attackers. It still stands, I think, as a cautionary tale.

Michael Barone says the concept of small government is selling well across the country.

Paul Krugman, of course, totally rejects the idea of fiscal austerity in the face of a deep recession, and not just for the United States.

Charles Krauthammer writes about oil, the green economy, and the 'vision thing'.

THOUGHTS ON PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP

I didn't watch the President's speech last night. I find it more and more difficult to watch this man as he flounders about, trying to find the right presentation to improve his poll numbers, incapable of understanding that he is dropping in the estimation of the public precisely because they are becoming aware of his shortcomings. Barack Obama might have been a good community organizer, and was almost certainly a good law professor, but he never learned to run anything of any size other than a political campaign (the nuts and bolts of which are managed by a professional campaign manager). He never learned about leadership, or had an opportunity to acquire and practice leadership skills.

We have seen this before. Some men are simply not good at providing inspiration to their people, or are not good at cutting through the distractions to get to the heart of the matter, or not good at pulling other strong personalities together to work as a team. Some men can do some of those things, but not others. I had thought that Barack Obama would be good at being an inspirational leader, since he seemed so good at it during the campaign, but that was, apparently, an illusion. President Tele-Prompter seems a bit more like Robert Redford in The Candidate..."What do we do now?"

I have know Presidents in my lifetime who were combat tested leaders (Kennedy, Ford, George H.W. Bush). Some showed those skills (Kennedy during the missile crisis, Bush during the first Gulf War), others did not (Ford could do nothing to get the nation's economy out of the stagflation that afflicted it during his brief tenure). I have seen Presidents who were pure political animals (Johnson, Nixon, Clinton). Johnson and Nixon were brought down because their vision was so limited, Clinton was able to skate by without facing the music. I have seen Presidents who should have had leadership skills, but didn't (Carter was a Naval Academy graduate, a submarine officer, and the governor of a state, but seemed to be clueless about leadership as President) and those that should not have had such skills, but did (Reagan was an actor, but he also had natural leadership ability, which helped him get elected as President of the Screen Actor's Guild, and later as governor of California). George W. Bush seemed at times to know how to be a leader, and at other times to lack those skills.

So far, Barack Obama shows almost no leadership ability whatsoever. Unlike Johnson and Nixon, he also seems to lack political acumen. As we face the oil spill crisis, and a potential security crisis on the Korean peninsula, and a potential economic and political crisis in Europe, and a potential security crisis in the Middle East, and the ongoing war in Afghanistan, this is very bad for the country. But, it is a mistake we could have avoided in November of 2008. It is a mistake we can start to rectify this November, and can overturn in November, 2012. Unfortunately, the world will not wait for us to make those changes.

The German government may collapse. If it does, and new elections produce a more left-wing government, certainly they will withdraw their forces from Afghanistan. How they deal with the EU, a much bigger problem, is the truly critical question.

Ralph Peters has the same reaction I did to the discovery of mineral deposits in Afghanistan. Richard Cohen sees similarities between the way the war is being fought in Afghanistan and the way it was fought in Vietnam.

Regulators are coming up with all sorts of surprises for us as they use the authority provided by the new health reform law to radically alter the business of health insurance in this country. Keep you health plan? Baloney.

Is China preparing to eventually go to war with the United States? Some belligerent statements would indicate that some inside the Chinese military are itching for a fight.

Arthur Herman believes the U.S. should quit NATO. I have long believed that our European friends were getting a free ride at our expense. The alliance made perfect sense during the Cold War, but with the fall of the Soviet Union it lost its purpose. Time to make a new arrangement.

Vast deposits of valuable minerals are found in Afghanistan. It could help develop the local economy, or be the enticement that causes one of the neighbors (China, perhaps?) to covet the country so much as to seek to take it (when we leave, of course).

Belgium on the verge of disintegration? Language, history and culture still matter as the Dutch speakers and French speakers face a moment of truth.

A crisis of confidence in the economy. Belief in a double-dip recession could be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Victor Davis Hanson has some thoughts on Helen Thomas, Turkey, and the liberation of Israel.

Charles Krauthammer explains why the President is wrong when he asserts that Iran is becoming more internationally isolated.

Walter Russell Mead explains why the peace movement of the 20s and 30s led to World War II, the Holocaust, and the Cold War.

Brian McGrory has praise for New Hampshire's new toll collection system, and wonders if they will ever see anything like it in Massachusetts.

Kirsten Powers writes about the Democrats facing a revolt from the Left.

Is the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in South Carolina a plant? A Washington Post reporter interviewed him for this story, and if he is not a plant, he is surely one strange dude.

The Left unhinged....

Comparing Helen Thomas to Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.

Arguing for a countervailing power.

Arguing that the oil spill will sink the Tea Party movement.

Arguing (a bit tongue-in-cheek) that America should have a King and Queen so boring, contemplative Obama can get to work on the real problems of the country.

Arguing that the GOP nominees in California have had to tack so far Right that they won't have a chance in the November elections.

What do all these pieces have in common? They represent liberal journalists and columnists who so very much want to believe that Obama is the right man for the job, that their ideas are the right ones for the country, and that the "people" will wake up to those facts and keep the Democrats in power this Fall and reelect the President in 2012. What don't they want to hear?

That the President is, in his ideology and his background, completely disengaged from the experiences and sensibilities of the majority of Americans.

That the Obama Presidency may be at a tipping point, with all signs pointing to it tipping over into negative political territory.

That Rick Santelli's famous rant on CNBC back in 2009 really did express the gut feelings held by millions of ordinary Americans about what is wrong with the country.

We will find out which set of opinions are closer to the truth when voters go to the polls in November.

Of course, however it turns out, the losing side will find all sorts of reasons why it does not represent a repudiation of their ideas.

A Massachusetts fisherman is being treated for mustard gas exposure after he and his mates dragged up some old artillery shells from the deep. Back in the bad old days (prior to 1972) it was common to dispose of unwanted ordnance by dumping it in the ocean. What is really amazing to me is that the mustard gas (presumably from a shell that has been sitting on the bottom for at least 50 years, if not more) is still potent.

A mixed bag from the primaries held in various states yesterday. Blanche Lincoln, an incumbent, won in Arkansas. But the incumbent governor of Nevada, a Republican, lost his primary. As always, Realclearpolitics is the place to go for links to all the action and the latest polls.

Benny Avni says President Obama has paid too high a price to get an agreement on sanctions against Iran.

Michael Goodwin says there may be a silver lining to the Helen Thomas story.

Daniel Pipes believes the Islamists currently running the government in Turkey are overreaching.

Could Europe's political elites be the death of the European Union?

It looks like New Hampshire will keep the first primary spot in 2012.

Mark Steyn comments on the Helen Thomas business.

Richard Cohen explains some of the history Helen Thomas apparently does not know.

A soldier is under arrest for leaking a classified video (and other information) to Wikileaks. Ralph Peters is pleased with the arrest, but wonders when the big time leakers at the Pentagon and in the White House will get some attention (don't hold your breath, Colonel...but I think you knew that).

Glenn Reynolds believes the higher education bubble may be about to burst. If the subsidies come to an end, it certainly will.

Anne Applebaum writes about the German code of silence.

Michael Barone says that despite some recent missteps by Republicans, it still does not look good for the Democrats this year. Meanwhile, to avoid angry voters, many Democrats are skipping so-called town hall meetings all together.

One investment analyst looking at the world financial situation and markets says, tongue only partly in cheek, that he is thinking of investing in guns and barbed wire.

Arthur Laffer makes a very solid case for a double-dip recession beginning next year as people front-load income this year to avoid the significant tax hikes that will go into effect when the Bush tax cuts expire on January 1.

Increased solar activity may also have an economic impact in the next few years.

Jay Nordlinger has some thoughts about Helen Thomas and anti-Semitism in general.

Russ Douthat compares Israel to the Crusader kingdom of Outremer.

John Bolton believes President Obama is leaving Israel out to dry.

Michael Goodwin believes President Obama is just not up to the job.

Success leads to complacency which leads to disaster.

Mark Steyn writes about the significance of the transformation of Turkey from a secular republic to an Islamist one.

The Democrats have a plan to hold onto their congressional majorities this Fall. Will it work? I'll have a better idea in late October, which is when I'll make my prediction (for what it is worth, which won't be much).

Amity Shlaes writes about why the folks in the Ivory Towers are so upset about Glenn Beck.

Roubini and Bremmer (economist and political scientist, respectively) share their thoughts about the global political and economic situation.

Irwin Stelzer also has some thoughts on the economy in the wake of weak job numbers.

Victor Davis Hanson says we are watching a new version of 1979 being played out all over again, as a weak President sees his cherished beliefs about the way of the world vanishing in the harsh glare of global reality. Obama's weakness is already leading to instability, and it will get much worse. Obama may also be beginning to understand that George W. Bush was not a dunce.

Charles Krauthammer understands the game that is being played against Israel, which is designed to deprive Israel of any legitimate form of self-defense.

Andrew Bacevich says we are spending too much time, energy and money on places like the Middle East, instead of here in our own hemisphere.

Arthur Herman believes just the opposite, that America's disengagement in the Mediterranean and elsewhere will lead to even more problems.

Ralph Peters believes the folks in Washington are blind to the transformation going on in Turkey.

Mickey Kaus says the Democrats are on the path to doom, and he wants off.

Well, I was wrong about the British reaction to the recent shooting rampage when I said we would not see any gun control stories. Here is one, as the Prime Minister cautions against a knee-jerk response on the gun issue.

David Broder says the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is not a "Jimmy Carter moment" for President Obama...at least, not yet.

George Will writes about the dangers of government without restraint.

A cab driver goes on a shooting rampage in England. You won't find any articles about why the proliferation of firearms makes these things happen, since gun control is quite strict in the UK.

An Allied bomb kills three in Germany, 65 years after the last raid ended.

Some in Israel are worried that the Turkish Navy may escort the next group of ships attempting to break the blockade of Gaza.

Tom Friedman is at a loss about the consequences of the Israeli raid and Turkish involvement in the "aid" convoy, while Harold Meyerson sees division within the American Jewish community on the issue.

Elliot Abrams says the Obama Administration is joining the jackals as they seek to bring Israel down.

Michael Goodwin says the anti-Israel sharks smell blood.

Republicans jump out to a historic lead in the generic ballot poll.

Soaring health care costs are an issue in Canada, just as they are here.

I got up yesterday morning, stepped outside to get a feel for the weather conditions before my seven-mile run, and smelled smoke. I was not alone, as people all across New England smelled the same smoke, brought down on the wind from wildfires burning out of control in Quebec, Canada.

Ralph Peters has the best take, I believe, on the Israeli raid on a so-called "aid" ship that was headed to Gaza. He believes it was all orchestrated by the Turkish government. If so, then the Israelis allowed themselves to be duped.

Here is some video of the raid.

Richard Cohen, unlike so many Liberals, is convinced now that crime is caused by criminals, not by poverty, and he has some numbers that back up that contention.

It seems that investors all over the world still believe U.S. Treasury bills are a good bet.