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.