Turmoil continues in the Middle East as violence in Libya has led to reports that Colonel Qaddafi has fled the country. We can only hope.

Protesters continue to occupy the central square in the capitol of Bahrain.

Protests also continue in Iran and Morocco. In Tunisia a general debate is going on over what a new government will look like.

Amir Taheri says a recent speech by the top Iranian general could signal that the military will not help the government crack down on protesters.

Meanwhile, here at home the union protests in Madison, Wisconsin continue to lead to a debate about the power of public employee unions and the meaning of elections. Paul Krugman, of course, is rooting for the unions as a way to prevent our descent into oligarchy. Joe Klein says the events in Madison are really about the fact that elections have consequences and oh, by the way, the Republicans won the last one.

Robert J. Samuelson, looking at the federal budget mess, says we will not effectively deal with the problem until we deal with the fact that the AARP is really running the show.