The Bank of England Governor says we are facing the worst financial crisis the world has ever seen. Meanwhile, he is presiding over the British version of "quantitative easing" which, in essence, is simply a modern version of printing more money. Looking around, it seems striking to me how many government officials and big bankers are simply flailing about looking for some way out of the trap rather than coolly considering how they got into it. But that is human nature, after all.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid triggers the "nuclear option" in making a change of Senate rules. The details are rather complex and arcane but it essentially boils down to the majority stripping the minority of one of their filibuster-related prerogatives. At the end of the article one Republican staffer hits the nail on the head when he says, "just wait until we get the majority". Indeed.

There is some sentiment among members of the Republican National Committee to strip New Hampshire of its favored status in the presidential primary process after word is received that our Secretary of State may move the primary date up to January 3. This move, if it happens, would be as a result of the moves of other states, thus triggering the state law that requires him to keep the primary at least one week ahead of any similar election. John DiStaso of the Union Leader talked with Secretary of State Bill Gardner about why Nevada's caucuses would be a "similar election' in his Granite Status column. So, what is the bottom line? Bill Gardner does not care what the leadership of either political party has to say about the matter. He is required to follow state law, and he will, even if it means holding the primary on Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas. As for the parties, until such time as they make their national conventions relevant again, they should expect the states to continue to ignore their complaining (and I won't hold my breath waiting for the conventions to become relevant again...that ship has sailed).

Robert J. Samuelson writes about our one-sided trade war with China. It appears that the Chinese are still the only side fighting, and I expect that trend to continue.

Charles Krauthammer writes about the possibility that our Einsteinian conception of the universe is completely wrong.

Jay Cost thinks the Wall Street protest movement may be just a sign of things to come.

Ladies and Gentlemen, despite polling data to the contrary, the "Tea Party" surge toward more Conservative and/or Libertarian government is over, at least according to E.J. Dionne. Democrats in Congress have discovered their way to victory in 2012, which is to change their previous definition of "the rich" from those making $250,000 or more to those making $1 million or more. That, combined with the energized movement in the streets and a President who has found his Progressive voice along with a reluctance by GOP stars to enter the fray and the domination of the nominating process by candidates who cannot win, should lead to a rerversal of fortune that will carry Obama and the Democrats to victory.

Are you buying it? As for me, I am not.

My reasoning rests on the fact that, as Mark Twain said, history does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme. Voters tend to punish the party in power for bad times. After the Panic of 1893, an economic dislocation very similar to the one we are experiencing today, voters routed the Democrats from Congress in the 1894 midterms and then elected a Republican President in 1896. In fact, the fallout from the 1893 financial panic and resulting recession lasted far longer than the recession itself (which lasted approximately 5 years). The GOP dominated national politics from 1894 to 1930, controlling the U.S. House for 32 of those 36 years and the White House for 26 of the 36. After the stock market crash of 1929 and the resulting Great Depression the Democrats crushed the GOP in successive elections in 1930, 1932, 1934 and 1936 and went on to a decades-long period of dominance.

Despite the vicissitudes of the day-to-day political campaign, I expect that the 2010 election may very well be just the first in a series of GOP victories that will lead to a period of Republican dominance.

Victor Davis Hanson still believes in America, and he believes America will be re-energized when we get new leadership in 2013.

Rich Lowry has nothing but contempt for the Left's "Tea Party" protestors. The protests continue to spread across the country, much in the way the "Tea Party" protests did. The difference, I think, is that while both sets of protests have their origins in real concerns and fears across the population, and while both have activist groups that either foment the protests or take advantage of them, the "Tea Party" protestors are generally older, with a greater stake in their communities and, therefore, are more likely to make a difference politically (and already have within the Republican Party).

New Hampshire's Secretary of State patiently plays the waiting game while other states move up their presidential primary dates.

Jay Cost compares Chris Christie to Woodrow Wilson.

Vladimir Putin calls for a "Eurasian Union". Such a union would be dominated by Russia, of course, and would look suspiciously like the old Russian Empire. I still think Putin should do everyone a favor and just declare himself Tsar.

Meanwhile, in Asia, it looks increasingly like the folks who live in that region will have to choose..the U.S. or China