The New Republic

One further thought on the weekend revelation--thoroughly hashed out here by Gabe--that WaPo editor Marcus Brauchli did in fact know that the paper's marketing department was promoting its salons as off-the-record affairs. READ MORE >>

To be honest, I find the whole Obama v. Fox News kerfuffle so tedious and exhausting that I've tried to ignore it, which is why I haven't bothered to blog anything about it. Still, despite my best efforts, I can't seem to escape it. But if I had tried to write something about it, I doubt it would have been anywhere near as spot-on as this Jacob Weisberg piece: READ MORE >>

Avi Zenilman makes a great catch. Both Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton cite the Brothers Karamazov as their favorite piece of literature, but they took away completely opposite messages from it, with one reading it as an affirmation of faith and the other believing it's a testament to doubt. Any guesses as to who thought what. READ MORE >>

It's too bad Slate retired that rubric, because if one of their stories ever deserved it, it's this one from Fred Kaplan about how the Army fudged its numbers to exceed its 2009 recruiting goal of 65,000 new troops: READ MORE >>

He was hiding in the attic. If you don't know what I'm talking about, apologies. READ MORE >>

The Times of London has a pretty disturbing/infuriating story about payments the Italian Secret Service allegedly made to Taliban commanders and local warlords to buy peace and quiet in areas of Afghanistan where Italian troops were stationed. It's not the payments per se that were the problem; if members of the Taliban can be bribed over to NATO's side, I say bribe them. READ MORE >>

An interesting article from the NYT's Adam Nossiter on how, with Obama now in the White House, the Guinean junta is wary of getting on the wrong side of the U.S.: READ MORE >>

Okay, three posts in one day about the presidential prospects of a guy who almost certainly is never going to run for president is probably a bit excessive. But this email from a self-described "(disaffected) Republican" responding to my second Petraeus post makes some smart points: READ MORE >>

Via Ben Smith, Radio Iowa reports that Christie Vilsack--wife of the guy currently responsible for grading your READ MORE >>

Alex Massie gives eight reasons why Petraeus is unlikely to run for president in 2012--and why, if he does, he's even more unlikely to win. Four of those reasons can be summed up in two words: Wes Clark. READ MORE >>