Fred Kaplan has a piece about the excellent job John Kerry has done persuading Hamid Karzai to allow a runoff and, perhaps, some reform measures in Afghanistan. This reinforces the piece Jay Newton-Small did for Time earlier this year, about Kerry’s renewed sense of purpose as a Senator.
Meanwhile, Joe Lieberman’s bill of unnecessary heresies is, after a year in remission, growing by leaps and bounds once more. His demand that Obama announce a troop increase before the Afghan runoff seems more a matter of McCain man-love than smart policy. His opposition to the Baucus health care bill–which could use some serious improving–seems more gratuitous than substantive as well.