Read Stuff, You Should

As always, I begin with something you don't need to read: in this case, it's Chris Good at the Atlantic telling us "What Giuliani 2012 Would Look Like." Since he didn't say "about like Giuliani 2008, except he probably won't even run for Senate, let alone the White House," I think it's fair to answer: "No It Wouldn't." Actually, a blanket don't read: any articles about pro-choice Republicans or pro-life Democrats running for president. Until they flip, and are certified by the relevant groups to be certified correct on the issue, there's no need to pay any attention to them.

Now, what's worth looking at in the last couple of weeks:

1. For liberals who are trying to figure out where to put their campaign dollars and/or energies, and are thinking purge, here are two must-reads: Mark Kleiman explains why it's foolish to purge Members of the House for voting against the health care bill on the floor, and Nick Beaudrot shows that it's not always obvious which Members are the ones worth gunning for.

2. Also on health care, if you don't understand the logic of the individual mandate, Ezra Klein can help. And, yes, he's an award-winning journalist and all, but I don't think David S. Bernstein is the funny one in the family. You may disagree.

3. A double dose of Fred Kaplan (yup, I'm a fan). First, the Berlin Wall; next, Obama and Afghanistan. On Berlin, I think Kaplan tells the story well, but I'd put more emphasis on what an excellent pragmatic solution the Wall was for both sides. No one wanted war over Berlin, and the Wall allowed history to proceed. Pre-Wall, there's nothing but crisis; after the Wall is up, Berlin -- and Europe in general -- recede from war, waiting until Truman, Kennan, Marshall, and the rest are proven correct in 1989.

4. Oh, those wacky Republicans. Here's Amanda Marcotte on the GOP's (lack of) female candidates. Speaking of purges, Charles Johnson has been the victim of one -- he's the conservative blogger who just couldn't swallow things like pretending that a 70K crowd was really over a million people. He's interviewed here. Oh, and instead of my babbling on about the Sage of Wasilla, all you really need is this item: a nice, neat, paragraph from Marc Ambinder about her prospects, quoted by Sullivan under the header: "Palin Could Win If She Were Someone Else." Perfect.

5. Gotta have some TNC.

6. Sorry, this one has to be blind...it's just too good to summarize, or even tease. Reporting by Lydia DePillis. Brilliant.

Enjoy!