Some of the day’s best reads:
- William Galston files a dispatch from Jerusalem: “I visit Israel at least once a year, so I have an opportunity to observe changes in the country’s concerns. Never before have I sensed such a mood of foreboding, which has been triggered by two issues above all — the looming impasse in relations with the United States and a possible military confrontation with Iran.”
- Joel Kotkin looks at the changing demographics of America: “The America of 2050 will most likely remain the one truly transcendent superpower in terms of society, technology and culture. It will rely on what has been called America’s ‘civil religion’ — its ability to forge a unique common national culture amid great diversity of people and place.”
- Ron Brownstein analyzes the public mood leading up to the fall elections: “So far, public hostility to government is shaping the midterm election far more than alienation from business. “
- Peter Beinart considers the president’s winning streak: “I know this is supposed to be Barack Obama’s summer of discontent. The oil spill is still gushing; the economy is still floundering; the Afghan war is deteriorating; Americans don’t find him so charming anymore. But have you noticed that when it comes to actual policy, he keeps racking up the wins?”
- Yale Environment 360 has a report on the increasing importance of natural gas to our energy future.
