Ron Unz judged the American media, while James Bovard feared the FBI’s Stasi pretensions. Jim Antle noticed Obama’s Rovian maneuvers, and  canvassed conservative options in November. Daniel Larison fathomed the depths of team Romney’s neoconservatism, and expected a clueless Romney attack on Obama’s Polish gaffe. Noah Millman delved into a Polish death camp, questioned various abortion arguments, and challenged Matt Yglesias to a bloggingheads duel on fiscal responsibility. Scott McConnell muddled through France. Charles Hugh Smith dodged the neo-Keynesian trap, and Nick Turse regretted the Terminator Planet. Scott Galupo punctured conservative Bain myopia, and linked angst over free trade to rising health care costs.

Jordan Bloom offered an epic remembrance of Bob Dylan past, and Galupo joined his apologia. Rod Dreher agreed with Dan Quayle, appreciated what it takes to be a writer, responded to Bloom’s choom gang analysis, and listened to God. He found poison snake-loving Pentecostals, praised the Louisiana fightin’ Monks, shunned sex offenders, loved Wodehouse, and wondered if Fr Mark gets drunk every Sunday. Eve Tushnet thought about gay kids in Catholic schools, while Samuel Goldman examined prejudice against Mormons, critiqued American interest in philosophy, and took issue with Gail Collins. Larison did not like Pagans. Galupo conserved art, and considered Chinese film buffs.

Andrew Bacevich investigated the never-ending special ops war, and William Lind proposed sending the F-35 stealth turkey to the chopping block. Larison asked if foreign policy campaign rhetoric matters, and then asked again. He could not stomach a cynically amoral argument for intervention in Syria, and thought about Russia here here here and here. Kelley Vlahos watched a cliche-shattering WWII documentary, and gave thanks for scrutiny of the CIA. Phillip Giraldi heard theWashington Post’s continuing drumbeat for war with Iran, and followed media bias on the Israeli riots. Larison told us to ignore Charles Krauthammer.