Thursday's Daily Brief

Thursday, April 5, 2012 Arianna Huffington: Time to Take Afghanistan Off the Campaign 2012 Back Burner Arianna Huffington: You'd think a ten-and-a-half year war would be a major issue in a presidential campaign -- especially a war going as badly as the one in Afghanistan. But our political and media establishments seem to regard being in a constant state of war as simply part of the "new normal" (to go along with over 8 percent unemployment). The first rule of military action should be: do no harm to your own national security. But right now we are doing a lot of harm, losing hearts and minds every day and making our country ultimately less safe as a result. "War is destructive of the human spirit," military scholar Andrew Bacevich said recently. "War compromises our humanity." This one is now compromising our humanity, our national security, our standing in the world, and our claim to the moral high ground. POLITICS President Obama Locks Horns With Chief Justice Roberts POLITICS Santorum's Poll Tumble Puts Romney Ahead In Pennsylvania POLITICS Live Video Q&A: Sandra Fluke Sits Down With HuffPost MEDIA Current TV Could Get Kicked Off Time Warner WORLD Syrian Troops Launch Assaults On Several Towns BLOG POSTS Chris Mooney: Stephen Colbert, Scientific Pioneer Truthiness is the quality of knowing something in your gut or your heart, as opposed to in your head. Colbert didn't just diagnose a deep malady in American political discourse. He also used phrases that anticipated research results on the differences between liberals and conservatives. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: Reforming Washington & Restoring Our Faith in Congress If we are going to restore the trust the American people have in Congress and rebuild their faith in government, increasing transparency and accountability in many aspects of how Washington does business is imperative. The STOCK Act is just a start. Greta Van Susteren: First the President Is a Bully... and Now the Judiciary -- Here Is My Free Advice to AG Holder What President Obama did two days ago when he bullied the Supreme Court and called them "unelected" and essentially threatened them was wrong. It also made him look like a fool. He was certainly not acting like a leader but a schoolyard bully who wants his way at any cost. Gary Burr: Second Acts: Once Again...Why Am I Doing This? That was a time when it felt like I would write a song on Monday, it was cut on Wednesday and by Friday it was on the radio. I liked those days very much. Very much indeed. Nothing stays the same. Dr. Michael J. Breus: Sleepless in the City Real Age has just published its ranking of the best and worst cities for sleep in the U.S., part of its "2012 Oldest and Youngest Cities" report.

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