Learning the lesson of Napoleon and Hitler. Never underestimate Russia. C. S. Lewis observed that mankind tends to alternate between taking the Devil too seriously and not taking him seroiusly enough. Without making any implications on the order of "the Great Satan" or "the Evil Empire," it's a good analogy for the way we look at other countries, whether friend or enemy. During the Cold War, for example, our fears of Russia—especially in the 1950s—were probably exaggerated, and it's likely that now we're not sufficiently worried about how far the influence such a large country with so many resources might reach. Here's a New York Times article on the activities of Moscow's mayor, not to provoke fear, but to make us think. The article is a bit dated, but the ideas are not.
And it doesn't even mention health care. This analysis of then president-elect Obama's upcoming challenges was written nearly a year ago. It is left as an exercise to the reader to decide how well he is meeting them.
U.S. President George W. Bush demonstrated that the inability to understand the uses and limits of power can crush a presidency very quickly. The enormous enthusiasm of Obama's followers could conceal how he—like Bush—is governing a deeply, and nearly evenly, divided country. Obama's first test will be simple: Can he maintain the devotion of his followers while increasing his political base? Or will he believe, as Bush and Cheney did, that he can govern without concern for the other half of the country because he controls the presidency and Congress, as Bush and Cheney did in 2001? Presidents are elected by electoral votes, but they govern through public support.
And now for something completely different. A long and ususual but fascinating look at changes in Austria (and the world) since the days of Kaiser Franz Josef.
The link to the analysis you mention doesn't seem to work. I get a "Forbidden" error.
Thanks. Fixed now. Another example of failure to confirm that what I thought I cut was what I actually pasted.
