New York Times Editorial : “The longer John Bolton’s Senate hearing for the post of United Nations representative went on, the more outrageous it seemed that President Bush could have nominated a man who had made withering disdain for that world body the signature of his career in international affairs.” (New York Times op-ed)

Army town struggles to save pets abandoned by troops: “The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have prompted national efforts to alert deploying soldiers to alternatives to abandoning animals when they leave for war. But the hundreds of unwanted pets turning up in this southeast Georgia military town indicate many aren’t getting the message.” (USA Today)

Thomas L. Friedman asks: “With all these reports about the bungling of U.S. intelligence, and the C.I.A.’s relying on bogus informants with names like ‘Curveball’ or ‘Knucklehead’ or whatever, why have there been no terrorist attacks in the U.S. since 9/11? I’ve got my own pet theory about what’s produced this period of calm – and, more important, why it may be coming to an end.” (New York Times op-ed)