Joe Biden, Ahmed Rashid, Poetry workshop, Uri Avnery, KSM's Trial

Patient and humble are not words that come to mind when you think of Joe Biden; yet even his limitations may suit him for this new world. Biden is the one who knows many little things but no big thing. As gifted as he is at retail politics, he has none of Barack Obama’s talent for the sweeping formulation or inspirational language, which perhaps explains why he has fared so poorly in presidential campaigns. Biden does not project even slightly in the realm of myth. But for this very reason, he is allergic to magical, wish-fulfillment thinking. “Guys,” he’ll say — this is how he describes addressing the Joint Chiefs of Staff — “what if it doesn’t work?” An administration full of youthful true believers, enraptured with their heroic leader, needs a skeptic and a scold. Obama may need one himself. And yet Biden is also, like Obama, an optimist. As vice presidents go, he has more in common with Hubert Humphrey, the happy warrior, than with dark Dick Cheney. He may well, as Tom Lehrer once sang of Humphrey, dream of staging a coup; but he is likely to remain happy as long as he has apple carts to overturn.

Bridging a gap for India and Pakistan - To avoid a regional debacle and the Taliban gaining even more ground, Obama needs to fulfill the commitment he made to Afghanistan in March: to send more troops -- so that U.S.-NATO forces and the Afghan government can regain the military initiative -- as well as civilian experts, and more funds for development. He must bring both India and Pakistan on board and help reduce their differences; a regional strategy is necessary for any U.S. strategy in Afghanistan to have a chance. The United States needs to persuade India to be more flexible toward Pakistan while convincing Pakistanis to match such flexibility in a step-by-step process that reduces terrorist groups operating from its soil so that the two archenemies can rebuild a modicum of trust.

Poetry workshop - Fathers and fatherhood have spawned much great poetry, and this month poet and creative writing teacher Roger Robinson wants to read your take on this most intimate of subjects

Khalid Shaikh Mohammeds Trial Will Convict Us All By Paul Craig Roberts - Every American should be concerned that the Obama administration has decided to use Mohammeds trial to complete the corruption of the American court system. When Mohammeds trial is over, an American Joe Stalin or Adolf Hitler will be able to convict Americas Founding Fathers on charges of treason and terrorism. No one will be safe

Federation? Why Not? By Uri Avnery - Lately, the term federation has come into fashion again. Some people believe that it can serve as a kind of compromise between the Two-State Solution, now a world-wide consensus, and the One-State Solution that is popular in some radical circles. Federation sounds like a miracle: there will be both two states for two peoples and a single entity. Two in one, one in two