That the Hu Jintao visit was a nonevent is just as well, for the United States could use a little quiet time to rethink its basic approach to China's rise.

The time is coming for Romney to get angry, very angry, with what is increasingly, quaintly called "the mainstream media."

In Who Really Cares, Arthur C. Brooks outlines strategies for expanding the ranks of givers, for the good of all Americans.

Many people feel they should give to charity, but who actually does? Approximately three-quarters of Americans give their time and money to various charities, churches, and causes. The same three-quarters share money with relatives and friends, donate blood, and give in other informal ways. The other quarter of the population...

If Iran can build a nuclear weapon, then do we really care whether it has? Once the requisite fissile materials and the design for a warhead and the preliminary testing (not necessarily requiring a detonation) have taken place, aren’t the two the same, plus or minus a couple of weeks?

One approach for Mitt Romney would be what opponents might call a double-vanilla ticket, with another white male as vice presidential nominee. Four possibilities come to mind.