Today's edition of quick hits:
* It's hard to miss the fact that Libyan militias are now clearly on the defensive.
* Syria: "The new U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria offered a downbeat assessment Monday on the prospects for peace in the war-torn country, saying that he would be powerless to avert worsening civil and sectarian strife as long as the United Nations' biggest powers, including the United States and Russia, remained divided."
* IMF: "The United States and Europe need to speed up key political decisions to help keep the weakening global economy from sinking under high debt and unemployment, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Monday."
* Climate crisis: "Federal ocean scientists said this year's sea surface temperatures along the northeast coast of the U.S. set all-time records, with as-yet unknown consequences for marine ecosystems."
* When Secretary of State Hillary Clinton weighs in on domestic fights, she does so cautiously: "When Clinton talked about the collection of taxes in countries around the world, she was careful not to talk specifically about the United States or mention political parties or names, but after speaking generally about her belief that all nations need to have a tax policy where revenue is collected in an 'equitable manner,' she paused and said, 'Especially from the elites' which received a huge applause from the audience."
* Craig Robinson, a former political director of the Republican Party of Iowa, reflects on Paul Ryan's future: "I hate to say this, but if Ryan wants to run for national office again, he'll probably have to wash the stench of Romney off of him." Ouch.
* If Mitt Romney replaces health care with emergency-room care, what happens to those with multiple sclerosis, like Ann Romney, but without vast financial resources? Greg Sargent has a very good take on this.
* And the Washington Monthly released a new ebook today, Elephant in the Room, making the case that the 2012 election is largely a referendum on George W. Bush. The introduction was written by none other than ... me.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
