William Kristol notes that John Kerry’s foreign policy advisor Richard Holbrooke told Bill O’Reilly that Kerry would “reach out to the moderate Arab states. He’d put more pressure on Israel, Syria, Saudi Arabia above all.”

Israel is perhaps America’s most loyal ally. Yet Holbrooke lumps it in with Syria and Saudi Arabia “above all.”

Kerry has repeatedly accused President Bush of “pushing our allies away.” This is nonsense on stilts. There is no alternate universe where Bush told Jacques Chirac or Gerhard Schroeder they can take their offers of friendship and stuff it. But that’s exactly what Holbrooke is suggesting Kerry will do to our only genuine ally in the Middle East.

Kerry doesn’t necessarily want a bigger alliance or a stronger alliance. He wants a different alliance.

Let me extend good wishes for a SPEEDY RECOVERY TO CHIEF JUSTICE REHNQUIST, who has been hospitalized for treatment of thyroid cancer. I learned the news from a journalist’s phone call, which came the instant I opened the door upon returning from class this morning. The journalist’s question was, not surprisingly, what effect will this have on the presidential election? It strikes me as a bit unseemly to turn from the news of an individual’s illness immediately to the election. Everything must be about the election. Yet I duly offered my big array of speculations about the Court, the delicacy of using this event to focus attention on who Kerry and Bush might nominate, and how voters might tip if this backburner issue is moved to the forefront.

WHAT TO WEAR? HOW TO ACT? Gordon Smith has lots of good advice for law professor candidates facing the quickie interviews coming up in Washington, D.C. For example, when they ask you why you want to be a lawprof, don’t say, “Because I hate practicing law” or “Because I wanted more free time.”

OUR POLISH-BORN LAWPROF, Nina Camic, has been counting down the days to the American election, in her inimitable, discursive, digressive style. Each day in the countdown is represented by a New York street. You can start at today’s 9th Street and then scroll down into the past for more of her lovely — and passionately pro-Kerry — writings and photographs.

UPDATE: Here, Nina answers email generated by this link, including the question, as rephrased by Nina: “how I could possibly be Polish, with a first-hand knowledge of socialism and not be a conservative?”

“THERE IS ONE WHO CAN DIVIDE THE RED SEA FOR US.” That would be John Kerry, as campaign rhetoric is laid on extra-thick and extra-shamelessly for black voters.

“THROUGH CHAT, Kerry hopes to reduce terror to a ‘nuisance,'”: The Wisconsin State Journal endorses President Bush.

WOW, IT LOOKS BIG OVER HERE. Thanks to Glenn — whom I’ve never met, though we both inhabit lawprofdom — for inviting me over. Nonvirtually, I’m in Wisconsin, a battleground state, as daily, nagging phone calls would remind me even if I never read or watched the news. Would you think there was any yet-untapped niche of Wisconsin voters? The Wisconsin State Journal found one.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, the WSJ took the article I had linked down. The story was about the Amish, who tend not to vote, for reasons explained in the article. I’ve found brief mentions, such as here, of efforts by Republicans to push the Amish to vote. The linked article was a long piece, which interviewed a number of Amish in Wisconsin, some of whom said they would vote for Kerry if they voted. (The usual assumption is that the Amish would take a conservative political position.)

JAY ROSEN has questions, and hopes you’ll help him find the answers. Steven Den Beste makes a rare appearance.

PROBLEMS WITH THE HISTORY PROFESSION: Michael Bellesiles is mentioned, but only as one among many.

Arthur Chrenkoff says there are two Iraqs. One is dangerous. The other is prosperous and promising.