THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF of MSNBC.

WALTER RUSSELL MEAD ON AMERICA AT THE MIDTERMS. “This is not a good place for a great country to be. I am glad that Democratic hubris is getting a well deserved rebuke; I am only sorry that the consequence may be to reinforce GOP smugness.” They have little to be smug about. But yeah.

FEAR: “They Suddenly Think Massachusetts is Going to Become Some Right-wing Tea Party State.”

CLAIRE BERLINSKI: Please, Kick Us: More Amateur Hour in the State Department. “When the State Department Spokesman sends a completely inappropriate birthday message to to Ahmadinejad via Twitter, it is, likewise, a symptom of utter amateurism. . . . It is hugely significant when the tone coming out of the State Department is childish, inappropriate, and supine.”

PROF. JACOBSON: Please Give Me The Chance To Say “I Told You So.”

FROM JIM TREACHER, the weekend’s perfect snapshot.

CHANGE: The Shipping Glut Is So Bad Globally That Ships Are Now Sailing Slower Than 19th Century Clippers Just To Keep Busy.

REMEMBERING Ted Sorensen.

MOE LANE: Please watch this video.

MEGAN MCARDLE: WHICH PARTY IS BETTER ON THE DEFICIT:

I’m seeing a lot of worry that if Republicans take Congress, it will be bad for the deficit, because they’re not serious about deficit reduction. I agree that they aren’t serious–but this has less bite than it might, because I’ve seen little evidence that the Democrats are serious. An enormous amount of the “Democrats are serious” credibility is borrowed from the Clinton years. Even crediting Clinton with 100% of that, and the Republican congress with none–an interpretation I think rather farfetched–that was over a decade ago. What have they done for us lately?

Kept digging.

HISTORY: “Don’t kneel to me.”

A SPEECH BY A TEA PARTY EXTREMIST.