* Thanks to the politically polarizing Brexit vote, has the United Kingdom become an oxymoron? A lot of those living in Scotland and Northern Ireland likely think so.
* “Britain’s Nightmare Before Christmas.”–That’s how The Economist characterized the British election.
* For those, including White House sycophants, drawing parallels between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s big Tory win and Trump’s nationalist demagogy and 2020 campaign, there is a significant difference. BoJo didn’t double down; he notably never aligned with the hard-right Brexit Party and appealed for unity with promises to increase funding for schools and the National Health Service. As for his unappealing opponent, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, he’s still way left of American progressives.
* We’ve been reminded, again, of the frustration, futility–and costs–of the long-running war in Afghanistan. The Washington Post recently reported that the longest war in American history has been based on lies. But given the chaotic, bitterly-partisan, democracy-threatening times we’re now living through, the reaction to a revelation about America’s ongoing involvement in the Muddled East has been underwhelming. No, this is not a “Pentagon Papers” sequel.