editorials and opinion

WASHINGTON - Among the more disappointing aspects of Barack Obama's young presidency is his seeming inability to come to a decision over what to do in Afghanistan. As the violence and U.S. death toll escalates, Obama continues to dither over whether to send more troops as requested by his chief man on the ground, Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

The Social Security numbers and family information of every master sergeant in the U.S. Army, federal tax forms, medical records, FBI surveillance photos, the location of a safe house for the Obama family, and now a secret report of the House ethics committee have all turned up on the Internet.

President Barack Obama has signed into law the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Actually, he signed into law the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act tacked onto which was the hate crimes legislation.

One of the more obscure -- and probably more important -- of California's many political conflicts pits an organization called EdVoice against the California Teachers Association and other school unions.

It centers on our ever-deepening education crisis, manifested in low test scores and high dropout rates, especially among black and Latino kids.

What's in a name? Plenty, and the same goes for a nation's flag.

The national flag remains a potent emotional symbol, demonstrated this month by intense -- and underreported -- conflict among Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The flag flap has important bearing on international relations, especially U.S. foreign policy.

First read

President Barack Obama should pick a mentor, a model, someone whose example he can follow, and he should do it quickly, before things get worse. Here is who: Mitch Daniels, the conservative, Republican governor of Indiana. What Obama has been getting wrong, he has been getting right. Obama can learn from him.

Is it time to double-down or fold in Afghanistan? America's commander in that war, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has asked President Barack Obama for 40,000 more troops -- and is suggesting the war against the Taliban could very well be lost if he isn't allowed to pursue his strategy.

ObamaCare promises to make medicine cheaper by making it costlier. Case in point: The Senate Finance Committee proposes a brand-new tax on medical devices.

You did remember that you are to fall back this weekend, didn't you?

Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend, at 2 a.m. Sunday morning. You need not get up for it. Setting the clocks back one hour can be done the night before or the morning after. Your call entirely.

Three years ago 77 percent of Americans believed the Earth is getting warmer. Today, despite more scientific evidence that global warming is a real threat, only 57 percent agree.