'Democrats litigate; Republicans fight.'

'Democrats need to stop playing nice'

Joe Klein in The New York Times

Democrats typically are held back by their "high-mindedness" in politics, which Republicans treat like "a no-holds-barred cage match," says Joe Klein. "Why are Democrats so congenitally weak?" President Joe Biden's "pugilistic State of the Union address last week" might signal a change as he heads into a tough campaign against former President Donald Trump. "It might be educational for the American public to see how the bully responds to a rhetorical punch in the nose." 

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'What NATO country doesn't have troops in Ukraine?'

Ted Snider in The American Conservative

The West is reaching a "long-feared fork in the road" in Ukraine, says Ted Snider. Kyiv is "losing the war" against Russian invaders, "and no amount of arms or aid" will change that. "Doubling down and sending troops" to fight could spark "direct confrontation with Russia and an unthinkable war." But there's another option. Ukraine's allies can "turn off the path of war that has benefitted no one" and nudge Kyiv to the negotiating table.

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'Wildfires are starting up again. This year, we need a better plan.'

Chicago Tribune editorial board

It's not even spring, "and wildfire smoke from Texas already has seeped into the Midwest," says the Chicago Tribune editorial board. Coals from Canada's 2023 wildfires are still smoldering. "As the planet gets warmer, forests that were cool and moist for centuries have become hotter and dryer, creating a tinderbox" across upper North America. Preventing fires is difficult, so officials need plans for measures like pollution monitoring and filtered shelter rooms to protect vulnerable people from the "hazardous" smoke.  

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'Agonizing about Biden's age is worse than irrelevant'

Robert Tracinski in The Bulwark

President Joe Biden's age isn't what matters in this election, says Robert Tracinski. And not just because former President Donald Trump, his Republican rival, "is also ancient, just a few years younger — excuse me, less old — than Biden." Voters shouldn't focus on their character differences, either, because that, too, distracts from what's "at stake" in November." What really matters is that Biden "wants to preserve our constitutional system," while Trump aims "to smash it to pieces."

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