SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 9:35 P.M. ET:

HIT PIECE – The Washington Post ran a major hit piece on Mitt Romney today, relating his "bad boy" behavior in high school, including his bullying of a presumably gay student.  Romney immediately confirmed the incident and expressed remorse after the piece ran, but many Republicans are outraged, noting the double standard:  These incidents of high-school pranks and obnoxious behavior occurred half a century ago.  Barack Obama admitted to heavy drug use and drug selling in high school, but nothing was ever made of it.  The press is just beginning its campaign to destroy Romney.  That's got to be worth some points in any election.

AS FRANCE GOES – France has just elected a Socialist president.  It will shortly elect a new parliament, and polls show landslide victory ahead for the Socialists.  This is bad news for the United States.  France has been a good ally under Sarkozy, but a sharp lurch to the left could complicate our already weak foreign policy.  It's unlikely a Socialist France will be as supportive of Western defense as the Sarkozy team has been.  It's also unlikely that France will be as supportive of firm action against Iran.  With last week's Labour victories in municipal elections in Britain, possibly portending national Labour victories, and Putin's return to the presidency in Russia, and now France's tilt, things aren't going our way.  Although maybe Obama thinks these developments are just fine.

MEETING AT THE WHITE HOUSE – Several news outlets are reporting a disturbing meeting at the White House last night between President Obama and some foreign-policy writers.  What's disturbing is that the group included some leftist fringe characters who are not usually invited to break bread with an American president.  Some observers are billing the meeting as a kind of changing of the guard, suggesting that Obama, if re-elected, will depend more on young, "alternate thinking" characters in the foreign policy area.  What he's doing now is frightening enough.  He will have to appoint a new secretary of state, if re-elected, as Hillary is leaving.  That choice may send us all to the bunkers.

LOOK WITH TWO EYES – This will get some circulation on the left.  A new University of Maryland poll reports that Americans actually want deeper defense cuts than do members of Congress.  The poll reportedly gave respondents a list of defense programs, their cost and purpose, and asked which should be cut.  Included among those that most respondents wanted to drop is the F-35 fighter, our newest plane.  Polls like this are deceptive and useless, and I'm guessing (but cannot prove) that the purpose of the poll was to produce a particular result.  How would average Americans be able to evaluate specific defense programs, like a new aircraft?  This is silly, but damaging to the cause of a sound national defense.

May 10, 2012