Monday morning roundup

This is what legitimate frustrations with the health care reform package look like.

A train line reconnects the Balkans.

Yay, Hillary effect!

Ruth Marcus on Reidgate.

Fareed Zakaria urges strategy and sense over posturing.

While I couldn't agree more with Ross Douthat here:

"If you treat your faith like a hothouse flower, too vulnerable to survive in the crass world of public disputation, then you ensure that nobody will take it seriously. The idea that religion is too mysterious, too complicated or too personal to be debated on cable television just ensures that it never gets debated at all."

...but as for Brit Hume's words having been "denounced across the blogosphere as evidence of chauvinism, bigotry and gross stupidity," those three descriptors are spot on. Yes,

"...the differences between religions are worth debating. Theology has consequences: It shapes lives, families, nations, cultures, wars; it can change people, save them from themselves, and sometimes warp or even destroy them."

Yes, it's worth having the debate intelligently. But that doesn't place Mr. Hume's foot anywhere outside his mouth.

I hadn't seen that article, Ernessa. I make a point of not reading the On Love section of the Post, but that story was sweet--good for them. As Marisa often says her grandfather likes to say, 'there's a Jack for every Jill.' What I do read is Carolyn Hax's advice column, which, of late, has been filled with 'why won't he commit' and 'why is he doing this' letters. I just want to shake those women and say, 'grow a spine and move on with your life.'