Wednesday's reads

'Votescam' - Hendrik Hertzberg - The New Yorker.

Two weeks ago, one of the most important Republican lawyers in Sacramento quietly filed a ballot initiative that would end the practice of granting all fifty-five of California’s electoral votes to the statewide winner. Instead, it would award two of them to the statewide winner and the rest, one by one, to the winner in each congressional district. Nineteen of the fifty-three districts are represented by Republicans, but Bush carried twenty-two districts in 2004.

'Family Business' - Christopher Orr - The Plank.

The Romney campaign even seems to recognize what a ridiculously fraudulent family gathering this is, given that half the video is spent rebutting the obvious arguments against making the video in the first place.

'Obama on Terrorism:The Experts Weigh In' - Washington Post Staff - The Trail.

Today, in a speech billed as a "comprehensive strategy to fight global terrorism," Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) spoke about the U.S. relationship with Pakistan, removing troops from Iraq and increasing efforts against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Below, experts in the field of terrorism and foreign policy assess Obama's take on what he called "The War We Need to Win."