On RCM, Bret Swanson writes that the U.S.-China relationship this decade will likely be dominated by Internet policy.

On RCS, Art Spander writes about the challenges Tiger Woods faces, both on and off the course, at the British Open.

Finally, check out RCW's Compass blog for commentary and analysis on foreign affairs.

"I think this says more about the American people than it does about President Obama. I think it just shows once again that the American people are spoiled. Basically, spoiled-- as a people, we are too critical. We are quick to rush to judgment, we are too negative, we are too impatient. Especially impatient. We want it all solved yesterday, and if you don't, I don't care who you are -- get out of the way.

And again, basically spoiled. To the point where it makes me wonder if it's even possible to govern today. I gotta tell you, I don't think Abraham Lincoln -- who certainly didn't get everything right the first time -- could govern today. I'm not sure Franklin Roosevelt could govern today, the way we are again. Just about like spoiled children. And it's Americans, and it's the media, and if we don't get instant gratification, then screw you is basically our attitude." -Bill Press, professional talking head and former chair of the California Democratic Party, on Obama's low poll numbers.

Wayne Allyn Root, Vegas odds-maker , 2008 Libertarian Party vice presidential nominee, and tireless self-promoter (seriously, I don't think he sleeps), just got himself elected chairman of the Libertarian National Congressional Committee. To celebrate, he challenged the Republican and Democratic National Committee chairmen to, well, I'll let him tell it:

I also challenge Michael Steele...and Tim Kaine...to a series of debates in the media, at Tea Party events, and at college campuses across the country.

By challenging the heads of the RNC and DNC to debate, Root is trying to elevate his own position, though he would insist he is simply trying to elevate the LP and its ideas. The LNCC bears roughly the same relationship to the Libertarian National Committee as the Republican National Congressional Committee does to the RNC.

Root knows this because he ran for the LNC chair position over Memorial Day weekend and lost. He came in second behind current LNC Chairman Mark Hinkle. According to the St. Louis Beacon, Root said in his concession speech, "Ladies and gentlemen, you can't get rid of me."

Root clearly wants to run as the LP candidate for president in 2012 as part of an energized, more inclusive third party. The odds seem grim, but then I would have bet against him getting the vice presidential nod.

With the recent addition of a Rasmussen poll showing Republican Bob Ehrlich leading Governor Martin O'Malley by a point, a PPP poll showing O'Malley ahead by three, and the cycling out of an old Washington Post poll, Bob Ehrlich leads in the RCP Average by a narrow .3 points.  We still consider the race a tossup, but if forced to make a call today, we now put a thumb on the scale for the Republican.  Republicans look set to gain ten Governor seats, taking them up to thirty-four Governor's seats.

Barring some new revelation, it's hard to see how Colorado Republican Gubernatorial hopeful Scott McInnis recovers from this:

Although GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis presented his "Musings on Water" for publication as original works, portions are identical and nearly identical to an essay on water written 20 years earlier by now-Colorado Supreme Court Justice Gregory J. Hobbs.

A Clemson University expert who reviewed McInnis' work next to Hobbs' essay called it a clear case of plagiarism of both words and ideas.

McInnis led Dan Maes by 28 points in a poll taken last month. That's almost certain to change. The primary in Colorado is just 4 weeks away, on August 10, though early voting starts on Monday.

"To keep the House, we have a three-pronged strategy. It's called the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost," - Democratic strategist James Carville on GMA.

Today, several conservative groups, headed by the American Conservative Union, released an open letter (pdf) to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamberg. It complains that her agency is likely to ban menthol cigarettes on the (probably) spurious grounds that menthols are worse for smokers than regular cigarettes. It also invoked this slippery slope argument:

The FDA's Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) appears to have begun this examination with the preconceived goal of prohibiting cigarettes, a step the FDA is specifically barred from seeking.

That, unfortunately, is not a slipperiness (slopiness?) that we can just write off. The FDA has, in the past, asserted unilateral authority to regulate cigarettes, and the Obama FDA is in a hyper-regulatory mood. It has, among other things, taken steps to crack down on Tylenol use and tried to bully and fine drug companies out of advertising the benefits of off-label uses of their drugs.

The FDA has also banned cigarette firms from advertising cigarettes as "lights" or "low tar." It even launched an investigation of cigarette companies that had the effrontery to retain the same color schemes after they dropped the adjectives -- so smokers could continue to buy their cigarettes of choice.

The latest SurveyUSA polling shows the California duo of Senate candidate Carly Fiorina and Gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman surging into the lead in their respective races.  The gubernatorial poll (614LVs, 7/8/10-7/11/10, MOE +/- 4%) shows Whitman leading former Governor Jerry Brown 46%-39%.  In the Senate poll (614 LVs, 7/8/10-7/11/10, MOE +/- 4%), Carly Fiorina leads three-term incumbent Barbara Boxer 47%-45%.  While other SurveyUSA polls had shown a curious quirk where the Republican leads big among young voters, that quirk is not present in this poll.  Both Republicans' leads are based in the Inland Empire region (Riverside and surrounding counties), while the Democrats fare best in the San Francisco Bay area.

On RCP, Sean Trende digs into President Obama's approval ratings and argues that the president's domestic policies, in addition to the economy, have led to the drop in his approval. Jed Babbin writes about Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' controversial political compromises.

On RCW, Gregory Scoblete documents how the Bush administration pursued a costly and ultimately futile strategy of nation-building in Afghanistan.

On RCM, John Tamny argues that if President Obama wants to increase exports, he needs to support policies that boost imports.

In the wake of LeBron James' decision to leave Cleveland for Miami, RCS ranks the Top 10 "Heartbreaking Sports Moments for a City." Finally, Tim Joyce writes about the surprising first-half performances of Vladimir Guerrero and R.A. Dickey.

Two movements to note.  First, we didn't move the South Dakota House race on the basis of the first poll showing Stephanie Herseth Sandlin trailing her GOP opponent, Kristi Noem; Rasmussen Reports has tended to show a bounce for candidates coming out of primaries which quickly fades.  But a second poll showing a lead for Noem is enough to cause us to rate this race <b>Leans Republican</b>.

On the Senate side, we typically think about rating races as tossups when the RCP Average is under five points.  But in the case of Barbara Boxer, we had to take into account the fact that she was barely under 5%, and that the state had such a Democratic tilt.  But with the latest SurveyUSA poll showing Boxer trailing Carly Fiornia, Tossup is the only correct designation.