Friday's Daily Brief

Friday, February 18, 2011 Arianna Huffington: Debating the Two-Party System Arianna Huffington: Earlier this week, I spent two hours arguing with a very witty libertarian and an avuncular Israeli Rush Limbaugh fan about whether the two-party system is ruining America. No, it wasn't just another typical night around my dinner table. It was part of a debate sponsored by Intelligence Squared -- an evening that made me very nostalgic for my Cambridge Union days. I joined David Brooks in arguing for the proposition. Arguing against were Zev Chafets and the consistently hilarious P.J. O'Rourke. I summed up my position by comparing the two-party system to a stale marriage: Democrats and Republicans need something to spice it up. They need to go on Craigslist and find a third party. (And if that third party isn't wearing a shirt, they really should do a background check, because he might turn out to be a member of Congress). POLITICS Police Dispatched As Democratic Lawmakers Flee Wisconsin WORLD Yemen's 'Friday of Rage' Marked By Clashes As Protests Spread TECHNOLOGY GOP Backs 'Broadband Barons' POLITICS Obama's War: How Afghan Conflict Has Ramped Up In Last Two Years ENTERTAINMENT Music Group Dad: Yes, I Sexually Abused My Daughters BLOG POSTS Howard Schweber:Governor Walker, Welcome to the Show We're not Egyptians, it turns out -- we won't wait 30 years to make our objections known. That was a tough lesson for the Democrats in November, and just three months later it's turning out to be a tough lesson for Republicans as well. Bill Gates:My 2011 Annual Letter This year I am making the case against cutting foreign aid for the poorest, even in the current budget environment. Whether you think it's an issue of morality or enlightened self-interest, aid spending is uniquely effective spending. Lorelei Kelly:Our Coup d'Etat, by Accident If we Americans and our civilian elected leaders don't come to terms with our over-dependence on the military, we will cede increasing authority to an institution that doesn't want it and should not have it. Gabriel A. Feldman:NFL Labor Negotiations: Are We Headed for the Doomsday Scenario? As we get closer to the expiration of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, the great unanswered questions remain: Will there be a work stoppage? And, if so, how long will it last? Simon Jenkins:Half a Century After Mencken's Death, Opinion Is What is Riding High When the age of Mencken passed, many felt that the column would be followed by nothing but news. But today, given the millions of words of columns, billions of blogs and tweets, opinion is riding high.

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