Paul A. Rahe over at Ricochet has a fantastic analysis of the Wisconsin situation, including step-by-step proofs for the following two claims:

1. The Gov. Scott Walker can only continue to look better the longer this goes on.

2. Ultimately, this could cost Barack Obama re-election.

The last claim seems stretched, but Rahe explains that this will almost certainly play out with the Wisconsin Senate swinging Republican as a result of a recall election (remember, they need only one more GOP Senator, and one Dem. Senator in particular is painfully vulnerable to a recall election). Emboldened, this will fuel the fire in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, all of whom are already gearing up for a Wisconsin-like rejection of public sector unions. If these states swing any more GOP, the 2012 presidential election is headed for a GOP win.

Intriguing walk-through, and Rahe provides much more detail than this for such a scenario, of course. And not so much a speculative prediction as it is a dire warning that President Obama should have disassociated himself of the Wisconsin battle immediately, rather than take the side of the public labor unions. His off-the-cuff comment will have long-term consequences and not in his favor.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.