The national mood in a nutshell (and the Olympics will be a disaster as well)

[...] At the end of my own spasm of soul-searching, I cannot quit my place among the gloom-mongers. It is hard to believe that, whatever tactical military successes Petraeus's people are achieving - and these are real enough - Iraq's leaders, security forces and citizens can take the strain in real time. We still look like losing. Read more, and as a balance to Hastings, read this.