In which The Gay Recluse scores selected opinion pieces in The Times.

Gail Collins/Hillary, Buckeye Girl

The Short Version: Hillary can’t compete against Barack’s charm. (This may help her in Ohio.)

In her words: “If Hillary is stumbling, it may be because there just isn’t any good path to take. ”

Score: B (Benign)
This column pleasantly meanders through the psychology of Ohio and how it relates to Hillary versus Barack. We like that Collins (unlike certain other op-ed writers) is able to mock Clinton in a reasonably amusing manner that comes off as more humane than rabid.

Nicholas Kristof/A Genocide Foretold

The Short Version: Sudan is on the brink of war again.

In his words: “Even my presence here is a sign of the rising tensions and mistrust.”

The Score: D (Depressing)
Kristof gives us the latest on Sudan and though we don’t disagree with anything he says, we long for more psychological insight into a situation that seems to repeat itself over and over and over and over.

Roger Cohen/The Long Haul in Afghanistan

The Short Version: Europe/NATO is slacking off in Afghanistan.

In his words: “Already, Canada, which does front-line stuff in the Afghan south, speaks of withdrawing its 2,500 troops if European allies don’t do more.”

The Score: D- (Dumb)
Cohen makes the case for the hawks in Afghanistan — more troops! — without once mentioning that the country has been subjected to only about five thousand years of militaristic invasion and has never really succumbed.