-- Reihan Salam on the changing structure of families.
-- James Fallows following up on the departure of General McChrystal.
-- Big spender Sarah Palin versus deficit haw Tom Coburn.
-- James Joyner offers sensible objections to a recent ranking of American presidents.
-- Baseball's most dominant closer.
Conor Friedersdorf is a California-based staff writer at The Atlantic, where he focuses on politics and national affairs. He is the founding editor of The Best of Journalism, a newsletter devoted to exceptional nonfiction.