Happy Fourth of July! Happy Independence Day!

To my American friends and family, have a great day. And while you don't need to hear it from me, a Canadian, I really do think America is worth fighting for. Now more than ever, as urgently as ever. And that fight must be about striving for a more perfect union, about continuing, as Obama put it in his famous speech at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia in March 2008, "the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America," a march very much under attack today.

Echidne of the Snakes: A take on being "modern day presidential."

Hullabaloo: An election dominated by "scared white people."

The Way Forward: A San Francisco perspective on Nancy Pelosi.

Duck of Minerva: An online walk through the Russian internet.

Round-up by Michael J.W. Stickings of The Reaction. (Twitter: @mjwstickings.) I'll be here all week.

Send requests and suggestions to mbru@crooksandliars.com (with "For MBRU" in the subject line).