No Syrian safe zones, gaming the 2012 elections and more [AM Briefing] Aaron David Miller says no safe zones in Syria: "If President Barack Obama determines that toppling the regime of Bashar al-Assad by force is a vital U.S. national interest (though it isn't), he should create a coalition to act quickly, decisively and effectively to do it. Otherwise, he should avoid half-baked measures, such as the safe-zones scheme, that can lead to an open-ended military commitment without accomplishing the intended results. Bloomberg AEI's Michael Barone games out the 2012 scenarios. National Review Exactly what is this "welfare state?" New York Times Brookings" E.J. Dionne says he's not quitting the Catholic church. Washington Post Politico's Arena asks: Did Scott Walker's foes make a bad bet? CEPR's Dean Baker answers. So does Brookings" Darrell West. Room for Debate asks: What can be done to control the level of debt and protect students from taking on an onerous financial burden?