Sorry for the erratic blogging schedule this morning, but we had a WaMo staff meeting I had to attend by phone. I may have been the only participant distracted by squawking sea gulls rather than honking car horns.

Here’s some mid-day flotsam and jetsam, lightly seasoned:

* Permanent members of U.N. Security Council meeting on Syria this afternoon.

* PPP’s Jensen says their polling suggests Colorado recall won by making case against “gun control” broader than actual laws its targets supported.

* 9/11 Commission co-chairs argue congressional oversight of homeland security is the area where its recommendations implemented the least.

* TNR’s Jonathan Cohn warns against Democratic acceptance of “clean” CR as some sort of compromise with craziness.

* At TAP, Jonathan Bernstein argues that ignoring legacy of Bush administration torture policies has debilitated GOP foreign policy establishment just when we need one.

And in non-political news:

* US team officially qualifies for 2014 World Cup.

As we break for lunch, here’s another song inspired by 9/11: Sleater-Kinney’s “Far Away.” Please feel free to post any 9/11 reminiscences you’d like in the comment thread.

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Ed Kilgore is a political columnist for New York and managing editor at the Democratic Strategist website. He was a contributing writer at the Washington Monthly from January 2012 until November 2015, and was the principal contributor to the Political Animal blog.