It seemed like the perfect prelude to a symbolic tour-de-force. The Supreme Court, always deliberate in its selection of dates, slated its ruling on the constitutionality of the "under God" phrase of the Pledge of Allegiance for June 14 - not only Flag Day, but the 50th anniversary of the insertion of the phrase by Congress. The justices had an opportunity to powerfully affirm or deny its legitimacy, and all signs indicated that they intended to do so. Fueled by election-year partisanship, the court case that challenged the phrase became the subject of heated debate between liberals and conservatives. And inappropriately and uncharacteristically, the Supreme Court, well, dropped it like it was hot. [Read article]

This week's most insightful college editorials on a hot topic: Bush's stop-loss order

University of Michigan

Our nation has relied upon a volunteer military since the end of the Vietnam War, and the men and women who are willing to accept the dangers inherent to the military deserve praise for their commendable service in the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Indeed, a volunteer army of highly motivated, highly trained soldiers is almost certainly more efficient and better suited to defend our country than an army of disheartened conscripts. Yet the Bush administration, seeking desperately to maintain a force sufficient to meet our foreign policy commitments without instituting a draft, has thanked our soldiers for their dedication to our nation's security by invoking dishonest policies that result in soldiers performing involuntary tours of duty overseas. [Read article]