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After-Effects of the Hagel Fight
1) The Senate discovers the Constitution. Barring some development no one now anticipates, former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) will become the next secretary of defense. We know that because Hagel...
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On the Pomplamoose Beat: Nataly Dawn Goes Solo
It's been a while since we've caught up with news in this category. In case you missed it, Nataly Dawn has a new single album coming out:More info here. That is all. __Actually, here's a little more....
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Worth Reading: ChinaFile Discussion on 'Airpocalypse'
ChinaFile is a new venture by the Asia Society, for which the Atlantic will be a partner and to which I will be one of many contributors. The discussion today genuinely is worth noticing. It's about...
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The One Article You Need to Read About the Postal Service
Yes, the Atlantic had its "One Graph" explanation today, showing that Postal Service volume and revenue were going down in the email/PDF age. I will assume that you have already read that. But if you...
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Where 'Snail Mail' Beats the Electronic Alternatives
Following this item yesterday, referring to three other pieces: from the Atlantic, Salon, and Think Progress.1) I am sorry I had not seen before Jesse Lichenstein's "Do We Really Want To Live Without...
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Boeing's Real Problem With the Dreamliner: Bean-Counter vs. Engineer
If you've read anything about the aerospace industry, odds are that you've seen quotes from Richard Aboulafia, of the Teal Group in Fairfax, Va. I've relied on his advice for years, including in my...
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Where 'Snail Mail' Beats the Electronic Alternatives
Following this item yesterday, referring to three other pieces: from the Atlantic, Salon, and Think Progress.1) I am sorry I had not seen before Jesse Lichenstein's "Do We Really Want To Live Without...
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'Music for People Who Have Given Up'
Striving always to encourage full and frank discussion, and following the proud Atlantic motto "of no party or clique," I give you this (fairly representative) response to my recent mention of Nataly...
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The Romance and Bravery of the Mail
Continuing the "who's to blame for no mail on Saturday" discussion, previously here and here, we have these new entries from readers.Heroes of the Anthrax Age. From a reader who, like me, was once on...
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A Kindred Spirit on 'Interesting' Software
I don't know anything about Jack Baty, listed as "Director of Unspecified Services" at his eponymous site. Mascot photo from his site at right; I have no idea whether that's actually him. But I think...
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The SNL Donkey Show, Featuring John McCain and Chuck Hagel
Remember this great SNL skit five years ago, when Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were bitterly fighting it out for the nomination? The point of the skit was that the national media had fallen...
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Annotated SOTU Coming (but Not Right This Second)
Last night I watched, discussed, and took real-time notes on the State of the Union address at The Atlantic's viewing fest in New York. As soon as I can finish working through the approx 7000 words in...
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A Filibuster for Chuck Hagel?
I am still working on the State of the Union special-bonus annotated edition, which will take a few more hours. But in the meantime I had to mention a late twist in the ongoing Chuck Hagel saga that is...
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Separated at Birth
Ted Cruz, the new senator from Texas, is worth keeping an eye on.You will see why if you take a look at the clip below, from yesterday's Senate Armed Services Committee vote on Chuck Hagel's nomination...
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The Decline of the Senate Armed Services Committee
State of the Union update is near. In the meantime, this dispatch from Charles Stevenson, a long-time Senate staffer, former professor at the National War College, and author of a standard text on the...
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A Moment for Republican Pragmatists
The SOTU annotation is being formatted and prepared for posting. Meanwhile, following these items about the degradation of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the likelihood of a filibuster against...
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The New and Improved Electoral College Map
Three years ago I mentioned a project Neil Freeman, an artist and urban planner in New York, had worked out to fix the Electoral College system. He divided the U.S. into 50 jurisdictions of...
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The Annotated 2013 State of the Union
Here is the paradox of Barack Obama's "eloquence": Friends and foes alike recognize that oratory has played an unusally large part in his political ascent. It is beyond question that one 17-minute...
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The Hagel Filibuster Watch Goes On
For those following at home, today's developments:- 58 Senators, from states representing roughly two-thirds of the nation's population, voted in favor of acting on Chuck Hagel's nomination as...
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Today's Hagel-mania Report: Calling Things What They Are
Below we have the front pages of this morning's papers. Today the "calling things by their right name" trophy goes to the Washington Post. The Post's headline uses the word "filibuster"; the subhead...
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