The US military success has prompted some interesting thoughts from Michael Barone: “One of the peculiar features of our country is that we produce incompetent 18-year-olds and remarkably competent 30-year-olds. Americans at 18 typically score lower on standardized tests than 18-year-olds from other advanced countries. Watch them on their first few days working at McDonald’s… Continue reading

Joe Sciacca’s column in this morning’s Boston Herald about Saturday night’s debate—if that’s the way the Democratic Party would like to describe the word game its nine candidates for the 2004 Presidential nomination played in South Carolina—was one of, if not the best, he has ever written in his years at the bustling independent daily… Continue reading

Yesterday’s Boston Sunday Globe Magazine whose full-page cover featured a gross illustration of President Bush’s head was totally unlike and not befitting the handsome likeness he has. It will be interesting to follow the Globe’s Sunday Magazine in the months ahead and see what the publisher and the Sunday editor decide to do about smiling… Continue reading

There are some titans of 20th century American Literature that I have so far been remiss in reading. I have yet to crack Saul Bellow, I’m ashamed to admit. And there are other legendary novelists I have to catch up on. Norman Mailer is not one of them.

Surprising bellyaching from both Glenn Reynolds and Andrew Sullivan about Bush’s flight out to the carrier. Lighten up, guys! Those men and women have been at sea for almost longer than any other carrier—the Commander-in-Chief decides to extend them the courtesy of flying out to say thank you (add to that the fact the carrier… Continue reading