30-day summary

When I first started reading the New Yorker when I was in college, among my favorite items was Elizabeth Drew's "Letter from Washington" column. Sadly, Ms. drew didn't survive the onslaught of Tina Brown when she took over the venerable publication in 1992. (Thankfully, Ms. Brown didn't survive her own onslaught either and moved on in 1998.)

Anyhow, Ms. Drew continues to write insightful political commentary, the most recent of which is her outstanding summary of the first 30 days of the Obama Administration in The New York Review of Books. I heartily recommend it.

Putting the No-Spin Zone on "Ignore"

Henrik Hertzberg of the New Yorker tells a fascinating story on his blog about how Bill O'Reilly and his producers tried to get Hertzberg and the New Yorker editorial staff embroiled in a non-controversy after ambushing Hertzberg outside his apartment. What's wonderful is how Hertzberg and David Remnick, the New Yorker's editor, simply chose not to engage following that ambush.

What's even better is the growing desperation on the part of O'Reilly's producer in his e-mails to Remnick, almost pleading for Remnick and Hertzberg to get riled up, followed by the smooth put-down by Remnick. You could just about see the smile that must have been on his face when he press the Send button. O'Reilly must have been chewing on the scenery at being ignored like that. That, ladies and gentlemen, is why I'm such a fan of the New Yorker.

New York State of Mind

It wasn't terribly unexpected – The New Yorker has endorsed Barack Obama in his run for President. It's long (4,000+ words) but oh so very worth reading.