Whatever else happens in the "endgame" of health care reform in Congress (and a lot obviously depends on the President's big speech next week), the drama over "the public option" within the Democratic Party is going to be a factor. You can argue all day long, as many progressives already have, that this shouldn't be the make-or-break issue for anybody, but the fact remains that it is.
Democrats, hear this: On a conference call just now about their big Tea Party in D.C. next Saturday, a coalition of organizers led by FreedomWorks forecast that "tens of thousands" would mob the Capitol building to rail against Big Government. "This will be the largest gathering of fiscal conservatives ever,” one said.
Which will set up a big disappointment if it's anything normal-sized.
photo courtesy of flickr user republicanstudycommittee
I have to get a copy of the new novel by E.L. Doctorow, which takes its inspiration from the lives of the eccentric Collyer brothers, Langley and Homer, who lived and died in an inherited New York brownstone that, by the end, the pathological pack rats had piled high with everything from old magazines to car parts.
Yesterday I blogged about Megan McArdle after she used a statistic, and then claimed in an online chat that she was not using a statistic, but rather a "hypothetical." McArdle took a fair bit of criticism, and posted a response. Astoundingly, she says this:
A presidential election marred by allegations of fraud, rising casualties of American soldiers, even a few disturbing discoveries about the civilians hired to guard our embassy there--we figured it was about time to talk to terrorism expert Peter Bergen, who was in Afghanistan last month, to get his take on the situation there and what it will take
It wasn't until I reported my print piece on how much Barack Obama's foreign policy--from closing Gitmo to Iran to the global economy-- depends on the Saudis that I appreciated the influence Riyadh has over its Sunni ally Pakistan.
The retired star Red Sox pitcher, who stumped with John McCain in New Hampshire in 2008, says he's been "contacted" about running for Ted Kennedy's Senate seat and isn't ruling it out.
Here's Zengerle on Schilling and McCain, and Jason Gay on Schilling as Ron Burgundy at the time of his retirement in March.
Good for Diane Sawyer. And good for Katie Couric for blazing this trail and taking all the abuse that the first solo female anchor was destined to take. Odds are, Sawyer won't face anywhere near the same scrunity--or abuse.
Next step: Finding a woman to follow in Hillary's footsteps and finish cracking that glass ceiling.
