once again demonstrating...

[winterbadger]

... that there are far too many interesting people writing things to be able to read them all.

I know I've vexed some of my friends by simply not having time or patience for the daily soap opera of "ur dum!/weer smartz" that is part and parcel of American partisan politics (at the grassroots and in the blogosphere--my impression is that many actual politicians don't have much time for it either, because they know that they do actually need to *work* with their opponents on a daily basis). I confess I did get sucked into it during the presidential campaign, but these days I usually resist the allure of whatever the latest they said/we said "scandal" is and try to scrabble my way to at least a little perspective.

And one of the reasons that I don't want to spend too much time reading the latest screed on how evil "they" are is that there are so many things being thought and written that have some *depth* to them. And so many small bits of news that are important to me that I might miss if all I'm doing is being outraged about something a junior congressman (R) from Pennsyltucky said (deliberately, in front of the cameras, so as to stoke up his campaign contributors).

Things like Jimmy Carter resigning from the Southern Baptist Church.

Or an essay on Things You Should Not Say if you want to work in foreign affairs in the US (I know I violate at least half of these on a regular basis).

Or that yet another brave soul speaking out against the Putin regime has been murdered.

Or a an interesting blog on cartography.

Where, oh where, is the time to absorb it all?

Comments

[winterbadger]

In that essay, I particularly like this passage; it remind me of Sir Humphrey:

#3. Thou Shalt Not Question the Need for a Nuclear Deterrent. ...Americans think other states shouldn’t get nuclear weapons, but most people in the foreign policy establishment don’t think the United States should give them up. ...

There are two exceptions to this commandment, by the way. First, Presidents can always declare that their long-term goal is eliminating nuclear weapons (as Obama recently did), provided they don’t actually do it.

[gr-c17.livejournal.com]

There is a reason that Jimmy Carter was destined to fail as President, the same reason he could never be elected today, and the exact reason we need more like him.

I hope history judges him better than other more flashy, grining, monkeys that came later....but I won't bet on it.

[winterbadger]

Indeed. I recall reading that when he was in office he read all the briefing papers on issues (the short, 1-2 page pieces that are supposed to give you what the army calls the "one over the world" quick shot of the fact on an issue) but would baffle aides by asking for the more detailed pieces that the briefing papers were based on or derived from. And reading them.

Probably one of our best presidents, IMO.