All That Is Necessary

Month: August 2008

  • Could There BE a Worse Way to Choose a Vice President?

    In choosing a President, standard-bearers for each of the major parties bubble up to the top through an extended process of caucuses and primaries over a period of months. The contenders then essentially campaign in 50 separate state elections, vying for a majority of Electoral College votes that are apportioned according to state population. Checks […]

  • Five Stages of Adjusting to Palin

    As a socially liberal McCain supporter living in one of the bluest towns in a blue state, I’ve learned how to reconcile myself to various aspects of his candidacy. The most glaring example is abortion rights, where I think McCain is on the wrong side of the issue. But for me the issues that trump […]

  • Senator Biden’s Odd Notions of Right and Wrong

    Joe Biden’s acceptance speech last night was well-delivered and powerful. The only part that raised my hackles was the Iraq section, with the thrice repeated “John McCain was wrong. Barack Obama was right.” At the time I thought it bothered me simply because I continue to support the decision to overthrow Saddam. But on inspecting […]

  • Michelle: "This Is Why I Love This Country"

    Kevin Drum of Mother Jones (see, I read lefties, too) describes NRO’s The Corner as “a peek into the conservative id,” which is a great description. I don’t agree with everything I read in The Corner, but it’s the first place I turn for a (usually) thoughtful conservative perspective on breaking news. Despite a few […]

  • Local Boys Rescued from Grand Canyon

    Six Boy Scouts from Maplewood NJ (my hometown — should I disclose that on my blog? Well, whatever) were rescued from the Grand Canyon Sunday. When I was a Boy Scout growing up in Albuquerque, I twice hiked to the bottom of the canyon and back with Troop 166, on the Bright Angel trail (elevation […]

  • Real Clear Politics Election Map Favors McCain

    Real Clear Politics takes an interesting approach with its Electoral Vote map by creating a “no-tossups” version — giving every state to one of the candidates regardless of how excruciatingly close the polls may be. So RCP calls Virginia for McCain (on the no-tossup map, giving him 274 electoral votes and the presidency), while Virginia […]

  • Indecision 2008 (With Apologies to Jon Stewart)

    As I continue my schizophrenic efforts to determine what this blog is about, let’s revert for a moment to the Presidential race. I’m introducing a new widget in the right-hand column showing the latest Electoral College tallies as calculated by a computer-science professor at Electoral-Vote.com. (The widget is dynamic, the image with this post is […]

  • Using Social Media for a Small Business

    In the category of, “Best Use of a Blog for Marketing a Small Business,” the winner is… [sound of envelope being ripped open]… the Lincoln Sign Company. The blog is a fantastic example of using social media concepts like transparency in support of a small business. (Hat tip: John Jantsch at Duct Tape Marketing.) JD […]

  • Link Love (Be Still My Heart)

    Taranto likes me! He really likes me! Moi is thanked today by James Taranto in the acknowledgements for today’s Best of the Web Today column. He spells my name right and everything. I (along with no doubt others) alerted him to the breaking news that Taranto’s least-favorite Republican, outgoing Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, is […]