Potus Uses the "P" Word

The "p" word is preemption, as in preemptive military attack. It is not a word that an American president uses lightly. President Bush used it in his speech to the graduating class at West Point today. It was the beginning of a re-defined US national security doctrine.

Anyone who thinks Bush has gone wobbly on the War on Terrorism should read this speech twice.

Light Blogging

I've been busy on other projects and such and so have not posted much for the last 8 days. A more regular schedule will resume next week.

Under the Media Geezer Wire

A number of people e-mailed today to ask why I had not posted something on Tom Brokaw's announcement that he would retire after the 2004 election. I think some of you were expecting another Media Geezer hatchet job, which I would ordinarily be happy to provide.

But Brokaw is not a media geezer. He's 62 and will retire at 65, which is retirement age. So good for him.

And as it happens, I wouldn't have done a hatchet job on Brokaw anyway, partly because I worked for him but mostly because his leaving elevates the chatterbox Brian Williams to the anchor chair. Does the man ever shut up? Williams's "acceptance speech" yesterday in Studio 8-H was a parody of a self-absorbed television personality run amok. It read like a Saturday Night Live script.

Kelly

Michael Kelly's column today is exactly right.

Only in Boston

From the sublime to the ridiculous.

I had the privilege of playing three days of tournament golf at The Country Club in Brookline, site of the 1999 Ryder Cup and the 1988 U.S. Open. The course was in rough shape -- the April aeration of the greens had still not healed -- but the physical beauty of the layout and the landscaping was magnificent. Saturday afternoon, well into the grim grind of our afternoon match (we were two back after 11 holes), I hit a solid six-iron approach to the 3rd green and walked around the mound to see the result. I saw the ball front right, but what really caught my eye were the azealas to the left, the pond in back and the late afternoon sun through the trees. If you ever get the chance, play the course. It is a truly special place.

One of the treats of going up to Boston is visiting with my brother-in-law, who was in fine form. He always has the perfect Boston story and here is this spring's edition:

In the town where he lives, which is a suburb south of The Hub, they have a Little League parade every year. All the kids get dressed up in their uniforms and walk down the Main Street. Everyone goes. It's a town event. This year, one of the Little League teams is called the Yankees.

So the parade comes through town and after a while, the Yankees come marching along. These kids are 8 and 9 years old, mind you. And from the sidewalks comes the chant "Yankees Suck," led by a coach of one of the other Little League teams. And soon enough, a number of these people and their children are chanting "Yankees Suck" as 8 and 9 nine year old Little League kids with Yankee jerseys pass by.

There were letters to the editor of the local paper afterward, decrying this behavior. That it could happen at all is astonishing.