Leon Wieseltier on Obama.


I suspect that there are many others who feel the same way about Senator Obama. But this essay sums up the doubts about the man as well as can be done inside of a tight word count.

Cerberus Letter

Inside this WSJ Deal Journal item is a link to a 9-page letter by Cerberus Managing Member Stephen Feinberg. It is worth reading in full, despite some whining about the press, which I'm sure is justified, but who cares. In particular, the first four or five pages give a very good overview of the havoc caused by the "credit crunch" and the further havoc that awaits.

The Titanic Hits Another Iceberg


Did they really think they were inevitable? Or was it just something they said, to keep the donors and the wobblers in line? There has always been, on the unhappy side of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s character, the hard edge of entitlement. This belongs to me. Somewhere along the line, this was internalized by Sen. Clinton’s remarkably insular inner circle. This belongs to us.

I suspect that they really truly believed that Sen. Clinton’s nomination was inevitable. It wasn’t a ploy or pose. Tonight’s Potomac primary must have been one disenchanting evening. Watching it all come asunder, as Sen. McCain skated along, not breaking a sweat. As Sen. Obama soared, smooth and graceful as a wide receiver running practice routes in pre-game.

Sen. Clinton’s staff, by embracing restoration and insisting upon her inevitability, has left her hanging out there with no rationale. They didn’t think it through. And now they have no idea what to say, other than witless attempts to “reframe” the media babble. Tonight’s offering from Team Clinton can basically be reduced as follows: the voters of Virginia and Maryland don’t matter. It only matters what the voters in Texas and Ohio and Pennsylvania think.

Do you think anyone noticed in Wisconsin? I guarantee you this: Sen. Obama won’t say that the voters in Wisconsin are meaningless. I bet he gives the cheeseheads his biggest smile and says: “I can hardly wait to see you.” They’ll be happy to see him too. Everyone loves a happy warrior.

John Gorman.


John died at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston Sunday night, the 10th of February. He was 58 years old. John was a great colleague and loyal friend. I, and many, many others, will miss him very much. Funeral arrangements are private. There will likely be a memorial service in Cambridge in the coming weeks. Details of that will be made available on the Opinion Dynamics website.

The Namesake

What a wonderful movie it is. I'd missed it during its theatrical release, was reminded of it by a friend and watched it the other night. If you're of the mind that there are no good movies in your Netflix queue, put this one up top.