Asleep at the Wheel

Let's see. It's the largest influence-peddling scam ever revealed in such detail. It involves pay-offs from Saddam Hussein to oil ministers, heads of state, UN officials, foreign ministers, key government operatives on five continents and, of course, Saddam himself. Always pay yourself first, as the financial managers say.

The story is rock solid. ABC News has the original documents. As does The New York Times (I'm told). So will someone tell me why this isn't the biggest story since Watergate?

Oklahoma!

Conventional wisdom is quick to form and here is what it's saying: If Edwards wins Oklahoma, he's alive. If not, it's over.

The Culture of Winning

A while back, I wrote up a short book proposal. The idea of the book I had (and still have) in mind was straightforward; how do you exorcise the culture of defeat from the Boston Red Sox organization and from the soul of Red Sox nation? How do you reverse the curse?

The selling point was: this isn't a sports book, it's a business book. The Red Sox would serve as a metaphor for every enterprise that couldn't get it done. It struck me that the new owners and management of the Red Sox had spent a lot of time thinking about how to change the Red Sox culture of doom, and so by interviewing them and watching the 2004 season unfold, one could learn a lot about how one goes about actually changing a culture or, in the specific case, reversing a curse.

Watching the Patriots-Panthers game last night, I was struck (as was my friend Christina Novicki, who emailed me a version of this post earlier today) by how confident I was that the Patriots would ultimately prevail.

It never occured to me that Adam V. would miss that field goal with time running out, even though he had missed two chip shots earlier in the game. Had I been watching the final game of the ACLS, it would never have occured to me that the Red Sox would do anything but find a way to lose.

Same town, same media, same fan base (more Red Sox fans, obviously), different sport, different organizations. And completely different expectations.

Now That It's Over

Democratic "strategists" working for candidates Edwards, Clark and Dean are pondering how and when to go "negative" on Senator John Kerry. The race is over tomorrow, but never mind about that. Jim Rutenberg reports that these "strategists" are lacing on the gloves.

I am not making this up! You can't make this stuff up. I wonder if Edwards will sue for consulting malpractice?

P.S. Los Angeles Times columnist Ron Brownstein waddles into Ellisblog terrain. He reports that the Kerry camp is astonished by the unwillingness of Kerry's rivals to attack his record.

Axis of Evil Update

The technology came from Pakistan. The "father" of that country's nuclear program has now "confessed." There's obviously much more to this story, but the mere fact that it is a story is a step in the right direction.

Negativity

Oooooommmmm! I'm getting some negative vibes from The Washington Post about Senator John Kerry. There's a really hostile piece on the front page today by Jim VandeHei and it's bumming me out. Here's how it starts:

"Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), who has made a fight against corporate special interests a centerpiece of his front-running campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, has raised more money from paid lobbyists than any other senator over the past 15 years, federal records show."

Thank God none of the other campaigns will raise this as an issue or, God forbid, make a negative ad out of it.

Postscript The New York Times is also negative today. Almost hostile. Oooommmmmm.

The Dean Fantasy

Continuuuuuuuuuuuues. The new strategy is to not win any primaries this week, but gather delegates to prepare for a convention "challenge." Win by losing! That's the ticket.

It's very Ashram, don't you think?

Polar Bears

Natalie Angier's piece about polar bears in The New York Times Science Section last Tuesday was just fantastic. Fun for all ages.

Advancing Genomics

Dr. Craig Venter did it once, with shotgun sequencing of genomes. This breakthrough led directly to the publication of the human genome. A good source tells me he is about to do it again. Be prepared.

I'm Shocked

Who was on the Saddam oil payola dole? You'll never guess. Happily enough, the ABC News Investigative Unit has obtained a list, which details who got how much. Mon dieu!