A Great Day

You gotta believe. President Bush's statement of congratulations to the people of Iraq can be read here.

Robert F. Kennedy Speech on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Death

April 4, 1968, Indianapolis, Indiana

I have bad news for you, for all of our fellow citizens, and people who love peace all over the world, and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and killed tonight.

Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice for his fellow human beings, and he died because of that effort.

In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it is perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in. For those of you who are black -- considering the evidence their evidently is that there were white people who were responsible -- you can be filled with bitterness, with hatred, and a desire for revenge. We can move in that direction as a country, in great polarization -- black people amongst black, white people amongst white, filled with hatred toward one another.

Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend, and to replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand with compassion and love.
For those of you who are black and are tempted to be filled with hatred and distrust at the injustice of such an act, against all white people, I can only say that I feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man. But we have to make an effort in the United States, we have to make an effort to understand, to go beyond these rathe difficult times.

My favorite poet was Aeschylus. He wrote: "In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."

What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or they be black.

So I shall ask you tonight to return home, to say a prayer for the family of Martin Luther King, that's true, but more importantly to say a prayer for our own country, which all of us love -- a prayer for understanding and that compassion of which I spoke.

We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times; we've had difficult times in the past; we will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; it is not the end of disorder.

But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings who abide in our land.

Let us dedicate to ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.

One Last Thing.

The CBS "Panel" Report was a gem, in its lawyerly way, and well worth the wait. Since a number of you emailed to ask for Ellisblog's view, here's my ten cents:

1. Andrew Heyward must have had one good lawyer. How else to explain the apparent success of what might be called his Reverse Nuremberg defense. Or as Kaus put it: Heyward was just giving orders. Then he went to lunch. My guess is that Heyward will be "resigned" later; that the decision to keep him was tactical.

2. Dan Rather really is a pompous fool. You already knew that.

3. The blogospehere needs to get a grip. I'm not sure which was more pathetic, bloggers posting their phone numbers for "media interviews" or all the bloviating about "whitewash" and "cover-up." Memo to bloggers: (1) we don't care if you're on TV and; (2) The report is the most scathing indictment of the standards and practices of CBS News ever published, by anyone at anytime (with the possible exception of Renata Adler's work on the Westmoreland vs. CBS case). Stop preening and stop whining.

4. What did they think they were being called for, a strategy session? When the fearsome foursome was ordered to report to CBS News Headquarters at 8am on Monday morning, they were apparently surprised to learn that they were being fired. I'm told these aces of investigative journalism believed that Mapes would buy the bullet and everyone else would be spared. Hello? Out in the real world, the only question was whether Heyward would be fired on the day of the report's release or a couple of months later. Disconnected from reality is a weird place to be for people who claim to be "plugged in."

5. No evidence of political bias. This was the only major short-coming of The Panel's report, since everyone in the real world (and especially the political world) knew and knows that CBS News was gunning for President Bush big time. It was an open secret in August that the DNC and the media would re-raise the TexANG service issue immediately following the Labor Day weekend. Indeed, Ben Barnes was telling people over the summer that CBS would take the lead in that attack.

I was asked about this point blank at a pre-GOP convention election briefing that I did for a major NYC financial services firm. Specifically, I was asked: Do you think the story (amazingly similar to the one that appeared on CBS News Sixty Minutes Two) is true and do you think it will be harmful to the President's re-election hopes? To which I replied: I can't believe that CBS News would bet its credibility on Ben Barnes. (Talk about disconnected from reality!)

I think The Panel understood that there was a lot of back-channel stuff (between CBS News and the Kerry campaign and the DNC and the like) going on, but that to delve into it would have required a much larger inquiry. Which was not what they had been contracted to do. So they punted. It would have been better had they avoided the bias issue altogether. Too bad they didn't, but really, so what?

6. Colonel Hackworth. Pages 95 and 96 of the report are simply brilliant.

7. How Evil is Mary Mapes? Don't ask me. Ask her colleagues, present and former.

And That's All Folks

I decided against publishing the "Worst of 2004" list because....why bother? Donald Trump, Michael Moore and Major Media cover most of that terrain and the rest is tedious.

As for Ellisblog, the time has come to retire it as an "active site." I will use it as a place to post links to articles I write for other publications and journals, but I will no longer "blog" regularly or irregularly. The demands of my real job require a single focus.

For those who inquired about Skype, yes, I think it is a truly disruptive company in the telecom arena (we're investing in the VOIP "space"). I think it forces the "majors" to rethink their business models and not in the abstract.

For those who inquired about Visible World, yes, I think it changes advertising budgets at every major business-to-consumer company.

For those who inquired about Albertson's, I was wrong. Roger Simon, among others, set me straight.

As to my appraisal of Mitt Romney as the GOP's best hope in 2008, no, I do not speak for the "Bush family." I think he's enormously talented and capable and smart. And since Governor Jeb Bush and Vice President Cheney have said they aren't running in 2008, you gotta pick from the remaining cast. I admire Senator McCain, but age and health may preclude his running. So Mitt it is.

Thanks for reading. Best wishes for a great 2005.

Best and Worst of 2004


Best Player: Mia Hamm. An extraordinary career.
Best Movie: "Million Dollar Baby." At the age of 75, Clint Eastwood triumphs.
Best Advertising Campaign: Apple Computer. True to the brand, fresh.
Best Columnists: Peggy Noonan, George Will. Smart and true.
Best Blogger: Kausfiles. Strange, but true.
Best Political Source: Real Clear Politics. All you needed to know in 2004.
Best Newspaper: The Wall Street Journal. And getting better.
Best Governor: Mitt Romney (R-MA). The GOP's best hope in 2008.
Best Fun Restaurant: Gigi's in Rhinebeck, NY. And the food's good too.
Best Restaurant: The Four Seasons in New York City. Elegant and delicious.
Best Airline: Jet Blue. Begs the question: how hard is it?
Best Automobile Company: Toyota. The greatest automobile company ever.
Best New Advertising Technology: Visible World.
Best New Media: XM Radio. A transformational company and Major League Baseball to boot.
Best P2P Technology: Skype. 42 million downloaders can't be wrong.
Best Business Story: Skype. They started at zero. A year ago.
Best Shoes: Merrells. Indestructable, comfortable.
Best Computer: Apple G5. An amazing machine.
Best Rock Star: Avril Lavigne. Hard rocker, hard worker.
Best Yankee: Derek Jeter. Pinstripe DNA.
Best Magazine: The Economist. No contest.
Best Wings: Robin Hood Restaurant, Hamilton, Bermuda. Who knew?
Best Golf Courses: Shinnecock, Mid-Ocean, Sand Hills, Quaker Ridge, Winged Foot, Carnoustie. Especially Carnoustie.
Best Hotel: Mansion on Turtle Creek. Dallas, Texas. Perfect.
Best Coffee: Dean and DeLuca. House Blend.
Best Bagel: H&H Bagels. Always.
Best Burger: Louie's Lunch, New Haven, CT. Beyond great.
Best New Golf Technology: The Rac-7 Driver, by Taylor. You'll never go back.
Best Golfer: Vijay.
Best Sports Performance: Tie: Roger Federer and Retief Goosen at their respective US Opens.
Best New York Institution: The Public Library.
Best Quarterback: Peyton Manning. Hands down.
Best Iraq Analyst: Bruce Hoffman, Rand Corporation.
Best Grocer: Whole Foods.
Best Customer Service: American Express.
Best TV: HBO.
Best Drug: Advil.
Best Departing Cabinet Member: Colin Powell.
Best New Cabinet Member: Carlos Gutierrez.
Best White House Aide: Andy Card.
Best Political Reporter: Tom Edsall. Disregard the lefty slant.
Best Bookstore: Amazon.com. Better and better.
Best Anchorman: Brit Hume. Wry on news.
Best Movie Star: Brad Pitt.
Best Narrative: James Lileks.
Best Political Operative: Ken Mehlman.
Best Democratic Operative: David Boies.
Best IPO: Google. 2x and counting.
Best Entrepreneur: Rick Adam, Adam Aircraft. (We're investors. Sue me.)
Best Book: Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton.
Best Night: Game Seven, ALCS.
Best Day: November 3rd, 2004.
Best of All: The men and women of the United States Military.

Captain Varitek

The heart and soul of the Boston Red Sox can be found behind home plate. Both the new four-year contract and the new title were and are richly deserved.

Letterman in Iraq

This is why David Letterman is the best.

Naked City

Every so often, a story comes along that captures the essential spirit of Washington, DC. Today there are three such stories. One is about the DC City Council. Another is about former Congressman Billy Tauzin. And the third is about local government salaries in the DC area.

I do believe that if someone went out and organized a "Recall Them All" campaign on the Internet -- urging people to vote out of office every single incumbent, at every level of government -- that that someone could raise about a billion dollars. And have a significant impact on the nation's politics.

Back In A Couple of Weeks.

The week before Christmas, Ellisblog will unveil its much-anticipated but sparsely read "Best and Worst" list for 2004. After that, Ellisblog will likely go into a period of prolonged hibernation, due to the usual laundry list of other obligations.

Quote of the Day

"Those of us that work here - and nobody more than myself - believe that CBS News is this mystical kingdom of journalistic knights......Now that may not be true. But the fact that we believe it in our marrow is very real to us." -- Dan Rather, in today's New York Times.