Mike Leach, brilliant and eccentric college football coach, has been fired by his employer of ten years, Texas Tech. Despite leading Tech to unprecedented glory, Leach's alleged mistreatment of an ESPN commentator's son has led to his dismissal.

I just got off the phone with Leach's attorney...

Forget what the Nobel Prize Committee said about ending nuclear weapons. Forget too that conservatives have now supplied the punchline to the joke about how much they hate our President: "Obama could win the Nobel Peace Prize and conservatives would...."

The Nobel Committee states it best when they write: "Obama...

There's a fine line between publicity and a ripoff, says one Washington Post writer.

Ian Shapira was initially delighted to see media buzz site Gawker cover his story on a "millennial guru" who advises hapless twenty-somethings. But after an editor pointed out that the Gawker piece reproduced...

When James Surowiecki wrote The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations, with its self-explanatory subtitle, he acknowledged that there were certain instances in which crowds behaved more stupidly than individuals.

In particular, emotional conditions...

Sonia Sotomayor's nomination has driven the usual suspects on the right crazier than usual. Attacking the first Hispanic Justice of the Supreme Court as a hack racist is political suicide for a party that is skewing whiter, older, and less educated. But that doesn't mean that the racism charge is...

Hillary Clinton won't be Barack Obama's choice to replace Justice Souter. Obama will choose someone else, if only because Clinton is proving to be an exceptionally adept Secretary of State.

But in several years, when the next retirement comes, Clinton and Obama may be confident enough to pass State off...

Like H1N1, Mark Penn has human, pig, and avian DNA. And like his viral cousin, Penn was bred in a corporate pig sty. Penn recently raised his snout from the trough to wax philosophically about Hillary's defeat. Were it not for John Edwards, he opined, I imagine gesturing animatedly with...

To most of us, the great liberal icon stricken with a terrible ailment is Ted Kennedy. Kennedy's contributions to our nation's uneven pursuit of progressive ideals are amazing and well known.

The work of another great liberal icon stricken by disease is not so well known, but quite amazing in...

This is remarkable. Disenchanted Obama voters, in an echo of 2004's "I'm Sorry Everybody" campaign, hold up signs expressing their remorse over voting for Obama.

Wow, some people sure are fickle huh? And it's surprising, considering that Obama's approval ratings are considerably higher than his victory margin.

The good news is that the first single/product warning label from U2's forthcoming album No Line on the Horizon might be its worst. The bad news is "might." Some bright moments come towards the end, but they are not enough to salvage the album.

Just like their last two...

Most Americans witnessed a moment of genuine hurt and need resulting in heartfelt compassion on Tuesday when Henrietta Hughes emotionally begged President Obama for help. Most. Then there were the conservatives.

"Slave Begs her Master for a House" was conservative blogger Jonathan Gardner's take. Michelle Malkin derided the event...

What is it with the New York Times and credulous writers named Judith? Judith Warner's column this morning, Getting Beyond Camelot, shows that while most Americans forget things way too quickly, some New York Democrats have memories entirely too long.

Marcia Pappas, president of the New York State...

Ernest Hemingway reportedly said "the first draft of anything is shit."

Maybe that's why Shalom Auslander's Foreskin's Lament is so damn good. Auslander threw out his early work over and over out of fear that the powerful subject of his writing would seek revenge against his loved...

Tina Brown's online magazine The Daily Beast has scored some coups. The latest comes courtesy of Talking Points Memo alum Benjamin Sarlin. In a recent interview with GOP uber-goon Roger Stone, Sarlin extracted the only known mea culpa on record from a Republican heavy hitter that actually acknowledges--gasp--people...

The Guardian is now reporting that Hillary Clinton will accept President-elect Barack Obama's offer to become Secretary of State. My immediate question was, what would the loons at Hillaryis44.org have to say? And they don't disappoint!

Obama however needs a lifeline. Obama knows he is not experienced enough...

My friend Danielle Goodman sends this interesting proposal for the auto industry bailout. Though written before David Brooks' column today, it anticipates some of his objections, and as someone who works in a parallel industry, Danielle is well aware of the challenges. It's worth a read.

Give GM real...

Miami Gardens, FL--

2pm--My "running partner" Melisa (an out of state volunteer from Seattle) and I pick up a woman in a wheelchair for early voting. Earlier in the day, I was knocking on doors and asking them if they wanted a ride to the polls. Volunteers and staff are...

Add another headache to the McCain campaign's faltering efforts. Barack Obama, avid Iphone user (see video) is employing state specific web sites to hammer John McCain. Websites specific to Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, and Ohio point out the disastrous impact of a McCain presidency on...

John McCain is the Eddie Haskell of politics.

So observes Bob Neuman, aide to the late great Arizona Congressman Mo Udall, in Amy Silverman's devastating article on John McCain. Silverman, a fifteen year veteran of Arizona newspapers and long time McCain observer, arrays stunning evidence in support of the...