I woke up today and asked myself if the life of a non-profit progressive journalist was really all it was cracked up to be. Maybe I wanted an existence with more expensive suits, fine meals, and colleagues with roman numerals after their names. So I cracked open the The Wall Street Journal to find out what that would be like: Karl Rove: The presidential nomination process is getting much longer, and the actual primary voting process much shorter. That's the worst of both worlds: The candidates are spending increasingly endless quantities of time wearing down their bodies and souls with constant campaigning even as it becomes less and less likely that any votes but those from a tiny handful of early states matter. Reform is necessary, and whether it comes from federal legislation or a joint action by both of the party infrastructures, it needs to happen. This is among the first times Karl Rove and I have ever agreed. The point's been made before, so I don't know if it's a must-read, but it's definitely worth a read. Steve Salerno: The Wall Street Journal called and asked for a tough-minded critique of self-help books and, well, I had to say yes, but I sort of didn't have the critique, so would you believe that people spend too much time searching for happiness, and when they can't find it, they kill themselves or take prozac, and that the real key to happiness is contentment? Seems sensible, right? Do you think it's okay if I don't offer any numbers, or evidence from the burgeoning literature on happiness, or general empirical backing at all? Yeah? Alright then. Barry McCaffrey: Seems like things in Iraq are getting better. Sure hope that continues.
