Brad Pitt just announced that he and Steve Bing plan to build a new 150-home community in New Orleans Lower 9th Ward. And the houses will all be sustainably built! This is, of course, a very good thing for about 150 families. But it's a bit hard not to be uncomfortable with the fact that this $150 million project, which isn't one of the biggest initiatives being announced, is the only one that got a press release on the desk of every media member (and on such smooth high-quality paper stock!). On the other hand, it's certainly true that I was watching Brad Pitt and marveling at his roguish charm and not watching Gene Sperling and absorbing his nerdish vision. So I suck too. --Ezra Klein
