Sunday Morning Post

Election 2008: America Changes the Channel

With all the horserace coverage outside of Kentucky you have to imagine that the major media — the 24-hour-feed-the-beast machines — are going to get bored pretty fast. This isn’t just going to be an ugly election, it’s going to get very weird, too. Abandon your television now.

(clears throat) OK, well then, here’s some stuff to read:
• What journalism looks like — NYT on the trail of medicine poisonings
• Al Kamen on the chief-of-staff ties to the political wing of the White House
• The other Monica. Times editorial this am:

The Justice Department opened an internal investigation last week into whether Monica Goodling, a former senior adviser to Mr. Gonzales, applied a political screen to applicants for assistant United States attorney positions. That kind of political test would violate department policy, and possibly the law. Ms. Goodling, who has invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, was also a key player in the United States attorney firings.

The National Journal brought to light an “internal order” in which Mr. Gonzales gave Ms. Goodling and his chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, the power to hire and fire many of the department’s top officials. His willingness to hand this authority off to two young, highly political staff members is further evidence that partisanship and not professionalism was the driving force in hiring and firing.

Meanwhile back at the ranch,
• Smoking Ban recap from Winston
• Fay-O talks about it with Rick Glazier
• The final days of the menhaden fisheries
• Good golly chill out
• Char-O gives Kevin Geddings a warm fuzzy
• Fire in Linville Gorge fading