Midwestern retrospective and Time editorial

Had a good visit back to the midwest. One of the most worthwhile aspects intellectually was the suprisingly thoughtful constructions that had been created in support of the McCain-Palin ticket. Conversations with an older generation of folks with compelling arguments of support for the superiority of this ticket over Obama. Brought home the disadvantage of the lack of political discourse in Portland. It seems everyone is a liberal and nobody debates the other side. Then, when you enter battle, you go weak and unarmed.

in this information age, I was startled how we had self selected for a variety of reasons information that the other parties did not possess. How does this happen? we're delluged by data. Too bad the same can't be said about knowledge and wisdom, which unfortunately require some combination of time, reflection, and experience.

"In the end, though, it will not be the creative paralysis that defines Bush. It will be his intellectual laziness, at home and abroad. Bush never understood, or cared about, the delicate balance between freedom and regulation that was necessary to make markets work. He never understood, or cared about, the delicate balance between freedom and equity that was necessary to maintain the strong middle class required for both prosperity and democracy. He never considered the complexities of the cultures he was invading. He never understood that faith, unaccompanied by rigorous skepticism, is a recipe for myopia and foolishness. He is less than President now, and that is appropriate. He was never very much of one."

Editorial here