The Doldrums…
…. we are now entering a down period within the political calendar which will not pick up too greatly, barring unforseen event, until after the March primary season begins in US Congressional races. The State of the Union Address is past. The Election cycle is a bit further down the road than even the mass-media can angle as a story. The House of Representatives has a new Speaker, and there are no more Supreme Court Justices to argue about at the moment. The world of American domestic political punditry is taking this opportunity to take a deep, ragged breath.
Our attentions now turn outward, to Hamas’ electoral victory in Gaza, to the anti-Danish reaction of the Islamic world in the wake of editorial cartoons lampooning the Prophet Mohammed, to the breakfast habits of German Chancellor Angela Merkle. Anything for a news fix, especially when its so thin domestically.
These pauses in our political shouting match are too few, in the era of 24-7-365ish news networks and internet by-the-millisecond updates. Enjoy it while you can, if you cut through the background noise of ‘news’.