Gloomy Gus

Just for the record: It looks like Gustav's forecast track is flattening out to a more East/West plotting, with a slightly more leftward arc on the map. Maybe there was some wisdom to the golden triangle counties' evacuation order. Even here around Houston, we probably need to keep our guard up.

Eureka, I guess

It appears that the New York Times, ever at the cutting edge, has discovered the existence of political blogs at the party conventions. If they had noticed this four years ago, or even some months ago when credentials were being considered by the parties, it might be worth something. However, today it's as fresh as that greenish crust of bread at the back of the bin.

Just for grins, see it now: "The Year of the Political Blogger."

Obama, Obama, Obama...

I'd like to think that there might be some level of integrity to Senator Obama's big-issue positions coming out of his trip overseas. But: he's gone from a fairly clear and consistent progressivism to ... what?

• On Iraq, he's developing a middle-of-the-road position not far from John McCain's. Let's start pulling out the troops, but only as "conditions on the ground" permit; a baseline force will remain; the Surge wasn't a success, but conditions are much better.
• On Afghanistan, he's a hawk because that's the real war on terrorism; we need a Surge there; we have to pay attention to that war, not be distracted, and win it.
• On the Middle East, who knows? An undivided Jerusalem must be Israel's capital. A partitioned Jerusalem may be the Palestinian capital. We should negotiate and use a multilateral approach on Iran (which is what is happening already) but under NO circumstances should they be allowed to have nukes.
• On the domestic side, he's showing similar chameleon-like tendencies on energy, the economy, the banking/mortgage bail-outs, health care, and other matters. We're seeing this taking shape now.

I know that Senator McCain is not the paragon of ideological linearity, but there is a general consistency to his overall positions. This seems to me to be respectable. What Obama is doing is pandering, and one is certainly given to doubt the sincerity of anything he says at this point.