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Add one part satire to two parts sincerity. Sprinkle on a couple of rants. Stir liberally.
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Who are you?
I'm the newly-appointed Future editor at Business 2.0 and the former San Francisco correspondent for Time Magazine.
Wow, so does this mean everything you write reflects Time Inc's opinion? Or do you perhaps have some sort of standard disclaimer to the effect that it doesn't?
Naturally, the opinions contained in this blog are not those of my employers. In fact, some opinions may be the polar opposite of my employers. Some may be the same, for all I know. Hey, it's not like I ask my employers their opinions about everything in the news, okay? Let's just say that if this were a Venn diagram with one circle marked "my opinions" and the other one marked "my employers' opinions", there would doubtless be some overlap. But neither I nor my employers are able to pinpoint exactly where that overlap is.
What is this Daily Blah thing?
An experiment for a column I wrote about blogging back in December 2001. All these years later, I haven't been able to kick the habit.
If it's called Daily Blah, how come you don't ... hey, wait, you're writing every day!
See? Told you I'd try harder.
Mister, you talk funny. Are you one of them furrners?
Why yes I am, as it happens. I was born, raised and educated in Great Britain. I've been living in the U.S. since 1996 and identify as British.
I say, old chap, you forgot the "u" in "colour."
No I didn't. I may identify as British, but I am also an American journalist writing for an American audience about mostly American issues. These two different sides of me are a constant source of tension. Nevertheless, Daily Blah will adhere to American English grammar and spelling.
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Daily Blah for... Wednesday, February 27, 2002
The Man Behind the Curtain
Chris : I don't necessarily think the Bushies came up with this particular proposal, and they may have been just as surprised by its timing and gist as others. What I do think possible is that, behind the proposal--the gas that forced it out of the hose, if you will--was Bush administration pressure that the Saudi's do something to address Israel.
Why do I think so? So far the Bush administration has played the world diplomacy game very well; its accomplishments since 9/11 will be Kennedy School subject-matter for a long time -- proof that such effective manipulations are not beyond them. In addition, the Saudis have been lambasted in the U.S. media for indirect 9/11 responsibility. That gives the Bushies leverage, which they may have used to get the Saudis positively involved. If so, I think it's appropriate that Prince Abdullah first revealed his Israel idea to Thomas Friedman of the Times--because Mr. Friedman is perhaps the leading Saudi lambaster.
Now, on the other issue, I think there's been a lot of disinformation about the supposed "office of disinformation"-- as there has been about so much in this war, including Camp X-Ray. This in turn merely highlights the Pentagon's need to conduct some serious information warfare itself. Perhaps they didn't go about it well at first bat, but they'll get it right, I hope. Nonetheless I'm happy the press gave full swing to its cudgel of suspicion.
I've got a Get-out-of-Silicon-Valley-free card and am using it to spend a long weekend in New York, so may not be able to counter your inflamed response right off, but I'll see you here on Monday.
PS. If Reagan had taken Gorbachev up on his total disarmament proposal, we'd have been left with no nuclear deterrence against the current crop of global madmen. Reagan gave Gorbachev's desperate gambit (country running out of money/government about to collapse/etc.) the "no" it deserved.
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