Masters of the Political Offhand

Quote of the day:
“Coming out of this thing, dazed, you may blink into the sunlight and wonder: Have I become a burrito?”
--David Elliott in today’s "San Diego Union-Tribune," reviewing Terry Gilliam’s new movie "Tideland"

Human nature quote of the day:
“People who know they alone are right find it hard to compromise, and compromise is the strategy of democracy.”
--Arthur M. Schlesinger

Observation:
We have slipped into sometimes labeling our constant stream of talk-radio personalities as “commentators” or, worse, “analysts.” We sometimes do not see the reality that they are really highly-skilled masters of getting attention through expressing offhand, ad-libbed opinions. They are, above all, entertainers working without scripts.

Historical quote of the day:
“The people of England have been led in Mesopotamia (Iraq) into a trap from which it will be hard to escape with dignity and honor. They have been tricked into it by a simple withholding of information.... Things have been far worse than we have been told, our administration more bloody and inefficient than the public knows. It is a disgrace to our imperial record, and may soon be too inflamed for any ordinary cure. We are today not far from a disaster.”
--T. E. Lawrence (portrayed later in "Lawrence of Arabia")
(thanks to Zenger’s Newsmagazine)