Learning In Slow Motion

The Onion predicted the Bush presidency eerily. If you haven't read it before, or recently, I recommend revisiting their article published on January 17, 2001 (and yes, it really was published before he took office):

Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare of Peace and Prosperity is Finally Over'

It took the rest of America a lot longer to realize that this impatient, incurious, ideologue was a terrible leader. Apart from three spikes (for 9/11, the invasion of Iraq and the capture of Saddam Hussein) his popularity eroded at a slow, but amazingly consistent, rate:



It looks like the overwhelming evidence of Bush's incompetence gradually burrowed its way into the national brain.

Anyway, I'm feeling good about Obama's inauguration today. Some evidence of real change: Marty Lederman will be at the Office of Legal Council. I've followed his writings on Balkinization over the last few years. It's fair to say he'll offer a different perspective than John Yoo.

And Counting

And Back

Back in San Francisco. Winter arrived while I was gone bringing some chilly air and water and big groundswell. The contrast with Australia's summer has been bracing but not without its pleasures. On Saturday I went mountain biking on a proper single track (at Tamarancho in Marin County) for the first time. It was more challenging than I expected but definitely something I could get into. On the way back into SF I crossed the Golden Gate at the exact moment the sun was setting - it had just touched the ocean in the west as I entered the span and it disappeared fully into the water a few seconds before I left the bridge. Meanwhile the skyline of SF was side-lit with a gold/red alpenglow. The traffic was very slow as I think everyone was looking out of their side windows the entire time.