The 8%-92% Rule

I was planning a blog on this subject, but then I decided to simply post the chart and allow folks to come to their own conclusion.

To me, this clearly explains the logic and reasoning driving presidential actions. When our President and 92% of his advisors have never earned an honest dollar in their life, what do you expect?

Editor & Publisher is dead

It should not have come as a surprise to any insider that Editor & Publisher, a venerable 125 year-old publication that focused on the newspaper industry, was shut down by Nielsen its parent company.

The writing was on the wall, inked circa 1996 when the internet burst on the scene, and E&P took pains to ensure the industry held on to its outdated business model. E&P even fought AP’s effort to supplement its revenue stream by reselling technology to member newspapers.

They fought against digital cameras, they fought against AdSend. They were purist (in the bad sense of the term) and died as purists.

EditorandPublisher.com dropped off the net on Friday December 11th 2009. Last headline exalting user response and trashing the Washington Post for running a Sarah Palin op-ed.

Chrysler Aghast!

I am flabbergasted that a US car company with middle-americans as primary customers and a stack of retro muscle cars and full-sized trucks equipped with Hemis V8 is deploying the above ad as a way of rescuing sales.

Is this a flavor of things to come under FIAT's leadership? Can someone tell them that the emperor has no clothes?

Exactly how many political activists will be interested in a Chrysler 300? Seven is my guess, 11 if you include Cash-for-Clunkers.

Afghanistan: Bush had it right

I must admit that I’m quite conflicted when it comes to the war in Afghanistan. On the one hand, the current situation is untenable, on the other hand I doubt more troops will provide a solution.

Afghanistan is a more difficult problem than Iraq and the prospect of a strong central government, army and police to whom we will hand control is a largely a fiction.

At the end of the day Bush had the Afghanistan strategy right: smaller footprint, mostly counter-terrorism mission, and a long term commitment to stay to prevent Taliban take-over.

Having boxed himself in during the campaign, Obama rode in with his ‘new strategy’ and in March upped the troop level by nearly 100%.

Having stirred the hornet’s nest he has no choice but to double down in November.

Nothing I heard this week gives me confidence that Afghanistan will end well. I we can only roll back time.