And this summer, I got my iPad. And realized that, despite what Jobs thought he invented back in  1976 (and later in 1984), this was the true “personal computer.” Indeed, it is so “personal” that it doesn’t seem like a “computer.” Instead, the technological became an extension of the discrete diverse tastes and interests of the individual. It’s not about buttons anymore; it’s about a most intimate of human activities — touch. And you can carry your entire life — books, music, work, etc. in a slim, sleek device.

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So, less than 50 percent of the country think you’re Christian. Growing numbers think, in fact, that you’re Muslim (not that there’s anything wrong with that). And who’s stepping up to “defend” your actual religious blackground, uh, background?

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Lot of journalist vs. journalist stuff of late:  Last week was the Washington Post’s Dave Weigel quitting/being fired over the outting of messages about other journalists (and conservatives he was covering) that he posted on a listserv called JournoList.  Weigel, who is somewhat conservative (though admittedly more on the cultural libertarian part of the spectrum) responded to the controversy over here. The issue got even more messy when liberal Ezra Klein (who still blogs for the W. Post) owner of the liberal-filled JournoList noted that one of the outlets that exposed Weigel’s emails was Tucker Carlson’s Daily Caller — not so long after Carlson asked to join JournoList and was turned down.  

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In one of the wonderful ironies that history loves to deliver, a son of Strom Thurmond — the man who defined South Carolina hardball racial politics for decades — lost a GOP primary runoff to an African-American Republican called Tim Scott.

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Can’t keep a good dictator down!

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It can’t bear repeating too often. Despite the adage about defeat/failure being an orphan, the parentage of the recent economic collapse is clearly discernible:  The names are Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.  In addition to Clinton signing the legislation that overturned the Depression-era Glass-Steagall law that prevented commercial banks from getting into the investment business, it would appear that neither the SEC of “42″ or “43″ knew the difference between “oversight” and “overlook.”  

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…Victory:  Fortune, ’tis said, favors the bold:  When all is said and done, the turning point on health care may have been — ironically enough — President Obama’s decision not merely to attend the GOP’s January retreat, but to ask for cameras to be allowed in.  As good as the Republicans looked (it was hard for them to be seen as the “Party of No”), Obama looked better. Whether Americans knew all the facts and assertions being traded back and forth, the president seemed in command of the discussion. He didn’t appear afraid to stand up to criticism (he declared how much he was “enjoying” the debate).  He didn’t even flinch when he was called on the lack of transparency in the broader health care process. Ironically, that event itself went quite aways to undercutting the lack-of-transparency argument.  He also didn’t appear as an empty suit that couldn’t perform without his Teleprompter (though he used it in his introductory remarks).

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Tough two months for the once-vaunted Harlem political machine:  Founding member Percy Sutton dies; Ways & Means Chairman Charlie Rangel cited for House ethics violations; accidental Governor David Paterson chooses not to run for election in wake of scandal.

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My erstwhile employer, Newt Gingrich, vents on the legislative process (i.e., why the process leading to the current health care bills shouldn’t be trusted): 

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Have to agree with the Palins on this. Introducing a Downs Syndrome character on a cartoon just to make a cheap shot at Sarah Palin is cruel, stupid and, worst of all for a supposedly comedic venture, NOT FUNNY. Shame on Seth McFarlane.

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Complaining about the Grammys (or any awards shows, for that matter) is like complaining about the weather. What’s the point, right?

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RNC Chairman Michael Steele called out Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on his comment yesterday likening opposition to health care reform to opposition to ending slavery. He rightly called it “ignorant.” Reid’s spokesman said Steele’s response was “feigned outrage.”

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In Washington, DC, it’s sorta the “best of times” for Democrats: On Saturday, the “motion to proceed” on health care reform passed along party lines in the U.S. Senate. Despite varying poll numbers, various twists and turns and hours-to-come of debate and amendments, this decades-long legislative desire for the Left is closer to becoming the law of the land than at any point in history.

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Any slight chance that New York might get a Republican governor next year basically ended with Rudy Giuliani’s apparent decision not to run for the office in 2010. There’s still some discussion in Hizzoner’s camp that he might run for senate against incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand.

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Democrats worried about this week’s off-year elections on Tuesday might have reason to go into full-fledged panic after Thursday.

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The championship round of the national pastime should be a moment of unity. Save for supporters of the teams playing in the Fall Classic, the country should come together and celebrate a sport as American as apple pie.

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Given everything on his plate as president of the United States, why does Barack Obama feel the need to take on a second job — chairman of the Democratic National Committee? Officially speaking, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine chairs the DNC. But, as is customary when a party controls the White House, its true head is the president. But there should be a certain amount of delicacy in how the White House exerts its explicit partisan political power.

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Rare indeed is the person whose career opportunities expand after some time in the slammer. But, seriously, following seven years behind bars, has there ever been a politician more ready for a prime-time reality show appearance than former Rep. Jim Traficant (D-Ohio)?

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Now that President Obama has announced the renewal of Ben Bernanke’s Federal Reserve Chairmanship, I have to ask, WHY?

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. . . . And here comes in the question whether it is better to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather than loved. It might perhaps be answered that we should wish to be both; but since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved. . .. .

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Damn, this guy is good.

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My friend Steve Clemons zeroes in on an underreported aspect of the AIG mess — mega conflicts-of-interest involving the people involved in both the financial mess itself and the bailout “fixes”:

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All is not lost!

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Every cliche has a certain amount of truth in it. And Machiavelli was right when he wrote in The Prince, “it is best to be both feared and loved; however, if one cannot be both it is better to be feared than loved.”

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Um, appears to be the case, if you happen to be an African-American running against Republicans for an office that, heretofore, has been held only by Caucasians.  Or, I dunno, maybe “celebrity” is just some conservatives way of saying that a certain person is, um, articulate. 

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For unexplainable reasons, I find myself listening to a lot of late-80s/early-90s hip-hop — of the Ice Cube/N.W.A. variety. Who knows, maybe it’s because that was the last serious economic downturn (the ‘00 tech bubble and ‘01 dips don’t count for a variety of reasons).

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Oh, yeah!

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So, it looks like the last partisan battle of the Bush era will be over the automobile industry. Democrats want a lame-duck session to provide GM, Ford and Chrysler with relief. Obama supports the idea. Bush doesn’t want to go along with it.

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Last week was hardly John McCain’s finest moment when, deciding that the Securities and Exchange Commission bore major responsibility for the Wall Street madness, he essentially called for SEC Chairman Chris Cox to be fired.

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Say this about the Obama campaign — it has a ruthless brilliant efficiency that is scary to behold.

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My wife’s old Grand Caravan developed an oil leak that was worth more than the vehicle itself to fix, so I broke down and bought her a new car: the Honda Fit (picture from Cardata.com):

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Um, wow.

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After first being taken in by the theatrics of the moment, it suddenly hit me: Hillary Rodham Clinton must be loving this.

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Josh Marshall takes note of the continued dropping murder rate in New York City. It is on track to be fewer than 500 for the entire year — and a small fraction of those are random, “stranger”-connected incidents.

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Julian Sanchez notes the increased political messages coming out in comic books. However, he draws exactly the opposite message from Marvel Comics’ Civil War “Superhero Registration Act” and its aftermath:

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