According to Editor & Publisher (which has done fine reporting on this story), Matthew Cooper, one of the reporters facing jail time for refusing to divulge confidential sources in the Novak-Plame-gate affair, will be represented in the Supreme Court not by First Amendment bigwig Floyd Abrams, but by former Solicitor General Ted Olsen. Up ’til now, Abrams has jointly represented Cooper and Judith Miller, but now it appears that Cooper and Miller have parted ways. It will be most interesting to see whether, as Abrams says, there is no "substantive" difference between the two reporters’ petitions to the Court, or whether Olsen will try a slightly different tack (we have previously noted worries about Abrams’ strategy in this case). Olsen is as savvy a Supreme Court litigator as any, and he probably has a better feel for what will work in that Court and what won’t than does Abrams. The reporters’ petitions are due to be filed May 10, so we should know soon. Stay tuned….
What a curious town Washington DC must be
This appreciation by the always-interesting Murray Waas of the late Baron Edward von Kloberg III just makes you realize that it really does take all kinds.
Meet some Boston City Council candidates
Among the numerous interesting local races that we hope to write more about over the coming weeks and months is the race for Boston City Council. The race for the four at-large (citywide) seats promises to be particularly interesting, with at least nine candidates already declared (the last day to file papers is May 24). [Full disclosure: one of the at-large candidates, John Connolly, works at the same law firm as I do.] You can meet four of the at-large candidates, as well as one candidate for the 6th district seat, at a meetup held by the Boston chapter of Democracy for America this Wednesday, May 4, at 6 pm at the Harriet Tubman House (566 Columbus Ave. in Boston). More info on the meetup is here. If you go (I can’t), please share your thoughts with us, either in the comments or by email.
Thanks, I’m here all week … try the steak!
Well, here’s our answer: Charisma boot camp, is, in fact, the comedy club stage: A good stand-up can walk into a room, a bar with no stage and a shitmic, in the deep goddam South or Montana or Portland or Austin orBoston, and not only tell jokes with differing political opinions thanthe crowd, can get them to laugh. With all due respect to our brotherperformers in theater, etc., we can walk into a room of any size from20 to 2000 complete strangers with no shared background and not justevoke emotion … we can evoke a specific strong emotion every 15 seconds. For an HOUR.A good stand-up can make fun of your relationship with your wife, makefun of your job, make fun of your politics, all in front of a thousandstrangers, and afterward that same person will go up and invite thestand-up to a barbecue. In short — every club audience is a swing state. Good stuff. Read the rest. (Thanks to Pandagon.)
