It Takes A Lot Of Adrenaline And

I Feel Like I Owe It To The Readers To Try To Pull Back The Veil And Give Them The Honest Version Of What's Going On. But It's Not More Fun. If Obama, As He Does Sometimes Already, Gets A Little Snippy With Me About Something I've Written, You're Thinking, 'oh God, The President Of The United States Is Already Annoyed With Me.'

Yet It's True That Looks Matter In Politics... It Is Also True That Perfecting The Outer Shell Has Become An Obsession In This Country... Mitt Romney, Barack Obama And John Edwards Almost Always Look Good, And Pretty Much The Same, In Dark Suits Or Casual Wear. Fred Thompson Always Looks Crepuscular And Droopy. Often Hillary Clinton Looks Great, And Sometimes She Looks Tired, Heavier Or Puffier.

Are Women Necessary? Not With Ava Around

Journalism, Spooked By Rumors Of Its Own Obsolescence, Has Stopped Believing In Itself. Groans Of Doom Alternate With Panicked Happy Talk.

Americans Want To Be Protected, But Not At The Cost Of Vitiating The Values That Make Us Americans.