"The Democrats are a clapped out, gut-free lobbyist machine. The Republicans are insane. The system is therefore paralyzed beyond repair." That's Andrew Sullivan, who has been right more often than many pundits in the Obama era, and also more patient and optimistic-ending many of his posts with the sign-off, "Know hope." So it's hard not to feel despair when, in the face of the Democrats' stupid looming loss in today's special senatorial election in Massachusetts, a loss he believes will leave the health bill "dead," he writes

If America cannot grapple with its deep and real problems after electing a new president with two majorities, then America's problems are [...]

Historian Niall Ferguson, under fire for comparing President Obama to Felix the Cat ("not only black… also very, very lucky"), sought the counsel of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (remember him?) for a ruling on ethnography. Gates' response?

Let's get aggregatey! Here are three things I think you should read, because they are excellent and they happen to track closely to my own personal opinions, which always elevates a piece of work in my mind. I know it's a nice summer day (at least here in New York), so maybe you don't want to read a bunch of stuff on politics and the tenor of our current debate. Too bad! I insist that you take a look at what follows.