And Ed, it’s like trying to explain the reasons for discipline to a child. You’re in a position where you either buy in or opt out. You chose to buy in, and allowed yourself to be defused. You threaten no one. You are of no practical use. You’ll never challenge power. Otherwise, you’d be an independent journalist, working on your own, publishing in even less obscure journals, and taking care to be true to your convictions. I’d link you to wiki:convictions, but it’s late.

I’d tell you to get down off your high horse, but you’re riding side saddle on a spavined donkey.

And you do shy away from power. I’ve noticed that about you. Folksy, humorous, and completely harmless. You ain’t never gonna blow up in anyone’s face. You were long ago disarmed. That seems to be what it takes – removal of the fuse.

So when you do start covering DC politics, you’ll do just what you do now – look for people who aren’t terribly powerful, and writing stunning expose’s about them. Then you can comeback here and huddle with the other member of the journalism corp that forgot how to do journalism, and do harmony. You guys feed on each other. Neither of you threatens anyone.

As for Mark T, just beautiful. You always bring up the example of the story that hasn’t been written, to “prove” that it couldn’t be. When I start covering D.C. politics, maybe I’ll get around to the big story you’ve got on your mind. Sorry you can’t write better than Roger Morris. That’s setting the bar pretty low.