Davos Newbies

“When it comes to press freedom, Russia is now ranked below countries like Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Afghanistan.”

From the depressing, compelling “Kremlin, Inc” by Michael Specter in The New Yorker. Not available online.

If you want to feel better about the US, read or watch Virginia senator Jim Webb’s response to president Bush’s State of the Union address. On economic and foreign policy grounds, it is one of the most heartening nine minutes in recent American politics.