My colleague Michael Lind has a compelling commentary piece in today’s Financial Times that clearly articulates the stark and bitter gap between American pretensions as expressed last Thursday by President Bush and the realities of global disdain for and rejection of America’s current foreign policy behavior.

Michael Powell, in my view, has not only been an unmitigated disaster as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, he has presided over the gutting and flattening of broadband and IT innovation in the country, that may only just barely survive his stewardship.

I just received a tongue-in-cheek email from Jim Pinkerton who offers “You’d never get the idea that we are seeking to influence the course of Iraqi democracy — and that’s the good news here: the Iraqis won’t notice such favoritism, either” and then attached the following pic and link.

Sebastian Mallaby, editorial writer and economics columnist at the Washington Post and a former economics correspondent for the Economist, is a radical centrist.

As some of my readers know, I used to be a wannabe Politburo watcher and specialist on Soviet strategy and weapons systems. There are some times when I wish the late Andrei Gromyko, former Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs and Politburo member, was around to give lessons in just saying “No.

I just wanted to write a quick note of thanks to all who e-mailed me privately or offered public comments on TWN regarding strategy, focus, and opportunities for collaboration as we try and build a new foreign policy vehicle in Washington.

This admittedly partisan email (below) about a new Republican Dictionary is making its way around the internet, and has apparently been leaked by some staff at The Nation. Here is reference to an early part of the project.

During Condoleeza Rice’s confirmation hearings yesterday, Barbara Boxer relied on some thoughts penned by my colleague and friend, Peter Bergen. Here is the testimony, and I have put in bold Peter’s material: BOXER: Now, since 9/11, we’ve been engaged in a just fight against terror.

LTC Tim Ryan feels strongly that the press is missing much of the story in Iraq, particularly the good stuff and happy news. He got a piece published yesterday in the World Tribune.

Snow has just hit Washington (this was written at 9:30 a.m.) — and my plane to Miami was the last to get out before Dulles temporarily grounded flights. Good luck to those who will freeze today and tomorrow at the Inaugural festivities.