THIS MAN NEEDS A HAIRCUT

SPIN CYCLE

In ONE WEEK, the Bush Administration, mired in DEEP POISON-POLL DOO-DOO, still managed to turn the story from this (G.O.P. LAWMAKERS FAULT A TOP PICK TO LEAD THE C.I.A.) to this (Bush's Picks for C.I.A. and a Court Succeed). Imagine the kind of success they could enjoy elsewhere if they were as competent at spin as they were policy, deployment, international relations, emergency management, etc.

BANDS ARE BANKS

Investment banks have identifiable personalities, decided Mark Gilbert, a columnist for Bloomberg News. So do rock bands. So he matched the characteristics of the banks to those of the bands (Bloomberg.com).

Goldman Sachs is like the Rolling Stones: "Unrivaled profit-generating abilities arouse jealousy and admiration in equal measure."

Deutsche Bank is like Fleetwood Mac: "Immensely profitable? Check. Years of infighting and not communicating with one another? Check. Badly in need of a style makeover? Check."

And, "both Merrill Lynch & Company and Madonna peaked in the 1980's and have been irrelevant since the 1990's..."

--DAN MITCHELL (NYT) [to be continued...]

COUNTRY ALWAYS GOT THERE FIRST

Latest NPR podcast (RA): Country music politics, pegged to those Dixie Fried Chicks.