On Sunday night - before my sinuses joined the writer's strike - I fancied myself a Rockwell-ian protagonist. In my crappy efficiency apartment, I laid leisurely in an armchair, reading Yeats and watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I also made laborious use of the first-person singular and listened to a new Bavu Blakes song, which arrived in my inbox that night. ...

The Iraqi defense minister just said that the country will need US military help through at least 2018. That would make...oh...fifteen years of US involvement, total. Bush begs Saudi Arabia to produce more oil, help a brother out. Obama tries to stop the hatred between his campaign and Hillary's. Good luck, buddy. ...