SEE THIS VIDEO

before everyone else on the planet has. It's called "Boybama," and, Boy, does it make you think about Obama in a new way.

[Full disclosure: the leader of the band, in the blonde wig, is my nephew, the incomparable Nate Houghteling.]

Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1dudz3SKjQ

Politics and the English Language

By Chris Daly

In his latest op-ed column (10/13), William Kristol lamented the state of the McCain campaign and recommended firing everyone and starting over. In his column, he made the following assertion: "The media is hostile." That statement is regrettable because it gets in the way of clear thinking about the issue. 

Surely, Mr. Kristol knows that, as a grammatical matter, the media are plural -- that is, "media" is a noun referring to more than one medium.

Still, it would not be correct to say, "The media are hostile." 

As a political matter, the fact is that the various media have diverse outlooks. Some are liberal; some are centrist; some are conservative. Mr. Kristol, who has made his living for many years in the employ of frankly conservative media, should certainly know this. 

p.s. The title of this post is borrowed from George Orwell; it was the title of his timeless 1946 essay by that name, which is worth re-reading in every election year.