Free period

I'm sure you all have noticed (or maybe not), but the pace of blogging here slowed a bit over the past couple days. There's no real reason - just an unusually busy time at the place that pays the bills. And I'm tired.

Here, how about some links? Has anyone heard the news about Arlen Specter?

1. Nate Silver crunches the data to determine what kind of Democrat Specter might be. Short answer: a less-jowly Joe Lieberman.

2. Via Tomasky, Todd Gitlin at TPM Cafe explains why adding another Lieberman to the caucus should give the Dems pause.

3. He uses a teleprompter, he didn't show enough concern about the tea parties, he shook hands with Hugo Chavez, he pointed out that he won ... what a terrible first 100 days for our president. Or the New York Post is being silly and sensationalist.

4. If only black people and women didn't exist (or vote), then Republicans would rule forever and ever. Maybe black votes should only be counted as three-fifths of a white one? (That's not mine, I must admit. That joke has been making the rounds today, folks).

5. Our political media elites seem to focused on the silly while the very serious surrounds them.

6. Not a bad idea: ending the university as we know it. Increasing collaboration between schools is a really good, economically sound suggestion.

7. Damn shame what's happened to former NBA star Jayson Williams. In many ways, he was being groomed to be the next Barkley. h/t G.D.

8. The man who baptized my father, married my best friend and was pastor to Beyonce and me (for a little while) points out that the Bible doesn't say much about marriage as we know it in the 21st Century. But he's mostly just asking questions.

9. Has it really been 17 years since the L.A. riots? Remember when Dwayne Wayne and Whitley got caught up in all the chaos?

10. What was Rielle Hunter's come-on line to John Edwards? "You are so hot."

11. Our Baller-in-Chief. He shoots really well to be wearing a shirt and tie.

12. And speaking of blogs, Undercover Black Man is closing his shop. This is sad for obvious reasons but I must note that he was the first blogger to include me on his blogroll. You might call him my blogfather. So for that, and for all the inspiration to post wild-ass YouTube videos, I'm forever grateful to him. Vaya con dios.

Other links: Ave tackles a top 15 for Outkast (we almost always agree on No. 1 tunes); Bougie unearths a "gay ad" targeted at kids; Cami made some news by running into Kwame Kilpatrick during her trip back to Detroit; and my globe-trotting friend returns to the States after a year traipsing around southeast Asia.

I'll be doing better over the next couple days. Promise.