trippin jan. 4

show and tell
former chairman of the joint chief of staff john shalikashvili reconsiders his former position against open gay soldiers in the military. shalikashvili explains the former president clinton was completely committed to reversing the traditional ban against gay soldiers. however, he faced overwhelming, intractable opposition from military leadership. while the compromise policy was panned by activists, shalikashvili maintains that "don't ask, don't tell" provided an effective transition from outdated tradition to progressive policy. he explains:

Last year I held a number of meetings with gay soldiers and marines, including some with combat experience in Iraq, and an openly gay senior sailor who was serving effectively as a member of a nuclear submarine crew. These conversations showed me just how much the military has changed, and that gays and lesbians can be accepted by their peers.

global flashpoints place significant stress on the comprehensive military. with perspective, shalikashvili explains: "we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job."

mideast rules
i think thomas friedman does the most consistent, straight forward reporting on the middle east. he explains the mistakes in his early outlook on iraq, and he suggests a series of lessons to frame us policy. the most salient lesson explains that mideast politicians will declare false promises in private english. friedman writes:

What people tell you in private in the Middle East is irrelevant. All that matters is what they will defend in public in their own language.

college football playoff
the florida gators recently leapfrogged the michigan wolverines to play ohio state in the college football national championship. the new york times interviewed 12 major commissioners that decide the structure of the college postseason. unfortunately, there remains strong reluctance to start a national playoff system. the article guesses that the most likely revision retains the bowl championship series and adds one final championship championship game.

it seems like they are building an unfloatable ship, and they need to build a whole new boat. while i am disappointed the bowl championship series eliminated the traditional rose bowl matchup, the current system is clearly limited. there remains too much controversy, too much debate, and too much flexibility. a systematic playoff would crown one undisputed champion through full and fair games.