Washington, D.C., is lousy with rats

Let us now pause in somber tribute to the 30th anniversary of a momentous -- and shockingly unremembered -- turning point in the long twilight struggle between communism and capitalism. An event every bit as important as the Nixon-Khrushchev Kitchen Debate, Ronald Reagan's "Tear Down this Wall" speech and Yakov Smirnoff's defection to the West. We write, of course, about the debut of "Dallas," the 13-year soap opera that shook the world.

Behind any successful politician lies a usable contradiction, and John McCain's is this: We love him (and occasionally hate him) for his stubborn individualism, yet his politics are best understood as a decade-long attack on the individual.

For those of us who have been writing critically about John McCain over the years, keeping tabs on the 2008 presidential campaign through the media is a bit like getting your war news via Saddam Hussein's old information minister: The street names may be right, but the big picture looks funny.

What most newspaper execs fail to realize is that they've got a gigantic built-in advantage in this new world. Leverage the things only newspapers can do -- quality, ubiquity, depth, physical beauty/interest -- set the product at 21st century prices (free), give each story a URL that lasts forever, embrace competition with the zeal of a convert ... and you'll run the table. But the mindset is the obstacle, and after having been on the inside even of a forward-looking section of a newspaper that's trying hard right now to change cultures, I'm pessimistic.