In And Around The Lake

One of the great drawbacks of writing about, or for, Washington without having actually worked here is that the unrealities don't compute. Offerings of otherwise unobjectionable common sense lack the subtle appreciation of what's required for their transmission into the system. This is a chronic problem, particularly, for non-Americans. Nevertheless, sometimes it is heuristically useful to play the game of "if I were in charge what would I do," and Simon Jenkins heroically steps up to that with more uncommon British wisdom. This is a terrific essay by a gifted writer, well worth reading and pondering.