Commentary Update for July 22, 2002: EAA, John Nichols, Schmidt on Budget Repair

Dear Commentary Fans:

Well, Tuesday starts the EAA convention in Oshkosh, which means that Commentary will be just about the only critical media in town for at least the next 5 days. Some say that Commentary is the only critical media in town the other 51 weeks out of the year, but Jim and I will leave that to others to decide. Two years ago we did get a postcard during EAA week from a person with the initials P.R. from Woodland, Arizona who said, "Here for the air show, but your show is the best thing about this place!" Hey, who are we to disagree?

• EAA visitors who tune in to Commentary this week will be treated to an interview with Madison Capital Times columnist and associate editor John Nichols. Jim and I went to the Cap Times office in Madison to interview Nichols, and we had a blast. Here's an archive of some of John's columns:
• Nichols also writes regularly for the Nation magazine. This week he tells the story of Senator Hillary Clinton and our own Russ Feingold getting into a shouting match:
  http://www.thenation.com/thebeat/index.mhtml?bid=1&pid=83
• Back to EAA for a second: Today's Oshkosh Northwestern on the front page quoted the Chamber of Commerce director as saying “Any time you have a million people visit your community, people are going to buy stuff, spend the night, eat and buy gasoline.” A million people? Time to resuscitate the experimental attendance piece?
  

Our conservative friend Jeff Schmidt submitted a reaction to the Budget Repair Bill. He thinks the problem rests with our "Repre'spend'atives" and 'Spend'ators":

Additional budget reactions are welcome.

All the best,

-Tony