A great pickup for the NYT, and makes a lot of sense for Silver, too. If you’re not familiar with FiveThirtyEight, it is the work of statistician Nate Silver doing his mathamagic on US Politics. He modeled the 2008 US election nearly perfectly. Do yourself a favor and read his introduction post.
Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg has given a second incredibly-well-written speech in support of the so-called “Ground-Zero Moqsue,” which manages to have some lovely pull-quotes such as:
But if we say that a mosque and community center should not be built near the perimeter of the World Trade Center site, we would compromise our commitment to fighting terror with freedom.
and:
This is a test of our commitment to American values. We must have the courage of our convictions. We must do what is right, not what is easy. And we must put our faith in the freedoms that have sustained our great country for more than 200 years.
It is incredibly rare that I agree with anything a modern politician has to say, but I agree with the hell out of this.
Phil Nelson