Dogs, Not Barking

Plenty of new readers, so I'll add the explanation that this is a continuing item about stories that haven't been in the news, and are therefore interesting.

But first, an update. The last dogs, not barking had an item about the surprising lack of Bush administration scandals uncovered so far this year. That was a couple weeks before this LA Times story about an investigation into possible corruption in the Bush Interior Department. Hey, I'm not predicting that the dogs will stay silent! The other two items that time (Palin's other shoe not dropping and Biden's test not occurring) are still safe, for now.

On to the new items:

1. There's a lot of buzz about 1994 and Democratic disaster. What hasn't happened so far are retirements. While a bunch of Republican Senators are retiring, so far the Democrats who are leaving the House are doing so in order to move up: Sestak in Pennsylvania, Hodes in New Hampshire, Abercrombie in Hawaii, Melancon in Louisiana. It's of course still early, but not too early for this to be worth noting.

2. There hasn't been a gas price spike this year.

3. And, running item, still no action on Fairness Doctrine. Hey, when Biden talked about the future agenda yesterday, you think maybe that's what he was talking about? If the Democrats survive the 2010 cycle, then they'll be repealing the Fairness Doctrine once a day and twice on Sundays all through 2011. Bonus dogs, not barking item: I don't think Biden's speech counts as a gaffe, which means he's really gone an awful long time without one.

Dogs, Not Barking

Item 1. I did a previous Dogs, Not Barking item on the lack of visible scandals in the Obama administration, but there's actually another interesting thing (not) happening: a lack of scandals turning up from the Bush administration. Given what we know about the former president's hands-off management style, and the lack of interest in actually carrying out policy in many of the domestic agencies, I wouldn't have been surprised at all if the new team had found all kinds of screwy things had been going on. I don't know whether the Bush people were actually very well-behaved, or if the Obama people are under orders not to dump on the previous administration, but either way I find it interesting.

Item 2. Remember that shoe that lots of people thought would drop in Alaska soon after Palin announced her resignation? Never existed, apparently. We still don't quite know what she's thinking, unless we're willing to believe everything that Levi says, but I think enough time has passed that we can say she wasn't leaving one step ahead of the sheriff. Or the mounties. Or whatever they have up there.

Item 3. Where's the Biden test? About the closest thing we've seen was the saber-rattling from North Korea a while ago. Is that it? Nothing from China or Russia or Cuba that would qualify, as far as I can tell. A lot of people thought Biden was making a Kinsley gaffe, but perhaps the VP was just talking through his hat again.

Item 4. Continuing item: still no Fairness Doctrine! The bastards! Maybe that's the indoctrination that Obama's going to give the little kids in his school address. I have to admit I'm a little disappointed that I haven't seen much on this topic over the last couple of weeks, but I certainly could have missed it; keeping up with the crazy is a bit more than I'm up for.