It's been a month since my last scrawl, mostly because I couldn't think of anything worthwhile to write about. Canadian politics is in the summer doldrums and maybe that's a good thing. The Toronto Blue Jays are also in the doldrums after a promising start to the year - it's now "wait 'til next year" time. The suffering of the loyal fandom is lamentable to behold, not quite the end of the world, but close.

In Washington, things are starting to slip for Obama. His vision of bipartisanship is beginning to look naive. Did anyone really think the Republicans would cooperate on health care or anything else? They are only thinking of defeating Democrats in the next congressional elections and they will use any means, fair or foul. The welfare of the country is the least of their concerns. The flap over the arrest of the renowned African-American scholar Henry Gates for attempting to force his way into his own home after locking himself out has not worked out to Obama's benefit. He first angrily denounced the arrest as stupid, but later backed down and apologized, invited the professor and the arresting officer to the White House for a beer. Obama should have stuck to his guns, in my opinion, there are some cops who should be taken down a peg, and some professors need to be less abusive when their dignity is challenged. And what sort of a precedent does that set? Will other petty squabbles between prominent personalities result in a White House invitation? This may not be the beginning of the end for the President, but he's going to have to be a bit more circumspect and less naive.