Friday evening roundup and ramble

The Economist compiles a very creative map of global economies by comparison to U.S. states.

I'm not sure how to process some of this very gracious op-ed from Senator McCain. I'm not going to feel bad for Sarah Palin (although I agree it's time to give her a break). What's effective in his op-ed is exactly what was absent from her video: humility and outreach. The idea that "we all can do better, including me" (as opposed to, 'if you disagree with me or blame me, you're the one at fault'). Besides, it's kind of hard to feel bad for someone who so thoughtlessly helped deprive Medicare clients of coverage for end-of-life counseling. But I digress. This isn't about health care reform or any other policy issues where her contribution has been or has the potential to be disastrous; this is about holding her responsible only for those issues where her contribution has been or might be a disaster, rather than missing no opportunity to slam her for everything. It's not fair, it's counterproductive, and honestly, it's getting old.