Will the real John McCain please stand up?

New York Times columnist Bob Herbert asks all the right questions about McCain today in a piece entitled "Getting to Know You." Check it out if you think the media is being soft on Obama.

On a happier note, I hope jazz fans out there have been listening to NPR's Jazz Profiles series, which is truly superb. The last two subjects were Tommy Flanagan and Harry "Sweets" Edison, and both programs were, well, very sweet indeed. Previous shows spotlighted John Coltrane, Jimmy Witherspoon, Count Basie, and some folks I had never heard of before like arranger Melba Liston.

The programs are brilliantly produced: Nancy Wilson provides the silky-voiced narration, and the shows are edited such that the music is nearly always there in the background--unlike so many music documentaries where the music stops abruptly when people start reminiscing about the profile subject. Admit it, don't you sometimes want them to shut up and just play the music, which often speaks for itself? With this wonderful NPR series, you don't have to make this choice.

Photo: flickr Creative Commons

McCain update: The ever-funny Jon Swift reports that McCain's people have taken to running down Obama supporters with their cars (latest case is that of Robert Novak.)