Another Signpost

As if we need any more indications that war is imminent, ABC’s political blog “The Note” is temporarily suspending operations with the following explanation:

With the nation (and our network) preparing for the possibility of military action, we have decided to temporarily (and briefly) suspend publication of The Note.

This is NOT indefinite. It’s very short term. And as news dictates, and events warrant, war or no war, we will publish again, and soon.

There are three reasons for our pause:

First, we suspect that the amount of strictly political news – the kind of stuff that is the meat and starch of The Note – is likely to dramatically decrease in the coming days.

Candidate trips will be cancelled; public events will become private; and the president will remain focused on the serious business of war. Congress might continue to try to move a legislative agenda, and politics, as always, will continue, but it doesn’t feel to us like it will be as big.

In the Invisible Primary, this is a critical period. The first-quarter fundraising numbers; Congressman Gephardt’s strengthening position in both substance and perception; how the candidates are dealing with national security issues – there is a lot going on. But even so, we think it can and should all wait.

Second, as regular readers know, The Note is consumed with things such as Jack Oliver’s speaking schedule, the metaphysical importance of the middle initials of Mark Barabak and Kit Seelye, and other inside stuff that seems like it can wait a bit before we begin covering them regularly again.

A nation must always keep its sense of humor, but, for now, The Note’s humor might not be the right national tonic.

Third, coverage of the possible war is going to require the bulk of the assets of ABC News.

As word leaked out over the weekend that this Note suspension might happen, some of our well-meaning readers taunted us, claiming that this a confession that the Political Unit isn’t up to the journalistic equivalent of fighting a “two-front war.”

All we can say is – WE would be able to do it, but those 1,000 monkeys who do those Google searches for us all night have been diverted to making widgets and trading nylons for chocolate for the ABC News war effort, and, frankly, we’ve become more reliant on them than you could ever know.

They sound pretty sure, don’t they?