One of the saddest extinctions (next to the ongoing slow death of newspapers, period) of the past generation was the passing of afternoon newspapers.

It still sort of floors me that that happened. PM papers were WAY more energetic, immediate and timely than their more staid AM counterparts, which have inexplicably lingered. Also, they were more plugged into their communities because the people who wrote and edited those papers actually got to go home in the evening like normal people, and go to social events and their kids’ PTA meetings, etc. AM paper people can’t do those things, not to the same extent.

But no use crying over spilt newspapers. Here’s today’s virtual afternoon newspaper:

US jobless rate holds steady — This is being interpreted as a sign of recovery. The Dow certainly seemed to think so today.

Dwight Drake drops out — Trailing Vincent Sheheen (but leading Jim Rex) in fundraising, the lobbyist quits the race for the Democratic nomination for governor the day after Sheheen shows surprising strength on Drake’s stomping grounds, the Legislature.

SC House cuts business taxes — Really? As tough as you’re finding it coming up with revenue for essential governmental functions? Normally, a sound idea, but now?

Gordon Brown Says Iraq War Was ‘Right Decision’ — You may not know about this inquiry into Britain’s involvement into the Iraq War, but it’s huge over across the pond. It struck me as interesting that the current PM would stick up for my man Tony to this extent.

Obama advisers set to recommend military tribunals for alleged 9/11 plotters — As I mentioned earlier, very promising indication of continuing national-security pragmatism on the part of this administration.

Pentagon Gunman Dies; Mystery of Assault Deepens — Talk about your Homeland Insecurity. Guy gets off subways, blasts away at the Pentagon itself.

See how much newsier, how much more immediate that feels, than a morning newspaper, in which the very newest news is generally 12 hours old?

PNN’s Happy Hour: Episode 2 from Wesley Donehue on Vimeo.

Here’s video from last night’s session with Wesley Donehue and Phil Bailey — and co-guest Wes Wolfe.

In case the imbed doesn’t work, here’s a link. By the way, the reason my mouth keeps twitching like ruminant chewing its cud is that my throat was going out on me and I had a peppermint in there for its soothing qualities…

I made them promise to have me back on the show when Lent is over, so that I, too, can have a beer. Or two.

This is encouraging news in The Washington Post:

Obama advisers set to recommend military tribunals for alleged 9/11 plotters

By Anne E. Kornblut and Peter Finn

Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, March 5, 2010 President Obama‘s advisers are nearing a recommendation that Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, be prosecuted in a military tribunal, administration officials said, a step that would reverse Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.’s plan to try him in civilian court in New York City.

The president’s advisers feel increasingly hemmed in by bipartisan opposition to a federal trial in New York and demands, mainly from Republicans, that Mohammed and his accused co-conspirators remain under military jurisdiction, officials said. While Obama has favored trying some terrorism suspects in civilian courts as a symbol of U.S. commitment to the rule of law, critics have said military tribunals are the appropriate venue for those accused of attacking the United States….

Lindsey Graham certainly thinks so, and in matters of this sort, I generally tend to agree with him:

Graham on Washington Post Report on Detainee Policy

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement on reports in today’s Washington Post that Obama Administration advisors are preparing to recommend to the President that Khalid Sheikh Mohammad (KSM), the self-proclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks on America, and other 9/11 conspirators be prosecuted by military commission.

Graham, who strongly favors military commission trials for the 9/11 conspirators, said:

“If true, this would be welcome news by most Americans.   The civilian trail of Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and the 9/11 conspirators in New York City would be a zoo.  In addition, a civilian trial would cost hundreds of millions and would take the war on terror in the wrong direction.

“If the mastermind of 9/11 is not an enemy combatant at war with the United States and worthy of a military commission trial who would be?  So if the Washington Post report turns out to be correct, I think it helps us in getting detainee policy back on track.

“I have always believed that closing Guantanamo Bay safely is in our national security interests.  This is a view shared by former President Bush, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, our military leaders and President Obama.  To accomplish this goal we must have a comprehensive strategy which assures the American people our nation will be safe and create a legal system that is national-security centric.

“There is a place for our civilian courts in the War on Terror.  However, we must recognize as a nation we are not dealing with common criminals, and the law of armed conflict is our central guide.”

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This continued trend on the part of the president’s national security team (and others who would be involved in such a decision) toward pragmatism is most reassuring.

You know, when you spend the whole day in meetings and don’t even have time to check Twitter, stuff can happen.

Such as Dwight Drake pulling out of the election for governor:

Today I am announcing that I am withdrawing from the campaign for South Carolina Governor.

I got into this race because I believed that South Carolina’s families deserved much more than they were getting from their Governor.  We are facing the toughest times in a generation, and we can only take that on with dedicated, experienced leadership that is focused on putting our people back to work and building a better future for our kids.  I have ambitious ideas for getting our state back on track, and I have the knowledge and experience to put those ideas into action.

But a statewide campaign for office is not just about these things.  It also requires resources – campaign dollars to run in a competitive primary and in a competitive general election.

I am deeply grateful for – and humbled by – the support I have received from my fellow South Carolinians in the seven months since I began my campaign.  As I have put pen to paper in recent days, it’s become clear to me that I am not going to be able to marshal the resources needed to run the competitive, substantive campaign that I set out to run.

I have spent most of my life working to make South Carolina a better place to live, work, and raise a family, and I have done that without ever holding elective office.  So, while I withdraw from this race for Governor, I will not withdraw from my commitment to our state.

I have been blessed and honored by my experience in this campaign – most especially by the good, hard-working people all over our state that I have met and talked with.  Now is the time when South Carolina needs its strongest leaders, both inside and outside of government, to do the hard work of rebuilding our economy and setting things right.  I intend to do just that.

Thank you,

So, what does it all mean, Mr. Natural? Well, I see that Vincent Sheheen — who had been pretty aggressive in defining Dwight as a big-time lobbyist who Was Part Of The Problem — was quick to court the Drake camp’s support, which is the smart thing to do apart from the fact that it’s also the civil thing:

SENATOR SHEHEEN’S STATEMENT ON DWIGHT DRAKE’S DEPARTURE FROM RACE

State Sen. Vincent Sheheen, Democratic candidate for governor, released the following statement in response to the news that Dwight Drake would be withdrawing from the gubernatorial primary:

Dwight has been a formidable opponent whose smarts, expertise, and vast knowledge of South Carolina government brought great perspective and ideas to the table in this race.  I respect his service to our country in Vietnam, his service to our state as an advisor to Governor Riley, and I look forward to working with him to tackle the many challenges facing South Carolina right now.

Every day new people across South Carolina are joining our effort to get our state moving in the right direction.  We’re laying the groundwork of a winning campaign, and as your next governor, I will make it my mission to help restore hope for all of the people of South Carolina by recruiting well-paying jobs, improving our schools, and working with you to make South Carolina a better place to live.

# # #

Gut check: At this point, I’m starting to see Vincent as the likely Democratic nominee. Jim Rex will have something to say about that, to the best of his ability, but at the moment Vincent seems to have the Mo. (Note that Dwight had raised more money than Jim, but, savvy guy that he is, apparently decided it wasn’t enough.) We’ll see though, won’t we?

Dwight will be missed because he seemed determined to have fun with this thing. But we’ll just have to have all the fun we can with the candidates that remain.