Specifically with his observation that "Judging tenure battles from the outside is a dangerous business." (Particularly true, I would add, in the more esoteric disciplines, like, say, archaeology.) That's how the TNR editor-in-chief introduces his latest post.

Problem is, the next sentence starts with the word "But" ... and is followed by 600 words of amateur-hour analysis of the archaelogical work of an anthropologist of Palestinian descent, Nadia Abu El-Haj. Peretz is apparently so flustered by Columbia's decision to grant Dr. Abu El-Haj tenure--following a controversy and a "highly rigorous review" conducted by both in-house and independent scholars--that he ends by predicting that Columbia's board of trustees will fire President Lee Bollinger over the decision. But why? For hewing to long-established academic protocol? For not intervening in an unorthodox and probably unethical fashion in a departmental tenure review?

Well, beyond a vague reference to "intellectual mayhem," Peretz doesn't even try to back up his absurd prediction. More sterling argumentation from the EIC of one of the country's leading political magazines.

Yeah, I'm back finally. To those of you who didn't read this blog over the summer, and so don't know what I'm talking about, I forgive you. It's hard enough keeping track of the staff around here. Anyways, apparently David Horowitz passed through campus, but after Ahmadinejad, no one really cared at all. TPMtv's got the goods.

Apparently, some states have elections in odd-numbered years. Freaks. Anyways, about 60 of my fellow Columbia Democrats knew about this wierd practice, and are in Kentucky right now campaigning for Steve Beshear. You can follow their progress here and here.

Two non-Columbia stories: In the Friday dump, Senators Kennedy and Enzi announced they're putting off changes to the NCLB at least until early next year (and one would expect, 2008 being an election year, that it will likely be pushed off until after the election). Frankly, they've had years to write good legislation on this, so the deadline excuse doesn't fly. They can even start with the crib sheet Zach Marks and I wrote. We'll let them take credit for the ideas. 

In butt news: this happened. I think it's an inspired idea.