Double Penetration

Now that I've got your attention.

What do Andrew Sullivan and Mickey Kaus have in common?

Other than that.

According to columnist Bruce Bartlett, they're both penetrating writers. Bartlett writes of Sully:

My favorite [blog] is one written by Andrew Sullivan (andrewsullivan.com), a British conservative with a Ph.D. from Harvard....[Para.] ....Mr. Sullivan started out on the left. He was at onetime editor of the New Republic magazine, an important voice of American liberalism for more than 100 years.

Because he understands the left so well, Mr. Sullivan is particularly penetrating in his analysis of it, especially when it comes out of academia or the New York Times. In fact, his criticism of the latter on his web site cost him a job writing for the New York Times Magazine on direct orders of its executive editor, the extremely liberal and partisan Howell Raines.

Fortunately, Mr. Sullivan survived the loss of income by getting voluntary contributions from his readers. A recent fund-raising drive netted him almost $100,000 in $20 increments � a remarkable achievement and testament to his popularity. (Emphasis added.)

And of Little Mick:

Another site I check almost daily is written by Mickey Kaus and appears at slate.com. He is another former liberal who has drifted rightward, although not as much as Mr. Sullivan. Mr. Kaus sees himself as more of a New Democrat who is trying to save liberalism from its own excesses. Nevertheless, his insights are often penetrating.

Bartlett also opines that blogs can be unreliable, "[b]ut that is true of any medium that deals in time-sensitive information, including newspapers." You don't know how right you are, Bruce.