Sunday, January 11, 2009

A RATHER SMALL SAMPLE SET

David Broder in today's Washington Post:

When and if Roland Burris claims the Senate seat from Illinois formerly occupied by Barack Obama, it will represent the greatest climb-down by an incoming president since Sam Nunn turned Bill Clinton around on the issue of gays in the military at the start of Clinton's first term.

And there were how many incoming presidents between Clinton and Obama? One? Isn't this a bit, er, narrow? Isn't it a bit like saying that A Bigger Bang is the finest Rolling Stones studio album since Voodoo Lounge? And with a sample set that small, is a high ranking even meaningful? If you're the second-best British band ever with a left-handed bassist, are you really up there with the Beatles?

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