Pols and Celebs take up blogging

When I found out yesterday that Governor Phil Bredisen of Tennessee had started his own blog, I glanced at it for about two seconds before tapping out some mean stuff about how I hoped he found a good staffer to update it for him.

I published the post, stared at it for a few minutes, and then deleted it. After all, it was only a bit of knee jerk partisanship on my part and, in truth, I'm not sure Governor Bredisen is all that bad even if he is a Democrat.

(I know, I know. A blogger doesn't delete his own posts. Well, I do if I think I'm flat wrong.)

Besides, the custom in the blogosphere is to at least give a new blogger a warm welcome before vomiting on his posts.

Welcome, Governor!

I commend Governor B. for making himself vulnerable by hanging a blog out there where nobodies like me can take pot shots at it. At the same time, I do hope that what he publishes actually is a blog, where the writer is candid and communicative. I would be disappointed if it merely turns out to be a website that happens to be called a blog but is really nothing more than a series of press releases written in the first person singular.

For an example of a true blog written personally by a politician, check out State Representative Stacey Campfield's blog. You know he wrote it himself because no professional political adviser would let him hang the stuff out there that he does.

On the topic of warm welcomes to new bloggers, that custom was certainly not followed regarding Ariana Huffington, who also published a new blog yesterday. I saw it and, although I wasn't all that impressed (as if my blog was impressive?) I do think that Nikki Finke's remarkably nasty review published in L.A. Weekly was beyond the pale even for west coast gossip columnists writing about the rich and famous.

I don't care for Huffington. I think she's fickle and flaky. But when I saw the unfair attack Finke made on her, I became sympathetic.

And I don't usually do sympathy where liberals are concerned.