Dubya’s Desk Drawer

You know when you start a new job and you move into your new desk?  There’s always something left over from the previous owner:  some stray paper clips, maybe a key that never seems to fit anything.  Then if you dig around way in the back of the drawer you might find a nasty surprise; perhaps an exploded catchup pack mixed in with mangled gobs of chewing gum and packs of soy sauce.  It looks like a science project gone horribly wrong.

I wonder what Barack Obama will find in the top desk drawer of the presidential office when he moves in Tuesday afternoon.  Do you think President Bush left a special little note?  And what’s buried way in the back of the desk that past owners have forgotten? (Yeah, I know the cleaning crew went over the desk with a fine-toothed comb, but work with me here as I beat a metaphor to death.)

We Need a Hero

It was quite a rush.  Reporting on the “Miracle on the Hudson” yesterday on My9.  So many people ask me, “why do you always report the bad news…”

Well, yesterday it was our pleasure to report something positive: 155 people are safe and sound after  a four minute ride-from-hell, courtesy of a flock of Canada Geese.

The pilot, Captain Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III, is being hailed as a hero.  (He deserves the moniker and also deserves a presidential invite to Barack Obama’s inaugural, a front row seat, please.)  But there were also other heroes as well.

How about his co-pilot?  How about the flight attendants?  What about the New York Waterways captain(s) who darted straight for the plane as it splashed into the Hudson?  Then there were the countless first responders who jumped into action to save the terrified passengers floating in the river.

All in all, it was one of those good days on the anchor desk.  Plenty of heroes, high drama, and a happy ending.  It is a shame all our stories can’t be like this one.