It is at the very least bizarre that anyone in the media business is surprised by the latest Imus outburst – he has if anything displayed an eager recidivism when it comes to being offensive, but it’s just plain weird that CBS Radio feels it needs to continue to “monitor the situation” before it decides whether to make its two week suspension permanent…. The issue for CBS Radio isn’t principle – it seems pretty clear now it has none – and it isn’t the difference between right and wrong – these distinctions don’t seem to concern it…. Again, not a surprise, but it’s rare that we have these moments when the mainstream media declares its priorities so clearly and so free of pretense. Last point – how is it that noted blogger Harry Shearer is the lone voice asking whether Imus’s suspension is even unpaid?

That’s right, we’re having another meetup – and not just because we’re shamelessly creating an event for Stephen Harper, Stephane Dion, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe to settle their differences over Guinness and eight ball. But more because we want to meet more political bloggers, and anyone else who, like us, is fascinated by the way the Web is transforming the way we discuss, organize and create political change. Details at the mesh blog and at the Upcoming site.

We’re starting to announce some the of the great people who are coming to mesh this year. Drop by the site and see who.

From the NYT today: “Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Sunday became the latest Republican to criticize Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales for the dismissals of eight United States attorneys, and he said Mr. Gonzales should consider stepping down. “This is the most mishandled, artificial, self-created mess that I can remember in the years, in […]

Interesting quote that will drive the Digg-ers crazy: “The last nail in the coffin came, of all places, from Apple. Thanks to OSX, Apple has come back from the dead in a way that is extremely rare in technology…. Nearly all the people we fund at Y Combinator use Apple laptops…. So not only does the desktop no longer matter, no one who cares about computers uses Microsoft’s anyway.”