General

Waiting on Iggy

Michael Ignatieff was supposed to drop by the OC today for a visit with the ed board. With great excitement we gathered in the boardroom, fresh coffee a-brewing, fresh copies of True Patriot Love at the ready. But the fourth-generation patriot failed to show — apparently he got in late from Washington and had more pressing items on his itinerary.

I have to say that my desire to add much to the inkage written about his new book is about as strong as his desire to come to the office for a visit. Coyne’s review seems pretty much right on. It’s not much of a book: The first chapter is cloying, the second is boring, the third is kinda cool, the fourth is disappointing, the fifth is a very poor excuse for a leadership manifesto. I’ve been warming to the man in recent months; this book signals a probable cooling trend.

I did like this passage, in a ot-bummed-me-out sort of way, where he chronicles a cross-country trip he and his wife took a few summers ago, following the footsteps of George Munro Grant:

In the days that followed, we crossed the Great Divide, drove through the Yellowhead Pass and began making our way through the narrow river  gorges where Grant had seen the sweat lodges of the river people. In the Fraser Canyon, we stopped for a cappuccino at a trading post where they sold bentwood boxes made by Aboriginal inmates at the local provincial prison.

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UPDATE: It occurs to me that end-of-week lassitude is no excuse. I’ll get a proper review of Ignatieff’s book up over the weekend.

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