After the Dark Week
 
In the old, prehistoric, almost unimaginable pre-Internet days, a “dark week” was really a week off–no print magazine, no pressing deadlines, a chance to catch up. Even then, of course, other obligations and activities meant one never seemed to catch up as much as one had planned. Now, with weeklystandard.com operating 24/7, and especially in the midst of a presidential campaign where all is not (spoiler alert!) going smoothly, one catches up, or even catches one breath, even less.
 
Not to complain! All of us at TWS feel lucky to have the jobs we do. (If anyone wants to speak up to the contrary, go ahead…you’re fired!) And so as we reassemble for our weekly editorial meeting, we’ll get back to serious work–trading stories from our week off, swapping family and friends updates, discussing the NCAA tournament (has Fred Barnes recovered from the total collapse yesterday of his Virginia Cavaliers?), and debating the merits of the new Batman v. Superman movie. We’ll also be planning this week’s issue, sharing thoughts on the fate of the Republican party, and considering whether our generous travel budget permits John McCormack, when he goes to Wisconsin tomorrow to cover the crucial primary there, to upgrade to a Holiday Inn Express from his normal Red Roof Inn.
 
One of my colleagues (who will remain nameless, for obvious reasons) likes to exclaim, when we return from a dark week, that he’s relieved to be back in the office, because “family vacation” is so exhausting. Without endorsing such a familially incorrect opinion, I do look forward to our meeting today. I always learn something from my colleagues. Some of what I learn is even true….

 
How was my dark week, you ask? Actually, it was fun. I did catch up some. And then, on Friday, I had a speech in South Florida. When my return flight was cancelled and I was re-booked on a later one, my host drove me to Donald Trump’s country club, Mar-a-Lago, to look around. He took a photo of me at the entrance, which I posted on Twitter, letting Donald know that I’d enjoyed my visit, and that Mar-a-Lago seemed a pleasant (if a bit tacky) second-tier club. I haven’t looked yet to see if Donald has responded to my provocation–but I have instructed the receptionist at the office to let me know if someone turns up from his law firm with what look like legal papers.
 
In any case, the visit to South Florida included a breakfast and a lunch with various political and business types from the area, several of whom knew Donald. It was all off the record, but I can say what I learned generally reinforced my sense a) that he shouldn’t be underestimated, and b) that he shouldn’t be president.
 
After getting back from Florida late Friday, we had a busy weekend–a family engagement party Saturday in Philadelphia, and the wedding of the son of old friends here in the D.C. area Sunday (with ABC’s This Week in between–you can watch the roundtable here). Both were happy and cheerful occasions, and an excellent break from worrying about the future of the republic. Which I return to doing today…. 

***