Misha Lerner the 10-year-old Bethesda Boy who took Condi Rice to task regarding torture

...you ask tough questions.

for 99% of the MSM. Maybe the kid could host a guest spot on Press the Meat - he could hardly do worse than Gregory and would probably handle the tough questions better than most of the usual suspects.

...and the only thing that depresses me about newspapers going under is that cable will be even more powerful...the newspapers are to blame for the sorry state of affairs we're in, so it's not like we're losing some beacons of journalism...just something that's marginally better than the cable networks in reporting.

I think you mean the underlying capital investment and trading system that runs our country is to blame. The newspaper reporters are the source of most of our information, and if those reporters were allowed some real free reins they might even be able to do the work that we'd like to see them doing.
But when TIme Warner, or what have you, buys up half the papers in 3/4 of the newsmarkets, then decides that it ought to get a 7% return annually on it's investment, or whatever numbers they come up with... and as a result they begin closing newspapers, even ones that make money but which don't make enough money... and then they consolidate positions, have one reporter covering business for 6 different papers... and so the spiral begins.

Cable's no worse, per se... it's just more pre-digested. The cable talking heads are generally getting their information from those same newspaper reporters that the newspapers are getting the information from. They're all just part of the same organization, often times. Synergy and economies of scale and what have you.
The only thing that might inhibit the grinding march toward aggregation of all news into one "cost-efficient" source would be regulation prohibiting consolidation of news/media outlets in any given media market, and measures to subsidize the creation of some new outlets in markets that've already been consolidated to a number of outlets below the minimum required in the regulations. Until we're willing to do that, well, embrace the synergy.

Needless to say, W, and Colin Powell's son, who was head of the FCC at the time, rolled back regulations of this sort... so that Rupert Murdok and his ilk could further consolidate their control of the media markets that they felt were worth the investment of further monopolizing...

His parents did well.

Union...

Or Russia; don't know when.

so that may or may not have anything to do with it.

He has solid several career paths ahead of him. Good for him and his parents.

He seems wiser than the adults and mature.

We're lucky to have this young person paying attention, asking intelligent questions. We're even more lucky right now to have a president willing to take pretty much any question. The contrasts to the previous administration sharpen every day, and Misha just contributed to them. Good job!

Misha seems to be better informed than most 14 year olds. Hell, better than some adults.

of course we do!

"Look Manny, I'm telling you: No. More. Fourth. Graders." Manny held the receiver a couple of inches away from his ear. He just knew his client was using that "head shake/head nod" thing she always used to reinforce her point. And right now, Manny could see her head shaking like a set of maracas in a Ricky Ricardo performance. Ricky Ricardo? thought Manny, now there was some talent. Not like the re-treads he was representing nowadays.

He turned his attention back to the phone. Dr. Rice wasn't done, and she had a nasty habit of asking him to repeat back what she had just said to check to see if he was listening. It was degrading, but 10% of her overpriced speaking fees meant you put up with a lot. "They're just too savvy. That Misha kid was like Mike Wallace used to be. Only on steroids!" Damn, she was still on about the fourth graders. I guess her schoolmarm manner doesn't fly with kids today after they've reached a certain age.

"Look, Condi baby," interrupted Manny, knowing it wasn't appreciated. "No more fourth graders, I got it. Hey, there's a private school in Trenton I know of. The second grade teacher went to college with my niece." Manny's client made some non-committal noise, and Manny moved in for the kill. "My niece, who majored in remedial education?" Manny could sense a thaw, even over the phone. "I'm tellin' ya, these kids are strictly from the short bus. Wear mittens and helmets so they don't hurt themselves. Whaddya say? No hard questions. Guaranteed."

Manny knew the booking was all but set. The private school would pay through the nose to get Dr. Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State. As his client cooed into his ear about the possibility, Manny rubbed his forehead. The business was getting too cutthroat. Maybe it really was time to pack it in.