Moving and shaking, swimming with the sharks, running with the devil; it's been a fun couple of days. I got to have a great dinner and conversation tuesday night with Jonas Luster, Phil Wolff and Rick Klau, the instigator of the whole thing. Talk was mainly of politics (Phil likes Kerry, Jonas Clark, Rick and I are Deanies), and the impact of socially aware design on technology and media; good talk; heady but respectful too.

The thing that struck me most about the politics part was how concialatory everything was. No barbs, just honest discussion. I sense a chance for Dean to start to pull away. I don't want to jinx anything, but people are starting to realize he's probably the guy, and they're thinking it might not be all that bad to get behind him and push. It might even be fun. We are, after all, on the same team, along with most of humanity.

And in answer to a question I got via email from Cian, asking, "What about John Edwards for president, Bitch." I have to say it just doesn't look like his year. He's obviously got something going for him, but I think he's too nice, too pretty, too slick and charming for these times. He doesn't seem well-suited to governing in an era of crisis and strife. I think that's why he hasn't gotten any lasting traction in the media or in many polls. Assuming the world doesn't go to hell in a handbasket, he could be the guy to go with in 2012. Maybe a Veep possibility in the interum?

Speaking of hell in a handbasket, tonight I saw the San Francisco of Uncovered: the whole truth about the Iraq war, an effective piece of documentary filmmaking. It sure made me mad all over again. Then I shot over to the starlight lounge and looked out at the city while the last bits of a Gavin Newsom fundraiser finished; SF mayoral politics: hard to figure. The traditional discourses of right and left simply do not apply here. The thing about looking out at the city from so high, you aren't so assaulted by the logos that dominate the view at street level. It's a beautiful and classy thing, the kind of thing you have to pay to have access to.

But apparently you don't have to pay too much. As we were checking out to go find food, the public was lining up to get in to the lounge at $3 a pop; not for the fundraiser, just regular wednesday night action. It was a pretty blue-collar looking crowd. and good for them for throwing back a cocktail, taking in the view, and standing on the ground of the beautiful people.