Wasting op-ed space

If you want an example of how thoroughly captured by PR apparatus the media is, see today's Boston Globe op-ed page. David D'Alessandro, late of John Hancock, bloviates for 700 words or more on presidential succession. Why did he get this valuable platform? My guess is that he has a flack helping him.

Yet, he has no qualifications for this gig (witness his oversimplification of the Constitution) and nothing much interesting to say about a topic that is only vaguely related to the issues of the day. His proposals also have zero chance of implementation - seriously, is this what we need to amend the Constitution about - and I'd bet his interest will wane now that he has seen his name in print.

In America, though, businessmen believe that their pecuniary success entitles them to lead elsewhere - and editors let them. Latin America may have colonels; we've got captains of industry - or in this case finance.

This sort of vanity op-ed is another reason the media can't find room for real dissenting voices.