UCLA gets into the spirit of political blogging

There's a new kid on the bloggers' block to help us navigate the final weeks of Campaign '08, and for those dismayed by the descent of the political debate into such matters as lipstick on pigs, the site should offer a welcome respite.

It's called the Sprint, and it comes courtesy of a handful of professors and graduate students at UCLA -- most of whom, though not all, specialize in political science and/or public policy.

The postings may not crop up with the frequency that marks many blogs. But, based on the initial items, the majority will be worth waiting for, adding much-needed substance to the dialogue and perspective that is based on actual research (imagine that!) rather then conjecture.

Not that the blog ignores -- or scoffs at -- the importance of the cosmetic to the political process. One of the postings that caught our eye, by Ryan Enos, begins this way:

How good looking is Sarah Palin? I can tell you ... exactly.

She is 0.75 on a scale of -1.2 to 1.06.

Read more here (how can you not?).

-- Don Frederick