AP's Ron Fournier and former boss battle it out

Acting AP Washington bureau chief Ron Fournier is a friend, and I know he is widely respected by people on BOTH sides of the aisle. But he's certainly not finding it easy in his new mantle. His former boss, Sandy Johnson, goes on the attack.

“The only thing he ever managed is a startup that he ran into the ground,” cracked Johnson when asked how her former protégé would handle overseeing the Washington bureau.

That's disappointing and a bit of a cheap shot. Sandy Johnson is within her rights to question Ron's management experience is limited, but she could have been more gracious. And since as far as I know she's never managed a startup company, maybe she could set aside the personal attacks.

The bigger question, actually, is whether what Ron wants to do is really what AP's consumers will buy. And because it's the AP, the membership newspapers are the consumers as much or more important than the average reader out here in the Internets.

Check it out and decide for yourself.


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"Are You Guys Nuts?"

My old friend Ron Fournier writes a brilliant piece on the Iowa waitress who did or did not get a tip after Senator Clinton visited. Scores of inquiries about the alleged snub probably only proved what this woman thought all along:

"I don't get it," Esterday said. "There's a war going on and the price of oil is going crazy. Look at all the toys being recalled right now. Just look at the news! Isn't there something else you can be writing about?"

I am no fan of Senator Clinton, but it's impossible not to relate to this woman's lament. There is so much meaningless about political coverage -- stories written essentially for insiders, by insiders, read by insiders. It's interesting if you love it, and meaningless if you don't.

And if you want to get a better sense of Ron's passion for learning how real Americans are connected -- or not -- with their elected leaders, check out his book, "Applebee's America."