If it is March then...

Joanie Vennochi must be theatrically backing down on Governor Deval Patrick.
She has done this at least three before, the week he cinched the nomination and then again on the eve of the big gay marriage vote in 2007 and then again with the gas tax about a month ago.
It works out to a back down about once a year on average with the same core criticism offered up every time a lack of leadership.
Given Joanie's lack of any core political beliefs of her own (other than a middle school queen bee-ish resentment of successful democrats) you have to wonder what defines leadership in her mind?
The truth of the matter is, the Governor of Massachusetts is battling a global recession with a very limited selection of weapons and a severe handicap namely a constitutional mandate to submit and maintain a balanced budget. Everything else is just eyewash especially all the columnista bushwah about "outrage".
Columnists love outrage, it's a nice stupid emotion they can wring tons of copy from...writers like Joanie who have resentments not beliefs, love it the way Nancy loved Sid.
This particular line (with respect to James Aloisi's mea cupla on the Blue Mass Group) is particularly instructive:
But understanding what it takes to placate the liberal blogging community is different from understanding what it takes to placate the general public - or understanding what it takes to anger them.
That is right Governor Patrick, FORGET the bloggertariat, instead PAY ATTENTION to MY ANGER here in the Globe!
This is also a none too subtle attempt to blame political mis-steps in the corner office on local bloggers (who I understand are in the poor graces of the editorial offices at the Herald and the Globe)...which is just sad in my opinion.
Sort of like a mastodon wail from out the tar pits.