Recently Susan and I had a debate on whether humanity's lot on earth would be more improved if we could spontaneously 1) raise everyone's IQ an average of 50 points, or 2) extend normal human lifespan by an additional 75 years. I tended to believe that people wouldn't be quite so damn mean to each other if we only had the opportunity to accumulate some additional wisdom before we perish. Susan leaned toward the idea that smarter people would make better decisions vis a vis their fellow humans. What we discovered was that this difference of opinion actually underscores our beliefs about the goals of political life and good legislation. I think the purpose of government is to make society more humane, to counteract our biological tendency to compete with each other. She believes it's more about correcting for the flawed nature of individual decision-making.

Isn't it funny how making a single funny remark can make you feel so proud? 1) We went into my favorite pub recently and took the last two seats at the far end of the bar. I noticed that the barstool, one of those swivel-types with arms, had been re-uphostered using an old tapestry featuring John F. Kennedy. A couple next to us started discussing this with us, and we told them that we have almost the exact same tapestry thrown over our couch, only it has both JFK and Bobby flanking the White House. "I'm sitting on John's lap," I said as I settled in. "I feel like Marilyn!" Everyone laughed. I was proud.

2) It seems like all our friends managed to convince their parents to go to Mexico over Christmas. They all rented places in the same small seaside village. They invited us, but we couldn't go. Now we're feeling kind of left out because they all had a great time together and have all these funny stories. They were describing the site of a clutch of heavy German tourists baking on the Mexican beach. (Any beach you visit, no matter how geographically remote, will have a few Germans turning a terrifying shade of red.) "Ich bin ein beachcomber," I said, and everyone laughed. I was proud.

Only now do I consider the oddity that my finest two comedic moments in the last couple weeks both referenced John F. Kennedy.