Whether you're a surfer in the blogosphere, a TNR junkie, or a fan of one of the many intellectuals who make up our illustrious contributor list--welcome! We hope you'll bookmark us and come back to visit as we get up and running.

To the best of our knowledge, this blog is unlike any other out there. It's dedicated to thinking about not just the news of the day but also the news from the academy: Controversies in campus politics that warrant thoughtful discussion. Scholarship from our various disciplines that we think deserves a broader hearing. Ideas we had in doing our research that seem eerily relevant to something we read in The New York Times today. Our bloggers range widely over the political spectrum. They include both novices and old hands (as well as chastened dabblers like me).

Please let us know what you like, what you don't, and what you think we should do differently. And by all means, sit down and write back (in keeping with prevailing rules of courtesy and civility, of course).

[Contributors include: Eric Rauchway, Ted Widmer, Darrin M. McMahon, Michael Kazin, Abigail Thernstrom.]