I have from time to time been accused of viewing the kind of person who works on campaigns for a living -- this kind of person is variously described as a "strategist," an "insider," an "consultant," or more generally an "activist" -- as a lower form of life. I deny this. I do not hold any such view, not really, or at any rate not literally.

I do recognize that proficiency in the mechanics of modern political campaigns requires a particular kind of talent and experience that may not always translate well to other lines of work. One such line of work is, unfortunately, the business of making government policy, for reasons too numerous to list here. Is blogging another?

It can be -- I would think this is obvious -- if one's goal is to preach only to the converted. This is what modern campaigns do; sometimes it is all they do. Why wouldn't a good campaign operative be good at campaign blogging? As to other kinds of blogging, the verdict is mixed.

Two examples: Republican consultant Rich Galen has a blog, Mullings, that works because he is a talented writer who often writes about what he knows best, and juices up his discussions of politics with literate digressions.

http://slate.msn.com/id/2124432/