In the main, Obama relates to his Cabinet the way he relates to the rest of the world. "He's a total introvert," the former adviser told me. "He doesn't need people." So it hardly matters that Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, is widely seen as quietly capable; she was not front and center in Obama's public push for health-care reform, a topic that another former senior administration aide now calls the Lord Voldemort of policy questions, the issue that must not be named.

GAZUMP/GAZUMPED/GAZUMPING/GAZUMPS -  to cheat by raising the price originally agreed upon

We arrived at Tan Son Nhat Int'l Airport yesterday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. I noticed from the plane window as we were taxiing to the gate that the old bunkers from the war where the U.S. Air Force used to shelter its fighter jets are still visible. Today, they are mostly used as storage for the Vietnam People's Air Force. Given that rather retro first glance, I was half-expected to debark our plan by stairway and go through customs in a quonset hut, but instead we pulled up to a new and very elegant terminal that would undoubtedly be the envy of more than a few airports in the United States.

We went through customs quickly, and got to the New World Saigon Hotel a little after 3:00 p.m. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the nearby Ben Thanh Market and adjacent neighborhood, which is just down the block. The Vietnamese people are really friendly, and this part of the city is actually very beautiful -- save for all the overhead phone and power lines that seem to be strung up willy-nilly every which way and everywhere.

Right next to the hotel there is a gorgeous park that used to comprise the grounds of the former railroad station from the French Indochina colonial days, and I saw a lot of young couples strolling through it yesterday evening, so it appears to be a popular gathering place for young lovers.

Later today, after everyone arises and we have breakfast, we're going on a tour of the city.

One thing I did learn is that our hotel is actually less than two blocks from the site of the old Capital Kinh Do Theatre, the place where my father lost his life in a 1964 Viet Cong terror bombing. So this particular neighborhood was where the old American quarter was located. I may wander down there on my own later this afternoon, after we get back from the tour

I'm going to try and get some sleep. Talk to you all later.

How they can do it with a straight face anymore is a wonder...

"It's an important blow," Laila Rico, a spokeswoman for the DEA's Caribbean Division, told Reuters. "The Puerto Rico airport is sought-after by drug dealers because it's basically a mid-point between South American countries and the United States and offers an easy entry point."

On March 30 -- 2 days later -- Barrett announced his candidacy. His message at that point was that he would support collective bargaining, but he wanted to get to a compromise, bringing in all sides. "I'm going to try to heal the state. I'm going to try to restore the trust." This contrasted to what was being said by his rival for the Democratic Party nomination, Kathleen Falk -- who'd announced her candidacy back in January. Falk had captured the unions' endorsement by pledging to veto any budget that did not restore public unions' collective bargaining powers.

Now, I think the polling numbers showed all along that Scott Walker was going to win the recall election, so something else was at stake that drove Emanuel to Milwaukee to propel Tom Barrett into the race. The real interests had to do with the national Democratic Party and the fall elections.

SNIP

But Barrett got the Democrats' support in the primary, knocking out Kathleen Falk who would have wedded the Democratic Party's image in Wisconsin to the unions. And Barrett proceeded to avoid talking about collective bargaining, making his issue some vague blather about healing and trust. That is, he ended up with a generic non-message of the sort that has worked for Barack "Hope and Change" Obama.

So what did Rahm Emanuel say to Tom Barrett? Was he conveying the message that you are Obama's pick, and we need to do this for the sake of the party's future? And this includes losing, because we know from the polls that you are going to lose. And, after today, we are not going to help you. In fact, although you are Obama's pick, you are picked for the purpose of keeping this pro-union message off of the President. He will not appear by your side in Wisconsin. He might do fundraisers just over the border in Minneapolis, making a show of shunning you. We'll throw you a tweet of support -- in less than 140 characters -- on the eve of the election. This is all understood.