David Leheny
@davidleheny.bsky.social
Political scientist at GSAPS, Waseda University. Formerly UW-Madison, Princeton, U.S. Department of State, Stop & Shop. Author of Empire of Hope; The Rules of Play; Think Global, Fear Local (all Cornell UP). Coeditor of Stanford Studies in Asian Security.
![Corrected headline from the Times: Guest Essay - Chuck Schumer is a Convenient Punching Bag. [There Was No Happy Outcome for the Shutdown] crossed out, replaced with "Time for Me, Josh Barro, to Tap In and Earn Lots of Punches in his Place"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:glo45gy3je4xjpklqnxiahxc/bafkreihoqztnfw3jeuvhk5rpst4zvhrkvqfbkkqou7qtiwzrmwjbyufhta@jpeg)
From the New York Times
Feel free to correct me, but wouldn't the bugle itself count as the outcome of technology? And couldn't the Times have found a photo of an actual bugle rather than a trumpet?
Feel free to correct me, but wouldn't the bugle itself count as the outcome of technology? And couldn't the Times have found a photo of an actual bugle rather than a trumpet?
November 11, 2025 at 11:24 AM
From the New York Times
Feel free to correct me, but wouldn't the bugle itself count as the outcome of technology? And couldn't the Times have found a photo of an actual bugle rather than a trumpet?
Feel free to correct me, but wouldn't the bugle itself count as the outcome of technology? And couldn't the Times have found a photo of an actual bugle rather than a trumpet?
From ESPN: The "career night" from 18-year-old Cooper Flagg who has now played in 11 NBA games
November 11, 2025 at 10:47 AM
From ESPN: The "career night" from 18-year-old Cooper Flagg who has now played in 11 NBA games
I remember thinking at the time that it wasn't all that good, but I now think it was more prescient than I realized
November 10, 2025 at 11:27 AM
I remember thinking at the time that it wasn't all that good, but I now think it was more prescient than I realized
Since everyone's preoccupied with the 8 Senate Democrats who sold out the nation's healthcare, this would probably be the best time to make my public admission that I don't really care for the Inside Out films.
November 10, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Since everyone's preoccupied with the 8 Senate Democrats who sold out the nation's healthcare, this would probably be the best time to make my public admission that I don't really care for the Inside Out films.
New York Times:
How their electoral success last week doomed the Democratic Party
How their electoral success last week doomed the Democratic Party
November 9, 2025 at 3:35 PM
New York Times:
How their electoral success last week doomed the Democratic Party
How their electoral success last week doomed the Democratic Party
After weeks of non-stop messaging, the robotexts from Winsome Earle-Sears to my cursed iPhone have gone quiet this a.m. Is my long subnational nightmare over?
November 5, 2025 at 1:12 PM
After weeks of non-stop messaging, the robotexts from Winsome Earle-Sears to my cursed iPhone have gone quiet this a.m. Is my long subnational nightmare over?
Trump’s Retribution Campaign Leaves D.C. Prosecutor’s Office in Crisis: A Pirro-Sized Sauvignon Blanc Shortage
November 2, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Trump’s Retribution Campaign Leaves D.C. Prosecutor’s Office in Crisis: A Pirro-Sized Sauvignon Blanc Shortage
It better be that you’re still texting me no matter how many times I block, delete, and report.
October 30, 2025 at 7:06 PM
It better be that you’re still texting me no matter how many times I block, delete, and report.
October 29, 2025 at 11:51 AM
In a brilliant move, Bigelow and her screenwriter Noah Oppenheimer hint that the nuclear strike was called in by Chicago Sky forward (and acting newbie!) Angel Reese as part of her contract negotiations.
October 28, 2025 at 5:42 PM
In a brilliant move, Bigelow and her screenwriter Noah Oppenheimer hint that the nuclear strike was called in by Chicago Sky forward (and acting newbie!) Angel Reese as part of her contract negotiations.
Whoah - first time it's been a joint Bret Stephens/Ezra Klein Opinion conversation. Some great points by both!!!
October 23, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Whoah - first time it's been a joint Bret Stephens/Ezra Klein Opinion conversation. Some great points by both!!!
From NYTimes article about Curtis Sliwa and the difficulty of holding together an organization made up largely of aspiring vigilantes, which seems kind of appropriate for our current political situation
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/22/n...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/22/n...
October 22, 2025 at 11:54 AM
From NYTimes article about Curtis Sliwa and the difficulty of holding together an organization made up largely of aspiring vigilantes, which seems kind of appropriate for our current political situation
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/22/n...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/22/n...
I know the box office hasn't been great but Dwayne Johnson's performance as Bruce Springsteen is magnificent: raw, powerful, emotional.
October 17, 2025 at 11:51 PM
I know the box office hasn't been great but Dwayne Johnson's performance as Bruce Springsteen is magnificent: raw, powerful, emotional.
I used Sora to generate a version of Lego Batman with Patrick Wilson in the Will Arnett role
October 15, 2025 at 5:12 AM
I used Sora to generate a version of Lego Batman with Patrick Wilson in the Will Arnett role
Generic spoiler alert: Because I'm an old man and like old-man entertainment, I mostly enjoyed Season 1 of Ballard, but holy cow were the last 10 minutes profoundly stupid.
October 13, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Generic spoiler alert: Because I'm an old man and like old-man entertainment, I mostly enjoyed Season 1 of Ballard, but holy cow were the last 10 minutes profoundly stupid.
One thing I love about Japan is that I get push notifications about things like Kitagawa Susumu winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. I know there are troubling nationalistic elements about it, but I like the fact that Nobel prizes in science are treated this seriously.
October 8, 2025 at 10:10 AM
One thing I love about Japan is that I get push notifications about things like Kitagawa Susumu winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. I know there are troubling nationalistic elements about it, but I like the fact that Nobel prizes in science are treated this seriously.
Some unambiguous judgments from reflecting on life in the US after being here for a couple of months.
1. America's non-alcoholic beer/drinks game is far ahead of Japan's.
1. America's non-alcoholic beer/drinks game is far ahead of Japan's.
October 7, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Some unambiguous judgments from reflecting on life in the US after being here for a couple of months.
1. America's non-alcoholic beer/drinks game is far ahead of Japan's.
1. America's non-alcoholic beer/drinks game is far ahead of Japan's.
I'm sorry to hear about this, but honestly, more to the point for ESPN, which is presumably a journalistic outfit expected to communicate effectively:
"an incident" is the place where Sanchez was stabbed?
www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/...
"an incident" is the place where Sanchez was stabbed?
www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/...
October 4, 2025 at 10:34 PM
I'm sorry to hear about this, but honestly, more to the point for ESPN, which is presumably a journalistic outfit expected to communicate effectively:
"an incident" is the place where Sanchez was stabbed?
www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/...
"an incident" is the place where Sanchez was stabbed?
www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/...
From the biography shelf at my local library: one book about an unfairly maligned woman, preposterously blamed for world-changing events that weren’t her fault, and the other is about Lisa Murkowski.
October 2, 2025 at 8:04 PM
From the biography shelf at my local library: one book about an unfairly maligned woman, preposterously blamed for world-changing events that weren’t her fault, and the other is about Lisa Murkowski.
She survived the hay ride but I lost her to the corn
October 2, 2025 at 5:48 PM
She survived the hay ride but I lost her to the corn
My daughter kneeling in front of the hay ride while I try to determine whether a good dad would make her sit down or not
October 2, 2025 at 5:38 PM
My daughter kneeling in front of the hay ride while I try to determine whether a good dad would make her sit down or not
But great make-up and costume work in depicting the Fenians
October 1, 2025 at 11:18 AM
But great make-up and costume work in depicting the Fenians