Having been distracted with other matters today, I’m just learning that Andrew Sullivan is taking a long break from blogging:
After much hemming and hawing, I’ve decided to put the blog as you’ve known it on hiatus for a few months. The Dish will still exist, the site will be updated weekly with new feature articles, and I’ll still post when I feel like it. But it won’t have the regularity or content of the past four and a half years. Why? The simple answer is that I want to take a breather, to write a long-overdue book, to read some more, travel to Europe and the Middle East, and work on some longer projects. Much as I would like to do everything, I’ve been unable to give the blog my full attention and make any progress on a book (and I’m two years behind). It’s not so much the time as the mindset. The ability to keep on top of almost everything on a daily and hourly basis just isn’t compatible with the time and space to mull over some difficult issues in a leisurely and deliberate manner. Others might be able to do it. But I’ve tried and failed. Besides, this is my fifth year of daily blogging – I was doing this when Clinton was president and Osama bin Laden was largely unknown – and I’ve always thought it’s a good idea to quit something after around five years or so. Before it becomes a chore. Before you become numb.
A shame but perfectly understandable. One does hope that it’s been a while since his latest telethon, however.
I don’t read Sully as much as I once did, simply because he went from being one of only a handful of bloggers of which I was aware to one among hundreds. While I disagree with him a lot more these days than I used to, he’s still one of the best public intellectuals around. I’ll look forward to his occasional appearances on Chris Matthews’ Sunday show and his longer-form writing.
via Steven Taylor
Update (1510): John Cole has a rather delicious take on Sully’s announcement:
So he is quitting, except for when it tickles his fancy, and then he will blog, but check back for new material and a site re-design, and he is not really quitting and will be back in nine months.
I, for one, am going to miss him.
Heh.
