Like a lot of Daily Show watchers, I tend to go out and look at the books that John touts. I generally check them at the library first though, because now and then it seems like a literary agent calls in a favor on the show. That’s how I felt about Thomas Friedman’s “The World is Flat.” I checked it out, started reading it and couldn’t get past the third chapter. It’s not just silly writing, it’s unsubstantiated by nearly any facts other than anecdote; which just doesn’t constitute an economic treatise in my opinion. It was really just a long editorial at that and one I was fairly determined to write a criticism of here. But, alas, now I know that will never happen because I have read this criticism of Thomas Freidman by Matt Taibbi and I could never ever write one as well he has. His commentary is deadly sharp, accurate, and almost excruciating to read. I almost, almost feel bad for Mr. Friedman. Not to mention, this criticism produced brilliant charts like the one below. How could you not want to read an article that has this chart in it?

Now how could you not want to read an article about this?

With all the hubbub about McCain and Obama being in a “dead heat” in the polls, I’m still wondering about the accuracy of these polls in the first place. Pollsters don’t call mobile phones, they call landlines. What demographic in this country do you suppose is less likely to have a landline and own only a mobile? And which demographic is really excited about Obama? Give the significant differences between the prediction markets (still almost ten points) and the polls, I seriously have to wonder if the pollsters are underestimating their tactics. I don’t think McCain is doing nearly as well as the media thinks he is.