American Defense Policy, 8th edition, first PNM appearance

Dateline: SOCCENTís 24/hr business center, Hyatt, Tampa FL, 10 June 2005

Today was short day of mowing lawn and catching up on banking. Plus reviewing and signing our construction contract with our builder so we can close on the lot and get the process rolling.

In mail today I received a complimentary copy of American Defense Policy (8th ed.), from Johns Hopkins. Edited by three academics, it contains a host of articles from across the academic and think tank worlds. Roughly 50 in number, the book includes pieces from (names I recognize): Reinhold Niebuhr, Michael Walzer, Minxin Pei, John Lewis Gaddis, Sam Tangredi, Kurt Campbell, Roger Barnett, the U.S. Commission on National Security in the 21st century, Stu Johnson, Andrew Krepenevich, Richard Kugler, Hans Binnendijk, Bob Art, Barry Posen, Eliot Cohen, Peter Feaver, Tony Cordesman, Clark Murdock, Steve Biddle, Karl Mueller, Bruce Hoffman and . . . me.

It was weird. When I opened the book I was completely in the dark as to whether or not I was in the compendium. So pretty exciting to scan the table of contents, feeling so in the dark and yet so anticipatory. Sure beats scanning for a mere footnote. No memory whatsoever of saying yes. Certainly got no money. Still, I guess you cite the prestige. I mean, it's probably the only article in the book that will get read less in that version than it did in its original publication.

My piece barely stretches over 4 pages, whereas plenty of the articles drag on for a whole lot more. But they took out my headers, Mark Warren's intro, the country-by-country run-down andóof courseóthe map itself (cheap academic bastards probably unwilling to pay; not that they won't charge students plenty on this textbook).

I am certain I'm the only Esquire article in the piece, probably the first one the mag has ever gotten in the series. The book will get used a lot in college classrooms, so the more students are exposed to PNM, I guess I get my payoff in book sales.

Plus, writing for Esquire is like having Leigh Bureau for my speaking agency: I'm unique in that context: grand strategy for the masses.

Heading down to Florida yet again today for Special Operations Command conference that brings together SOF seniors from all over the world (meaning a host of foreign SOF leaders). Should be an interesting crowd to briefólike SOCOM on steroids! Actually, I'm speaking tomorrow at a one-day follow-on symposium put on by SOCCENT, or the Special Operations Command of Central Command. If follows immediately the 4-day SOCOM "SOF Week" conference held here Tuesday through Friday (Tom Friedman spoke on Wed, Cheney this afternoon).

Plus, Hank Gaffney will be there, so I'm taking him a map. Dog Bailey ate a couple today when he snuck above the garage, so I'm down to my last one now that I let Vonne give her hairdresser one (signed), along with one of my remaining paperbacks.

Posting this from SOCCENTís biz center here at hotel to save on the Internet charge to my room. Just missed the tropical storm coming in today (bit rough landing in winds), and hopefully will easily steer around it tomorrow on return.

Here's the daily catch:

■ The Big Bang was never about making America saferóexcept in the long run

■ China and America: more alike economically than you think

■ Africa: forgiving debt is nice, administering the security system is better

■ The Washington Post's op-ed page: the good, the bad and the really boring

■ What's right with this picture?