Cyber Going Away Party

CYBER GOING-AWAY PARTY... As Kevin noted earlier this week, today is his last day blogging for us at the Washington Monthly. He'll be moving on to that media behemoth Mother Jones.

On these occasions, we typically throw a going away party for the departing staffer. That hasn't been possible in Kevin's case, since we're in DC and he's in OC. So instead we're having a kind of cyber going away party today, with posts from fellow Monthlyites reminiscing about our time working together and wishing Kevin well. If you're a reader, feel free to post a cyber goodbye in comments.

Let me start things off by first saying the obvious: I'm really going to miss Kevin. He's not only put our site on the map as a blogger, but behind the scenes he's been an integral player on the print side--suggesting story ideas, commenting on drafts, and helping me think through political and policy issues in long conversations over the phone. It was in those conversations especially that Kevin and I became good friends. Indeed, it has not always been easy for our wives to pry us off the phone.

Second, sad as I am about Kevin leaving, it's somewhat comforting for me to think of it as part of a great Monthly tradition. Our print writers typically come for two year stints and then move on up the journalistic food chain. Just in the last seven years we've seen Nick Thompson go to Wired, Josh Green to The Atlantic, Nick Confessore to the New York Times, Stephanie Mencimer to Mother Jones, Amy Sullivan to Time, and Ben Wallace-Wells to Rolling Stone.

Third, as any of these esteemed former staffers will tell you, no one ever truly leaves the Monthly. We rely pretty heavily on our former colleagues for story tips, book reviews, and general advice. So Kevin, be forwarned.

Finally, let me point out that it was my friend Josh Marshall who first suggested that Kevin might be a great blogger for us. As usual, Josh's judgement turned out to be excellent. And it was Kevin who suggested that Steve Benen would be the perfect blogger to replace him, with an assist from Hilzoy. I have every confindence that Kevin's judgement will turn out to be as excellent as Josh's.