One of the few things more awkward-looking than a new blog's introductory post is a new blog without an introductory post. So I'll keep this brief: this is my new blog for the Guardian in the US. Hello! Pull up a chair!, etcetera. Not that chair, though, that's my chair.
If you are extremely old, you may remember that I last blogged regularly for the Guardian during the presidential campaign of 2008. Like Joe the Plumber, I have been struggling to find meaning in my life ever since, so it's exciting to be back. With the Republican party having finally fought itself into a fragile unity, and with only a few points separating Barack Obama and Mitt Romney in the polls, it feels like a good moment to dive back in. Shortly, everyone is going to stop talking about dogs and start talking about more important things instead. Or (more likely) not, in which case I hope this blog might provide a gathering-place for those who wish to laugh hollowly at such absurdities while the world goes to hell in a handcart.
Though I plan to focus on presidential politics more than anything else, it won't be a "campaign diary" per se; with a flagrant disregard for clear personal branding, I'll write about other topics too. (What this blog will be is focused on American news and culture. I live in Brooklyn, New York, beside "the only body of water in the world that is 90% guns".) I very much hope you'll bookmark this blog's main page, comment plentifully, and interact via Twitter, whatever that is.
All right, time to get on with it.
