Bowing Out

Regular readers of this blog will know that, several weeks ago, I announced that I'd accepted the position of managing editor of The American Enterprise magazine, a publication of the American Enterprise Institute. It's a grand opportunity for me, as I'll be working with superb people on an exciting magazine published by one of the best think tanks around. To say that I'm excited about it would be an understatement.

But it also means that, as of today, I'll no longer be blogging at Democracy Project. Mostly, it's a matter of time: I just can't pull off so many commitments simultaneously.

However: the blog goes on! You'll have noticed the recent contributions of Bruce Kesler, whose post yesterday was picked up by many other bloggers, including Captain Ed. We will add additional new voices in the weeks and months ahead, so please continue to visit regularly, as I honestly believe that the quality of this blog will improve with time. Brent Tantillo and Gordon Cucullu will continue to post, also, so there won't be a shortage of reading material.

When we launched in February of last year, we hoped that it would become a platform for information important to the strengthening of democracy at home and abroad. I hope that, in some small ways, we've accomplished that. While we've never tried to enter the upper echelons of the blogosphere -- frankly, we never had the time to post 'round the clock -- we have had some notable successes. From Condoleezza Rice cartoons to the FEC's efforts to limit Internet speech, on to the truth about Gitmo, Rathergate in cultural context, and the ongoing efforts to spread democracy to North Korea and the Middle East, we've covered a wide variety of topics.

All of that has been enjoyable and, I hope, useful. But, by far, the best thing about blogging is the opportunity to form friendships with other bloggers and readers from around the world. I've met a few of my new cyber friends, and in the weeks and months ahead, when I'm settled in Washington, I'll have the opportunity to meet many more. I have nothing new to say about the blogosphere's growing influence -- several of us have crowed about that time and again over the past many months. I'll add only that the warmth with which we've been received by so many other denizens of this new community has been extraordinary, and I hope we've reciprocated at least some of those many kindnesses in our own work.

Look for (or run from, if that's your preference) my work in future issues of The American Enterprise and other outlets, including newspapers, later this fall. Thank you for your loyalty and help over these past 18 months. Keep them cards and letters coming in.

And don't forget to return to Democracy Project often for new posts and new bloggers!