In discussing intelligence analysts I often said that no professional analyst would ever make a flat, unequivocal negative statement, because you can’t prove negatives. My example was usually: “an intelligence analyst would never claim there were no unicorns.”

Now there is a case in point from Billings, Montana on March 14: Man Tells Cops Unicorn Caused Crash

A man told police not to blame him for crashing his truck into a light post – it was that unicorn behind the wheel. Prosecutor Ingrid Rosenquist said Phillip C. Holliday Jr. initially denied driving the truck involved in the March 7 crash in Billings. He told officers at the scene that a unicorn was driving, she said.

See, the analyst who claimed there are no unicorns would have to explain his position, and be asked, probably by Dana Rohrabacher, if he/she had checked Billings before making that statement.

Update: Elayne Riggs at Comicmix has a follow-up – it was the prosecutor, not the drunk, who brought up unicorns.

I have no power to enforce it, but I think a new rule is necessary in the world of American politics:

The phrases, “mistakes were made” and “I take responsibility”, should only be used in letters of resignation or suicide notes.

From BBC corespondent, Matt Frei – Washington diary: Republican panic

Not surprisingly, a joke is making the Beltway rounds: “A lonesome Republican voter is accosted by a gunman in the dead of night. The gunman points his weapon at the hapless voter and asks: ‘Who will you vote for? Romney? McCain? Or Giuliani?’

The Republican thinks deeply, then shrugs and says: ‘OK. Go ahead and shoot me!'”

3/14 is Albert’s birthday and

Π Day.

I assume you have all shopped for the perfect gift.

Some people don’t understand: it’s not just a number, it’s a mission.

To get you started: Π ≈ 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028
841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679…..

The Iditarod official site reports that Lance Mackey arrived in Nome at 20:08:41 AKDT.

Mackey won the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race three years running and has now won the 1,100 mile Iditarod from Anchorage to Nome in 9 days, 9 5 hours, 8 minutes, and 41 seconds. His father and brother are former Iditarod winners, all of them wearing bib number 13.

The Anchorage Daily News just updated to announce the win, and they have a background piece. ADN is reporting a time of 9 days, 5 hours, 8 minutes, and 41 seconds.

Update: they both agree on 5 hours this morning.