All politics is local

For a crash course on Boston politics, I'm borrowing John Yates' copy of Tip O'Neill's autobiography, which I've not read until now. O'Neill, of course, grew up right here in Cambridge before serving 16 years in the Massachusetts House and another 34 in Congress (10 as Speaker). I read almost half on today's trip back here to Boston, and the book includes plenty of stories of longtime Texarkana-area Congressman Wright Patman. Fascinating read -- this guy could move mountains.