10 Reasons Why Charlie Savage is The Shit

Caught Charlie Savage's talk courtesy of the American Constitution Society at Cardozo tonight . (Charlie, if you're reading this, I was the girl in the back row who asked whether those signing statements were difficult to get through because they were dense, Gonzales-penned gibberish, or the rantings of a lunatic.)

Anyway, here are 10 Reasons Why Charlie Savage Rocks and you should check out his book and catch him if he comes to speak at a theater (or law school) near you:

1. Owns the presidential signing statement story the way Josh Marshall owns the U.S. Attorney scandal story.
2. Puts the signing statement story in historical context. If you've ever asked yourself, "How the hell did we get here?" Charlie can explain.
3. Bottom-lines complicated legal issues for the benefit of lawyers and non-lawyers alike.
4. Took one for The Team ("The Team" being you and I) by sifting through the private papers of Dick Cheney at the Gerald Ford Collection in Ann Arbor, Michigan and by thinking deeply about other world-class assholes such as Alberto Gonzales and John Yoo.
5. Knows how to deal with potential speechifying by audience members. (This is NY. Our audiences specialize in speechifying.)
6. Manages to singlehandedly redeem his alma maters, Harvard and Yale, which also awarded our idiot president degrees.
7. Will sign his book, Takeover, for you.
8. Has a soupçon of that utterly charming "Aw shucks" midwestern charm thing going on.
9. Will make you laugh just when you think you're about to cry.
10. Is easy on the eyes.