Passed By - A WaPo front-pager this week talks about how the District missed out on the boom years. Given the kind of leadership we had in the late 80s and early 90s, we're damn lucky not to have gone the way of Baltimore. We stayed alive, and our natural advantages ensure we'll always have a base, but the question is: can we "take our place with Seattle, Austin and San Francisco on the list of hot U.S. cities propelled by the talent and creativity of their population"? The Mayor is working on it, but if not, at least we've all got graduate degrees.