Weigel

Missing Adrian Fenty

One of the big themes of the Washington Ideas Forum has been a pretty predictable angst about the defeat of Adrian Fenty; and by extension, the probable departure of Michelle Rhee as schools chancellor. Michael Bloomberg said that “children lost” when Fenty did, even though Fenty himself would be fine. (Bloomberg was spotted eating lunch with Fenty earlier.) Secretary of Education Arne Duncan,

dwelling on the loss

, was hopeful that the “pace of reform would accelerate” in Washington without Rhee, that the momentum was unstoppable. But it was palpable, the degree to which Fenty’s loss shell-shocked the Washington and intellectual elite.