In 1991, five years into a statewide drought, Gov. Pete Wilson officially proclaimed it. Last week, two years into a statewide drought, Gov. Schwarzenegger officially proclaimed it. And none too soon.

U.S. District Judge Marilyn Huff has performed a public service with a ruling that should put a damper on the political posturing and petty pandering over Blackwater Worldwide before it winds up costing San Diego taxpayers millions of dollars in a legal judgment.

The largest hotel on the West Coast shouldn't also be the ugliest. Yet the initial design of the Ballpark Village Marriott, presented recently to the Centre City Development Corp., could easily vie for the title.

Last week's election results foretell much about San Diego's future. But conflicting clues point to one of two stark outcomes – a gathering pace of financial reform, or a reversion to the deceptively comfortable governing policies of the past, a course fraught with hidden hazards.

In times like these, the Democratic nominee for president would normally be viewed as a shoe-in. The incumbent Republican president has approval ratings that are near historic lows. We are fighting a wildly unpopular war. The economy is faltering. And the proportion of Americans who considered themselves Republican has fallen to 32 percent while the number who say they are Democrats has grown to 42 percent. The electoral calculus could not be better for the Democrats.

• A sign of real racial progress?

Some suggest that Barack Obama should pick Hillary Clinton as his running mate because she can help him do something he has trouble doing on his own: winning Latino votes. I think an Obama-Clinton ticket is a disastrous idea. Even if that combination made it easier for Democrats to win, it would make it impossible for them to govern.