Several commentators marked the end of 2001 by noting the anemic state of political life, citing as evidence a Dec. 24 phone-in with the always unflappable Mr. Putin, and a recent Kremlin meeting he held with invited civic and human rights groups.
It was an unusual move, "as surprising as it is significant," wrote the political commentator Mark Halperin.
In another conversation, he told me that he was reading "America Alone," a book by the conservative commentator Mark Steyn, which argues that Europe is succumbing, demographically and culturally, to an onslaught by Islam, leaving America friendless in its confrontation with Islamic extremism.
Knockabout stuff from Matthew Norman, whose victims include Pele: "Genius that he was on the pitch, off it he struggles to make the cut as a half-wit"; and cricket commentator Mark Nicholas: "a cocky drawler [whose] self-besottedness shines blindingly from every glance to camera".
Lib Dem commentator Mark Pack says the coalition gets nine out of 10 for effort, but only four out of 10 for achievement.
However political commentator Mark Thompson said the pay rise was "not unreasonable," claiming that "MPs' need to be paid for doing a very difficult job".
"A star is born," screamed commentator Mark Nicholas as Pattinson bulldozed his way into international cricket with a three-wicket maiden against New Zealand on the way to winning the man of the match award on his Test debut in December.
My co-commentator Mark Bright and I could hardly believe what we were describing.
Co-commentator Mark Lawrenson and I went to Alicante in the hope of describing a story of Scotland upsetting the odds to reach the qualifying play-offs but we always knew that the more likely task would be assessing Spain's progress since their 2010 World Cup win.
Many of that city's corps of commentators last week marked the old President's birthday by likening him to the new one.
Three new more academic diplomas in science, languages and humanities are planned to start in 2011, which commentators said marked a government move to end A-levels and make diplomas the "qualification of choice".
