Whenever Jon Steward announces a segment from comedian Lewis Black on The Daily Show, he says, “When a news story falls through the cracks, our own Lewis Black catches it.” That would be my introduction to Eric Umansky’s weblog. Umansky has written Today’s Papers for Slate intermittently over the years, and does a fine job at it, but at his weblog, he picks up the obscure and telling stories that really illuminate what’s going on in the world.

For example, last week he turned up this tidbit about John Bolton that deflates any argument that Bolton’s lack of respect for the United Nations somehow positions him to be an effective reformer. Bolton’s biggest problem with the United Nations is his belief that the United States should not accept any limits on its sovereignty. Given that he believes that, there is no place for the United Nations or any other international organization where membership involves trading in some of a country’s sovereignty in exchange for influence in the affairs of other countries.

Anyway, without Umansky’s sleuthing, I wouldn’t have known that.