Posted 3:38 PM by Robert

What Was That?

The general infatuation with Agent Rowley and her memo seems to be lifting like the spell of a toy craze - Beanie Babies or the Cabbage Patch Dolls. That doesn't mean Agent Rowley is a bad person, or has nothing true or interesting to say - any more than Beanie Babies or the Cabbage Patch Dolls are without their particular charms.

In addition to previously listed Rowley-skeptics, Matt Yglesias parts from the Church of Rowley ("Iglesia de S. Rowley, Reina de Los Angeles de la Oficina de la Investigación Federal" to believers), Jeff Jarvis is also an apostate (Andrea Harris says these guys are "Liberal New Males" who need to get over themselves), and Richard Bennett has also rather utterly fallen from the fold.

The comments on all of these blogs are also interesting. The Rowley magic is gone or going fast, the way Roz Chast notes it went from the likes of cake mixes and TV – and I add Beanie Babies and Cabbage Patch Dolls.