Mayor Gavin Newsom had the gall -- the gall! -- to defend his Hawaiian sojourn , saying "I was gone Friday and Saturday...and one of the most remarkable things that’s happened in the last century is the ability to communicate with people in real time and engage in a dialogue and discussion and coordination and collaboration, without necessarily being physically in the same room." And you know what? Good for you, Mayor man.

No, really, this whole Gavin Goes to Hawaii mêlée...isn't. So what? He went to Hawaii after a big ol' election. What difference would have ideally occurred if he was physically present within the 7-by-7 mile confine of San Francisco last Friday and Saturday? Sure, even we freaked out about his absence, but looking back it was a knee-jerk reaction. Sort of in the way that you want your daddy after having a scary, scary nightmare, only to realize he's on a business trip--that's all it was.

And he's right: technology is available for him to be in two places at the same time. (Ah, the genius that is the telephone.) Whatever. Oil-spill devastation aside, no harm done on your part, Gav.