Friday is link-day at AC

James Fallows makes the point that politicians ought to be conversant in areas of government not because they need to show off, but because it shows that they are interested in the dynamics of the debate surrounding those topics and it suggests that they may be actively participating in said debate, which means that they are in some way engaged by the topic. Even if all they're doing is defending a static position, they are aware that there exists a debate on the topic, and they would need to see how the other side's arguments are evolving over time.