Bob Herbert speaking at UW.

As an alum, we're invited every year to attend the Kastenmeier Lecture. One of my favorite treats of law school -- they pick up some good speakers over the years. (Anthony Lewis, Lawrence Lessig.)

So Tony, Larry, and now Bob. (Just joking, to offset the minor formality of these events.)

Have I mentioned here, on the comedian front in recent years, I've seen George Carlin, Lily Tomlin ... even Jerry Seinfeld, before the show, when he was still doing college stand-up.

Not that Herbert's topic looks funny -- Afghanistan: What Are We Fighting For? -- (nor did Lewis or Lessig's in 2002 and 2003: Civil Liberties in a Time of Terror, and The Forgotten Balance of Robert Kastenmeier.)

Still, a stand-up lecture is a performance like a comedy routine. And humor, especially intelligent humor, can help things along.