I spent a decade in newsrooms and have watched far too many White House press briefings — most of them are boring, or too overt, or both. At times they have pushed for war, or to help forestall a crisis, or to provide some sense of normalcy. Obviously, the last four years have seen none of that, with the press secretary acting as an extension of the mendacity of the president, and the briefings, when the occurred at all, something to be ignored as more active disinformation.

Watching this very straightforward, professional, and yes, boring briefing was such a relief.