John McCain is hoping that after two decades of elections dominated by aristocrats -- the first election in 28 years without a Bush or a Clinton on either ticket -- America is ready for a shake-up, but the establishment doesn't think an outsider could ever handle it -- and shouldn't be given the chance to try.

CNN: Commentary: Palin is a VP for the rest of us

It wasn't a bad journalistic idea: the outsider taking on the professional, and showing that being a pro takes more skill than is often realised.

ECONOMIST: George Plimpton

But for years Mr. Starck couldn't shake off the feeling of being an outsider.

WSJ: At Philippe Starck's Table | Ma Cocotte

Always the outsider, Son didn't have much of a Silicon Valley Rolodex in 1995.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Asian Newsmaker 1999: Masayoshi Son--Page 1

But the choices won't appease those who wanted an outsider to vet Pfizer's track record.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Sure, there continued to be some mystifying close-mindedness one wonders if a certain ESPN NBA Insider will soon become an NBA outsider but Collins's announcement didn't provoke the type of meltdown it had long and ludicrously been predicted to provoke.

WSJ: Jason Collins's Slam Dunk

It's interesting to contemplate why he didn't seem to take advantage of that outsider status to forge a critical view of the subjects he painted.

WSJ: Johan Zoffany | Yale Center for British Art | On the Strenth of His Portraits | By Tom L. Freudenheim