Buffaloed

It's easy to imagine the grin on Interior Secretary Watt's face as he hands out the new seal of his department with the buffalo facing right instead of left as in the past. The change is not coincidental when a jaunty conservative like Mr. Watt is involved.

What if he had been at the Mint when the buffalo nickel came along? That buffalo still faces left. Or should we interpret it as facing west, where the buffalo roam? Only then Mr. Watt's buffalo would logically be facing east, which tends to be a little left of the West. Enough! It's probably all a bit academic in days when people talk about not having two buffaloes -- er, nickels -- to rub together.