This is a very astute summation of the Bush years and of Bush the man. But, if Obama's justice department does not follow through by prosecuting those responsible for cirmes committed duing those years, all of this talk about high ideals will be meaningless.

One thing the rich guys know is that there is ALWAYS some one younger and prettier out there. Enjoy the ride while it last, girls.

If it is true that women are too often viewed as sex objects, it follows that men are seen just as often as money objects. Which is more exploitive? Which is more demeaning?

This reminds me of the time then Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld told Jon Stewart that from the air everything looked fine in Iraq. As far as I can tell, a complete lack of empathy for others who do't share their good fortune is a major part of being a Republican. I wonder if Noonan wrote Reagan's famous (and equally insensetive) line claiming that KETCHUP counted as a vegetable in public school lunches. It would follow the same kind of twisted reasoning.

Dear Anne, I deeply resent your perpetuation of the absolute lie that racism existed or exists only in The South. That, in itself, is a form of bigotry. Read your history. This entire country was built on slavery. I am a Southern-liberal and the morally superior smugness of people from other parts of the country is both misplaced and insulting. The racist undertones of the Republican campaign and its appeal in all parts of the counry demonstrated that racism is not just a Southern phenomenon. Otherwise, I share your delight in the election of Mr. Obama. The Cheney-Bush years were a disgrace from which we may never fully recover.

The test regarding Kaplan's piece would be: could the same article be written by a white man? The answer: yes, if it were going to appear in "Hustler" or "Jugs." The other question is: could this piece have been written about a prominent white woman by anyone? Sure, if it were going to appear in some equally sleezy underground Lesbian rag. In other words, HELL NO! Does anyone actually edit Broadsheet? Maybe someone should read these these submissions before they are published. Kaplan is obviously one of those pampered Gen-X-ers with no sense of history and even less sensetivity regarding cultures other than her own. In any case. her piece is one of the most RACIST pieces of suedo-journalism I have ever read. SALON should publish an apology to Mrs. Obama immediately.

Restless, confused, insecure, uncertain, scared, sad, feel like life is passing you by and (DEAR GOD!) already 24? You are a victim of advertising. You will not now or ever have the perfect (as seen on TV) life. Try to relax and enjoy what comes along. You could poison your precious youth by obsessing about trying to achieve something that does not exist.

Kate,

If you are not from the South or Black or both, please stop using the word Y'ALL!

The very problem with Palin as a politician and as a human being has never been that she is "stupid"(as in having some kind of organic problem that causes her to have a low IQ). The problem has been that she apparently has ZERO intellectual curiosity about the world she lives in. If she were actually a dummy, we could pat her on the head and feel sorry for her. The fact that she has CHOSEN to remain ignorant--much like George W. (don't confuse me with the facts) Bush--is the very thing that makes her pathetic and potentially dangerous. If there is any misogyny involved, it is self inflicted. She has set women back at least 50 years.

I'm not sure whether this piece was an apology (whatever of the point of that would be) or an appeal for pity. Sadly, most Generation X-ers I know are more conservative than my parents were. They bought in to the Bush regime with all of their hearts. It's pretty disturbing to hear someone in their 20's defend waterboarding, the Iraq War and anti-gay legislation. They may not be overtly racist, but they certainly have a strong sense of "Republican" entitlement and a disdain for the less fortunate who they see as irresponsible and unproductive. I realize this is a very subjective sampling, but the young people I know voted for Obama only after the McCain-Palin campaign became too absurd even for them. It was, in no way, an affirmation of new-found liberalism.

Isn't this the ultimate "feminist" fantasy--to live the utopian life of a man?

"Feminism" is based on a flawed precept: the fantasy that men's lives are, somehow, idyllic.

My whole point is that men and women will never be truly equal--as in exaclty the same. Do we even want that? You can't change centuries of social programming overnight and we are, after all, different sexes. Each gender will always have its strengths and weaknesses. I believe that women should have the same opportunities that men have (and vice/versa). For that very reason, the only way we can approach parity is to have our laws apply equally to both sexes. (Of course, ideally, we would have no draft at all.) But, if women can be firefighters police officers and volunteer soliders there is no reason to believe that they are not capable of serving in combat (as some already are). Still, I think they should know what it's like for the government to have complete control over their lives in times of war. Without this experience, they will never be full citizens. When I hear a major "feminist" leader address this issue, I will take the movement serioulsy again, but not until then.