If John McCain doesn't have the guts to do a 10-minute segment on "Letterman," the thought of having to face Obama, obviously, scares the Hell out of him. After all, he'll have to do more than use a lot of buzz words and remind everyone for the zillionth time that he was a POW. He will actually have to think on his feet and formulate ideas. In short, he is afraid that Barack will, as we say in the South, tear him a new one.

Maybe McCain can wear an ear piece like Bush did during his debates and have Cheney or Rove or a trained ape tell him what to say. *(The phrase is, in fact, "RIP him a new one."

Your coarse vocabulary reveals your double-digit IQ. Where do you come up with this sruff? Are the voices coming through your tinfoil hat again?

Asephe, I was waiting for you to dissect everyone else's letters and offer a carefully considered, balanced, passionless, noncontroversial response. But, rrreeeaaallly, "the depth of surface"? Much like your comments, that sounds profound, but, in fact, has no meaning. And, to Connie Boyd, since when is Susan Cheever's life screwed up anymore than anyone else's? Seems to me, that she's done pretty well for herself. Why are women of a certain age so threatened by the sexuality of juicy younger women? Let them enjoy their youth and their power. It will pass soon enough.

So, John McCain rushes back to Washington, after making a few stops along the way, to save us all and the whole bailout negotiation falls apart. He needs round-the-clock nursing.

Good to see you taking on those hard-hitting issues.

The Palin phenomenon is the logical outcome of the feminist insistence that a woman (any woman) is better than a man in every case. We reap what we sew, don't we?

You're right. We don't care. If we have a choice between a fresh, curvy, smooth-skinned, vivacious young lady, we'll take it every time over a "mature" rode hard and put up wet old broad. Frankly, I don't find many women (or men) of any age who are all that fascinating intellectually. Years don't automatically make one wiser or more insightful. And, given the fact that all women are about the same amount of trouble, why not go for the young ones?

Yes, there are lots of alcoholics in the world. What is your point? Should she be dismissed because she has a very coomon disease? That's pretty intolerant. By the way, among her works are a biography or Bill Wilson, one of the founders of AA, which was praised by none other than Kurt Vonnegut. So, apparently, she got some help at some point.

Sorry if I mistakenly included you in my last reply. Maybe I misread your letter.

Actually, no. I drive a 13-year-old Jeep. I was speaking theoretically.

First of all, they call me MISTER redshooz! Secondly, "your depth," as you call it, is a style-less, tidal wave of overblown academic language that really adds very little to the discussion. (But, you just can't resist the urge to show off, can you?) Thirdly, I didn't set any strict age limits on "young." I know some pretty juicy 35-year-olds. YOW! And, in what universe is everything NOT about SEX?

Yeah, I forgot to mention money. But, the only reason to have money is to get sex (especially the young stuff) or some substitute (sublimation). Don't blame me if your letters are so rambling and obtuse that they are hard to follow. What mystifies me, ultmately, is that you really have NO opinions. You agree with everyone. Its' called being a "people pleaser" and, in your case, it's pathalogical.

More puritanical feminist outrage. Give it a rest. In the same column that attacked Ms. Cheever for asserting that female youth and beauty was a form of power, you are "embarassed" when you see that very thing played out in the real world? Didn't Colonel Kadahfi (sp?) write a song for Condy Rice? Tell me that ain't power.

I agree with everything you say.

I was more than more than disappointed in the Obama-McCain debate. I was saddened. I was hoping that Barack would take McCain apart brick-by-brick. All he had to do was tie him to the lies, corruption and sheer criminality of the Bush adminstration. He could have rattled McCain from the start and he would have never recovered. At the same time, I understand that Obama has to be careful not be labeled as some sort of Black Panther. Somehow, he couldn't summon the same righteous, but controlled, anger that he shows on the campaign trail. Where was the fire? He was far too deferential and polite.