I live near a small market city, New Orleans. In New Orleans, when the NFL threatens to leave town without a new stadium, that is a real threat. The NFL could easily go to San Antonio, or LA, or other places, if its demands are not met.

But New York? You think the Yankees are leaving the Big Apple? Sheesh pal, how crazy are you? If the Yanks ever left NY, baseball would fall behind hockey in the TV ratings. It would be suicide.

If I were the mayor of New York, I'd tell George Steinbrenner he can have his new stadium any time he is ready to pay for it, plus a $100 million fee to the city. Otherwise, the Bronx Bombers can play in a cardboard box, for all I care.

Why put up with these people? There are a handful of cities major sports cannot do without, and New York is at the top of that list. Way at the top.

As someone who has lived in a city that has been bullied by professional sports, I'd just love to see a big city mayor bitch slap an owner the way small town owners do their fans in every other city.

Good point, very good point.

I don't think Obama can ever shake the elitist label. This is something people pick up in his manner. Mannerisms are very subjective -- what seems uppity to you may be aloof to me or shy to someone else. You can't change how people react to you.

I think Obama should simply put the elitist label on the table. He should admit that some people find his mannerisms elitist, but he doesn't mean it that way. That he understands how people could look at him that way, even though he is not like that. Obama should remind people that in public, on television, people often come across differently than in real life. Don't always trust the image on the big screen.

One of the most effective, and least used, ways to break down resistance is to freely admit to a fault. It is amazing how quickly mistrust will melt away.

Some may argue that McCain will then respond by saying, "See, he even says he is an elitist." But it won't work. You can't turn personal disclosure against a person. That just makes the person doing the turning look like a complete ass.

The U.S. stock market is melting down.

We are fighting a war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Two hurricanes have hit the Gulf Coast in the last month.

And Salon has been hijacked by a jihadist group OBSESSED with you-know-who.

I am so over you-know-who. I will not say or write her name. I will not speak about or discuss any issues related to her. I refuse to read any articles about her.

She will be, at best, vice president. Ms. Irrelevant. She was not McCain's first pick, and I'll bet he is more than a little jealous of her success. I'll bet the farm he doesn't let her do anything meaningful in his administration, except serve as Official Trophy Wife.

I'm over her. You should be too.

This is the most important news of the week. We argue so much about stupid political issues, and barely pay attention when our literary giants leave us.

I was a little dismayed a few weeks ago when Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn died and this was scarcely acknowledged by the media. But at least Solzhenitsyn was well past his greatest days as a writer. Wallace was in his prime, making this loss all the more sad.

We complain that the politics and news of the day is so sordid, and then ignore our greatest writers. Something tells me there is a connection.

A few days ago, Palin made an inane remark about the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailout that implied both companies are federally owned. (For the record, Fannie Maie and Freddie Mac were publicly chartered, but are/were completely private organizations.) For Palin to make that error suggested a serious knowledge gap, at least in the economy.

So I was not surprised that Palin flubbed so many questions here, though I was surprised she was so spectacularly bad at it. GW Bush is no brainiac either, but he seems to be able to surf questions like this. Palin can't even do that. Or maybe it's to her credit that she is not as effective a liar as W is.

Worst for the GOP is that Palin's failure points out something very important about Obama. Like Palin, Obama has a thin resume, and yet Obama is fluidly conversant in almost any subject. Goes to show you that there really is a difference between Obama's thin resume and Palin's.

After a beating like this, I doubt we'll see Palin give an interview again any time soon. Palin can't keep campaigning on that same old acceptance speech, but that's exactly what it appears she will have to do. McCain is in a serious quandary now. He can't risk trotting her out again, perhaps not ever. The debate with Biden now looks like Mt Everest. His best asset must now go into mothballs.

I'm starting to feel sorry for Pallin now. She is no dummy, she just has no national experience. Nothing a term or two in the Senate can't fix. But if McCain crashes and burns, she may not get a second shot at the White House. By selecting a candidate before she is ready, McCain may have not only ruined his own chances but also permanently damaged Palin's.