I think it would be great if Al Gore or even Hillary Clinton were appointed to a high level post, but not Secretary of State. Gore has done great work around environmental issue and that is what he should do in Obama's administration, although Gore may feel he can do more good on the outside.

Secretary of State is a very important position which affects not only the US but the whole world. We need a break from the past, and that includes the Clinton administration, particularly with regards to the Israel/Palestine issue because what we've been doing so far, hasn't been working.

If you ask any Catholic about this, including many church leaders they will tell you this priest is a kook and had no authority to do it. The real point is what the church heirarchy does now. If indeed they believe it is not a sin to vote for Obama they need to say that loud and clear, and they need to use their powers to remove this priest from his pulpit.

Obama was elected by a lot of people who probably would have voted Republican if they had nominated a black candidate, not by liberals who agree with his policies. That's how Propostion 8 passed in California. It is now Obama's task to bring all his supporters back to the party of Roosevelt, Kennedy and Johnson (without the wars). So far I'm only seeing evidence of a Clinton restoration, but I'll stay hopeful.

Obama would be a fool not to go after Osama Bin Laden. Surely we could gain more valuable information if he was caught, but killing him and being able to prove it was indeed him would work. There is not a nation in the world that would say we don't have the right to do it. And I absolutely believe it will be a simple task because George W Bush did not want to capture him. Bush's power stemmed from fear, and no boogy man, no fear. How hard could it be to find a freakishly tall man who needs kidney dialasis?

How powerful OBL is, and whether this will destroy Al-Qaida is another issue.

What's next, is Obama going to hire Monica Lewinsky?

If I wanted a repeat of Clinton, I would have voted for Hillary.

Pardoning someone after they've been tried and convicted is an act of forgiveness, but issuing a pardon ahead of time is just thwarting justice.

I bet you anything Eureka Springs is a much more prosperous town with all the gay tourists. Ultimately all Americans care about is how much money is in their pocket, so I'm optimistic.

I don't mean to sound like a conservative but this person doesn't need sympathy and understanding. There's only one way to deal with this. LW needs to admit her (or his) misdeed to the lover, offer to make amends and resolve not to do it again. Perhaps looking inside to see why this happened will prevent such things in the future, but too often this is a way to deflect blame.

Indeed these movies push people beyond their comfort level, but my question is to what end?

I saw Boys in the Band as a gay teenager, still in the closet. I found it very disturbing, depressing in fact. It didn't make me feel good about the kind of person I was, and I don't think it kindled any positive feeling in a heterosexual audience, unless you count pity.

Likewise a few years later, The Exorcist disturbed me deeply. Actually made it hard to sleep for a few days. Well, horror movies are exciting, but not when they continue to haunt you for days.

I also saw Cruising, because I wanted to know what I was protesting. Honestly, it would have been just another crime drama but the social context it existed in had such a potential for spreading negative ideas about gay people, which many even today, are willing to believe.

I'm not endorsing censorship, but I do think if you're going to push people beyond their comfort zone you should do it so they will have a breakthrough, rather than a breakdown.

But I am willing to give BitB another look when it comes out.

I honestly think Obama has struck some kind of deal with Bush. In exchange for cooperating with Obama and basically letting him act like President two months before the inauguration Obama has agreed not to prosecute Bush for his crimes. Not the ideological thing to do, but from Obama's standpoint very pragmatic.

I also notice Obama met with McCain and then shortly thereafter gave a cabinet appointment to Janet Napolitano, the only person who could win McCain's senate seat away from him.

If we stop being silly about this, I see two needs here, and if we are mature people who can talk about sex and toilets without giggling we need to address them. First, airports need private rooms that rent by the hour, not only for the sexually lucky, but for passengers who need to take a nap or rest somewhere comfortable. Second, all bathroom stalls need to be the size of handicapped stalls. You will find that when it involves sitting of any kind, people will choose the larger space if they can, so why not make larger spaces and stop trying to squeeze us in like sardines.

No, this is not what will make him a great president, except in the eyes of environmentalists. Avoiding a catastrophe before it actually starts being one (unless you live on the polar ice cap) is not going to give you greatness.

If Obama can reverse the economic crisis, he will be considered great in the short term. If he can bring universal health care, and dramatically change the role of the US in international politics he will go down in history for more than just his skin color.