"Meanwhile, the bad shows are bad because they're hopelessly obvious."

So tell me, how could you write that and then write a positive review about the godawful "Saving Grace"??? That piece of obvious dreck proves that one has to get a prefrontal lobotomy in order to become a born-again fundamentalist. I will give it credit for giving an entirely new definition to "preachy" that rhymes with "screechy." Another bit of proof of why "Christian art" - going back to the one-dimensional children's scrawls you find in 5th Century icons - celebrates moron stupidity and calls it holy.

And "State of Mind" proves conclusively why the people in the room in need of the most help are ALWAYS the ones in "the helping professions." I can't believe Lili Taylor would have mistaken that script for not being the roll of toilet paper substitute it is.

And to further cement my disagreement with you (which I find surprising since we're both on the same page regarding "Mad Men" and that godawful I-won't-dignifiy-it-with-a-name piece of horrible stupidity from the guy whose name I won't say who gave us the marvelous "Deadwood"), you are entirely wrong about "Damages" and partly wrong about "Kill Point."

Perhaps you have seen more episodes of "Damages" than I have, but making the Bad Guy the "good guy" is a pretty admirable take on the way the shills in Republican World have conned the sheeple into thinking guys like Ken Lay are human beings. And symbolically, it takes Democrats growing a set of balls at least as big as Patty Hewes' to overcome these fascists. Good message to me.

"Kill Point" doesn't pretend to be more than it is, which (as someone who "writes this stuff") I find to be honorable - particularly when compared to overblown garbage like "John From Cincinatti," "State of Mind" and "Saving Grace" - and I think over the next six hours (again, you may have seen more episodes than I have, so I am taking a shot in the dark here) we will see that the writers have indeed done some research on hostage situations, since psychologically they are "on point" so far in most of it. And yes, as a Vietnam vet who had to live down the "crazy vet" image 40 years ago, I really do dislike the cheapout they did with Leguizamo's character. Further proof that you can number the people in contemporary Hollywierd who have worn the uniform on one hand without using all your fingers.

Overall, I like shows like "Damages" for the subtext I outlined above, and for the fact that it - and the other good shows like "Mad Men" - are opening up the spaces for writers who don't want to do the usual crap, and for someone who never did "the usual crap" in the stuff I write because I want to rather than I'm being paid to, that is a Very Good Thing. At least these shows don't rot your brain - unlike "Saving Grace" and "State of Mind" and "John From Cincinatti."

What a pass we have come to, when Newt Gingrich of all people would end up being The Voice Of Reason.

And how unsurprising that the little Bitch of Belsen wannabee would convince herself that his tone "lacked conviction." We really do live in a different reality from those people, and it is true that there are two species of hairless biped on the planet: homo sapiens (us) and (them).

It is nice to see that some things never change. 40 years ago, the parents of these halfwits - then members of Young Americans for Freedom, but the same organization - were halfwitted idiots too. Proof that Evolution does work.

There really are two forms of hairless biped on the planet: homo sapiens us, and homo sap, them.

Why does anyone give Colin Powell the slightest consideration?

Let's remember that it was Major Colin Powell who wrote the first official report of the My Lai Massacre,which was a total whitewash. The man has been the house slave who served Ol' Massa well throughout his career,excusing war crimes and their perpetrators. Let this worthless piece of dog excrement die in the ignominy he deserves.

Colin Powel: most overrated moron in the past 50 years.

Unfortunately, Salon doesn't have enough extra bandwidth for me to critique this column in the detail it probably doesn't deserve, so I'll just say whoooooaaaaaaa!!! You are sooooooo wronnnnng!

Go have fun watching the crap that lowers your IQ. You're only point here was that Big Love is crap (I figured that out the first five minutes I never watched).

Bush will simply declare that Betrayus and Crockof can't testify in public since they have advised the President and are therefore covered by executive privilege.

Perhaps the fact that they're permanent pre-pubescent 13 year olds has something to do with it? That and the fact they lack frontal lobes and opposable thumbs and prove by their existence that there are indeed two species of hairless biped on the planet - homo sapiens (us), and homo sap (them).