Is that the Republican party is in a downward spiral and those who haven't fled the party (the number of registered Republicans are shrinking) are either in denial or are too busy making money off the decay. I'm not sure what denigration and belittlement have to do with Barry Goldwater's party that championed limited government, competence, a respect for constitutional traditions, and quite quaintly, common courtesy.

We get the Magic Negro 'Joke', but in order to think it funny, we have to buy into the world view where Obama has never achieved anything worthwhile, and if he has, it's only because of affirmative action, or some secret unspecified handlers. And the other side of the joke is that Democrats crave this dark prince Valium because they are clueless and weak and un-American. No Thank You.

When you say Obama isn't detail oriented and is one dimensional, I have to wonder if you are really listening. He can list what books he is reading (notable only due to the inability of other would be contenders to do same) and he can tell Steve Kroft (CBS) why the current mess we are in isn't as bad as the Great Depression (yet) as unemployment is only officially at 8% instead of 25%+ (1). And I have to wonder what you think of the management process. The job of any executive is not to wonk out on details, it's to understand the general terrain of problems and issues, set objectives, resolve priorities, and delegate, delegate, delegate to competent subordinates. So far (and it isn't) Obama strikes me as someone more hands on than Reagen or Bush 43, but not a micro manager like Carter.

Finally, I don't get the Hollywood obsession thing. My biggest complaint is a lack of dimensionality all around in current film, but heh, that just doesn't sell.

If you want to haul out Amistad (1997) and complain that the black people chained to the deck of the ship didn't get enough opportunity to explore the light and darkness inside their souls, fine. But what about Pulp Fiction (1994)? Jewels, played by Samuel L. Jackson, is the character that undergoes a substantial transformation. Or more recently what about Denzel Washington in Training Day (2001)? There was a noir performance. I think y'all need to give the its-not-our-fault-hollywood-started-it a rest.

(1)http://www.twilightearth.com/2008/11/barack-obama-cbs-60-minutes-interview-transcript-and-video-from-nov-16th-2008/

It's the shit that stains your mind. The Republican party is going necrotic from within due to an inability to eliminate waste products such as Rush. Which is a big problem for this country. Our entire government is based on competing forces.

As for Hollywood, what's your point? It seems to me that Hollywood only gives allegiance to narcissism and cash. The Hollywood of Alfalfa and Buckwheat have little else in common with that of Sarandon and Penn. So spare me the literary history of the magic Negro. Man up, as the Duke would say. Take your bullets from the front.

I doubt very much that Obama has a magic wand in his pocket,but it would be nice if he did. People are investing quite a bit emotionally in Obama, but that is only natural in a crisis.

The middle class is in deep shit, and it may indeed take a pile of pixie dust to set things right.

There are many like it,

but this one is mine.

Well,

That's change I can believe in!

would be the remedy I would suggest here. I don't begrudge Giada the Hollywood mogul Italian princess lifestyle that fate has given her, along with her quirky physique. Her cleavage is occasionally distracting, but her training and passion more than make up for it. I watch these shows to be educated about food, and she does an excellent job. Try making some of her recipes some time. The ones I and my girlfriend have tried came out great; they were neither expensive nor complicated.

I also miss Mario, he too had real passion, and it was easy to learn new things on his shows. Big Daddy is also very good, he is serious about his food. I'm more interested about taste than classism, though I would probably go for frito pie nine times out of ten over foie gras.

Julia Child remains peerless, though. Check her out on DVD.

These reality shows and contests are not very interesting to me. The food network can find me in the kitchen when their ratings plummet.

If I'm not mistaken, Israel and Egypt split about 3 billion USD a year as part of Camp David. Silverman (haven't seen him in a bit), said they were tired of fighting and decided to jointly shake down Carter and the US. He was always a cynical sort.

But it seems to have more or less worked out, although I sometimes feel if I'm sending all that money over there, I should have more of a right to critique how the money is being spent.