Hey guys, I'm really sorry I can't reprise/copy all my *brilliance* from prior posts on Joal Walsh's debate column. It is way past my bed time, and I am a little drunk tonight (and thus computer un-savvy), so I will be brief.

1. Letterman was an ass tonight. He and I are fellow Hoosiers. I love him. I love Sarah Palin (and like John McCain) more. Letterman loses; I am finished with him.

2. If you have any interst in whether Sarah's defenders are haroring a *thing* for her, see my prior column. I am slightly younger than Sarah. I have known basketball champions, and beauty queens, just like her. It is not a question of lurid interest, but of respect. She is beautiful, no doubt. She is a person of respect. I am happily married. I beleve she is as well. My Democrat wife respects her - so much so she is going to write in "Hillary" on Nov. 4 -- she has never voted Republcan, and never wil. So there you have it.

Yes, that was a pretty incoherent post, wasn't it?

My spouse likes McCain/Palin enough to go half way and write in Hillary, rather than vote Obama. That's a big step for someone who has never voted for a single Republcan in a single election. She reasons that if McCain/Palin win, McCain will only serve one term, and then you could have a choice between two good women, Hillary and Sarah, in 2012.

A couple short points.

1. The setting here is an argument between protest videographers and old duffer Republicans at a rally. This type of thing is always combustible.

I was at a Hillary rally this spring and saw anti-abortion protestors mixing it up with Hillaryites. It predictably descended into intense name calling and hysteria - more by the Hillary folks, actually, than the others. I also remember some campus anit-war protestors during the First Gulf War, where the YAF crowd would mix it up with protestors. Lots of over the top name calling. Lots of silliness.

2. You have to laugh at least a little at the "get a job" taunts aimed at the demonstrators. George Wallace used to promise his protestors a job and a haircut. Some things never change.

3. And speaking of youth, I have to wonder how old duffers across America will react to all the shaggy haired kids running around with Obamamania. Remember the hard hats in Romania who came into Bucharest post-1989 and crushed the student movements? A non-violent version of that could happen here.

4. On an earlier post, I asked: what is the probability that the "kill" line actually occurred. Everyone told me in response - it's not a probability, it's a certainty. They were right. The Secret Service has concluded it certainly did not happen.

You have to wonder, just a bit, about this video's worst moments, like the monkey with the bumper sticker. Anyone heard of Michael Moore?

5. While condemning any racism, or other absurdities, I also see a culture gap opening up, especially with Palin, where the NASCAR culture is seeping into the campaign. You can see it with the Hank Williams song, Joe Sixpack, Joe the Plumber. I also can tell you, having been part of that culture (specifically, its basketball variant in Indiana) that there is a racial undercurrent to it - against the dreaded "other." That may be what we're seeing here, and it is unfortunate.

A few points in response.

First, Republicans are having a much different view of these rallies than the media. I spoke to an evangelical the other day I had not seen for awhile. He told me, in very, very religious terms, about his trip to one of them, and all the networking going on in his church for McCain/Palin. He also trotted out some "questions" for me - like, "What do you think about Obama having a Muslim father?" So, it's all mixed together - genuine, heartfelt spirituality along with concern over the other guy's "background."

Second, the NASCAR/basketball point. I am saying, now that there is a country music song by Hank Williams, Jr.(the "McPain Palin Tradition"), the campaign is really starting to take on a country feel. It's a good thing, not a bad one. I've been to the Brickyard 400 many times, and to many Indiana basketball games. It's a whole subculture ignored by most of the media. Again, Republicans are loving this, at the rallies; they would not recognize the fear and loathing being heaped upon them by the likes of MSNBC. Or last night, David Letterman (ramming McCain).

Third, some of these otherwise decent people were peddling the Jerry Falwell videos back in the 90's saying Bill Clinton was a murderer, and so forth. Like I said, it's just a very funny mix. I agree everyone should be encouraged to stay calm, and not let emotions spill over (in turn, pushing buttons for the true crazies out there).

Finally, I see some media overhype at work here. This year's Rathergate award -- in honor of Dan Rather, for fabricated hatchet work on behalf of a Democratic nominee -- goes to Dana Milbank of the Washington Post. He is the one who pushed the bogus "kill him" statement in the Post and got everyone riled up about incitement. Note to Dana: the next time you wish to write about a death threat, try typing it up in Times New Roman style on a 1970's typewriter.

Two quick additional points.

First, another novel aspect of the McCain/Palin rallies is religiosity. Protestants, unlike Catholics, have never cared for pilgramages, and they have never venerated a woman. With Sarah Palin rallies, they are starting to have both. :)

Second, you asked me in a prior thread what we think of Evan Bayh here in Indiana. To me, he seems like a Disney prince charming. He doesn't say much. He always looks great. And everyone seems to like him. Everyone I know, Republican and

Democrat, was hoping he would be picked for VP by Obama.