Hey, thanks for the banter. Here are a few thoughts in response. I will try to be as detailed as possible - one of my weak points, according to the critics!

1. Yes, I thought GHW Bush had a steady hand, notwithstanding some mistakes. So, to his credit, did Clinton. No president has had a pristine foreign policy record; the world is too messy for that.

2. On abortion, other posters correctly noted that I only objected to Obama's vow to repeal the Hyde Amendment and allow for public funded abortions. Why should I have to fund such things, if I don't support them? I understand, the same thing could be said by war critics of the Iraq War. But that just goes to my point - if you don't want your money spent on something, don't vote for the guy who supports it.

3. On Jimmy Carter, I have a great deal of admiration for him, and for his work. Relatedly, you mentioned my *youth.* Yes, I was just a child when he ran for president in 1976, but I still remember the stop my family made in Plains, Georgia on a trip to Florida, when we met Lillian Carter and posed for pictures at the train depot.

4. On Sarah Palin, look, I have never mentioned her legs or the shoes she wears, nor would I. I have said she is beautiful, inside and out, which is a very G-rated thing to say, and consistent with my beliefs.

5. No, I don't think my wife has any interest in salon. She cares about politics far less than me, and is wavering right now between a McCain vote and a write-in for Hillary. She has never voted Republican. Why this view? Part of apparently is the Michelle comment about never being proud of America, until the clod hoppers in Iowa voted for her husband. She just doesn't get that sentiment.

6. Look, I really don't care that much about Ayres. But when I see Letterman going after McCain on Ayres, practically with tears in his eyes -- Why are you doing this, John? It's breaking my heart! -- I have to at least throw in a word for the *argument* behind the Ayres discussion. People have been saying Sarah is trying to get Barack killed through her discussion of Ayres. So, that's another reason I've been posting to offer a perspective, and not just let it sit.

7. As far as the economic mess we are in, I am coming around to three conclusions: (1) we will need to extensively regulate all of these multi-faceted credit arrangements; (2) it should happen on a bi-partisan basis; and (3) neither of the major candidates, based on their existing knowledge, are going to be able to steer it without expert guidance.

To that end, I liked McCain's suggestion of a 9/11 type commission. Bring the smartest people together of both parties and come up with a plan. What did Barack say about that? No dice, this is a Bush/Cheney thing, and next year it will be a Pelosi/Frank/Obama solution. That's the same kind of thinking, folks, that led to the health care debacle in 1994.

So, there you have it. A real, live substantive point in favor of the McCain candidacy.

8. No question about it, I would like to see McCain/Palin win. If I have suggested here or there that I was at all mulling it over, that was probably an overstatement. I'm in the tank, I've jumped the shark, I've crossed the Rubicon. You can draw your own conclusions from there.

Hey, give a guy a break. I pop in here and there and find five different people asking me ten different questions, spread over two or three threads. I try to respond the best I can.

Look, I said after the Palin debate that it was kind of like watching the Rocky movie - she took a 15 round beating from Apollo "Media" Creed and was still standing when it ended. I wonder how many of her supporters really thought she could do it. I was apprehensive, but never stopped believing in her.

Since then, I figured I would hang around and enjoy some further converation.

As far as all this Ayres stuff, I could pose the same questions in reverse. What exactly is the AIP's tie to Palin and what does it tell us about her likely reaction if South Carolina tries to secede once again from the union. How would she handle the Bayernpartei in Germany - freedom for Bavarians, or one Germany uber alles? Same thing with the guest pastors and the Jews for Jesus. What exactly does it tell us? Is Palin a closet anti-semite like Truman and Nixon and, if so, will she still match their record as the most pro-Israeli presidents in our history?

Ok, I'm done defending myself. And I will take your suggestion seriously. You sound tired out from my presence here. I'm willing to consider a fair and fond adieu. I've enjoyed it too much, however, to make a hasty decision.