When I first heard that Arlen Spector will now be calling himself a "Democrat" (but will he vote like one, for a change?), my second thought was "Now Norm Coleman will never quit."

It's not a matter of dignity or self respect or seeing reality or anything like that. It's running out the clock. Mr. Coleman will wait until the last day of each deadline before filing for the next appeal. He'll continue up the ladder of the judiciary, first Minnesota, then the federal system, and after that - the UN?? The only thing left to him now is to prevent Al Franken from being seated. The longer Coleman can keep Franken out, the better. Coleman knows he's lost, and probably no longer cares.

Just as long as he can keep a Democrat from taking the seat that he won.

There have been a lot of letters saying President Obama should just pick "the best" and have done with it. As if there's some sort of easy way to rank all eligible candidates, some simple number that gives an absolute rating for each and every one, and all Obama has to do is take the one with the highest score.

That's nonsense, once you think about it. Not every judge or attorney is expert in the same areas of the law; having a broader range of expertise on the bench might be a consideration. Experience, in and of itself, could be a significant factor, which would lead to a bias by time practicing and time on the bench, and tending to favor older candidates. (That would have eliminated Roberts and Alito, by the way.) Ratings by professional organizations - American Bar Association, or that right-wing influence group, the (anti-)Federalists - could be legitimate factors. Political beliefs are not unimportant. The current President might want a judge who is appalled by torture, just as the previous one wanted justices who reveled in it, as he apparently did himself.

And there are a whole lot more totally valid, totally important criteria. The "best"? By whose opinion? By which criteria?

Given these considerations, there's no reason not to use sex, race, religion and similar "tokenistic" criteria in selecting a justice. What if "the best" is yet another white guy? Then, frankly, he may NOT be "the best."

Laugh if you must - I know that I did - but remember, when Joe Biden said this (less the zombies, of course), people were thinking that the new Factory Farmed Swine Flu was a whole lot more deadly than it looks this week.

I find Vice President Biden's advice a lot more sensible and honest than back in 2001, when the Bushie Boys were contradicting the EPA and all scientific sources, and telling residents and workers around the smoking holes of the World Trade Center that the air was perfectly safe - keep working! Move back into your apartments! You don't need no stinkin' face masks! You don't need to "decontaminate"!

Besides, by now everyone should know that VP Biden runs on hyperbole. Absorb the core of truth from whatever he's saying, enjoy the rest, and get on with your lives.

IF you survive, that is. Heh, heh, heh ...

Thanks, MacK! Good information.

Of course, as long as Yoo, Bybee, et al are not behind bars, they'll be eligible for the usual "Wingnut Welfare" programs that should keep them fat, happy, and in the upper 99th percentile of income. Their opportunities to become pundits and TV personalities will probably increase. Each will undoubtedly get their own show(s).

Which means that we the citizens should be telling Congress and the DOJ that we want full fledged criminal prosecutions.

"For a young child, taking care of a severely ill or dying parent can leave damage that is just as bad."

Here, here! And for this reason, we must never allow married people in the military again, unless each of them has been permanently sterilized. Actually, all people who join the military ought to be permanently sterilized, to avoid having children who might be traumatized by mommy or daddy's death. And obviously, people who have children will be excluded from military service.

It isn't only old age that kills and maims, you know.

Frankly, the very concept of Rush Limbaugh criticizing a woman's looks - or anyone's looks, for that matter - is ludicrous.

However, that won't stop him from squealing "Unfair!" when someone maligns his appearance. These days, being a winger means you're on whichever side of the issue that looks as if it's winning, on a minute-by-minute basis.

The right wing, and they imagine most red-blooded Amurkins, hate and fear strong, competent women like Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Morover, they think they'll have an easier time beating up on her because she's a gurrrl. Especially if they all dogpile onto her at once.

But there's no there there. A comprehensive investigation will sort out the real criminals from those who just attended a meeting and didn't even have speaking privilege.

You've got it there. Why do ordinary Joes see no problem with paying so much? I'm still bewildered by an NPR report from early last year, where a guy was going to liquidate his 401K to buy season tickets!

Of course, at this point, that actually looks like a smart decision. At least he got some enjoyment out of his investments, while everyone else's went down the Olde Wall Street sewer.