I'd like to thank the various writers who posted sound bytes from Senators who opposed the 2002 AUMF. I didn't say nobody voted against it; I said "too few" did. Robert Byrd really is a national treasure, isn't he?

My point was mainly that I see no purpose in demanding an "apology" from those who were fooled. Most apologies are fake, and I don't see much virtue in pandering. If Sen. Clinton publicly refuses to pander to the anti-war crowd, more power to her. It is an ever-growing part of the electorate. I just wish she'd cut back on pandering to the ultra-right wing Zionist lobby. But then, everyone - and I mean everyone does it, don't they?

I'd also like to thank the writer who gave a more extensive quote from Barack Obama's 2002 speech on the AUMF. Very impressive, smart, and foresighted. He's continuing to look good, in my opinion. I wish he'd hook up with the Israeli left and come out for a more sane, humane Palestine policy.

But, good luck with that.

I think it's really cool that it's not just the right wing screaming heads of the corporate media who are tearing at Senator Clinton, they've also got us left-wingers doing it, too! These guys are GOOD!

...Well, obviously, not in the ethical sense. But look how they've gotten Democratic-voting people to take out their financially strongest candidate, the one with the highest name recognition, the one with the most Oval Office experience.

It's just smart for GOPers to take advantage of the fact that we're always glad to eat our own. Bill Clinton didn't get one good word in the Liberal Media ( The Nation, MoJo, Progressive, etc) until the GOPers went too far and impeached him. Even then, support was grudging, because he was, after all, impure.

Soon "Hillary" will be out of the race, and they'll set their sights on Obama. After all, he's not really "African-American," is he? We've already fought over that; we'll be happy to destroy him with it.

And so it goes. I, personally, am with my governor, Bill Richardson - he says we need to go after Bush and the Republicans, not fellow Democrats. You don't like Senator Clinton? Fine. Don't send her money. Don't attend her rallies.

But hate-filled, personal attacks on her just help the GOP.

When you ask "why haven't I heard of," you always need to bear in mind that you're talking about things you've heard on the TV, or the radio, or in newspapers.

We know about the right wing bias in the American media. It's why we don't hear much from Democrats, always hear about how wonderful Israel is and how justified its attacks on the dirty, subhuman Palestinians are, and not so much about non-militant Muslims.

It's not that we're "just not paying attention." It's that you need to look and dig and hook in with the "liberal media" to find these things. They're not part of your normal news broadcast.

Of these, the third category is most numerous, and is what "C-PAC" is designed for. James M was right in describing them as "DAD" - dumb as dirt.

The DAD Party followers truly live in a different reality than the rest of us. Molly Ivins noted how heavily they lean on the psychological means of understanding known as "projection." They constantly accuse their "enemies" of doing what they, themselves, are doing, whether it's incoherent rage and hate, illicit sex, money-grabbing corruption, vicious name-calling, or homosexuality.

Non-DADs need to understand this, but NOT practice it. When your postings are as foul-mouthed as those of the wingnuts, you don't show them up, you become what they're describing. You validate their world view.

You tell the few sane people left that you're also one of the crazies.

The Democratic Party, liberals, and "progressives" (i.e., liberals who've surrendered to the right wing slime machine) need to distinguish themselves from this stuff. I was proud of Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi when they announced that they would not be treating the Republicans the way the Repubs had treated them.

And WE need to lean on the media to start actually reporting on the CPACers. Make sure they print what Coulter yaps out. Let's hear the actual "wisdom" of Rush Limbaugh, who was recently featured on NPR!! as a ground-breaking, highly respected, mainstream "pundit." Let's see what kind of merchandise was being hawked at CPAC, what red meat the audience wolfed down, what brought the biggest cheers.

Sunshine Week is coming up, March 11-17 (see sunshineweek.org). Sunlight not only illuminates, it's the best disinfectant.

Elsewhere in the interview, Gingrich says he doesn't believe in "situational ethics."

Or any other ethics, apparently.