Interest rates at 0%-0.25% are well below the inflation rate -- officially at 5%, in reality closer to 10%, before the deflationary shock hit.

This means that banks are giving money away, at least in theory.

Increasing the money supply through intangible means (electronic transfers of bonds, T-bills, etc.) seems to be having no effect on the economy -- banks still aren't lending. It's time for a "physical" fiscal policy: cranking up the printing presses.

It would seem logical that the only way to fight deflation is with inflation of the money supply, i.e., pallets of crisp new $100 bills.

Another much-needed improvement would be the elimination of the private Federal Reserve system in favor of a US National Bank. Why should the American taxpayer owe interest to private banks for all this economic stimulus when it could all be paid for with freshly printed paper money at virtually no cost to the taxpayers?

Either the Bush regime (and its supporters) is composed of entirely pants-pissing poltroons, or the "fear of attack" justification for torture is entirely bogus.

When the Soviets developed a vast nuclear arsenal capable of wiping-out North America in half an hour, did we see America resort to secret detentions and torture in the name of national security? No.

Yet 19 guys with boxcutters and an audacious plan were enough for the Bush regime to reverse 200 years of American legal and humanitarian tradition.

These evil bastards had to know torture never yields useful intelligence. They just "get off" on the cruelty.

The meek acquiescence of our punditocracy and Democratic Congress to the revelations about government lawlessness during the Bush regime shows how wide the divide is between the country we like to describe ourselves as, and the country we really are.

Americans have apparently become too stupid, amoral and/or apathetic for democratic self-government.

When America does it, it's not torture. Besides, it's done to "keep America safe."

Once that standard is adopted, even genocide should be acceptable under the 1% Doctrine (Mukasey's blathering notwithstanding).

Why do Democratic politicians view short-sighted Israeli interests as synonomous with American interests?

Mindless anti-Muslim bias? Appeasment of the Christian Rapturists? AIPAC money? Historical policy momentum?

It's certainly not based on representation of their constituents or realpolitik.

You know -- with an agenda and a strategy to accomplish that agenda. Leaders would be helpful.

Democrats have been out of power for so long they seem to have lost the institutional memory of how to use the power they now have.

With the current "leadership" of congressional Dems so timid and feckless, Democrats can hardly be described as a political party.

Republicans don't like Al Franken? Fuck 'em. Make the Republican crybabies fillibuster until they're hoarse, and then appoint Franken chairman of the appropriations committee.

At least Franken is a "real" Democrat.

It's Feinstein's brand of "experience" that has brought America to its intelligence and foreign-policy disasters. What does she want, another neocon with blood on his hands?

It would be far better to have an intelligent, capable Obama loyalist in the position of CIA director. Otherwise, Obama will always have to question whether his intelligence reports are being filtered through a political prism.

The Arabs and the Jews can continue to slaughter each other if they must. However, under no circumstances should the United States of America support or subsidize either side in this never-ending tribal warfare.

Years of Bush regime lawlessness and contempt for the Constitution and this is what got Harry Reid's panties in a knot?

Pathetic.

Congressional Democrats, as exemplified by the "leadership" of Reid and Pelosi, seem to have forgotten that power is a means to an end -- not an end in itself.

For all the hullaballoo over the Dems' electoral success in 2006, they have absolutely nothing to show for it -- other than for more political paralysis and Bush-Cheney ass kissing.

Reid and Pelosi have got to go. With Democrats like that, who needs Republicans? Without effective leadership, congressional Dems are a political party in name only.

Move over Barney Frank and Ted Kennedy. The right has a new fund-raising whipping boy.

But Franken will give it right back to 'em.

The historical parallel between Gaza and the Warsaw Ghetto seems to elude (or be deliberately ignored) by Israel and its cheerleaders.

That said, Moyers is a national treasure -- like Glenn Greenwald. It's a shame that our national media has such few examples of intelligence and integrity.

Best action/sci-fi TV episode ever. Smart with absolutely first-rate, cinema-quality effects.

And Edward James Olmos' performance as Adm. Adama has been overlooked in this review and comments. This great actor has brought incredible gravity to the role and to the series.

Would Edward R. Murrow have cavorted like that with Joe McCarthy?

As GG has ably illustrated, the Bush regime is obviously guilty of war crimes, so the question is: Why no pardons?

Can it possibly be that Dub's stubborn hubris that he "did the right thing" and concern for his legacy trumped all that legal exposure for himself and his apparatchiks?

I would think Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, Feith, Addington -- the lot of them -- would be furious.