I don't usually get involved in ongoing comments here after posting my initial letter, but I must respond to "Anonymous" and "Jackie R" who have stated, as Illinoisans, they think Obama is doing a good job.

There are Illinoisans and there are Chicagoans. In his book, Senator Obama referred to the support he received from Chicago and the collar counties. He never even mentioned the rest of the state. I'm not surprised. A lot of Chicagoans don't realize that just outside Chicago, there's a state called Illinois. Obviously, the support of Democrats (and others) in "downstate" Illinois -- which, in reality, extends from the Wisconsin border south to the tip of the state -- isn't that important to him--or hasn't been since his election. Nor is ongoing contact with those constituents.

So, when someone says they're from Illinois, one needs to ask the question: Which part of Illinois? It makes a difference. Having been a Chicagoan, a suburbanite, and a downstater, I know first-hand the difference. While Senator Durbin, being from downstate himself, realizes the importance of constituent service to the entire state, I don't see that happening with the junior senator.

And, yes, I know Durbin refuses to run. I've heard it from him personally on a number of occasions for a number of years. That's too bad for the nation. He is truly a principled person, a good politician, and a hard worker to boot--who has taken the blows from the GOP repeatedly and come back to fight another day. Oh, did I mention that Dick Durbin possesses even better speaking abilities -- and mostly off the cuff -- than Obama?

By the way, Michelle Obama would make a wonderful senator. She's smart and has what her husband lacks - despite the seeming charisma projected in his public persona - a genuine outgoing personality. And a staff that follows through.

.......it just might work with the dumbed-down folks who watch FOX and, worse, Bill O'Reilly!

This is the same man who brought home a dead fetus his wife had miscarried so his other 6 children could "play" with it. Not sure what that means, but I can't believe at least one of those kids wasn't traumitized by it.

Can you imagine the bedtime stories he tells them?

So the latest CNN poll says only 34% of the people now support the war in Iraq. But your article says 36% still support King George.

What's the matter with these numbers? Besides the fact that they're not in sync with each other, I think they're too high. I'll be happy only when the support for Bush and his war drops down into the 20s.

Remember that Kenneth Blackwell has friends at Diebold, and with a total rollout of e-machine next month, don't be surprised if Blackwell pulls off a surprise victory. And, if that happens, we can all be certain that those machines were "fixed" to provide him with that victory. We MUST get those machines deep-sixed before the 2008 presidential election!

Joe Lieberman reminds me of a spoiled high school cheerleader who just can't decide which jock she wants to take her to the prom. She says "maybe" to the football captain, and "maybe" to the basketball star, and "maybe" to the son of the mayor, and "maybe" to the head of the student council. Each thinks he's taking her to the prom and prepares accordingly renting the tux, arranging for a limo, making dinner reservations, ordering flowers--because they're each so self-confident that they don't understand that a "maybe" isn't a "yes."

And so we have the story of Joe Lieberman. It's "maybe" here and "maybe" there and "I'm not ruling you out" and a bunch of other nonsense.

In a perfect world, the end to this story would be for those being teased by the cheerleader - and Joe - to realize they're being played for fools and leave her - and Joe - high and dry. In the end, the cheerleader would be forced to go alone to the prom - or, more likely, stay home crying and asking the question "why?" In the end, the people she - and Joe - feel are gullible fools wind up the winners.

Poor, insulated, G.H.W. Or, perhaps he's having some really bad "senior moments" and can't remember the past six years. Or, given the proclivity of more than half of his offspring to screw up repeatedly, perhaps the man is just in big-time denial.