I appreciate Mieszkowski's recognition that much of the progress modern marriage has made towards equality-in-status is directly traceable to Luther's Reformation. Mieszkowski would have done better to add Calvin's substantial influence on the western notion of marriage. Calvin went so far as to repudiate St. Paul's aversion to marriage as erroneous and incompatible with the Genesis narrative, which so clearly describes man and woman as belonging together in a God-ordained physical/emotional/spiritual union (see "John Calvin: A Sixteenth-Century Portrait" by William J. Bouwsma). Now according to Salon.com regular contributor Christopher Hitchens (who has nothing but contempt for Calvin), a religious father isn't capable of such independent thought and conviction. But Calvin was happily married to the same woman all his life, and Hitchens has not been so successful.

Now in regard to Mieszkowski's assertion that expecting marriage to be an enduring romance is unreasonable, much history and experience (both my own and those of other married men) declares it simply untrue. It's not only reasonable, it's how God designed it. After 12 years of marriage, my wife and are more in love now than we were ever have been. It looks different now than it used to, but the romantic intensity has increased and not decreased with time, hardship, suffering, children (one on the autism spectrum), and accomplishment. I still notice attractive women, of course, but with each year of marriage, other "sexy" women become less attractive than my wife, not more attractive. That's because my love for her gets deeper and broader, and I see ever more clearly how pale in comparison to what I have would be an affair with some other woman. And I know many men who have been married longer than I have who feel even more intensely than I do in this regard. Don't let Mieszkowski set the romantic standard for your marriage. I'm sorry if her marriage is less romantic than it used to be, but her generalizations are far from universal. Don't make the mistake of thinking that because not all marriages have been consistently passionate that none can be. It simply isn't true.

Obama is crashing and burning! The forced shouting, the new hair frosting, and the incessant harping on McCain's houses is pathetic and predictable. There isn't anything new about Obama except his morally bankrupt position on babies who survive botched abortions. Thanks for finally admitting to what you actually did, Barack! Obama is obviously graying his hair (or just not coloring it anymore) to create a look of experience because his mouth has informed us over the last couple of weeks that he has precious little real experience. And the best his running mate can do when he gets the mic is keep harping on McCain's houses! Brilliant! This doesn't look very much like a new kind of politics.