For the record, I never order tripe, but it is served to me regardless. I am protean in my responses; if you're rude to me, expect the same. Aside from that, I try to behave myself.

"Spare me rhetoric about the Straight Talk Express, however. McCain's changed his mind often enough to bear fortifying his own glass house. If Mrs. Clinton's marriage is fair game, and Mrs. Obama is fair game, then I am afraid that good old John McCain's first marriage and quest for the perfect new wife are, as well."

Yes, exactly. I found the argument about McCain's marriage being off-limits to be hollow after we have thoroughly debated whether Bill and Hill are in a sexless marriage and whether Obama is a Muslim.

McCain is running as a man of integrity. That means he is asking us to vote for him based, in large part, on his character. You know what the lawyers say about opening the door of character testimony... if he wants me to judge him based on his moral fiber, then the saga of the first Mrs. McCain is fair game.

For Whom The Bell Tolls

"Pfizer make a wonderful product, Blunderdog, that might help you and Diomedes overcome your need for fantasy. I'm too ladylike to say what it is."

Maureen, of all the posters here, you are the one who engages in the most, and most pretentious, ad hominem attacks. You seem to think very highly of yourself and your overly florid writing, but I don't appreciate being insulted and would hope you'd understand that.

Apparently you're from Ireland? If so, please try to understand that this is not some intellectual debate for American Democrats, this is a matter of national survival.

I've tried to be civil with this post, but honestly your entries don't warrant it. Frankly, you are extremely rude and probably an unpleasant person in real life.

I'm sure you will insult me in an upcoming post, but I will not be here to read it. Enough.

"If you can survive me, diomedes ought to be a piece of cake. :)"

My dear, I am an absolute pussycat, and I will bend over backwards to be accomodating to people, but I don't appreciate name-calling and I don't tolerate fools easily.

If maureenodonnell or anyone else takes umbrage at the fact that I brought up McCain's extramarital affairs and then makes me listen to endless vitriol about Obama's madrassa jihad black panther conspiracies, fine. But don't tell me in the same breath that you're a loyal Democrat and expect me to believe you. Please. We've got our nominee, it's time to pony up.

As I've said before, McCain is running as a man of integrity. HE'S opened that door, HE'S making his past one of the platforms of his campaign. So I'm going to walk through that door and examine his choices, and if I think some of them don't speak well to his character, I will darn well say so.

Sincerely,

Diomedes

"And you'd be right there. But to say "McCain is running as a man of integrity" - well, thanks for the laugh."

Peace. I didn't say he WAS a man of integrity, I said that is the perception he'd like us to have of him.

that a small, hard-core group of PUMAs exist independently of Republican smear attacks, but the majority of first-time posters spouting off about their new-found anger are trolls of the Republican variety.

As for the genuine article, I understand you're angry. Obviously in your mind, Obama is the prancing young stud who swept in, light on credentials, and shoved aside the older woman who had toiled and toiled and was just about to go for the mantle. And you identified with her plight and you abhor him now on an emotional level that politics can't reach except when it intersects with the personal.

Except that your analogy doesn't hold water. Hillary isn't the little woman underfoot, fighting for her rightful share. She got to where she was ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY because twenty odd years ago, she had the sense to see that another prancing young stud with easy charm was going places, and that it would behoove her to latch on to that social climber and climb with him.

And so she did, winning a Senate race in a state she had never lived in solely because of the limelight she had enjoyed as that no-longer-so-young stud's wife.

Ladies, if you're going to transpose all your pain and anger that you feel the males of this world have inflicted on you onto a female politician, at least have the sense -and the GUTS- to place it on the shoulders of a woman who DID IT HERSELF... a Claire MaCaskill or a Janet Napolitano.

Hillary, for all your complaining, is no feminist icon. In fact, she got to the top the old-fashioned way; she married the right guy.

Please.