I'm not as worked-up about this as others might be. There is a process going on. Barack Obama started something, whether he is up to the task or not. In this age of appearance, he appears to be the knight on a white horse, destined to save mankind.

This perception is in a synchronous relationship with the collapse of our economic system and the disintegration of our life support system. Only real solutions to these problems will work.

Rahm Emanuel can do whatever he can to continue the corruption of the political process, but it matters little if the economy isn't revived and the forest fires stop.

And, I can safely say, the economy will collapse. It is an infinite growth system on a finite planet, and we have finally reached the limits to growth. There will be no meaningful reduction in the use of fossil fuels in the coming years, so our life support system will continue to decline.

Put another way, we have reached the stage of instant Karma. The reaping of what is sown will happen sooner in the coming days. I suspect the Lieberman situation has something to do with "Israel," the birthplace of Rahm Emanuel. If Obama doesn't seriously work to find a humane solution to the struggle in this disputed region he will live to regret it.

I voted for Obama, with umbrage. I'm glad he won, and he probably will do some good things, but he is basically a backroom politician. He doesn't need to be, but it's what got him to where he is.

Another way of looking at it is to ponder what it would have been like with Al Gore or John Kerry. We aren't a nation of pure, good-intentioned, virtuous people. Obama is the best we can do. Flawed as he may be, he's on a higher level of being than about 99.999% of us. We, as a people, are not up to the task of advancing our civilization. The politicians come from us. They are not a mutant species of inferiors that by luck or magic find their way to public office.

We would do well to assume doom, and work from there. Crime is nothing. Deception is nothing. Dirty politics are nothing. If, in this time of existential crisis for the human species, the "Democrats" fail to solve the problems we face, we'll probably have a new system sooner than any of us would believe.

I was a little disappointed, but it's not a big deal. She'll probably do a great job. If I'm not mistaken, the Secretary of State serves at the "pleasure" of the president. Her job will be to represent the "United States of America" to the rest of the world. If she starts representing herself instead, she'll be out of a job.

Most of what people don't like about the Clintons is personal: Bill is a philanderer and Hillary is "shrill"

and ambitious.

My disinclination to be a Clinton fan has to do with their association with the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), NAFTA, CAFTA, Rwanda, the sanctions against "Iraq," and welfare "reform." Actually, these associations mostly apply to Bill, and I think Hillary is far more sincere in serving the interests of her constituents and the country.

Another factor, that I hope to explore in other venues, is that Obama has two main concerns to deal with: getting the economy healthy, and staying alive. In order to correct the problems of the economy he is going to need the most formidable team he can assemble. That includes Secretary of State. Hillary Clinton has instant credibility around the world, so she has good momentum working for her from day one.

As far as staying alive, law enforcement agengies are saying there are more threats against Obama than anyone previous, and assault weapons are selling at a feverish pace since the election. I trust law enforcement to protect the president, but his best protection is a successful presidency.

So, in this entire context, the choice of Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State is of little concern to me. She's up to the job, Obama is up to the job, and they're both a damn sight better that what preceded them. They can't start soon enough.

There are different kinds of prostitution. For instance, a "journalist" who entices people with promos about a show on sexual prostitution.

Indeed, Diane Sawyer, has traded in the tawdry more than a time or two. The Mel Gibson interview comes to mind. For some reason she found Charles Manson a worthy subject.

One could view working for Nixon Whitehouse a form of prostitution.

Many are the forms, but we pick one for damnation. At least Ashley Dupre has the self-awareness to know what she is doing.