I quite litterally could not get past Mattingly's first comment:

I think she’s had a great couple of weeks ... I think she’s changed the dynamic of this race, she put energy into it, she’s connecting to the average American voter, certainly in a way that Joe Biden isn’t. The scrutiny has been really intense, but you know, at the end of the day, people don’t vote for the bottom of the ticket, they vote for the top of the ticket. She’ll get the post-debate bounce, and put her right back up there on the hustings as an effective campaigner. I’m speaking to you as somebody who now lives in California, I’m not affiliated with the campaign, I think she’s a phenom.

Is he kidding? Other than the Eagleton mess, I can't remember a V.P. candidate having a worse two weeks on the trail, ever. Mattingly isn't even close; she not only hasn't had a "great couple of weeks," her last couple of weeks have been nothing short of a total disaster. What campaign is he watching?

"A pheonom?" "Connecting to the ordinary American voter?" It's almost impossible to believe anything he says is not him angling for a job in a McCain/Palin administration. Whatever medication he's on, he needs to cut the dose.

And these clowns call the left "Communists"! They purge the non-believers and the sufficiently fervent, and have the temerity to project their behavior onto their political opponents. Unbelievable.

Time to go back and re-read "Animal Farm."

I'm hardly an economic genius; I took a couple of classes in college, is all. But I have never understood how a currency can't be backed by some fixed commodity, and how having it "float" is a good idea. And in that vein, why is it always considered "nutty extremism" to ask for a return to a standard of some kind?

When currency "floats," it's valued according to what the world says it is. And if the world experiences a spasm of panic and doubt--hello, October 2008!--that seems like a bit of a problem. It was a problem for asian currencies in the late 90s, and it's kinda a problem now, don't you think?

So maybe Paul isn't too nutty after all. And maybe the reason I never understood the concept of a "floating currency" is because, well, it doesn't make any sense.

This isn't about pleasing "the party's base" or fulfilling "the need to satisfy Daily Kos;" this is about whether or not the Democrats have the 'nads to punish a "colleague" for kicking them in the teeth. Joe Lieberman is the guy with his arm around a bikini-clad babe, kicking sand in the 98-pound weakling Democrats' face. Are they going to sign up with Charles Atlas and kick his arrogant, turncoat ass out of the caucus? Or are they going to let him keep kicking that sand in their collective faces?

Lieberman is an embarrassment. He is a pompous, power-obsessed, self-focused media whore who cares not a whit for the people of Connecticut, the Democratic party, or what's good for the country. Lieberman has shown, over and over again, that he only cares about what's good for Lieberman.

Kick him out. The odds that we don't get a filibuster-proof majority are pretty high, anyway. And frankly, given the Democrats' ability at screwing up even when they do have power, I'm not entirely convinced that having a filibuster-proof majority is a good thing, anyway.

Lots of good government has happened without a unified government that was filibuster-proof. Grow a spine, learn how to play offense, and kick Lieberman to the outer darkness where he belongs.

Kate, if you think it was bad reading that before breakfast, be grateful that you didn't read it during breakfast. Just trust me on this one.

In the Jewish tradition, the 3rd mitzvah--you know, about not taking the name of God in vain?--means using the name of God wrongly, e.g. in justifying your own actions. So for example, Rev. Falwell telling you to do something because "God commands it," when it's not true, is a sin. A big sin. One of the Big Ten.

Similarly, Janet Porter invoking the name of God to force you to vote for McCain is in the same category.

Bottom line? If anyone is going to the boiling lake of blood, it's a lot more likely to be Ms. Porter than your average Obama voter.

Glenn, I'm surprised that you didn't list Mitch McConnell. I would be thrilled to see him bite the dust. I also would be happy to see John Boehner go down to defeat, but I don't think that's in the cards.

Probably just sitting in my bedroom, working through the remainder of my Negra Modello.

It's a nice ticket, isn't it? Looks like a combination of old-fashioned and brand-new.

Actually, what struck me about Delay was how horrified he was at the potential prospect of the minimum wage. It's okay to bail out Wall St. with $700 billion, but it's not okay to increase the wages of the people at the bottom who would, you know, actually go out and buy stuff and stimulate the economy.

If that doesn't sum up everything that's wrong with the Republican economic perspective right now, I don't know what does.

I can't seem to stop writing and blogging . . .

Joan, you forgot what I think are two of the most appropriate songs (in their own way):

"America the Beautiful," performed by Ray Charles

"The Star-spangled Banner," performed live at Woodstock by Jimi Hendrix.

I'm a sentimental softy and the child of Boomers, I admit, but I still think those two songs sum up this moment.