. To re-write the rules so the US always wins in exercises - that is the fingerprint of ideology, not strategy. That is the advent of mediocrity and failure for our country, and, the assured success of our opponents, whether they be true or manufactured.

You've got it in a nutshell. Not only were we unwilling to learn from history, we ignored our own military.

Thanks for following this, Glenn, and I'm grateful to Galloway for contacting you.

Does this mean that CA residents have the right to be married now, or does the previously-vetoed legislation by the Governator have to pass again-- or some other legislation has to go through? I've seen conflicting opinions. Looks to me like it's legal now, but I'm neither a lawyer nor a resident of CA and haven't been following closely.

Then I don't think they have any choice-- it's 'kiddie porn.'

Man, this guy is gonna set a world record for dumb and obnoxious.

There are good reasons to not vote for McCain, but I am sick of Veteran bashing. I grew up in a world that saw Vietnam Veterans as drug-addicted, homeless, alcoholic losers. We finally got past that false image. Let's not bring back the idea that Veterans are invariably damaged goods. Some people get broken by adversity, other's thrive on it. Let's not victimize veterans again.

But he was tortured, that must mean he was craaazy! Isn't there enough stigma against mental illness in this country without a scary whisper campaign about McCain? Isn't McCain unacceptable enough on his positions and personality?

Personally, I can't see what good releasing medical records does anyway. We had a President in office with Alzheimer's. We had two presidents with significant medical problems that required significant medication. And yet, Reagan, Kennedy, and FDR are some of our great political heroes. (Maybe we shouldn't elect someone without some kind of medical problem!)

Hillary is losing this election because of her utter inability to admit fault -- it was this that has made it impossible for her to concede error in the Iraq vote, maintain the sniper story until she was literally a comedian's punch line, pretend there was nothing wrong with the "hard working people, white people" gaff, etc. Were she to express genuine regret, not backhanded half apologies that seek to blame someone else for her mistakes, she might have been the nominee.

You've hit the nail on the head. Even at the debate, she refused to just apologize for the sniper story. This is the great diplomat? The woman who would be ready at 3 am? Please.

I have a friend who's been doing WiiFit with her boyfriend for a few weeks now, and she says she's definitely feeling a difference, and her boyfriend has gotten an interest in walking outside, not just exercising on the Wii. I think it depends on your personality and patience level.

@Grant: Have you checked out WiiWare lately? They've finally moved up to third-party games, and some of them look pretty amazing.

@Farhad: Underweight? Oh, I weep. What I wouldn't give to have a game tell me that...

This was a perfect opportunity to bring to light some of the women who aren't heard. Where's the appreciation for Pam's House Blend, or Racialicious, or a ton of other blogs featuring women, insight, and entertainment? I confess I'm disappointed-- I was hoping to find some good new bloggers.

But I don't think the text messaging is the problem. The problem is the all-but-anonymous 2 am hookups. Text messaging may have made it easier for the author to live a pretty shallow, sex-filled life for a while, but it wasn't what drew her to the sex in the first place. I'm sure it was fun, and I don't think there's anything wrong with what she did. But I think she's blaming text messaging for her dissatisfaction with her life.

When the Salon Parody blog could have saved me from reading this column.

It's not your bias that bothers me, Joan; it's the fact you refuse to recognize (at least publicly) that you have a bias. Eight years ago we lost an election due to the vagaries of the Electoral College; wouldn't having a team like Barack Obama's, which seems attuned to every challenge, be a real asset to Democrats this time around? Instead you all but insult this real advantage.

Harold Ickes doesn't seem to have covered himself in glory this weekend, and there's no mention of that, or the continuing implosion of Geraldine Ferraro. Instead you talk about one pastor at Obama's now former church and his reasons for leaving, cast in the most sinister light possible.

It's not the point that the Republicans might make an issue out of this. The point is that a progressive who has not officially taken sides is sympathetic toward one candidate and parroting Republican talking points against the other.

And I'm getting a pony for Christmas.

But isn't that what everybody has been claiming this election? That the white candidates have a built in advantage because they have white skin, as if every white man is an automatic candidate for President, while every black man is at a disadvantage?

Let's look at the numbers. How many black governors are there? How many Hispanic or Asian? What about Native Americans? How many women? How many women of color? How many white men?

How blind do you have to believe that gender is the only 'privilege' that remains in our society?

Maybe the next lion of the Senate is gearing up in New York. Let's cross our fingers and hope for some unity, some new priorities, and the Clinton-Kennedy Health Care Act of 2009.