It's good to be understood. I'm a 67 yr. old white, married feminist and I was extremely disappointed that Hillary did not win. But I couldn't even imagine not voting for Obama and have not really understood so many women feeling this way until I read Traister's well-written article.

Some of the flip remarks in response are, I guess, to be expected. I appreciated the thoughtful ones, esp. one about the FISA bill which I was unaware of and plan to check out more.

I was incensed by Keith Olberman, could not believe what I heard. He was someone I liked a lot and thought was progressive. What a terrible disappointment. It reminds me of the 60's when so many white liberal men were very much into civil rights for Afro-Americans but could care less about women and were part of the phony sexual revolution, ala Hefner that kept females degraded for their pleasure and pleasure for women either non-existant or a perfunctory second thought.

Who can women trust? Where are the John Stuart Mills and Frederick Douglas's of today? Does anyone read good men like John Stoltenberg?

I thought things were be much better for women in the U.S. before I died. Now it's hard to have much faith or hope. But, who else is there besides Obama? We have to be real.

I was raised Catholic, married a man at age 20 who I was not sexually attracted to, left him by introducing him to another woman and encouraging the relationship (helped me leave with less guilt, a Catholic disease) After nine years of "serving my time" (and he was a good guy...so I think I did him a favor too..he looked pretty happy for several years in that new relationship) I was 28 yrs. old, had 4 kids, and here comes my very first orgasm with a younger philosophy student and........cha ching....I'm pregnant.. Went to the Catholic doc who delivered my 4 kids, he was horrified that I wanted an abortion...I was then on welfare and into college....I had to find another doc and forge my ex husband's name on the permission slip..

I left the church, finished school and am now a psychotherapist, love my work and have been living for 32 yrs. with a man I desire and love and like and trust and I think it's pretty mutual. We make each other laugh. We both love and hate most of the same things. (that was an evolution)

End of saga..

ps my hub and I lived in sin for 25 of those 32 years...I recommend it, esp. to women..it definitely decreases the likelihood of couples taking each other for granted, the worst thing about unholy wedlock. Why marry at all? well expediency..what else.?..I had a job with health insurance..he did not and even though he's 12 yrs. younger, sooner or later, that's not a frivolous thing.

I think his pinnacle was on Sat. Night Live and 48 hours. Since then, his arrogant and ignorant homophobia (I'm straight) has dampened my interest. Now, he's just another let's-do-this-to-make-dough kind of guy. He used to be truly funny (and likeable). He's not either anymore.

Joan,

Can someone PLEASE recommend Barach use more humor with John McCain. He looks so STRONG when he does this. When you mentioned that you liked him bringing up the the bomb, bomb Iran thing, you liked it...well, yes. That IS one of Baracks' many strong suits.

It's good that he looked amused when McCain went on the attack and was patronizing but Barach was at his strongest (and likeable) when he challenged using humor.

When McCain said he'd like to hear Barach's definition of "rich", Barach should have zinged him with smiling and saying" well, I'd start with someone who doesn't know how many houses they have"....My husband and I WISH he had said that so much.... Also we think he should have said very strongly that the economy AND foreign policy cannot be separated the way they have been in the past, that they are intricately entwined and what we're spending in Iraq is affecting how we're doing economically.

Maybe in a future debate. Patricia Winchild (Baltimore)

I think, hopefully wrongly, that most people really don't care that much about this issue. But, it makes me sick. Americans need to learn that what is done in our name is done by US. We are responsible when innocent people are given no legal rights and brutally treated just because someone wants to show that something is being done, no matter how wrong, no matter how unlawful, no matter how ineffective.

Some people say our legal system may not be perfect but it's the best there is. Our legal system SUCKS !! I personally have seen things happen up close and personal that have educated me more than I ever wanted to know about how many things are wrong with America's legal system.

Lawyers who only care about a quick buck, not in defending the innocent, judges who care more about public opinion that what is right or wrong, prosecutors like vicious bulldogs who most definitely care more about winning than whether someone is innocent and does not deserve to be prosecuted.

This case in Guatanamo is a case in point. I hope more people in the U.S. will care that George Bush is not just an ineffective, not-too-bright guy who got in over his head. What people got away with in his administration would be regarded as tyranny and worse if he was the head of any other country. If America is going to ever have a decent reputation again, we have to care about this kind of issue. Too many people who were absolutely innocent were seriously harmed. We are responsible if we do nothing to bring those responsible to justice, the president included !!