Kennedy has responded to 15 written questions from the NYT. The Huffington Post is characterizing her answers as a platform.

The short and dirty is that she is Pro-Choice, supporting full access to reproductive freedom, opposed to parental consent stipulations but vague on late term abortions. She supports gun control, and strongly supports Gay Marriage. She stands to the left of Obama or Clinton on the last two issues.

I have found the resistance to her candidacy for this appointment somewhat curious. Although I agree there is far too much nepotism in our politics I don't really see another candidate for this seat that is not connected. Historically we've seen seats go to the spouses of dead Senators with barely a lift of the eyebrow.

I am biased, I was born in the Kennedy era and my mother and grandmother thought "Jack and Bobby" were saints. I feel comfortable with Ms. Kennedy, though living in California it really shouldn't matter what I think. Because of the Blagojevich scandal I read and hear lot's of calls for special elections which are frankly expensive and wearying to voters.

Marty Peretz is probably more vulgar but no more blunt. Yesterday I caught Gwen Iffel on The news hour interviewing a Hamas spokesperson and she insisted on asking if Hamas was not to blame for Israel's response. I normally like Gwen Iffel, but I couldn't help noticing that I had heard this line of reasoning eveywhere on the tube. It seems as though Hamas is responsible for all casualties and death's in this farce.

First of all I want to agree with your principal point that comparing Caroline Kennedy to a typical middle class woman who interrupted a career to raise her children as ridiculous. That said I don't understand Salon's daily exercise in animus towards Kennedy. True her resume is light but this the Senate after all, the country club of our political life. The most economically modest of our senator's just got promoted to VP and even he is trying to become the patriarch of a dynasty in Delaware. Every state it seems has one or two royal families. I voted for Kathleen Brown, and I'll vote for Jerry again. My mother voted for their father. I assume that the two Udalls will be like the elder Udalls, but what do I really know? This post will be appointed to some one, and that person will have to run in a midterm that will probably lean republican. The value of name recognition is paramount, so Patterson really is choosing between Kennedy and Coumo. True Coumo's resume is more impressive than Kennedy's but he is also a prince heir, thriving on the good faith of his family name. People seem to ignore that Hillary's election to the Senate was aided by Giulliani's cancer. I think she would have beaten him but it was by no means as sure a bet as her victory over the GOP's emergency choice. Likewise Barack Obama's victory in the Senate was aided by his opponent's self destruction by scandal, forcing the GOP to accept Alan Keyes as its candidate. There might be better candidates for this office than Caroline Kennedy but I really don't see better candidates for that 2010 election.

Both lads sound fine and have narrowly escaped with their souls intact.

This Presidency was always a poorly written and acted farce. The final act has been excruciatingly long and Bush's last monologue only underlines every cynical device waged against the audience.

I know that all this balderdash is "consistent" with the GOP's policy of contrariness towards all Democratic initiative's (Remember how reluctant they were to back Clinton in Serbia?)

There really is something comical about the Party of Strong National Defense, Law and Order and American Moral Supremacy Over All Others wringing their hands over the threats inherent in due process. If a state like Kansas, which has exemplified the spirit of Blue State thoughtlessness for so long, were truly to protest the quartering of Federal prisoners in a Federal prison in their state,it would speak volumes about the nature of their patriotism. Does this mean that they feel they are some how exempt from participating in the war on terror? Should only Large American cities with strong Democratic majorities bearthe onus of being a target of our enemies? If so, why are the citizens of those cities paying taxes for the jobs and contracts that Leavenworth brings to the pampered peaceniks of that state?

DC journalism is too reliant on personal relationships and sources. Cohen is a hack and a boob and he is only useful in that he is so obvious where Alter and others are more subtle.

I remember how he reacted to Colbert at the corespondent's dinner, he really doesn't get that the rest of America doesn't want a fourth estate that eats, sleeps or shops with the pther three.

I really think we've got to start distinguishing between columnists and reporters and not called them all journalists.

I like what Greenwald does because he does research and cite his arguments so that I feel informed by the opinion, but most of the others are repeating the slogan and feel like infomercials.

OK Hot rod we get that religious people have a right to be bigots and that rules are rules. Expulsion for hugging?No progressive discipline like a call home or suspension?

Straight girls hug each other at the drop of a hat, so were these girls really kicked for their acts or because one of the girls stated her identity? Even if we allow that bigotry is a "moral value" wouldn't the "Cristian" imperative be to engage with these "sinners" rather than to blythly surrender them to Satan and KD Lang cds. This is an act of cruelty and cowardice.