"The attorney general went up and gave a very candid assessment, and answered every question he could possibly answer--honestly answer--in a way that increased my confidence in his ability to do the job," Bush said.

I'm no expert on grammar, but it seems to me that Bush is saying a lot more than he means to. Bush first says that Gonzales answered every question that he could possibly answer. Then he clarifies with the phrase "honestly answer." The way it reads is that Gonzales answered every question he could possibly honestly answer. Presumably the ones he couldn't honestly answer, he simply said that he did not recall.

It shouldn't be the least bit surprising that the testimony increased Bush's confidence. Gonzales proved what a loyal Bushie he really is by taking a serious beatdown and not giving up any secrets. He told us nothing, and that was exactly what Bush wanted. I nominate Alberto Gonzales not only for a promotion and raise, but also for the Purple Heart for getting eviscerated by congress.

And let's remember that Bush didn't watch the coverage of Katrina, either. Maybe he just flips the channel when bad news comes on.

No. Why should I be any more interested in the love/sex life of Katha Pollitt? Is there something inherently fascinating about female sexuality?

It's my first time visiting this forum, and I honestly see no reason to ever come back. The environment is so toxic and petty that it seems impossible for intelligent debate to exist. Good luck, folks. I hope you have fun being all snarky and clever.

Aw, shucks, don't I feel like a jerk. For all this time I thought the war was brought to us by a group of cynical people who wanted a war and would do anything to get it. Now I see that it was just a bunch of incompetents, just trying to do their jobs. Really, they're just like you and me and I can really sympathize with them. Everyone has piled on poor Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/etc when really *no one is to blame*. This new information is making me totally freak out. I apologize for any negative thoughts I may have had about our great leaders. And let me give Judith Miller a big smooch while I'm at it.

Chris Kelley

Thanks, Simon, for basically giving us the same tired argument that Sasha Frere-Jones keeps spouting. Somehow "black music" (whatever that may be) is better and more legitimate than "white music"? Black music, it seems, requires a groove and a good beat, apparently that's it. All black people and "black music" are more or less the same then. I mean, blacks are born with a better sense of rhythm and are much better entertainers and athletes than white people (unless said white people are influenced by "black" culture). If you want to look at music through the lens of culture (and vice versa), you're gonna need to look a hell of a lot deeper than that. Who needs self-segregation when a fancy rock critic can do it for us? Nice work!

Chris Kelley

How about Hillary and Barack agree to not attack each other? Instead, both campaigns should focus their energy and money almost exclusively on defining and dissecting McCain. After all, this whole "electability" metric is such crap. Winning a state does not prove that one is electable. The only electability that matters is against McCain, so show us what you can do. And no matter which candidate wins, the Democratic party would win. I'm curious if Barack is indeed shifting his focus.

(However, I believe these are the most important posts of all because blah blah blah.)