Wow, did I just lose a lot of respect for Ana Marie Cox, the way she danced around trying to avoid answering Glenn's clear and direct points. But I've seen this happen in journalism - someone starts out as a feisty, in-your-face truth-teller, gets "promoted" to a mainstream publication, drinks the Kool-aid, joins the crowd, and becomes defensive and irrelevant. She says the issues involved in a being a reporter are very complex, and she's right. But if she started doing her job well, they'd become simple again.

Keep up the good fight, Glenn. I consider it my patriotic duty to read you every day. Luckily, it's also a pleasure.

Beautifully summed up and argued, as usual. But I hope (and I can't read through all 250 comments to find out) I'm not the first to point out that Gail Collins is a very funny, sane humorist and that her Obama comment was ironic. I would exempt her from being part of the problem.

Good for you: very fair.

I just wanted to see that subject heading appear again. I happen to be rooting for Obama, so there's nothing partisan about this, but I do emphatically agree with Krugman that with regard to the current crop of Repugs, "bipartisanship" is synonymous with "surrender." For all I like about Obama, I do wish he'd pick up more on that, and I hope that, once he's no longer running against Billary, he will.

OK, I went over to the Times web site, and I listened to 48 minutes of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright speaking to the Press Club. I really didn't know what to expect.

You can attack me, you can put me in whatever far-left worse-than-communist camp you want, but

I can't see what the problem is.

I found him inspiring, witty, wise, collected, and kind of brilliant. He said that while he served six years in the marines, some of those who have attacked his patrriotism avoided military service - who can argue with that? He expounded a cynical view of the historical actions of the US government, a view I happen to share. In every case relating to race relations he kept reconciliation the foremost point. He brought up a lot of contextual points that were edited out of the Moyers interview. And when someone asked him if Christianity was the only route to heaven, whether Islam was a false religion, and he quickly and confidently answered, "Jesus said, 'There are many sheep not of my fold,'" I found myself applauding and shouting for joy alone in my office. This is someone Obama should be ashamed of? Forget Obama, I want to vote for Wright.

Should I mention that I am a pure WASP originally from the South?

I posted a nearly identical reaction about 100 comments ago. I can't see what the problem is.

That George W. Bush sucks even more is an incredible, cataclysmic, metaphysically stunning achievement.

You might have put up a warning not to watch the Friedman video right after eating lunch. Mine nearly came up again.

But we already LOST a city, not to terrorists but to Bush-league incompetence, and the goddam Rethugs don't even GIVE a shit. Why would anyone believe they'd give a shit if we lost ANOTHER city? Especially one as full of liberal "traitors" as Seattle?

What?! No "My Summer Story"? That's one of my favorite movies ever, hilarious and entirely suitable for children and adults alike. Wish I'd noticed the original invitation for submissions.

I can never see the phrase "rule of law" without remembering what a mantra it was for Republicans during the Clinton impeachment. Every Repub would get up and chant over and over that this President was subject to the Rule of Law, that we have to observe the Rule of Law, over and over and over like a mindless talking point. Now a Repub's in the White House, and - what, rule of law? - that's liberal hysteria.

Never thought that greatest Simpsons' line ever would find another appropriate occasion.

Thanks to Stu Rothenberg for refusing that cringe-making term "the Republican brand." Using it seems to imply simply that the Repubs are no longer trendy, or that circumstances have made them look bad, rather than the truth: that they did themselves in through uncontrolled venality and hypocrisy. It's not their "brand" that's "gone bad," it's they themselves who've done a lot of terrible things and are finally getting punished for it.

The part about the Huckabee supporters getting the drunkest reminds me of a Baptist joke from my Baptist youth:

You know why you should never take a Baptist along on a fishing trip? Because he'll drink all your beer. You take two Baptists along, and neither of 'em'll touch a drop.

Though I do understand the outraged comments, this article articulated some of the things I've been secretly fearing about Palin's appeal - not so much the S&M part, perhaps (I just can't think that way), but that thousands of idiots might vote for the ticket just because she's (allegedly*) attractive. It felt good to get that out in the open and see someone else admit to the same fear. Now I want to forget about it.

*Actually, I don't find her attractive at all. One Salon commenter (washedupfailure) described her so aptly it's worth a repeat: "Sarah Palin has the kind of hard, closed face and erotically null 'beauty' of one of those creepy 'dirty housewife' posters on amateur porn sites."

Elephantman is stuck with the job of defending the idiot choice of Snowjob Squareglasses for the rest of his pitiful life.

I agree with those who say the media's starting to do a slightly better job of getting the truth out there. And to the extent they're doing that, it's because those in the lefty blogosphere having been doing a fantastic job of holding their feet to the fire - most notably, Glenn Greenwald.

Mr. Greenwald, I insist you secretly take a little credit for the effect you're seeing.