Another poster stated that Supreme Court opinion in a letter.

That Decision negates "one man, one vote" in my opinion. Although complicated, money in politics is against the democratic process - especially as practised in Washington. When a majority votes a representative into office individual votes are counted and collected into that majority. Once in office, however, another kind of voting takes place. Lobbyists are voting with money and the millions of dollars given to support an elected representative is outside the electoral process.

Back room deals permeate our government, as they have permeated all governments in the past. Just let's not call it democracy.

Be sure to use single-syllable(sp?) words and hand gestures.

And smile.

It's hard to believe that a non-event like a slip of the tongue can cause such consternation.

Smear the messenger, not the message.

All of this revelation points out the fact that the Republican Party is a bigger threat to America than Saddam was.

to include in the Bush legacy.

The harm that this Administration has done cannot be measured, it is so great and so pervasive. How many horror stories have yet to be told? One can only wonder.

The Republican Party has to shoulder its responsibility for much, if not all, of the Bush Administration horrors. These people honestly believe that God is on their side, and that anything goes.

Karl Rove complains that McClellan should have said something while he was in office? That is typical of Rove, who conveniently forgets the sorry CIA leak/Libby conviction affair where the "Moral Majority" Republicans broke laws to get even with detractors.

The fact that neither Bush or Cheney have been impeached, or censured, is a sorry legacy for Congress. I have lost all respect for our government and voting for Obama may not make a difference, but I'm gonna do it anyway.

A vote for McCain (more of the same) is out of the question. He is, despite his seemingly good intentions, a Republican and this puts him at a level too low to be acceptable as president.

Remembering the "religion" everyone got during the gas shortages in the 1970s, then running out and buying small cars, one can easily speculate as to the reason for today's gas prices. Look at the vehicles we are driving now. The national MPG average has not increased and the number of large, CAFE exempt vehicles has increased to the extent that they have been the dominant choice of vehicle buyers.

New homes are bigger than ever, while the typical family size has been stagnant, or actually decreasing in some areas.

"Energy Efficiency" is a buzz word commonly seen but we are continually finding new ways to use more gas and more electricity.

High gas cost is our just desserts.

Perhaps someday we'll grow up.

It isn't Russia, it is the USA. Under the leadership of a narrow-minded, semi-educated fool, and Republican sabre-rattling we are getting our just desserts. When we elected Bush as president we committed the USA to ridicule and a huge loss of respect.

Obama's wish to talk to our "enemies" is a breath of fresh air, because nothing Bush has done has helped the USA maintain leadership in the free world.

While Bush is fighting his useless war in Iraq, other nations are participating in diplomacy and prosperity.

The GOP does not tolerate independent thinking.

A Senate committee found numerous misleading and factually unsupported statements made by the Administration leading to a war with Iraq.

Some of these statements are downright lies.

Regardless of the late date, the people criminally responsible should be brought to justice. A failure to do at least that much makes a mockery of our laws, of fairness, and hurts our image as a nation of laws and justice.

We must take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that another disaster like the war in Iraq never happens again.

With the GOP it is absolute adherence to the Party.

Any GOP candidate that promises real change is blowing smoke.

The Party will alweays prevail over common sense and decency.

While I agree with your statents in your post, I wonder about the actual power a president has - as an individual - to affect policy.

Bush's election proved that our system of public education is not working very well.

Ask George and Dick about $4.00/gallon gas (remember Dick's secret meetings with the oil industry?).

Incredible.

Until humans throw off the yoke of religion, we will never make progress towards peaceful coexistence.

We are one vote away from constitutional abuses and the overuse of executive power.

A "divided" Court, rendering decisions by a one-vote majority does not bode well for a democracy, especially when politically biased people are appointed as justices.

John McCain has promised more justices like Scalia and Thomas.

For that reason (among others) I will not vote for him.

Let's stop being polite. He's a liar.

Am I wrong in my understanding that the S.C. decision regarding detainees applies only to those held in facilities on US soil? And that Quantanamo is considered to be US soil?

Therefore POWS held in, say Iraq, are not covered by the S.C. ruling, no?

If this is the case the sky may not be falling after all, and Scalia and McCain can get their blood pressure back to normal.

Have decent, universal healthcare like most industrialized countries?

Why do Americans pay more for prescription drugs than people in other countries pay for the same drug?

Why is the average American's lifespan less than the citizens of those countries?

Why can't we have effective intercity and interstate mass transit, other than air travel?

I think the answer lies in the belief that the free enterprise system is the best method for administering healthcare and providing mass transportation.

So far, this system has left 40 million uninsured and made us totally dependent upon foreign oil.

If the Supreme Court was populated by agnostics and Independents.

Then, and only then, would I feel that some objective reasoning was used.