Why isn't this located in the "News" section of Salon? By no stretch is the information reported in this story properly described as OPINION. You wouldn't consider a story that was a straight report on results of university-based medical research to be opinion, would you?

I cannot believe the revelations of this Princeton study haven't been trumpeted across the entire MSM yet -- oh, wait a minute, I forgot, our media now take their marching orders from the government, and they haven't been given a green light yet.

Wonder if this Princeton study will vanish down the memory hole without making a ripple?

*sigh*

All were right on-target, especially "luckycat".

What *I* am waiting for is to see how the logic-impaired Christopher Hitchens tries to explain all these latest twists and turns, justifying everything done by the Bushies against Wilson/Plame as no big deal, all purely legal, ethical and above all JUSTIFIED. Hitchens nearly ties himself into knots, drawing fantastical and fabulous conclusions on mere shreds of evidence, while ignoring the obvious truth.

I personally subscribe to Occam's Razor -- when there are competing explanations for something, the simplest explanation is almost always correct. In the Wilson/Plame case, it's that Plame's "outing" as a CIA agent was purely a matter of vengeance, and may have occurred on two separate tracks -- Armitage first, then Rove/Cheney/Libby. Just because Armitage did it FIRST doesn't mean that Rove/Cheney/Libby did NOT do it too; neither does it mean that no one did it with malice toward Wilson or Plame.

In any case, it would be refreshing to see millions more honest and patriotic Americans stand up and denounce the despicable outing of Valerie Plame.

"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." -- GWB, 2002.

Anybody want to bet that this country won't get snookered into another fiasco in Iran that's similar to (or, God forbid, WORSE THAN) Iraq? My heart says, no way could we be that dumb, but my head isn't so sure. Experience is a harsh teacher -- have we learned anything at all from the Iraq disaster?

Sometimes it DOES work the way we were taught in school!

"The President proposes and the Congress disposes...."

It's frightening how easily this Congress has ceded its lawmaking and oversight role to the executive branch -- what in the world do we need a legislature for if its members aren't willing to DO THE JOB? How refreshing to see signs of life again, at least in the Senate. (Are you paying attention, Sen. Specter? GET A SPINE, MAN!)

And yet, we'll hear bleating from the conservative echo chamber that Congress shouldn't, indeed dare not, oppose one word or comma of a Bush proposal. Absolutely astounding, coming from those who claim to be strict constructionists.

Oh, Tim -- whatever would make you think that Bob Ney's announcement was timed to occur just AFTER polls closed, and after his personally-chosen-and-endorsed successor, Joy Padgett, had cruised to the nomination? The good people of the Ohio GOP would NEVER manipulate events in the attempt to maintain their iron grip on political control of this state!

- - - -

Any observer of Ohio politics has to admit, the Republican Party has perfected all the legal, nearly-legal, and assorted less savory methods to maintain control of this state. Their ability to swap seats between term-limited state senators and representatives is a sight to behold. While it's never put in such bald terms, it truly appears as though they believe they have a right to elective office in perpetuity. Once they possess an office, it's theirs to keep and manage essentially forever.

On the merits, I've always opposed term limits as being anti-democratic, but here in Ohio, the nimble manner used by the state GOP to avoid REAL term limits by seat-swapping gymnastics is remarkable. It's as though our voters had never enacted any such limits!

And isn't it interesting how often claims of alcoholism serve as a "get out of jail free" card for those entangled in public scandal? That old demon rum! Once he's through "rehab", no doubt Ney's lawyers will claim that jail time for any of his legal problems would be inappropriate and unnecessary. So it goes...

I haven't checked to see if it's available on Comedy Central's own site, or if others have posted it elsewhere, but Jon Stewart and the folks at THE BEST news show on TV today have "been there, done that." Look for it, folks -- if you haven't already seen this segment, you WILL NOT believe it until you have.

Jon opened this particular item with a comment on the search for bin Laden, saying something like "Wow, that's one for the memory file!" Filmed and dated clips of Dubya were then shown that portrayed his 5-year on-again, off-again hunt for Osama as a process much like the classic stages of grief. These were, if MY memory serves:

Anger

Denial

Denial

Denial

Hanukkah

Denial

Anger

The most unbelievable clip of them all was, of course, Hanukkah. With Laura standing in the background, the Pres said something like, "I don't think bin Laden could understand the joy of Hanukkah." Good grief, what an absolute idiot we have occupying our White House.

Since ultimate success in Iraq seems so improbable, I submit that the old Mother Goose line would have been more apt:

"If wishes were horses, beggars would ride."

Another possibility would be from Peter Pan -- we all should CLAP REAL HARD if we believe in Tinkerbell (or "victory" in Iraq). Maybe THEN we'll succeed!