Obama, Edwards and all their surrogates need to be VERY careful here -- they're venturing into a minefield when they try to analyze (over-analyze?) Hillary Clinton's apparent tears. Better to just leave it alone and move on.

Whether the tears were real or not, whether there even WERE any tears, and whether or not she ever got teary over anything else (including Katrina, 9/11, or Bill's infidelity) isn't likely to be fertile ground for her opponents. They're going to be perceived as unfair and just plain MEAN if they persist in trying to criticize her this way.

More likely than not, it will backfire and actually help Hillary cement her support.

The strange, arcane Iowa caucus system forces participants to switch from "non-viable" candidates (reportedly those not receiving 15% of the vote) to a remaining "viable" candidate -- or to leave the event if they refuse to make a second choice. So, doesn't this poll simply gauge only the FIRST CHOICE of each respondent?

Seems to me we need to focus a bit more on the SECOND choice of those participants who will inevitably need to move from their non-viable first choice after the first round or two. Results like those from this Zogby poll aren't meaningless, but they certainly don't tell us everything we need to know.

"We haven't OFFICIALLY lied about the latest CIA-tape-destruction reports. Not yet, anyway. When we go on the record, you'll be the first to know."

...I believe all potatoes, baked or raw, are reserved for jamming into appropriate orifices of detainees' bodies. All part of the "enhanced interrogation" techniques we've heard about, of course...

Brings to mind the great scene in "A Fish Called Wanda" in which Kevin Kline jams ketchup-drenched chips up Michael Palin's nose -- and since it DID work in the movie, it HAS to work in real life!

Sadly, there's no one who ever lived who could say it, but if there were, here's the only appropriate response as that person would put it (with apologies to Lloyd Bentsen for my plagiarism):

"Mrs. Romney, I knew George Washington. I knew Abraham Lincoln. Those men were friends of mine. Ma'am, your husband is no Washington OR Lincoln."

Followed by thunderous applause and hoots from the audience...

Seriously, though, has there been hero worship to match Mrs. Romney since the days of Nancy Reagan and the adoring cow eyes she always cast towards Ronnie? She may have actually outdone Nancy with THESE comments!

Just like the Monica Lewinsky affair, the public "understands" this kind of stuff. They get it on a gut level, unlike complicated issues of public policy -- so we may have just seen the end of Rudy Giuliani as a leading candidate for president.

Using (or appearing to use) public dollars to facilitate an extramarital affair, well, that's pretty easy to place in the category of BAD IDEAS. It will be fun to see Rudy and company scramble to explain away the sordid details as they continue to come out, drip by drip.

America's Mayor may think that "9/11 Changed Everything" (is it true he's had that tattooed on his ass?), but at least one thing didn't change -- paying for your latest affair from the public coffers is still way over the line.

Sen. Hagel, let me add "...and the world" to your phrase "...failed the country."

The long-lasting damage to our nation's interests, individuals around the world, our allies, our planet's environment, etc. from this administration and its policies would take hours to list.

Repair of that damage, if possible, will take decades.

"I'm optimistic..." "I fully understand..." "I look forward to..."

He's given new life to an old joke: "How do you know when a politician is lying? Easy -- his lips are moving." He couldn't possibly be optimistic about all the things he claims to be, he fully understands nothing, and he obviously doesn't look forward to cooperating with a Democratic Congress (or anyone else).

January 20, 2009, can't come soon enough. Go AWAY already, Dubya, just go AWAY. Retire to your blasted "ranch", take your smirk with you and leave us alone.

"Stupid"? No, I'd use a couple of other adjectives -- IMMORAL, UNACCEPTABLE, and INCREDIBLE all come to mind.

Can you imagine the self-righteous howls of protest from the right-wing echo chambers if this occurred during a Democratic administration? Huh -- wonder if FauxNews, Rush Limbaugh and others will even report this scandal...

...to our local United Way campaign (in addition to my regular annual contribution) if T. Boone Pickens pays out one red cent to Kerry or any charity after admitting a Swift Boat Veterans error.

I'm not holding my breath. What the heck, maybe I'll just send that extra $100 anyway -- why should the United Way be held hostage to the behavior of a pack of lying hypocrites?

"Appropriate cherry-picking" of intelligence information.

Someone explain to me, please, how this is achieved without sacrificing truth to the personal agendas of persons unknown?

...that Dubya is the original "compassionate conservative".

Many of us had no idea what that meant -- now we know. It specifically means being AGAINST children and wetlands, among a multitude of other things (while being FOR pre-emptive strikes against imaginary enemies, continued global warming and unrestricted executive power that would amaze absolute dictators of previous eras).

Rule 1: No PDA (public displays of affection), including spontaneous shoulder massages, fanny-patting, or any other form of inappropriate/unwanted physical contact.

Rule 2: Engage brain before putting mouth in gear.

No doubt Angela Merkel can easily abide by these two rules, but as for Dubya? He hasn't so far, so don't hold your breath. Spoiled frat boys like him never like being told what to do, do they?