Mary Beth, I've "known" you long enough to know that you and your husband would not be making this decision lightly. And that you will both continue to be deeply involved and caring parents.

It's a very painful thing when getting bumped around by life exposes the fault lines in a marriage. We all go into marriage believing that hard times will draw us closer together. So if we fail at that, it's an especially bitter blow. This isn't the life you had imagined when you had your daughters, but I know you will continue to love each other as their parents, and as hard as things may be for you now, you'll come through this intact.

(Postscript)

In fact, no less a personage than the Governor of California has already commented on Barack Obama's physique -- but in a mocking way, in a major speech at a McCain rally.

But this article on Michelle Obama was socially astute, funny, and yes, joyful.

I appreciate Michelle Obama for her intelligence, her strength, professionally accomplishments, political integrity, humor, honesty, and her commitment to her family. Her beauty and fashion sense, and her obvious comfort in her own skin, booty and all, is icing on the cake. She's an all-around kickass babe, and a fabulous role model.

Yes, absolutely, right-wing hate talk is fomenting a climate of violence. The only plausibly effective response that I can see is an across-the-board boycott of any company that advertises on Fox and other television and radio networks that broadcast this violent filth.

Oh, and: when David Letterman starts going on air night after night spewing hatred toward the Palin girls and inciting their murder -- then the loony letter-writers stretching for some sort of comparison could have a point. But: it's not going to happen, ever. There is NOTHING comparable to right-wing hate speech on the center or left.