I agree that if there's one distinguishing characteristic of politics in the Internet Age, it's the molecular breakdown of minutae and metablowup of every innocent-yet-inartful comment.

However, Hillary's comment was not innocent or insignificant.

As she has proven over the course of this campaign, she doesn't say anything by accident. She has been the definition of the focus-grouped talking point, and it has transformed her public persona in to something utterly inhuman (why else did her numbers spike after she cried?). She knows every public thing she says runs through the endless sieve of the blogosphere and cybertubes and interwebs and the stuff like this is the size of a wrecking ball. And it's not like she said this to a room of private donors ... she said it to USAfreakingToday.

But what adds to the malevolence of this comment is not just that it was intentionally broadcast over McNews, but the timing. She knows damn well that the race is over, and she knows damn well that a fractured Democratic party is the best way to put McCain in office. She also knows damn well that the only way the party doesn't fracture is if Obama is nominated and she uses her influence to convince Joe and Jo Sixpack to not believe Uncle Ignoramus's emails about Obama's secret muslim leanings.

Either she's such a delusional megalomaniac that she can't help herself, or she's the most diabolical power-hungry scamp to ever grace the national stage.

The core commandment of primary politics is "thou shalt not harm the party". She's taking a giant dump on that commandment.

So no, this isn't a trivial matter. She needs to stop this shit, like immediately.

Masochist or troll? If you're really as heated up as your posts indicate, you need to be careful not to burst a blood vessel. And one would ask why you do it to yourself? There are plenty of message boards filled with dipshits like you who can stroke each other with their misguided simplistic drivel.

On the other hand, if you're just trolling, bravo for a consistent and believable performance. You really do pull off the paranoid racist bloviating idiot. So if that's the case, nice work.

I know it does no good to just say the West Virginia voters are a bunch of uneducated racist idiots who would sooner vote for Charles Manson than a black man for President.

But it seems that changing hearts and minds who are born racist takes generations, not an election cycle. I'd love to imagine we live in a country where people in West Virginia are open to hearing about Obama and his policies. I just can't imagine a scenario where this is even remotely possible.

That's the problem with ignorance ... curing it takes willing participants, and most ignoramuses are 1) convinced they know everything; and 2) instantly skeptical of anyone who challenges their belief systems. The only short-term solution for getting votes is feeding the beast, which Hillary is utterly unashamed to do. Obama can only do so much to feed the beast, because so many people won't even listen to him because of his skin color.

So I guess the happy medium is to treat West Virginia as it deserves to be treated - as utterly inconsequential.

It's always interesting to go back and see what was being said about someone before we really got to know them. When there was no real reason to spin, and not every utterance of the subject was being dissected to the molecular level. When Turow was writing about Barack Obama the person, and not Barack Obama the Brand.

To the critical reader who is also critical of Obama, it should allay some fears while reinforcing others. He has proven experience with the legislative process, and he is a prodigious and precocious learner. The latter is a very good quality for the POTUS to possess, as nobody but an incumbent has experience with the job.

He has also shown a pattern of "getting ahead of himself" politically, as those who think he is an ambitious opportunistic climber will be quick to point out. But this argument rings hollow - where are they worried Obama will want to go next? And where has he shown that he was in over his head? If anything, Turow shows that while there have been bumps along the way, Obama has always mastered his role quickly and successfully.

It's an interesting look into what people were saying about Obama when he didn't matter as much, and that's when you tend to find the more honest inquiries, and where you find out what he's really like as a person.