Just a factual point, geezer2: Andrea Mitchell of NBC first reported the Clinton/SoS rumor and she said she had two OBAMA advisors as sources. Many things have been blamed on Hillary, but not that one. It's even more mysterious, that the leak-averse Obama team leaked this.

Thanks, calgodot! You're reassuringly consistent even in your inconsistency. Are you applauding keeping Lieberman as Homeland Security chair?

Ha -- I was in rainy Portland instead! But I got to see my adorable nephews, so it was all good.

Sheesh, thanks bizzbags. Fixed.

Readerreader, what a hodgepodge of good and bad ideas. Bill Clinton actually paid down the deficit and created a huge budget surplus, which our "conservative" president squandered. Plus: we might be able to sit through this mess a little easier if we had the unemployment and health insurance they have in Germany. Much smarter people than me could probably have a lot of fun debating what Clinton might have done instead with that surplus instead, but the idea that these are merely cycles we move through and don't influence...makes zero sense to me.

luminesce, yes, blessed are the peacemakers! Happy Thanksgiving to you and weeping and gehgoeson and klytus and Faulkner Jr. and especially Faulkner Jr.'s father. And New York, NY, as well. I don't think anybody's going to change anyone's mind here tonight, so I hope people treat one another with kindness.

salonmarte, thanks for being here, I hope you have a peaceful and calm holiday, and let us know how you are. I'd like to extend your Premium membership as my holiday gift to you. Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm glad Samantha Power's back, she's a great mind. It's awfully gracious of that monster Hillary Clinton to go along with it, too!

jaydiamond and mattielisbon, thank you, I just updated the post with the Parry article and another quote I found from Hans Blix. The snippet of the interview I watched didn't include the claim that Saddam wouldn't allow in weapons inspectors. Thanks for catching that!

cestmoi123, I'm aware of the usage of "shadow government" in the UK. Why would you assume I'm not? It simply doesn't have the same connotation here -- especially when used by a member of the Bush family.

Thanks, Smitty33, AKA Smith, weeping and bebop-o, and happy holidays to you too -- and to everyone, even (especially?) those who keep coming back, even though they find such fault with me. I think there's a Christmas story in there somewhere!

LaurieNY, if you know anything about me -- and you do! -- you know I'm also Irish Catholic, and I know you can be Catholic and be pro-choice. Likewise, I have family members who are personally anti-abortion but support choice. The issue, for me, is that we honestly don't know for certain, from the public record -- she hasn't made public statements on issues of huge controversy. This is not the way we elect, or even appoint, U.S. Senators. As AKA Smith says, she should be holding press conferences and meeting voters as she sits down with local political leaders on her political tour. Politicians have bad weeks, and now that she's decided she's a politician, she's had a bad one. Let's see what comes next.

Thank you, AJCalhoun, I really appreciate that. And thank you, too, klytus -- did you see you were namechecked? I was afraid I would embarrass you, but...it's all about the truth-telling.

Ah, cass32, wicked witch? Really?

Dr. Zachary Smith, I loved "Lost in Space," and you picked such a great name, thank you.

I appreciate both of you for all you taught me in 2008.

And thank you, Drewonimo. It was hard to be wrong as often as I was, but you do learn a lot!

rnostbakken, that reply is beneath you. There's nothing shallow about my post -- abortion and education are both worthy issues. Please, spell out your reasons for thinking Caroline Kennedy is qualified, rather than attacking me. Or else you're doing what you say I'm doing.

And happy new year!

bebop-o, I don't always understand you, but I do usually enjoy you, and I had no idea what John Anderson was referring to, myself.

blackpaw, do you ever think of spelling out your thoughts? Because that elliptical sample of my thinking only made me think: The black man won, and the white woman lost. Now, I honestly don't think that's a fair assessment of what happened. I think Obama beat Clinton, fair and square, and ran a much better campaign. And I think racism is at least equal to sexism in its persistence and perniciousness. At least equal, but not necessarily worse. I'm not sure. I certainly wouldn't simplify it as "man won, woman lost" but...you simplified it, unfairly.

So...I wrote a lot. Apparently, you disagree. Spell out where you think I'm wrong, my friend. Don't rely on your moral superiority and your ellipses to prove your point. It's beneath you.

Hi Freddie, there were really too many to link. If you weren't reading at the time, I'm not sure why you're commenting. But happy new year!

Thanks, Scott. You were right; I just didn't think, with Obama's slim record and...ahem...singular background, he could win. But clearly, by the time Clinton lost Iowa, it should have been obvious she could, and would, lose. More than anything else, like you, I wanted someone who could beat McCain (or whomever) and a year ago, anyway, I didn't think that was Obama. I assume that's why I had a semi-paranoid reaction to the MSM idolizing Obama and trashing Clinton (once again).

justaguestnow, thanks for sharing that. I'd wonder about what exactly you thought I did wrong, but I guess since you're just driving by, you don't have to share that.