I used to value CNN as a venue for breaking news of importance; sadly, it has become a cross between a video "People" magazine and "National Enquirer". From the breathless and non-stop coverage of the death of Anna Nicole Smith to endless repetition of the same tired news stories, ad infinitum, CNN has become a joke.

Wolf Blitzer out-lived his Warholian fifteen minutes of fame about two minutes into it. The anchors look like central casting candidates for the latest "StarTrek: Next Generation" TV show; their vapid, insipid and inane questions and responses make one cringe.

Wolf Blitzer is the worst interviewer/questioner ever! After he poses a l-o-n-g, multi-part question, he barely lets the interviewee answer before he interupts or interjects. Mr. Blitzer usually takes up both sides of any interview.

Perhaps CNN had relevance ten years ago, but, not any more.

"It would be totally awesome to have a female U.S. President (utters beneath its breath the voice of white male guilt). Why by the hammer of Thor does it have to be THAT WOMAN, MRS. CLINTON?

-- Prof. Andmaryann"

I respectfully disagree with your assessment:

"THAT WOMAN", as you call Ms. Clinton, just happens to be one sharp candidate for President and will make an awesome one. She has charm, chrisma, intelligence, vision, a sense of humor and compassion. I haven't seen that in any of the Republicans, at all!

I suspect your "Hillary Hate" has blinded you to just what a remarkable person she is and what a good President she will be.

BTW, I'm a white male with no guilt; I believe in voting for the best PERSON for President...gender, race, ethnicity, et al, notwithstanding, and, Hillary Clinton is that person.

As a Liberal/Progressive, I take issue with "anonymous'" descriptor of me, or any of us, as dancing on America's grave and taking delight in the imminent downfall of this country.

My direct, lineal ancestry goes back to John Chandler who came to Jamestowne, Virginia at age 9 in 1610. It includes descent from seven members of the "Mayflower". My 9th great-grandfather was General Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox", who practically invented guerilla warfare during the American Revolution. Members of my family have distinguished themselves by serving in the military of this country in every single conflict facing this country since before this was the United States of America...down to my service as an officer with the United States Navy during Desert Storm and my two sons who are currently serving as Marine officers: one in Afghanistan and one who has just rotated out of Iraq.

Let's place the "blame" squarely where it is on America's so-called "decline": George W. Bush, whose blather, hubris and miscalculations have hurt us more than any administration in the history of the United States. His phony intelligence on WMD and other red herrings have decimated America.

As Liberals/Progressives, this USN Lt. Commander (ret) and his two currently-serving sons, Marine Lieutenant and Marine Captain, take issue with your verbal diarrhea. You fit the mold...pun intended...of the Bushites who smear anyone who doesn't share their bastardized "vision" of America as un-American or un-patriotic.

Try that "un-American liberal/progressive" shit with me or my two sons face-to-face; hiding behind "anonymous" is where you should stay.

Huckabee is just one more Southern-Fried God-Huckster who demonstrates an abysmal lack of candor: he wants a theocracy in this country...as long as the theocrats who are in-charge are BornAgains!

Those who claim to have spoken to God, or worse, to have been spoken TO by God, are the scariest; Mike Huckabee should scare anyone who believes in a true separation of Church and State.

"...So that's how it happens...I always wondered how normal Americans became republicans.-- Wabanatta_3..."

Uh, "normal Americans" don't become Republicans; abnormal Americans who have undergone frontal lobotomies become Republicans.

Big diff...

"I'm shocked", the young man said as he recoiled in horror. "I'm shocked that the Bush Administration, which presented itself as a compassionate conservative one, is actually more interested in corporate profits than compassion. That means that Mr. Bush...lied!"

"All that Bush demonstrates are ostentatious shows of faux-Christianity, a lack of empathy for those struggling to make it through each single day and a dearth of charity for anyone other than his corporate-class buddies.", he mused, adding, "I wonder what he thinks his legacy will be because of his avarice and hubris?"

The wiser friend of the author, putting an arm around the shoulder of the political neophyte, leaned and whispered in his ear, "We get the kind of President we pay for...and, we have paid a mightily high price for this one."

The younger man, crestfallen, turned to the friend and asked, plaintively, "So, what do we do when another candidate comes along and promises to be a compassionate conservative and wants our vote?"

The author's friend became silent for a moment, composed himself, and turned to him, saying, "We get a shovel and a shotgun; the shovel for the plethora of bullshit spread by the conservatives." "And, the shotgun?", his naive friend inquired.

"That's in case they think we'll buy into their bullshit for the third election in a row", he said.

They both laughed as they donned their coats and headed out to the hardware store for large shovels and a couple of nice Benelli 12-gauge semi-auto shotguns and a case of triple-ought buckshot.

Walter, Walter, Walter...>>tsk<<

Sometimes, a candidate looks like a dingbat, doofus or dimwit because...Taa Daa!...said candidate is, indeed, a dingbat, doofus or dimwit! Hard to compete with that!

Whether its Fred Thompson looking like an old, rumpled couch-cover...Mitt Romney looking like an unctious, aluminum-siding salesman...Rudy Giuliani lisping his way through a "thpeech"...John McCain aging like the "Picture of Dorian Gray" right before our eyes...Mike Huckabee self-flagelating like an Opus Dei adherent on crack...or, Tom Tancredo vigorously holding his right arm down from making a Third Reichian salute...these guys have more warts than a 500-pound warthog.

I always enjoy watching campaign commercials for a candidate and then comparing that idealized persona to the actual candidate on the stump; the differences are hilarious.

Its kinda like seeing Superman in his torn and stained boxer-shorts.

Many, many thanks for your contribution with "Mike, This Is God Speaking"; your humor is razor-sharp.

Thanks for giving me, and Salon's other readers, a much-needed laugh out-loud.

AnaHadWolves