I salute Hillary Clinton for her grace, persistence, intelligence and abilities. She would have made a formidable opponent for the Repubs as either our Presidential or Vice-Presidential nominee. Sadly, her accomplishments were ignored, her service to America downplayed and her campaign denigrated by blatantly false charges of racism. Looks like the Repubs have creepy company within our own party with our own Rovian slime-merchants.

In putting the final touch on her quest for the White House with class, good-humor and kudos for Barack Obama's candidacy, she cemented her position as a woman of gravitas and grace. Should Mr. Obama fail in his race for the Presidency, only the most venal, most vile and most uninformed would blame Hillary.

Of course, "they" will never see that their candidate is perhaps not the strongest one that could have been selected. Such is the price we all pay when celebrity trumps experience.

You wrote: "Unimpeachable family man, incredibly successful businessman, founded hugely successful financial firm, “saved” 2000 Salt Lake City Olympics, elected Republican Governor of “bluest state,” Massachusetts, “perfect” SAT score in High School, valedictorian in college, served 30 months as missionary." NYShooter

Since when does fathering children make anyone more or less of a human being? It simply means that his testicles are in working order.

Making money as a businessman/financial officer simply means that he found a way to amass a fortune of a quarter billion dollars...nothing more.

The SLC Olympics were the product and result of thousands of volunteers and corporate sponsors; to ascribe the "success" of the Olympics as a "save" by Mitt stretches and defies logic.

He was elected Governor of Massachusetts as a moderate who supported gay rights and did not object to a woman's right to choose. His subsequent flip-flops on those issues, and others, makes him an opportunist...not a principled person.

I scored a 1600 SAT score. I'm not running for President and had forgotten that fact until you made it a salient issue. Thanks.

Valedictorian simply means he gave the farewell speech at the commencement. Thousands of other men and women have been valedictorians and, according to you, are as equally-qualified to be President.

Missionary for 30 months? You mean "self-serving Mormon who spreads his faith through brain-washing otherwise happy people worldwide". When Mitt began his run for President, he enlisted the help of his network of Mormons to raise money...in defiance of federal laws. When he was caught, he professed ignorance. I didn't buy that then and I still don't. He used his faith to raise money and awareness for his Presidential run.

No, NYShooter, there's so much more to being a great President than the few "qualifications" you enumerate for Mitt. Try again.

It's no wonder that Mssrs. Lieberman, Thompson, Bush, et al, are in full-throat slamming Democrats in general and Barack Obama in particular simply because they have nothing, NOTHING positive to offer America. How they can simply lie to the American public, with so much ease, tells much about the abject lack of honor they possess.

Having a legitimate debate about issues, including factual material, is a part of the political process; abject disinformation, delivered as truth, makes a mockery of the Republican Party.

Of course, the Republicans strayed long ago from the party of Lincoln to the party of Edsel.

McCain/Palin, simply by flying into the Christian Right's "Mecca", i.e. Colorado Springs, for a rally, are tacitly paying homage to the Right. No other explanation is needed. You can bet that secret, private and unscrutinized meetings between McCain and the Mullahs of Intolerence who lead the Right are held often with John/Sarah on bended knee, puckering up to buss their backsides.

John McCain held a secret, no press allowed personal meeting with Philadelphia's Catholic Cardinal Rigali last week during a private fund-raising trip to Philadelphia. Gee..I wonder how low John genuflected at the Cardinal's knee seeking the support of Catholics?

The so-called "maverick" John McCain, plus, Sarah Palin, the cultural-right's poster woman for bigotry and intolerence, are together making a concerted play for the Christian Right. John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin wasn't a choice based on her competence to actually be the Vice-President, it was a sop to the Religious Right to energize the Republican Party's base.

Using religion as a hammer to bash one's opponent is not only part and parcel of the Republican slime machine, its a major part of their strategy of divide and conquer. Be prepared for even more vitriol against Barack Obama based on a litany of short-comings as espoused by the Right Wing.

Because Barack Obama didn't pick the OBVIOUS and better choice for his VP, Hillary Clinton, then John McCain's selection of a woman has resonated better with voters and energized the dispirited Republican base.

I wonder where the race would be had Obama done the right thing and picked Hillary...a woman who won 18 million Democratic votes that Barack didn't get...as his VP?

Too bad Barack couldn't see past his former disagreement with Hillary, and with Bill, to "do the right thing", as it were. I think his pride got the best of him and he may, as well as the rest of us, pay the price for his short-sightedness.

1) the ref was a BYU fan, or...

2) the ref had $$ riding on the outcome of the game, or...

3) the ref was one of those "undies-in-a-wad-by-the-book-everything-is-black-and-white" kind of guys who wouldn't understand natural exuberance if it bit him on his butt.

In any event, Washington was, imho, robbed. Period.