But his campaign advisor's have run the most divisive, nasty campaign imaginable and he has not said a word.

If you really, honestly, sincerely think that was "the most divisive, nasty campaign imaginable", that's a pretty unimpressive imagination you have. There have been many far more divisive and nasty campaigns that don't even need to be imagined, because they've actually happened.

Are you exaggerating for effect, or politically naive?

Cue up the "Democrats and Republicans are all the same" script from people who depend on headlines for their news.

John McCain thanks you.

I will not forgive Obama for being the first ever major candidate to reject public financing.

Considering the list of things you're already holding against Obama -- including the abhorrent offense of winning the nomination -- I'm not sure adding one more thing to it matters much.

Well, obviously they're very concerned. They're concerned about all these negative things being said about Obama, and they simply want to provide a context for other concerned people to discuss them.

Plus, maybe they're concerned that their page-hits have dropped since Obama clinched the nomination.

"If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election."

Is it spin to say this wasn't a promise to use public financing, or is it spin to say that it was a promise? (Or both?)

Personally, I think the latter is much more of a spin than the former. I'm not really impressed with all of the folks here buying into the Republican spin.

I hadn't considered the possibility that a joint appearance would fuel more Clinton-as-VP speculation, but maybe I'm just a little slow this morning.

There's no question that I'd still vote for Obama, but I don't think they're a good combination and I have a hard time understanding why Clinton would want the spot.

Hmmm. Actually, it occurs to me that the joint Obama-Clinton appearance might be a good time to introduce a VP choice who isn't Clinton ...

I wish it had happened sooner, but better late than never.

You sorta descended into confusion about halfway through, but you start off with an interesting point.

I admit that my knowledge of Islam is incomplete, but my understanding is that discrimination against women is no more inherent to Islam than it is to Christianity. Yes, some adherents to each interpret their scriptures that way, and yes, it's reasonable to find that disturbing.

I think the best we can do is help make sure there are paths out of discriminatory situations if women choose to leave -- available economic support, available educational opportunities, exposure to more egalitarian-minded adherents, etc. Then, if they wish to continue to wear headscarves -- or chains, for that matter -- that's their choice, however that seems to us.

It's true that many women in those contexts don't have meaningful choices ... as is true of too many women all over the world, including the US. Some branches of religions provide an all-too-convenient excuse to discriminate against women, but I don't agree that it's a problem with the religions per se.

Way to miss the point. Nice try, though.

Not only is it a Marxist lie, it is impossible for man is not God and he cannot change the Heavens.

I have to admit that I'm not sure of the Pastafarian stance on this matter. I will have to consult with my local pirate captain about whether the Flying Spaghetti Monster allows humans to change the heavens or not.

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.

The gods know Obama isn't perfect, but if you actually think he'd be the same as the old boss, you really haven't been paying attention.

When Obama is elected, we're not going to be able to relax, put our feet up, and ignore the government for four to eight years.

The one thing about an Obama victory we will be able to take some comfort from is that -- I hope -- the administration may actually pay a little attention to the people, rather than just totally ignoring us. So all our noises may actually have some effects then, unlike it usually does now. But we will have to keep making noises.

If it's that big of a deal...

...then perhaps Obama should swallow hard and choose the VP candidate that most Democrats want and who is most likely to win us the Presidency ...

There's something to that, but I think Al Gore will be more useful in the Obama administration in some role other than VP -- maybe an expanded version of the Secretary of Energy post.

You can't possibly expect anyone to take this speculation seriously. You're too smart to mean it seriously. It's the sort of thing politically-naive people kick around at the bar after two or three drinks.

It's. Not. Gonna. Happen.

Don't worry your little head about it; gay cooties can't get at you through the intertubes.

And I think all of you who are demanding Yoo's dismissal from Berkeley should remember the principle of Academic Freedom.

The principle of academic freedom doesn't protect people who are clearly incompetent in the field that they've been hired to teach.

This isn't a matter of legal interpretation. John Yoo has repeatedly and publicly made statements that are factually incorrect about topics that are central to his field. If there was a history professor who was hired to teach 20th century history and they publicly insisted that world was at peace between the end of the Great War and the beginning of the Korean War, it wouldn't make sense to argue that they should keep their job as a matter of academic freedom.