I enjoyed D.L. Hughley's show and thought he did a good job of holding Steele's feet to the fire. Steele wasn't stellar at answering Mr. Hughley's salvos, but at least did a reasonably good job of holding his ground and at distancing the mainstream Republican party from Rush, something the party needs to do to survive.

However, while Steele's original comments regarding Rush were right on target, his complete reversal erased any respect I had for him. I want no part of any person or party that bows down to the likes of Rush and Palin.

Likewise, your article was very effective until you got down in the muck with Rush by using the type of personal attack he uses. It was bad enough in the article without you doing it again in reply to someone who previously pointed out that Rush gave you plenty of material to work with without stooping to his level.

I am less familiar with polar bears and belugas, but Outsiders need to realize there is more than one side to debates about them as well.

Resource development is a major source of jobs and revenue in this state, and often can be and is done in an environmentally responsible manner. Alaskans remember the environonmentalists who swore the Trans-Alaska pipeline would be the end of caribou in Alaska, and that certainly has not been the case, so they tend not to believe the sky is falling just because Chicken Little said so.

It doesn't seem enough is really known about the belugas and why their numbers are so low presently, so legislation intended to protect them may be ineffective in doing so while unnecessarily holding up needed infrastructure development and a renewable energy generation project to harness our tremendous tidal power and thus reduce the amount of fossil fuels or coal burned.

We need to stick to the facts and leave the emotions at home.

I am no Palin fan, as my other letters will verify, but even I have to give her a pass on this one.

Being familiar with the "re-introduction" of wolves in Yellowstone and the predictable results, and having met many fresh-out-of-college-full-of-theory biologists lacking in both common sense and regard for the observations and welfare of old-timers in the area, I tend to be very skeptical of biologists and careful not to confuse their opinions presented as fact with real facts. Most are well-intentioned, but totally unaware of the unintended consequences of their policies and actions on the animals they wish to benefit.

Anyone who has witnessed the gruesome sight of wolves killing healthy young elk, moose, or caribou slowly (sometimes over a number of days) certainly has no misguided, romanticized notions of how "noble" or otherwise wonderful wolves are, and no animal lover I know would prefer slow death by starvation after the game herds are gone to a swift bullet now.

I bet Ashley Judd has never spent any time living in Bush Alaska talking to the elders, and probably has no concept of what it's like to live where you can't just drive to the local grocery store and there's not much of a cash economy. If you're not willing to go there and learn about the issue from all sides, you should keep your mouth shut.

which is worse, your coverage of Sarah Palin or Michelle Obama. One ran on the family values ticket, the other exhibits good, wholesome family values. One is nothing more than a beauty queen, yet Salon reports on her every move like she's a woman of substance. The other is a woman of substance, and yet Salon reports on her looks instead of her activities.

Mrs. Obama is a strong, smart, professional woman balancing a career and family life with kids she obviously chooses to make a priority. She seems a good role model and I want to know what she thinks and what she's accomplishing in her role as First Lady, not what she's wearing and where I can buy the outfit.

Note to Republicans: Next election, consider picking candidates who are the best qualified, regardless of gender (a true feminist perspective). In case you missed the message in November, and it appears you have, there are some intelligent Republican women out there and we voters aren't settling for anything less just because it looks good in a dress.

The 60+ rating is old.

Her first budget was based on $74.41/barrel oil, which was not realistic from the get-go; the new one is $57.78, which is closer, given yesterday's price of $37.41

She is not responsible for either high or low oil prices, but up till now she's had it easy. Let's see how well she does when times are tougher and she can't afford to buy votes with cash handouts just before the election.

Now please declare a moratorium on all Palin reporting until there is actually news to report and thus help her slide into obscurity where she belongs and will no longer be an embarrassment to Alaskans.

makes you a Christian like standing in the garage makes you a car. I'm constantly amazed at people like Sarah Palin who call themselves Christians while engaging in behavior Jesus would find appalling. Her record as mayor and governor and her campaign speeches make it clear this woman is no Christian. Palin's lack of understanding of and respect for the constitution is a real threat to "people in this country who want to lead their individual lives" and "want to be left alone by the government" and "call themselves conservative Republicans" and yet many who identify themselves this way will be duped into voting for her. McCain certainly isn't long on family values, either. Obama, with a wife, 2 kids, 1 house, 1 car who got where he is on his own merit is a whole lot easier for me to identify with.

Thanks, Samantha Bee, for putting "choice" in terms even an old, philandering, condescending, anti-women jerk like McCain can understand.