Mindless parroting by the mainstream media of Beltway-generated talking points, with no effort to present the legitimate concerns and criticisms of those who happen to disagree with that Beltway consensus.

I swear these journalists are fucking stupid. Einstein has them pegged: "The definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

So there they are, the herd, mooing about, talking only to each other, too dumb to listen to anyone else, they feel safe in their herd, they have access to the very best hay and the best hung bulls and get invited to all the best pastures.

And so here we are again - heading down another path designed and built for the Beltway herd, leading to god knows what because people seem to have this paralyzing fear of knowledge that might undermine their belief systems. It's bad enough that so many voters succumbed to the epidemic of cognitive dissonance that they voted for Bush in 2004 despite all the evidence of his incompetence and criminality. It's worse that mainstream journalists (to abuse the word shamelessly) still are infected with cog diss - they've just transferred it to another object of feverish veneration.

Maybe the worst thing is that they think they're a lot smarter than they actually are. That makes it very, very hard to reach them with common sense, logic and facts.

All I know is that with the continual, predictable demonization of dissent - which would appear contrary to what Obama says he wants in his government - we will find ourselves involved in some other incredible mess that will waste more lives, more money and more time.

Glenn, I'm gonna see how you can get nominated for a Pulitzer for distinguished commentary. To my mind you are the leading political analyst and commentator in the news media today. You write more columns, on more issues, in more depth, with more substantiation, references, insight, influence, and proven accuracy, and with greater readership than any columnist in the country, bar none. We are grateful for the long hours, hard work, intelligence, education, and knowledge that you pour into this blog with what to my mind is the purest of intentions: the good of the nation and democracy. And the cool thing is that all I've just said is not hyperbole - it's the truth.

Congratulations! You've more than earned it, and the public more than needs it. I haven't even watched it yet, but I hope there are more appearances to come.

And one of the most important topics I think you could address is one you've repeatedly raised here: the demonization of the left, equating concern over crucial constitutional issues with "far-left fringe" activists, thereby minimizing such concerns and marginalizing those who raise those issues; and chronic misrepresentation to the point of sheer dissembling of such "leftist" (to me, moral) positions as who is suitable to be CIA director or national intelligence director.

These kinds of concerns, as you've so rightly pointed out, are never "leftist" but instead strictly constitutional, legal and moral issues, and for once they need to be shown as such on mainstream media. And it looks to me like you just may be the one to do that in a big way.

Thanks beyond thanks, congratulations, more power to you, and keep on keepin' on.

It's my only point of disagreement with you in your latest stellar column (and you were terrific on Moyers, a seamless performance and an eloquent one). I don't think prostitution should be a crime, and of course it can't begin to compare as one to those of Bush and Cheney and the rest.

It's a common conceit that prostitution is victimless, but it isn't, not the way we treat it now. Because we treat it as a crime, it has victims. The prostitutes themselves, female and male, are the prime victims, with drugs, pimps and disease the main predators. For most who sell their bodies for sex it is a degrading experience and life. Depression and self-abuse are rampant, as is suicide. And homicide. The families of the sellers and buyers are often torn apart. Women who are prostitutes are incredibly likely to have been victims of child abuse, emotional, physical and sexual. The ramifications of this kind of background would resonate through a prostitute's life whether or not prostitution were legal.

People toss off that word "victimless" without really thinking about it - I used to think that way myself - but you don't have to dig very deeply to hit at the hard and tragic truth. There are prostitutes who claim that they like the life, that they're making a rational business decision, that they feel no emotional pain in performing this ancient service. Maybe they're right, or maybe they're fooling themselves.

But for most prostitutes, nothing I can write here can begin to describe the dangerous life and emotional trauma they experience day in and day out. Their lives are too often the epitome of "nasty, brutal and short."

I can just imagine him in full battle gear charging house-to-house with his AK-47 facing down the terrorists, wiping out their families to prevent a new generation of terrorists from growing up, saving Israel for democracy...

you can see the psychic scars, the sad eyes that have seen so much tragedy, the war-weariness, the PTSD...I'm glad he's been able to get some rest, eat well, sleep well, soften his calloused hands, get a little chubby...

You perform a great service publishing photos of these keyboard soldiers - I'll remember the haunted visage of that proud, tough commando Doug Feith as long as I live...

god these guys make me sick