It's always astounding to me that the completely private, irrelevant, sexual lives of Democratic politicians always get viewed as "career-changing" events. Yet, the sexual history of Republicans, without fail, gets a free pass, even when the details are well known and much worse.

In 1971 George W Bush paid for his girlfriend's abortion. The woman, Robin Lowman (now Robin Garner), had the procedure done at the Twelve Oaks Hospital in Houston, TX (now the Bayou City Medical Center). There has never been any disputing the facts of the case – but the press just intentionally refused to cover it or ever talk to Mrs. Garner, all the while giving his religious bullshit a free pass. Is there any doubt if that had been John Edwards, who never appointed himself "God's chosen one" the way the horrifically hypocritical "Christian" George W Bush has, he never would have gotten out of the primaries, let alone served 2 terms and never have the abortion discussed in the mainstream media?

Reading these "I never knew this man" type editorials this week about John Edwards are not just baffling, it places on Democratic candidates a litmus test that Republicans not only couldn’t pass, but their offenses (from George W Bush, to Mark Foley, to Larry Craig, to David Vitter) are ALWAYS considerably worse.

Earlier this year the US State Department released its 2007 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices around the world

Some of their criticisms -

On Burma: "prisoners were forced to squat or assume stressful, uncomfortable, or painful positions for lengthy periods"

On Cameroon: "security forces reportedly continued to subject prisoners and detainees to degrading treatment, including stripping them"

On Iran : "Common methods of abuse in prisons included prolonged solitary confinement with sensory deprivation, long confinement in contorted positions… [and] sleep deprivation."

On Libya: "included chaining detainees to a wall for hours… depriving detainees of sleep, food, and water… and threatening [them] with dog attacks."

On North Korea: "prolonged periods of exposure to the elements, humiliations such as public nakedness, confinement for up to several weeks in small punishment cells"

They obviously need to understand things the way we do here in America.

"So who are the great people on cable news who are better, who should have their own shows? Lanny Davis and Sean Hannity?" -- Glenn Greenwald

He just told you - Joe Scarborough, who isn't a "smug know-it-all" like that lesbian-denying "Divine Miss M"! (No dysfuntional anger issues there)

And as maturity pointed out, who can watch Chris "We're all neo-cons now" Matthews since he became so "far left"!

Note to self: Buy more locks for the front door

Great piece, Glenn!

Those exact quotes in audio & video should be compiled into an Obama campaign commercial with statistical information at the bottom of the screen on John McCain and his kept status as a 'man sucking at the teat' of his wife’s inheritance – the money 'other men earned'.

Using the exact words of Coulter, Hannity, Limbaugh, Malkin, Cheney, and all the other feces-throwing monkeys of the GOP would be poetic justice. I’d love to see them try to refute their own words or accuse to Obama of a smear campaign when it would be their own attack campaign Obama would be using.

As with CEO’s that setup golden parachutes for when their company’s fail, I can’t help but imagine that the Lieberman’s, Kristol’s, Graham’s, Kagan’s, Cheney’s, etc, must all have golden parachutes for when they finally destroy the United States. I have no doubt that the Bush’s are very eager to go to Saudi Arabia and setup shop with the Bin Laden’s, the Saudi Royals, and all their other terrorism-sponsoring buddies.

After decimating the US military, the US economy, our standing in the world, and any pretense of behaving in a lawful way internationally -- on top of having the US lose so monumentally in Iraq, Afghanistan, and {fill in the blank with the next country where the rightwing causes America to get defeated so ignominiously} -- I just hope that if the rightwingers can somehow convince China to nuke the United States that AT LEAST they won’t get out of here alive, and that they'll have to pay the same price the American people pay. Kind of like a B-Movie where the traitor thinks he’s allied himself with the enemy, only to find out the enemy hates him as much as anyone.

“what shape would an effective personal attack on McCain's character take? Is there any way for the Democrats to do it and avoid the weeks of Republican hissy fit that are sure to follow?”

-- Soprano2

He supports a war that the overwhelming majority of Americans oppose. That’s such a clear, stark, irrefutable reality about his character; it just needs to be repeated in ads over and over and over again.

As Glenn has pointed out several times, the American people (for want of a better phrase) CLEARLY want to ‘cut and run’ from the failed Iraq occupation. Just keep showing the clip of McCain saying 100 years in Iraq "would be fine with me", along with him hugging the man-child imbecile who took us there.

When you have 80% of the country thinking we’re on the wrong track, simple truths with few words can be powerful.

By the way, is there some reason that neither Gore nor Carter are speaking at this convention? I know Harry Reid is a “rousing” speaker, but how about more passionate liberals and less status quo conservatives at a Democratic Convention?

Thanks!