I don't get this bit about people expecting less of SW and they deliver. That was the case 8 years ago when I started flying them, true. Today it is just not the case. Southwest actually delivers more of what I want in an airline than the majors.

No change fees, just pay the difference in tickets. This is a BIG deal.

Friendlier filght attendents. Yes, they are not all cheerful, but they are on average definitely less surly than American/United.

A snack on every flight and a snack box on the longer ones. No one hits me up for money for a snack or (on Brussels airlines) a drink of water. Alchohol is cheaper too ($4 vs. $5).

A faster, less BS boarding process. ("We now welcome aboard our business class. Now gold card holders. Now silver.")

What don't I get: an actual seat assignment, but the new board in order process means I get to stay in my waiting room seat until the last minute. I also don't get the ability to fly standby for free. I'm not sure if the majors offer that either these days.

So even taking out these baggage fees, if i have the chance to fly Southwest or Frontier or a major, I choose the "discount" airline even if the cost is the same.

Oh yeah?

On one particular flight I was on I had a 5-year old in back of me old kicking my seat the whole damn flight from Denver to Chicago. I looked back and glared at the father several times to no avail. When we got up to leave, I said "You might think about keeping your kid from kicking the seat of the next person in front of him." The father's response: "That's what you get when you lean your seat back."

Now hey, if some 6'6" guy behind me asks me not to put my seat back, I'll probably comply even if the person in front of ME is squeezing me in. But a 5-year old who can't reach the floor, just the back of my seat? No, way.

So patience cuts both ways, eh?

Clinton already got all the benefit that the FL and MI primaries were designed to give. FL and MI decided that the race would be over early and that the impact of a primary where the votes didn't count on influencing later contests would be greater than a primary where the votes did count later. In fact, according to the rules, they could have had primaries BEFORE Super Tuesday, right?

So, Clinton "won" both of these contests and she got the bump the were designed to give. It wasn't enough.

Now that the GOP has closed ranks behind McCain

Has it really? McCain pull 73% of the vote in NC and 77% of the vote in IN. I'd like to see a comparison of how much discord there is in the Republican process this late compared to, say the Democrats in 2004. As I recall, Kerry sewed things up about as far into the process. Was Kerry still losing 25% of the vote in the last primaries to Dean and Edwards? I have no idea what the answer is, I'm curious.

How are "allies" going to help us get out of Iraq? This sounds like a more mild version of Kucinich's fantasy that we could pick up and leave Iraq, it would stabilize, and our "allies" -- who we just had to ask -- would go in and police the place.

Let's be realistic, when we leave, the only people going in *might* be the Iranians.

Can they fire the snarky left and right commentators at the same time? Dowd and Kristol? And replace them with two thoughtful people? I'd settle for two thoughtful conservatives even.

Last I knew, a parent could opt his or her child out of sex ed. Then they're free to teach them that you can get pregnant from making out in a bathing suit if they so desire.

That's pretty much what Hilary's answers were. The usual election season pandering on gas prices.

Yes, they are taxed. IIRC, the Federal tax on a gallon is 18 cents. So by all means, lets drop the price a little and drive up consumption thereby driving up long term prices. Great idea, as an article in Salon has recently covered.

Oh, and then lets do the same thing (driving up demand) by releasing oil from the SNPR. And to make matters worse, that's oil the government will have to re-buy later. That'd might be sound policy if you thought oil prices were coming down any time soon, but they're probably not. The SNPR is for an emergency: disruptions in supply, embargoes, war. Not political pandering.

Finally, the trifecta in her ridiculous answer: The oil industry has been investigated any number of times. There has never been a finding of price gouging or collusion except by some local stations. By all means, let's waste money or not investigate serious problems and spend our time looking into this AGAIN.

Factcheck (as always) has a good look at this in their debate coverage. http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/taking_liberties_in_philadelphia.html

McCain also told two bald-faced lies in that episode. I haven't seen anyone call him on them.

First, he said that people with 401K's pay capital gains taxes. They do not.

Second, he claimed "innocent people" were killed in the Weatherman bombings. They were not, unless by bombing you mean "explosion while making a bomb" and by innocent you mean "someone making a bomb."

Good 'ole George let him slide on both of these (or didn't know).