But I wonder, I truly wonder if we would have been better off if the Democrats had not won Congress in 06. Being in the minority, they fought the Repugs at least some of the time. Since attaining the majority, that has vanished, except of course for the lip service about opposing the president, which is purely for the dumdums. I find the Democratic party since 06 unrecognizable. Perhaps things will turn around if they get the presidency and a stronger hold on Congress - maybe there's a secret plan - not unimaginable. But there's no evidence of it. I wonder if Bush is simply blackmailing them. Powerful people may have powerful secrets, and perhaps he listened in on enough calls to get the goods on Pelosi and Reid +?. I hate this.

Of all the "hold your nose and vote" -type incidents I've had in my lifetime, this is the most challenging to me. I may not vote for Obama.

No, I'm not voting for the old man either. I don't know what I'll do. But it's unconscionable to me to contemplate voting for someone who supported this clearly awful bill - the worst in my lifetime.

Obama proved to me today that he is nothing out of the ordinary. A complete hack, already corrupted by beltway politics, willing to compromise any principle to win. Although I am a Democrat and despise the Republicans with a loathing I normally reserve for seal-clubbers and vampires, Obama has, by supporting this anti-American-values, awful bill, lost my vote.

Liberty, or death. I don't give a crap for those who defend Obama. He abdicated, he whiffed, he pussed-out, whatever you want to call it. He showed a lack of sincerity, which I cannot forgive. I say this to the many defenders of Obama - FU - you are supporting someone who does not support the simple principle of - liberty, or death. So what are you in fact, supporting. We had it better when the Dems were in the minority and at least tried to fight the Repugs. Do you not realize that it is worse with the Dems in power - amazing as it is for me to say this, but I believe it - do you NOT REALIZE THE ABSOLUTE BETRAYAL OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF ITS OWN CONSTITUENTS AND PRINCIPLES. I wonder if we are headed to a new revolution. Let's use that word - revolution - more.

I've nothing else to add.

I'm donating. Excellent analysis.

I read your story with great interest. I then went to ABCNews.com and found a story called "Suspected Anthrax Scientist Kills Himself" and posted a link to your story with a comment that you had critized them as having hyped the nonexistent Iraq/anthrax link and asked them did they have a response. I used plain english and was not hostile in my tone. The comment went up this morning but has now (1 pm ET) been removed, along with another post I saw which referenced this story. ABC = A (B)unch of (C)owards.

http://tinyurl.com/6x3ds8

Is it overloaded?

Obama, like the whole rest of the Democratic party, ignores the will of Democratic voters. I will not vote for him because he supported the awful telcom immunity bill. The Democratic party needs to be purged of him and all the other sellouts. i have never been so enraged by poltics in my life. I expect the Republicans to be evil, so their shenanigans don't bother me as much.

I have long worried that the Bush gang, knowing they are likely to lose in November, and further knowing that criminal prosecutions are likely in the future, would create some kind of crisis which would enable them to take power and end democracy in America. I thought they would maybe fake an attack on a polling place and use it to shut down the vote, but this is infinitely more clever if this is that crisis. An unaccountable budget? Ye gods. Is this it? The power grab that ends us? Is it time to take to the streets?

Here's the disclaimer which appears right above the comment form. Well designed to prevent any critical commentary from getting through:

PLEASE READ: All comments must be approved before appearing in the thread; time and space constraints prevent all comments from appearing. We will only approve comments that are directly related to the blog, use appropriate language and are not attacking the comments of others.

Correction: the strip started in 39.

I've been enraged since the Supreme Court stopped the Florida recount in 2000. NOW I'M MAD ALL THE TIME AT EVERYONE. Let's revive the guillotine, it's "let them eat cake" time.

Let's go to D.C. There simply is no other way. We need to be in their faces about this.

No sympathy. I consider Republicans to be traitors.

Erichael Holdcasey

Nothing, nothing, nothing.

I read every word of the transcript and am also sickened and shamed that Chuck Todd is allowed to call himself a journalist. What a scumbag. Your questions: clear and commonsensical. His responses: rationalizing evil. Good God what is this country coming to when such a sycophantic toady to the administration is considered to in any way be a valid voice in this conversation. PROSECUTE THEM ALL.

We have political parties with opposing views. Not dissimilar, not slightly different, but truly opposite. It makes no more sense for Democrats to compromise on healthcare with Republicans than for nonsmokers to try to compromise with smokers and have everyone smoke "a little bit."

If only we could harness the power of the comments sections of Glenn's stories: if we could hook up the kinetic energy as fingers type, we could power a city; if we could harness the rage at the arrogant preening boobs like Williams (the worst of the bunch in my opinion) into cash payments to Glenn, he could build a whole new industry for online journalism.

Death, Taxes, and Shatner