When the majority of our economy is based upon consumer spending and not manufacturing or technology- we've got a huge problem.

Think about what has happened- the government, in league with corporations- created the false bubble which we are now seeing burst. They sold the infrastructure of this nation out through travesties like NAFTA and outsourcing. It was good for them in the short term- they were able to make large profits up front, but this kind of thinking is unsustainable and disastrous. It's the equivalent of selling the roof off your house when the weather is good just to have some extra pocket change.

Even if most Americans could afford to buy a flat screen TV right now, it won't help us. Where are those TV's made? China. Nice. So all of that money that could be re-circulating in our own economy gets sent overseas where it disappears. All because the people at the top thought a service economy was better than an economy based upon manufacturing.

Then what, pray tell, constitutes a crook? Charles Manson? Bush subverted the rule of law in this country in the most blatant and reckless way we have ever seen. If Bush is not a crook, then there is no such thing as a crook.

May I also point out one shopworn phrase the GOP always offers?

"Whatever George W. Bush did was after the savage attack of 9/11, in which 3,000 Americans were killed, it was done in service of trying to protect this country."

I ask - Who was President DURING the attack on 9/11?

My concerns, as the new administration develops, is how full it is of previous Clinton staffers. One reason I supported Obama in the primaries was the fact that he offered a change from the mentality and methods Washington insiders. I also felt very strongly that the Republic we live in is not well served by dynastic leadership. Switching between Bush/Clinton families is not how you refresh the civic enterprise.

My concern is not so much that these staffers would be beholden to Clinton himself, but that their ideas atrophied back in the Clinton administration. We are in an unprecedented period in our history, and running things with the mindset of "It's 1994 again!" will NOT work.

In my cynical moments I get frustrated. I sincerely wonder- had Clinton won the primary and then the Presidency- would she have a place in the cabinet for Obama? My sense is she would have sent him packing back to Illinois to serve out his Senate term. So why did he pick her? I voted for Obama because I want REAL change in the way my government is run, not more of the fucking same. More of the same doesn't work.

And as to a quote Mr. Fraser's article, "Recycled Clintonism is recycled neo-liberalism." I would add that recycled Clintonism is nothing more than center-right governance and triangulation. The people have spoken loud and clear this time- we want more out of our government and leadership than the choice between hard-right and center-right.

I try to remain practical and optimistic, and I will certainly hope for the best and do what I can to work for that as an individual. Ultimately, at that level of governance, the pool of experienced and capable individuals who could be considered for cabinet positions must be rather small. By that rationale, there are likely to be some familiar names. But I hope- I need- this administration to move in a bold and new direction. The politics of the past is just that-past.

and I hope they are convicted.

There needs to be a severe punishment here. This needs to serve as a wake-up call to mercenary groups like Blackwater, and for the Federal Government which was stupid and shortsighted for hiring bloodthirsty mercenaries to do the job of real soldiers.

I seriously hope that we're not in for another replay of the Clinton years in regard to supposed controversies.

But- typical of right wing nutcases- they're only interested in fabricating charges and conspiracies against Democrats, while actual documented abuses are being committed by their own party.

The right wing never changes. They get into positions of power, run things into the ground as far as they can go, and as soon as it starts to hit the fan they blame the nearest Democrat.