the intelligence community, which has for some years now been leaking material calculated to undermine George W. Bush, is doing it again

The intelligence community is undermining Bush? I'd say Bush has been undermining intelligent folks since the day he took office.

Mothers living vicariously through their daughters' social lives and fathers living vicariously through their sons' athletic achievements are two common examples.

The new thread is the internet, a stalker and harasser's best friend. You can follow your prey with anonymity and attack from the comfort of your armchair. This ease and anonymity is irrestible to many.

Which brings up a whole new danger to teach our kids about--educating them about how to be safe online and also letting them know that cyber-harassment isn't just harmless fun.

And judging by the MySpace case, it isn't just kids who need these lessons.

what? reason number 742? not to vote for Giuliani.

Or maybe it's reason number 911.

It's not just that Huckabee knows nothing about foreign policy and global affairs. It's that he's completely incurious about them.

Haven't we done this before?

it's a racist, bigoted and inflamatory rumor.

Geez, WaPo, aren't you supposed to be better than that?

He worked very hard to be born into that money. As did his five sons. And his poor kids will have less money available to them without "death tax" reform. That and the fact that Romney has self-financed his own campaign to the tune of $10 million to date. So let's have a little sympathy for the Romney Family.

Republican, decorated war veteran and former P.O.W. John McCain says waterboarding is torture, torture is beneath us and torture doesn't produce reliable information.

So how exactly did this become a "Democrat" problem?

Of course, Duncan Hunter is a long shot, but Huckabee is looking more and more possible. His faith in Hunter is further evidence that Huckabee isn't qualified to, oh, judge a Chuck Norris Look-a-Like contest.

Aside: I hate rice pilaf. Perhaps it's one of the torture techniques?

Poor Fred. Life is so tough for the rich, not being part of the uber-rich.

Romney, at least, had the good sense not to say something so insulting to, what, 90% of the U.S. population?

Romney: I don't stay awake at night worrying about taxes paid by rich people. Middle class families are "under a lot of pressure" because of gas, heating oil, health-care and education costs. "We need to reduce the burden" on them.

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Thompson: "My goal is to get into Mitt Romney's situation" where I don't have to worry about taxes. http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/

Oh, Freddy, for you I play the world's smallest violin...

Having fun guarding the hen house? Sweet gig.

By the way Lieberman has been acting, you'd think all of the Democratic frontrunners were advocating immediate withdrawal of all troops from Iraq. They're not. His insistence on siding with the Republicans against the already hawkish (or at least non-confrontational) Democratic leadership is baffling.

Well done. I'm sitting at my desk snickering.

How dare he, how dare he make such a speech at this time of the year.

When people are worried about getting a few gifts for their kids, worrying about paying their heating bills and worrying that they'll lose their homes.

How dare he. The growth he cites is among big corporations benefitting from growth overseas and growth among the top 1% of the U.S.

So, Mr. President, if the future's so bright, why is it only bright for 1% of the country? Is that compassionate conservatism at work?

Bush Vetoes Healthcare For Sick Kids

Handful of House Republicans Block Will of Senate and House Majorities: Sick Kids Suffer

Republicans Claim Victory... Over Sick Children

Bush, the Grinch Who Stole Healthcare

The really sick thing is people like Boehner grinning like Cheshire cats that the Democrats "caved again." As though that were the point. Technically, they should at least be glad because they're holding true to the Republican mantra of fiscal responsibility and small government(snort). Real people will suffer because of the Republican "tyranny of the minority," so you'd better be damned sure it was truly worth it. And pummeling your enemy isn't a worthy enough goal.

"Romney is tied with Romney?"

A Freudian slip? Perhaps the Romney that ran to the left of Ted Kennedy for the Senate and was governor of Massaschusetts is running neck-and-neck with the Pro-Life, NRA-hugging, Gitmo-loving Romney of today. Or it could just be unclear usage of "he," but I think a Freudian slip makes for better commentary.

Meanwhile, is a politician having "flu-like symptoms" anything like a Hollywood starlet being hospitalized for "exhaustion?" Because that usually means the celebrity has been drinking, snorting and whoring too much. Just saying.

froggy, I've always liked the driving analogy, so thanks for bringing it up.

We don't just tell people to drive the speed limit and keep their eyes on the road. We offer them better protection than that. We design safer cars. We include seatbelts and airbags. We offer anti-lock brakes and sensors that indicate you're about to back into something (or someone). Because we think people should have more than one line of defense.

That's the problem with abstinence-only "education." It offers only one line of defense. And when lives, fertility and teen pregnancy are on the line, one line of defense isn't enough.

We double-up and triple-up on protection everywhere else in our lives. People try to park their cars in well-lit areas, lock the doors, use The Club and have a car alarm. Yet somehow our kids shouldn't have that level of protection. We give our i-Pods protective sheaths but not our own kids.

Not just some people. Most people. Abstinence education isn't really at issue. Abstinence-only "education" is at issue. Abstinence education is a part of comprehensive sex-ed.