I actually look forward to reading Glenn's articles everyday. That being said, here is the specifics you requested--specific that is, given that it would take several hours to wade through each of the comments of Glenn and I, and then would take up six pages of posts to document them--

This is what I said to garner the word "slimy":

"Certainly, on a political dirt scale, Obama would rank well below five, but that does not mean there wasn't some level of unethical and possibly illegal activity."

I suppose I could have said "necessarily mean" to hone my point. But the meaning and intent are clear for an objective reader. I never accused Obama of "illegal" activity, only of "possibly" illegal activity. Glenn later called this attitude "despicable". If you don't think that's rude, well, you can go your way on that. And this is the last I'm going to write about this issue. But I would like to point out that there was nothing in your post that made me feel as if you were attacking my character, impugning my intelligence, or condemning my judgement. And that makes a difference.

Ok, since you're being so insistent, I'll think about your point and let this one go.

That is the stupidest bunch of crap I have ever read. I don't really know you personally, but I can tell from what you've written that my dog, Cecil, might have a good chance of beating you at a game of Checkers. And he's never played the game. But seriously, it would be nice to see you in person so that I could laugh at how fat and repulsive you probably are, but its better that I don't I guess, because then that would be rude. Its a good thing that writing all this stuff about how your logic might make a microencaphalic wince, is not really personal or offensive and that only a sniveling marigold would take offense to it. And its so good to know that you won't take offense when I close by adding that MY GOD, you are a complete idiot!

Its all good. I don't really know you.

Under your rubric, it doesn't matter whether its true or not, or whether its at the beginning that the end, as you said. So, what's your complaint?

Read DCLAw's post previous post. DCLAW claims that no amount of insult should raise hackles here and that only "sniveling victims" would take offense at anything herei written since none of us really know each other. I was taking his point to the logical conclusion. By his reasoning, you are being a sniveling over-sensitive pansy by finding fault with it. But your reaction, in my view is perfectly reasonable. More power to you and thanks for sticking up for other posters here.

...who got into this thread. Talk about easily provoked. It had nothing to do with you, but you jumped right in with a spell-checked essay.

with my posting to DCLAW1, I was making a point. I don't know him, never read a thing he's written, he's just a disembodied screen name. And yet the words I wrote had an impact--they had an impact on him, though he claimed that insults don't bother him on line, this obviously got to him. And they had an impact on Nuff Said, who had a visceral revulsion to them--with very good reason! The way you say things here matters.

A few words from one of DCLAW's previous posts to finish things off.

"One of my favorite things (as the song goes) is a person who comes roaring into a discussion carrying the get-real-morons-I'll-set-you-straight flag aloft, only to unceremoniously drop a stinking dollop of idiocy in the middle of the room."

Does anyone remember that Rove nugget about the first time he met Bush...something about how he had a skoal outline in the back pocket of his jeans and how he was the most charismatic individual Rove had ever met? I'd love to get the exact quote if anyone knows it...

That being said, I actualy found the Obama chant in the background slightly disturbing. And on a visceral level I don't like the way the video parades only slick and glamorous celebrity people of color. Is he running for the president of MTV or the US? I am excited about an African American within an inch of the presidency, but every day that excitement fades, replaced with a slightly queasy feeling. Everything in our culture is so packaged and so bereft of integrity or honesty, that I'm afraid I'm starting to believe that it won't make any difference having an African American running this place.

Too true and thanks for writing with such perception. I think having a thicker skin can do us all better, but to be honest I have rarely been able to post here without a pile on of crazies filling up the spaces. Glenn and I can disagree, and I doubt I would ever win a discussion with him (although I've pointed a thing or two out to him in the past that he acknowledged he missed). No one is infallible. Having a thicker skin is a good idea as I said, but there is also nothing wrong with trying to get people to lower the volume once in a while. At a certain point, if I'm going to get mobbed every time I deviate slightly from the common wisdom, then I'm going to stop coming around here. How many people have already gotten turned off? And how much of that leads this space to be dominated by people simply out to poke fun and distort what are very serious issues and ideas--and the passionate people who articulate them. In fact, for nearly a year I read the comments here without leaving my own, simply because of the way people responded. Just saying.