*What "things" did the NSA stop doing in March, 2004 -- and what "things" did it start doing differently -- in order to convince Ashcroft, Mueller and Comey to remain in their jobs? This is one of the greatest political scandals of the Bush era -- not merely the commission of these illegal acts but the fact that they remain concealed from the public-- and it's also one of the most illustrative episodes of how our Government now works, of the extreme secrecy and illegality that characterizes it at its core, and of the complicity of both parties in all of this.*

*The implication here is that everything Bush keeps secret is criminal, especially if I (Glenn) don't know about it.*

Apologies for not learning how to indent, and also for responding again.

There is no "implication" here. Glenn is reasoning (not even reasoning, just repeating what Comey and others have already said) that if Bush-appointed DOJ officials were ready to resign en masse, they were objecting to ongoing illegal practices. There is no implication that everything Bush keeps secret is illegal. Everybody here understands that matters of national security must sometimes be kept from the general public. Please try harder next time.

At the risk of being branded a Commie or whatever:

The class war is ongoing, but only one side is fighting. Needless to say, they're winning. The Republicans are just better than the Democrats at convincing people to vote against their own interests. I have no clue how, but good for them. Like Helmet told Lone Star: "Now you see that evil will always defeat good, because good is stupid."

Nehemiah 4:7-9

"But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem's walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat."

If they had simply prayed, it wouldn't have done much good. They needed to double the guard, too. And I bet the guards were glad they also prayed. The idea is, trust God that everything will work out, but also remember that He (She? I'm gonna go with "He" for the sake of tradition) might use you to accomplish His will, and get to work.

If you really want to put the election in perspective, read Psalms Chapter 2. Everything happens for a reason.

Also, I have a long answer for people who claim that atrocities on earth are evidence that God is not good. Too long to share here. Also, the title of my letter is a joke. Or is it?

Don't have much experience with the show, but I happened to see the "dress stealing" episode, and I found it somewhat subversive. The one girl is by no means poor, and if I remember correctly only makes her own clothes because she can't afford to buy a new dress every night (the rich kids can't wear the same thing twice). So she uses her interest in fashion as a front for being merely middle-class (or is it "upper middle-class?"). After too many "event" nights in a row where her own handiwork won't do and there's not enough money to buy another ridiculously expensive dress, she has no choice but to steal one or be judged ever so harshly by her frenemies. She is of course discovered and judged even more harshly than she would have been. What kind of horrible people drive a poor girl to steal for (really) no reason at all, and then mock her when the crime is discovered? Rich people, that's who!

Also, I note that MTV has a reality show where they take these horrible sweet-16 girls and put them with poor people in third world countries. Good stuff, but they really could have gotten the same result by making the girls live in Flint for a few weeks. Great city, great people, absolutely horrified rich girls, sounds like fun TV to me.

I am currently trying to survive my second year in law school and simultaneously manage my debilitating World of Warcraft addiction. I think we should send as many copies of the game as we can to every suspected terrorist in the world. Once they start leveling up and realize how much work it is to grind reputation to exalted with all the factions, they will understand all that the U.S. has gone through to become the world's only superpower. Alternatively, they will just be too busy raiding for Epics to want to blow us up anymore.

Seriously, the game is a drug, don't start playing it.

I agree that neither political party is completely "innocent" here, but I can't help but notice that part of that quote refers to what Greenspan was doing in 2003-04. What was Clinton supposed to do about Greenspan three years after he was out of office? Or is Greenspan a Democrat ideologue and I haven't been informed?

(Actually that's an honest question. He might be, for all I know)

I can only assume you are either an attention-seeking troll or Seth Myers, since he is probably one of the only people in the world who think SNL got better after Tina Fey left as lead writer. Your linking of random out of context quotes was highly persuasive, though. Keep up the good work.

Oh Noes! They're nationalizing a billion-dollar company!? Socialists! Commies! Oh McCarthy, we need you and your red-hunting ways now more than ever! Where are you in our time of need?

The Bush administration should be required to turn in their WWMFD (What Would Milton Friedman Do?) bracelets. Funny that we do everything we can to impose these economic policies (zero regulation, government protection of corporations above all else) on the rest of the world. They are working so well for us.