I played the guitar when younger (self-taught, not very good, nothing more substantial than power chords and pounding rhythm, versus Spiders from Mars fingerboard-hopping) and when a younger relative got GH, I played it with him, and found the interface was kind of an obstacle for me -- my brain kept wanting to play the interface "for real" -- like it was a real guitar, and that definitely doesn't fly on GH, where the interface might look vaguely guitarish, but it sure doesn't play the way.

Guitar is all about finger memory and is an athletic skill -- I think it's great if GH is getting kids to play actual guitars, but they'll likely find real guitar will take them back to square one, brain-and-fingerwise, when learning. But then, kids' brains are a lot more flexible than oldsters' brains, so maybe the kids'll be alright, after all. The interest in Stuff That Rocks(tm) is probably more vital to propel them past that steep learning curve with guitar. That, and long, flexible fingers and a good ear.

Once again, I think the Clinton Crew are mishandling this latest effort to pigeonhole Obama; while Obama actually made valid points comparing Clinton's bellicose, nuke'em-and-smile posturing to Bush/Cheney's own bellicose, uncommunicative, anti-diplomatic, unilateralist posturing with regard to a variety of nations, to compare Obama's latest comments to talking points by Rove is just flat-out wrong.

It might play with the knee-jerkers who'll vote for Clinton regardless of her actual views, but anybody who pays attention to what Obama says knows that trying to liken him to Rove is wrong. If anything, that kind of dirty pool spinmongering is, well, Rovian in its lack of character.

Obama should keep on communicating his ideas on various issues and leave the Clinton Cadres to continue spinning their wheels as they hope to coast to nomination on lies and misinformation.

Seems that the GOP might try to fire up their base with the prospect of a Clinton nomination...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20298702/

...and may try to get Clinton as their candidate of choice. All the more reason to support Obama!

likely Democatic primary- and caucus-voters nationwide said they preferred Clinton over Obama by a margin of 45 percent to 25 percent.

Name recognition uber alles. People have learned nothing from the Bush Years, apparently. I guess Jeb Bush will be president for a couple of turns after Clinton's run, and then Chelsea Clinton can run, and then Barbara Pierce Bush, and so on. Lord knows nobody in America would want anybody they weren't superficially acquainted with in the White House. Go with names you can trust: Clinton and Bush. Brand names goooood, new names baaaaad.

Great piece, Mr. Conason; your contempt for Guiliani is deservedly palpable, and that accompanying photo has Rudy adopting an Il Duce kind of pose, all-too-aptly, given Giuliani's own brand of fascism he brings to politics. That's what he is, pure and simple, but he's not somebody to be underestimated.

He may be dangerously out of step with reality, but he's a charismatic loon, and I can imagine plenty of lily-livers and knee-jerkers falling for somebody like that, especially if Clinton wins the nomination on the Democratic side (simply because Rudy's more charismatic than she is, and will be able out-tough talk her, no matter how bellicose she gets in her rhetoric).

He may be Il Douchebag, he may be worse than Bush, Reagan, and Nixon combined, but that doesn't mean he might not have a chance at the presidency. And if he wins, then we're truly, deservedly damned as a people, and Rudy will make sure to seal the deal.

I think Obama could make him look like the sneering authoritarian he is; I don't know if Clinton can.

I thought Kucinich had one of the best responses to a lame question from somebody in Utah asking what their personal faith was, and if they thought prayer would've helped prevent things like Katrina and the Minnesota bridge collapse from happening.

All of the other candidates offered the usual religious candidate-speak -- Clinton was nearly worst about it, offering a triangulated quasi-pander, quasi-affirmation of faith; Dodd pandered the most on it, sandal-licking for Jesus; Edwards pandered but then said that he didn't think prayer could stop bad things from happening, which I respected; Biden went further with that kind of theme, talking about the necessity of good works -- he got some polite applause; Richardson mentioned he was Catholic and so on and got silence as a response; Obama offered an eloquent semi-pander on the question, got himself some applause for his efforts.

But Kucinich offered some needed levity when he told George that he believed in the power of prayer -- that he had been praying to God for the last 45 minutes that he'd get called on by him -- and then offered a nuanced skewering of non-compassionate Christianity by pointing out that social justice is at the heart of the religion's teachings. He got the strongest applause on that question, and I think he offered the best, most human answer.

Anything but the right things seems to be our energy policy these days. Clean coal? Christ. I can't wait for the not-so-Big Three to unveil their new line of coal-powered sedans. Throw some coal in the hopper and drive all day. Come with their own acid rain ponchos and breathing masks to filter out the pollutants. Coal is King! It's morning in America again, koff koff koff!