The Democratic talking heads may not touch the topic of Palin's mothering priorities with a 10-foot pole, but it is a conversation that is taking place, and not just among the traditional values folks.

And when hear a colleague of mine, a woman in her mid-twenties who's never been particularly political (at least not in my company) describe Palin's speech as "catty," I have a little bit of hope that her tirade played less well among Americans in general than among the chattering classes.

They have to be defining Sarah Palin as a new face on the same old politics, and hammer home that just because she lives far away from Washington doesn't mean she'll be an different than what we've had the last 8 years.

If the GOP is going to leave a vacuum by keeping Palin out of the public eye, they need to fill that vacuum. Glenn Greenwald makes good points in his column, but IF the Democrats are able to put the GOP on the defensive, maybe (just maybe) a softball interview with Brit Hume or Charlie Gibson won't be enough.

Sorry to be a bit late to the party, but in regards to fundamentalists and the Old Testament, what galls me is not so much favoring the "fire and brimstone" God of the OT vs. the compassionate, "peacenik" God of the New Testament, it's that they pick and choose.

Fundies, especially of the Sarah Palin ilk love to quote the apocalyptic prophets such as Joel or Daniel or Jeremiah, or rehash the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with great relish. Far more seldom do you see them pondering the social justice message of Amos (an angry lefty if there ever was one)or the implications of Elijah staying with the Widow of Zaraphath (God's mercy extends even to them furriners), just to name a few stories.

I believe the Bible as a whole shows us the follies of those who believe they are more righteous and therefore better than everyone else. To paraphrase another Old Testament verse: Pride goeth before a fall.

That is what I ask myself when I'm presented with a truly disturbing scene in a movie or t.v. show? In my days as a screenwriting student, that was the constant question when my classmates and I critiqued each other's work. When you only have, in most instances, 120 pages max to tell a story in a screenplay, everything should count.

I haven't seen Hounddog, but that's the question that I would ask about the scene. If you took it out, would it detract from the story Ms. Kampmeier wants to tell? She seems to feel strongly that the answer is "yes" but when you pour 12 years of your life into a project it's easy to lose perspective.

I haven't seen Bastard Out of Carolina either, though I remember discussions about it at the Austin Film Festival the year it came out (and yes, there was controversy). The consensus among panelists who'd seen the film seemed to be that the scene was crucial to the story and therefore necessary.

A former Alaska governor, who knows Sarah Palin's job, knows Palin, having run against her...nothing against Granholm, but I'd think Knowles would be more useful for Biden to practice against.

My wife's cousin, with whom she's still close, lost a son an hour after birth about ten years ago. I think the thing I learned from that tragedy is that you don't have to try to say something profound or comforting--even if all you say is "I don't know what to say but I'm here for you" that's enough. That's all you can really do, anyway.

This same cousin was a rock and support for us when we were struggling to get pregnant. She, alone of just about everyone else in our family, really got it. And happily, she and her husband are blessed with two happy, active children.

And what the hell, McKinney too since the Greens and Libertarians have a bona fide national presence (if not a large one). Nothing against Nader but I'm guessing he's on the ballot in a lot less states than the Greens or the Libs, and at least in a few (like here in Texas) they both run down-ballot candidates alongside the Dems and Republicans.

If McCain wants to dodge the party, screw him.

Sometimes, you have to make your own opportunities. In my own case, I was accepted into a summer program for Indiana high school students to study in Germany, paid for through scholarships and by me getting contributions from family, friends, and business and community organizations. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Scotland for a church trip.

There's nothing wrong with not traveling abroad, though it is enriching to do so (and certainly not "elitist"), and highly preferable. My beef with Palin--as with G.W. Bush--is that I feel her lack of travel is more about intellectual incuriosity than about lack of opportunity due to economic background.