Beyond that I think the thing about Susan Boyle is she's the antithesis of slick marketing and packaging, the Madonna-Britney Spears effect if you will.

Of course the turn around on expectations was a surprise and big part of things but I'm so sick of cynical marketing (and I'm guessing most people are) that it's nice to see someone just sing and bring it in a honest way with heart -- no fake seduction, no coy baloney, no choreography, no processed voices.

Boyle might only be okay, but anyone that really knows, knows her straight ahead style is a lot more difficult or unlikely to pull off no matter her back story or looks.

Iowa is the 3rd state and of the tip of the iceberg. People have accepted the idea of gay marriage, confusing proposition 8 aside.

If all the GOP has is gay marriage as an issue, they'll be crushed because frankly there's bigger fish to fry, bigger issues to solve, like the economy.

If the economy is rolling, the Dems get the benefit of the doubt on side issues. If the economy isn't fully fixed, gay marriage is a non-starter.

In the next 3.75 years, more states will pass gay marriage legislation. If the number reaches 8, it's over. There will be no turning back. The side benefit is that the religious fundies will continue to dump money into this and further plunder their relevance as a political factor.

In other countries not as religious, a scandal like Spitzers would have damaged him but not ended his career. Maybe the U.S. is moving in that direction.

I mean seriously an adult indiscretion vs. all the W admin did (unwarranted war, massive economic failure, torture, constitutional questions and Geneva Convention) is silly.

I can see hypocrisy within the letter of the law but in spirit, context and magnitude of who Spitzer went after (wall street, bankers) we now know there weren't enough Spitzers out there.

Spitzer paid to diddle someone. He didn't do anything else. America should put down its puritan ham fist and get over it.

Seriously, Michael Steele, Palin, Limbaugh, Coulter? No way. The GOP used everything to prop up W, McCain and the finanical debacle. They're spend.

Gotta love Dick Cheney's sheer weaselness and gall. The guy has no shame or morals. I hope history does a full and complete write up on this guy. His legacy of misdeeds can't be overlooked.

After 8 years of W and a bent press, it's nice to see reason applied and a grown up discussion. Politics can and will never be separated from this sort of stuff but to see and read about procedural matters and protocol is so refreshing.

The irony is people don't know how to react to how things are suppose to be done. Again W and company have made Nixon's administration look like a bunch of liberals...only because they're fascists.

And Rumsfeld is Larry to W's Curly and Dick's Moe. These guys should absolutely be prosecuted to the full extend of the law.

...or waterboarded a few times, just to get them to think for god sake.

Furthermore, WTF ever happened to the concept of PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY that boot strapping conservatives always talk about. Yeah, thought so...it's complete and utter bullshit.

Walken again proves why the GOP are full of shit.

It's good news that the GOP are in such a state of disarray an old hard ass like Specter switches parties. It's also good that the Dems will have a marginal 60 votes. Still, in my book, Spector has to prove he's a real Democrat, not just a GOP without a home.

Besides being Democrats, it's also interesting to note the marginal idea of both being "outsiders". A stretch but FDR's disability (while hidden from the public) and Obama being the first African American does speak to something.

Perhaps its the optimism or seeing things slightly different but certainly neither of these president took things for granted and there might be an essential part to their greatness. Hoover and W seem to be opposites on that front.

Beyond that, indeed, FDR didn't have obstructionist in the GOP. Slowly however the citizens of the U.S. are seeing these no-doers for what they are and how they're detrimental to our best interest.

What baloney. Wing Nut offered nothing concrete except "conservative solutions", nothing specific. Sounds like the same old BS. Bush offered nothing but he did spend HUGE while cutting taxes for the rich.

Either the GOP will obstruct until things swing back the other way or things are completely in the dumper (worse then now) which is the real conservative movements point -- to destroy the government and country.

No government is the ultimate small government solution and takes out all checks to what the conservatives want -- nothing to stop them, choas. Money and power rules in choas.

Until the Party of No present real and concrete solutions besides cutting taxes, it's dead. Bury it now.

You're spot on to question the temperament and the bully thing. I mean hell, Supreme Court Justices are suppose to have opinions and if William Renquist can bully voters coming to the poll or if Scalia is just Scalia, what's the point?

I don't think Sotomayer will be a liberal foil to the blow hard Catholic boys but I still hope Sotomayor gets the nod. A Latina on the SC would be progress and I'd never bet against her ability. Fact is, she's probably piss off Scalia and for that reason alone, let her in.

If the U.S. stopped war-mongers (drugs and aggression), saved money on universal health care, funded education and taxed corps and top earners like the rest of the world, it could keep pace with China. Government owned banks would make the recovery faster however.