I use a line I lifted from Salon's own Andrew Leonard as the best one sentence definition of the political doctrine of centrism:

"A government's proper role is to mediate between conflicting interests, not to represent one particular interest against all others."

In other words, it's the belief that the proper role of governace is to balance competing interests in such a way that the greatst good flows to the majority of the people - Good old Jeremy Bentham's Utilitarianism comes to mind. It's the principle of checks and balances writ large: that no narrowly defined vested interests should be allowed to dominate.

I'd like to direct readers to http://www.politicalcompass.org/ which gets beyond the almost useless left/right dichotomy and uses an axis to place one's beliefs within the political continuum.

Regarding this assertion: 'In its defense, the South -- or its ruling elite -- did recognize its difference from the rest of America and try to set up its own country. Lincoln wouldn't let them. If he had, the infallable George W. not only wouldn't be president, he wouldn't even be an American citizen.'

aWol was born in Connecticut, which last I looked was never a part of the Confederacy. He's a dubiously educated product of expensive Eastern prep schools and the iviest-clad Ivy League.

Taken in by all that phony Texas crap are we? Just a bunch of 'earl bidness' carpetbaggers, whose family fortunes had their foundation in Standard Oil of New Jersey. His daddy's 'official' address in Texas was a hotel suite in Houston. They actualy claimed the place in Maine as their primary domicile for 'tax purposes'.

Geez.

I fail to see where this indictment of horse racing boils down to Mr. Prospector.

A couple of years ago (2002?) every single entrant in the Derby was related to Northern Dancer in one way or other. Every thoroughbred in America traces his lineage back to two of the three foundation sires. 98% trace to one of them. (The remaining 2% is the Goldolphin line which comes down through the descendants of Man o' War (Play Fair).) If you trace their lines back they're all related to some degree.

Barbaro is on the line of the great English sire Roberto through his sire Dynaformer. His dam was sired by Carson City and Carson City was a son of Mr. Prospector. That's 3 generations back.

Here's what highly repected breeding authority Lauren Stich had to say on the subject in the Daily Racing Form:

"Barbaro is by 21-year-old Dynaformer, one of the dwindling number of stamina sources in this country. Dynaformer is by Roberto, a champion at 2 in England and best known for his upset of the previously unbeaten Brigadier Gerard in the 1972 Benson & Hedges Gold Cup (now the Juddmonte International Stakes). Like most of Darby Dan Farm's horses, Roberto was bred for the classics. Sired by Hail to Reason, Roberto was out of Bramalea, a high-class stakes winner by champion Nashua. Nashua sired many top stayers, including multiple champion Shuvee."

IT's pretty difficult to find a modern thoroughbred without either Nasrullah or Nashua or both in their bloodlines including Mr. Prospector and A. P. Indy.

The Jacksons are manifestly not among those breeding increasingly fragile horses in the pursuit of precocious speed. Quite the opposite in fact. I have the greatest admiration for them and for Mr. Matz.

This is a very durable line by today's standards. Dynaformer himself ran 30 times and was retired sound. Barbaro's brothers and sisters, for instance, are still on the track at 6 and 7. Film Maker. Sand Spring, Dynever. Perfect Drift.

(And yeah PD was nipped at the wire in his last outing in a thrilling photo finish but he has career winnings of $2M and at 7 is on course to become the 1st horse to compete in three Breeders Cup Classics.)

I also believe that reloading Barbaro after he crashed through the barrier was one of the most irresponsible things I have ever seen. I literally could not believe what I was seeing.