Sarah Palin talks about Obama "palling around with terrorists". McCain runs ads ominously intoning "Who is the REAL Barack Obama?". Both of these play into "he's a muslim" "he's not really American" "he's not one of US" narratives about Obama that have been in the political waters for two years now. Both are deliberate appeals to racism and fear of post-9/11 America.

Find me something comparable that Obama or Biden have said that lead people to use a nasty word to describe (accurately, if crudely) Sarah Palin.

See the difference?

Lieberman has effectively switched parties, but kept the Democrats over a barrel by doing it half way. Cut him off at the knees. In the long term, its better to have the line clearly drawn. As things stand now, Lieberman is in the tent, pissing where everybody sleeps and eats. He's a vindictive, hateful man, and if the Democrats let him, he'll keep pissing.

There's something to be said for a show of strength, even if it has short term costs.

Has said repeatedly, sustained the argument, in the face of massive death, destruction and damage to our country's security and standing, that this is the case. In fact, he says that Clenis-gate was worse than Iraq War and attenuant assaults on the Constitution. His argument is, as best as I can translate it, that Clinton lied on purpose, Bush lied because he was scared and confused.

And Tim Russert, according to Joe Klein's farewell column, maintained the same in private. Klein strongly implied that their last conversastion was an argument about this very subject, with Russert taking the same position as Broder (shocking, I know, that those two should be in complete agreement.

I don't want a cabinet pick. I don't have any pork projects I want to save. There is no single issue that makes or breaks my vote for any candidate. I do want at least one party that is both smart about the issues, and smart about politics. I thought an Obama-led Democratic party would offer that. What they did today wasn't just stupid--it was cowardly and a betrayal of their most loyal supporters and one more abomination thrust on NOLA and the victims of Katrina--but it was more stupid than anything else.

To borrow the fable someone else referred to, Joe Lieberman is a scorpion who just asked Obama the Frog to swim him across the river. Even though we tried to tell him about that scorpion, Obama decided that it was time to hope it had changed it's nature.

He'll deserve the sting that Lieberman won't be long in delivering. It won't be fatal, but it will eat up time and effort and political capital. And it was utterly avoidable.

Which celebrity trend-setter had a Hummer first, Tupac? Or Patty and Selma Bouvier?

I sort of kind of almost get what you seem to be trying to say. I'm kind of troubled by the (apparently) slow response of the Secret Service, and I disapprove even of soft violence in political situations.

But to dismiss this reporter as an attention-seeker is silly. Americans are "aware of the plight of Iraqi widows and orphans"? Really? I'd say maybe 15%, 20% tops. Bush is clearly oblivious.

Um, maybe you haven't been paying attention. The war is for the most part over. The streets are crammed with shoppers, the streets clogged with cars. New businesses springing up everywhere.

You should move there!! Be a courageous example. I'm sure we could raise the money to sponsor your heroic exercise right here.

As has already been pointed out, the shoe thrower is in jail, and probably being beaten and tortured.

Why is she sending out surrogates at all, much less her cousin (isn't this one Junior Cuomo's ex-wife? Maybe that's how bitter their divorce is. Anyhoo......), instead of talking herself? I've gone back and forth on this larger question, but if she can't go on Hardball (Matthews would be starstruck and slavering in front of her), how the hell is she ever going to campaign? To do anything in the Senate?

This is ludicrous, frankly.

Susan Collins, Jim Bunning, Jeff Sessions, the soon to be departed Norm Coleman, the recently departed Domenici.... there are any number of clowns, stooges and halfwits in the Senate who make Burris look like at least an average member of that august body. Whatever he wants, there's no way this guy can win a primary in two years. He's a caretaker, a seat filler, whom Obama can manage with a few flattering phones calls. Seat him and be done with this nonsense, and make crazy Blagojevich an Illinois story, not a national one.

As for this: "- rather than the decision to appoint him against the wishes of Senate leadership -- "

Say what you want about Blago, and I think his impeachment should be fast-tracked, which Senators are chosen, by voters or in special circumstances like this one according to "the wishes of the Senate leadership". If Harry Reid has proven anything in the last two years, it's that his "wishes" can be breezily ignored with no consequences.

Joevan address, and confirmed, what I suspected. Politicians don't decide who goes on those shows, the producers do. Rachel Maddow has said she strives mightily to get elected Republicans on her show, and they rarely agree. It's because she engages and argues instead of grinning and saying "Thank you very much, Senator" after four minutes of unchallenged talking points.

Don't get me wrong, Democrats are by-and-large bad on TV, either weak timorous and bipartisan, or windy and boring (John Kerry, I love you man, but stick to the written word). But the snivelling MSM is still so brow-beaten about bias, that they bring Republicans on to criticize Obama and call it balance. Not that this is limited to the last two months. More like the better part of the last two decades.

(Alex, New Republicky contrarianism is, like, sooo 2005).