I don't say this with hindsight, but with fatalism. I knew that the invasion was going to happen no matter what. It was clear at the time from the politcal body language of the situation. What gets me is that so many other people couldn't, or wouldn't, see it then, or now.

The Democrats, like the allegorical crayfish in the pot, are unable to feel the temperature changing steadily around them. They've convinced themselves if they can just keep everything going status quo until 2008 then they'll be a shoo-in.

Wrong. They'll be boiled to death by then.

would contain etiquette instructions as well as pronunciation guides. You know, "Do not grope Chancellor Merkel", things like that.

How did the Republicans take positive ownership of one of the biggest mistakes they ever made? They were on watch when this happened, after all. They should be excoriated at every turn for failing this country and letting 9/11 happen, and instead it's their most successful marketing slogan.

Fuck them for making hay from this tragedy so many times that the only emotion I have left in connection with it is annoyance. And fuck the Democrats for not countering their every utterance of "9/11" with "YOU let this happen!"

One assumes he went on to add that Obama's national priorities are loose shoes, tight... well, you get the idea.

And good luck getting Salon to do anything about the Anonymous posting option, PaulBC. I've been beating that drum loudly and regularly for over a year and they've done sod-all about it apart from a non-decisive post from Joan. There must be some unfathomable reason why they can't rid of it, much along the same lines as whatever reason we can't get W impeached.

Another piece of kindling going into place for the planned bonfire when HRC emerges as the DLC's, I mean the people's, candidate. Gotta start renewing the concept now that she's a lefty extremist, in order to maximise the return when the hate parade cranks up to full again. The fact that she's virtually one of their own has nothing to do with anything. She's just the biggest source of fuel right now for the right-wing apparatus, so they're priming her with a little kerosene.

Yeah, I know the first, possibly only, job of a politician is to keep getting elected. And that means taking a stand on anything that might increase those odds ("look how pious I am denouncing this") while simultaneously avoiding anything that carries even a miniscule risk somewhere down the road.

But this has reached a level beyond even parody. The Democrats are doing everything they can to keep their hands clean, and then they go clamping them over their asses. Do they not see that their colleagues across the aisle NEVER back down like this? The reps never apologise, never question, they just soldier on, even if it's into a meat grinder. But not the dems, oh no, they've got to reach out and placate and try to make everyone happy. They're the grade school teacher who spends all their time fussing over the one disruptive student while the rest of the kids go neglected.

You know what, fuck it. How about I just go ahead and vote Republican next time? Then at least I won't any hope left for the Democrats to crush day after day.

I got an A, however, in ... being fiscally responsible

Which should draw another big line under the state of American education. Really, is our presidents learning?

[On Rumsfeld] Oh, wait a minute. I miss him.

Specifically, I miss him shambling around "Night Of The Living Dead"-style, attracting scorn and blame over Iraq, which I am now forced to take instead.

Strong asset.

The "-et" suffix is silent in this case. Or perhaps it was a rare use of French, mistranscribe, wherein he referred to himself as an "assette".

she's the Ph.D. and I'm the C student and just look at who's the president and who's the adviser

Because it's fucking hilarious that our nation is so backwards that we'd rather elect an unqualified white guy on a legacy than even consider a decently educated black woman. This statement couldn't be more appalling if he ended it with "and then I make her scrub the kitchen floor".

Big Stretch. He's back.

The only person I ever heard called Big Stretch in real life was a gay male prostitute in Richmond. He frequently plied his trade on a block near where I lived, and he was called that by his clientele for reasons other than, one assumes, his notable tallness. Hearing the Prez use this same nickname thus speaks volumes to me...

Blame the damned Electoral College. No state is an island of homogeneous politics or voting. But the EC makes it so, come election time. Texas, like any other state, only needs a 1% lead in pig-ignorant voters to make the whole state look bad. Don't slam the other 49% for that.

I do have to add one thing, though. The comments by the Texans in the article demonstrate one of the clear demarcations between liberals and conservatives - liberals care about dealing with issues in a just and responsible manner always, whereas conservatives only come around to that when the problem lands in their backyard.