Andrew Leonard: Good article. Thanks for framing it in understandable terms for me.

Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of American voters will never make it very far into the subtleties of this situation, so they'll probably fall for the GOP story that McCain wants to bring down the price at the pump, while Obama doesn't care that it costs us $50.00 to fill up our Honda Accords.

I was so glad to see somebody (Camille) drawing attention to the media beatification of Tim Russert following his death.

Tim Russert was the dean of American political analysts. He was everywhere on the tube, particularly on NBC and MSNBC and his commentaries and analyses were always interesting and well informed. Tim took a moribund Meet the Press and transformed it into the place for politics on TV. Tim Russert's death was a tremendous loss for everyone who follows American politics.

But the saccharine over-saturation of his life that NBC and MSNBC engaged in was way over the top and completely uncalled for. I mean, a week after Russert's death, the regulars on MSNBC's Morning Joe program still felt obligated to provide "heart warming" stories and anecdotes about what a great guy he was. And don't even get me started on those morons that host NBC's Today show and their sloppy, smarmy sentimentality. (Wouldn't you like to give Meredith Viera a good, hard kick in the ass? You know you would....)

Okay, he was a great guy, and his death leaves a void, but enough, already.

I watched the first two sets of this match. It was tennis played at a very high level. When Nadal went up, 5-4 in the third set, I said, "Wow, he beat Federer in three sets" and went on to other activities.

I underestimated Federer's grit, and so I missed most of the greatest tennis match ever played.

My bad.

And by the way, John McEnroe is the best tennis color man there is. He's honest, insightful, knowledgable, and engaging.

Hats off to Nadal, Federer, and Johnny Mac.

Thank you for articulating in wonderfully-crafted prose a number of thoughts that have been reverberating in my head ever since I grew up and found that quality is much more important than quantity when it comes to beer.

Some samples from your marvelous, right-on writing:

Falstaff: Twelve stubby brown torpedoes of Fort Wayne water, subtly flavored with hops and barley, packaged in a plastic yellow tray.

During its rise to President for Life of Beers, Budweiser ended up crushing dozens of local brands that formed part of this country's colorful drinking heritage.

From its very inception, Budweiser was a triumph of marketing over quality. Adolphus Busch, the dynasty's founder, called his beer "dot schlop" and drank wine instead. During taste tests, St. Louis drinkers spat it back over the bar. But if the Busches didn't believe in their product, they believed in their business plan.

(It helped that Budweiser goes so well with sports on TV. It's a mild, unchallenging beer that doesn't draw your attention away from the game above the bar. You barely realize you're drinking it.)

These days, I wouldn't touch a Budweiser or a Miller with a ten-foot pole. Unfortunately, I've also been burned by getting "skunky" (i.e., not fresh) six packs of some the marvelous German, Australian and other beers from around the world. I've even gotten burned with a skunky six-pack of Corona.

So I pretty much stay with Samuel Adams, with an occasional foray into Canadian beer (which always seems fresh...Labatt's, Moose Head, Molson...). Sam Adams provides enough variety with their seasonal brews and specialty brews to keep me from getting bored.

Once again, great article.

I've had the unfortunate experience of drinking a beer worse than Bud Lite, worse than Coors Lite or Miller Lite or any of the other Lite abominations that litter American supermarket shelves.

IC Lite, out of Pittsburgh, is the worst beer ever brewed. IC stands for Iron City. The regular version of Iron City Beer is not exactly bad. I'd describe it as an interesting beer. If you ever want to know what it feels like to be a Pittsburgh steelworker knocking back a shot and a beer after 8 hours at the J&L Steelworks, try an Iron City. It tastes like it's got iron filings in it, but it's not bad. It'll put hair on your chest.

But IC Lite? Oh....my....God.....

Anyone remember when Rheingold Beer would sponsor their annual Miss Rheingold Competition? It was a cheesy knockoff of the Miss America Pageant and the 6 finalists would parade around in swimsuits, high heels and pasted-on smiles, for the edification of the lumpen beer-swilling proletariat.

Oh, and Rheingold Beer? Awful.

I had a mad crush on Agnetha Fältskog for the longest time.

Age hasn't dimmed her beauty very much at all.

I was always impressed that ABBA had all those gigantic hits in English, which is not their native language.

Like many others, I've had enough of rock bands and rock stars who are little more than spoiled adolescents, with their manic hedonism and childish indulgences.

The members of ABBA seem so mature and sophisticated by comparison.

Hats off to ABBA. And yes, I'll see the movie, and enjoy it.