Well, this certainly struck close to home; not to be all 'misery loves company', but it's kind of nice to know that it's not just me.

To me it seems like more than a time-of-life issue, or matter of changing roles. I think it stems from a lack of faith; I have no faith in my relationships with even my closest friends, so I feel like if my interactions with them aren't flawless the relationship will buckle. This creates a negative feedback loop where I feel so anxious about doing or saying anything 'wrong' that I don't do or say anything, which makes me feel boring, which makes me feel even more anxious, repeat ad infinitum.

My theory is that it's a lack of faith in myself, my own insecurities that I project onto other people, and that if I can become secure in who I am and where I am in my life...well, as secure as possible anyway...the core anxiety won't be there and I can stay out of that downward spiral. So I'm trying to work on improving my opinion of myself in other areas and just hoping that my relationships with my friends will follow suit. I'll let you know if that ever works...

Not that I disagree that this is a disaster for the country, but to predict any electoral consequences for the Republicans is yet another instance of progressives desparately trying to convince themselves that the Republican empire can collapose under the weight of its own greed and treachery, and it won't. What is needed is an actual, effective progressive opposition, and currently there isn't even a semblance of that in this country.

Once again Cintra Wilson proves herself to be completely reliable as a reviewer; if she doesn't like something then you know it's worth watching.

The Democrats are giving me no reason whatsoever to care about their political fortunes. I have seen no evidence that a Democrat-controlled house of Congress will do anything to block the president's agenda; quite the contrary in fact.

It is this kind of behavior that makes progressives feel that the first step towards any real reform of the political structure of this nation must be the complete destruction of the Democratic Party to make room for a relevant opposition party that will actually oppose.

It's not about "tormenting" Bush.

It's not even about replacing Bush. It doesn't matter that Cheney will step in. The neocon apparatus and agenda are in place and operating, they will continue to do so for years. There are no quick fixes that will instantly make everything better, that's not a good reason to do nothing.

It's about asserting the rule of law. It's about resurrecting the basic notion of checks and balances. It's about holding our elected representatives accountible for their behavior which is the first step in lifting the political process in this country out of the mire into which it has been sinking for the last 6 years.

There is a significant difference between the Democrats not calling for impeachment immediately and publicly announcing that they never will.

Oh good, another vector of the strain of wishful thinking currently virulent on the left, especially among the Democratic party where it brings the welcome message that they don't have to actually do anything or have any ideas because the Bush administration, heck the entire Republican party, will simply fall apart on its own and we'll all suddenly find ourselves at the end of "It's A Wonderful Life."

The only reason that various factions on the right are openly bickering is because they know that their hold on power is secure as long as the left is passively waiting for things to change.

Parody? The Colbert Report is exactly how they feel the media is supposed to work; "Who hates America more, you or Michael Moore" seems to them to be a perfectly valid question.

C'mon, you've got to give it up more than that for Udonis Haslem; it seemed like every time I was ready to count the Heat out in the late 3rd and early 4th quarters Haslem made some something happen on pure hustle, contesting every shot and scrambling for every loose ball. I'd never heard of Haslem before this postseason but he really impressed me last night.

No chance can be good enough for a group too timid to take any chances.

Iran's preparations to reach a negotiated political solution with Israel are notably apparent.

That being said I agree that Israel's current air campaign is horrifyingly counter-productive.

There is a Bruce Sterling short story called "RU486?" in which the protagonists are smuggling RU-486 and are confonted by right-to-life antagonists using the tactics and language of the civil rights movement. It's very interesting how faction-neutral such things can be.

...that I have not read all 10 pages of commentary.

This is going to sound ridiculous to a lot of people, but as an American guy I perceive that American women have all the power. I am well aware, intellectually, that in larger socio-economic terms this is not the case, and that my perception is based on a fairly narrow dataset in terms of class and ethnicity and age. Nonetheless, in my social environment the selection lies with women and men try to gain their attention and favor, and I believe it is to that that the quoted comment refers.

"The most marriageable, caring, stable guys around are usually married, engaged or in a stable, commitment-focused relationship, by their late 20s."

Hm, this leaves me to wonder if I'm not stable, not caring, or not marriageable (whatever that entails).

Most but not all of the women I have been with have chosen to trim to at least some extent, very few have gone completely bare.

It's all good as far as I'm concerned; I can't imagine caring enough to make a request.

Can anyone say "Reighstag fire"?