Regarding Truman, I liked Harry best when he told MacArthur to stand down and when he said, "The buck stops here."

Bush, his wanna-be successors, McCain and Palin, and Bush voters believe that the buck stops at Bill Clinton. Always Bill Clinton. They're even blaming the collapsing of the American and global economies on B. Clinton and B. Frank and Nancy Pelosi.

What's the difference between Truman and a neocon?

For starters, the latter is an invertebrate.

Great post. It's largely about economics and education, which have been both gutted by those who call themselves Republicans nowadays.

Regarding the rapture, most alleged Christians don't believe in God and Jesus. You can see it when they get sick: they run to the doctor. If they believed that there's a better life awaiting them and all you need are their magic words to guarantee that, they'd run to the other way. They'd run to the grave. And they'd certainly run from the grave, for Jesus didn't just assert that he was the word, but the way and his way was poverty and service.

Yep, it's the debt. No pol has the backbone to address the debt.

As someone who's contracted, I have scores of job interviews every year. No one seems to care that I've old lady hair. They hire me for my mind.

And honestly, if silver hair weren't associated with age, women would color their hair the color of my hair. It's stunning. Sure, gold hair is the ideal, but silver is also a precious metal.

In some situations, beauty is the trump card, but what if your doctor or an engineer have lovely skin and skulls, but substandard skills? As the economy continues its collapse and competition increases for customers, what will matter most is talent. Talent will trump.

And thanks, Mr. Springsteen.

Sorry about the layoff, but do you think botox will make a difference? Hollywood actresses buy the best botox in the world, but don't look younger. They just look botoxed.

Great point. Rollo May asserted the same thing, in "Courage to Create," that poets know what's amiss before the rest of us. May also argued that poets don't always know what's amiss, but what's wrong can be seen in their poetry.

Most of us sneak a look at the wreck on the way home from our commute and many of us want to see the pool of blood for it's a departure from our bloodless cubicles. Well, there will be wrecks all around us.

For some, this will be a suffering time. People will be going hungry.

We are an adaptive species. We live...everywhere. I hope that we'll adapt in ways that will lessen the suffering.

My hope is that the rising hurt will reradicalize America and that government won't serve the rich. How much revenue was lost in Bush's five tax cuts for the rich? I also fear that we might tip into fascism, communism, or anarchy.

You're right. Palin wants to talk about the future. She just does it by talking about the past.

Where are the good Republicans? The decent ones who should decry such conduct? I know there are some. There has to be. Or has the entire party been abducted by those who torture in Jesus's name?

...of Iraq?

Not "fighting back"?

All your braying about the "liberal media" isn't "fighting back"?

Fox News isn't "fighting back"?

Drudge and Little Green Footballs and Free Republic aren't "fighting back"?

Now, I answered your question and here's mine. Why, after the Republicans' attacks on the economy, the Constitution and decency, do you dare post? You should be in Iraq, where freedom is on the march. Uncle Sam needs YOU to find those WMDs. Or you should be at your third job, paying on the national debt. At the very least, you should be out tying some gay citizen to a fence, rather than relying on thugs to do your bloody work.

I agree with your wife. I was also frustrated with Ms. Ifill. It's time the media fights back. Truly. It's time that our politicians learned a little fear, of the public and the media. They've forgotten that they're public servants. They've forgotten that they're beholden to us. And it's time that they muster some backbone and demonstrate some grace under fire, unlike Palin, who's been whimpering about Ms. Couric's questioning.

But they smear for Jesus, just as they torture and bomb * for Jesus, so that makes everything ducky!

* And let's not forget robbing from the poor to give to the rich!

Regarding repenting, I would also welcome a Republican who repented and I think that's coming, given the axiom that a Repbulican is a Republican until hard times have them needing their government. Those hard times are coming. I'm astounded at the number of Americans losing their jobs everyday. Even in my small town, there are homeless children attending school. It was Ike who noted that every bomb bought is food removed from a child's mouth.

Like your hero, Palin, you didn't answer my question. You've got your agenda and you forwarded it.

Here's my dream: that you'll awake in Iraq on patrol. Hannity will be at point. Limbaugh will have the saw.

Seriously, support the troops. Become one. The troops want to come home. You can make that happen by volunteering.

I blame Palin and McCain for "Kill him!" They're the two with the microphones. They set the tone. Palin likes to talk about terrorism, so she should talk about the terror of "Kill him!"

There's no sport whiter than hockey.