The lamest Carry Tennis I've ever read. And he's hardly ever lame. But this just sucks. Btw, it is a religious war. They started it, want it and continue it. Time we stopped bringing play dough to a gun fight.

Carry should just bow out after this.

...I'm worried that a supposedly enlightened female LW is referring to an accomplished female as a "chick." Does she call accomplished men "dudes"?

You don't have to agree with someone's politics. But you have to open your eyes when you are using a sexist term to describe a female candidate.

I'm not a Republican, I'm an Independent. But I am appalled by some of the personal attacks and sexist terms and slurs that have been hurled at Palin. Some of these attacks have come from women, which makes me wonder if men have been right about us...that we're harder on each other than they ever dreamed of being.

I'd love it if people could view Obama and Palin as candidates -- not as a token black, not as a "chick" -- but as people who are running for office. May the best person win based upon their professional qualifications.

The next 60 days will be dirty, if this past week has been any indicator of the nation's vicious mood. It's a sad reflection on society when people can't be civil anymore and stick to the facts, not hysterical name calling (on either side).

I know so many people who were seriously mentally distressed after the last election. I've thought that some of them might become suicidal if we lose again. I can't even speak to anyone who supports McCain, it's to hard to wrap my mind around why anyone would think that way. I don't see the point in continuing to work for societal change if we can't manage to do it this time. Maybe other readers can offer coping tips. I'll try to canvas, etc., but I live in NYC so not really going to convert anyone here.

If the LW thinks Palin is a "shrill bitch," how would she described herself? That's the pot calling the kettle black, I think!

It's so easy to call women "bitches" when you don't agree with them. Can't you say something more original, like "I don't care for her political views, so I'm not voting for her"? Why isn't McCain a "prick" for picking a "bitch"? See the sexism, LW? Shame on you! As a woman, you should know better!

The thousands and thousands of dead innocent men, women, and children in Iraq cry out from their graves: "The Republicans and Democrats are not the same!"

If you insist on saying that they are the same, please be willing in the future to take some responsiblity for the thousands of innocent dead Iranians.

Cary, what the hell? Seriously, are you high or something? Do you really think people have the liberty (that you seem to have taken) to regard themselves as above the fray and delude themselves that a McCain presidency will just mean "politics" as usual? Do you really think you and yours are going to be totally immune from the policies these scum are most assuredly going to enact?

I know that there are people in the world who do not love their fellow human beings ...

and I HATE PEOPLE LIKE THAT.

Not a religious war, just politics.

Where have you been, cary?

It IS about religion. Very much about religion...

The GOP of '08 is driven by the far right and is going even farther to the right with Palin.

She favors blocking ALL abortion. She favors blocking ALL birth control. She favors removing ALL support for unwed mothers and teens. She favors blocking ALL schools from teaching such icky subjects as sex education, evolution, math, personal responsibility for the environment... Heck, maybe she can get the schools to tech kids to hang out of airplanes and shoot animals with high powered rifles. Imagine hunting deer in Michigan from a Cessna 172 doing slow circles around the Kensington Metro Park in suburban Detroit. Well, hell, maybe the schools can take all that money they used to waste on science books and science teachers and buy a bunch of bibles and a few airplanes. YEA HAH!!! How about ROTC in High School. Hell, why not elementary school. Start 'em young. God's wars need more blood, guts, sinew and brain matter to grease the machines... There be plenty of profit to be made by 'loyal corporations' that can use the free labor.

First Iran, then Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, England, France... Maybe Canada and Mexico in there somewhere...

It's all about 'religion' as cover for the crimes against humanity and under the cover of gays and gus they will again dup the country into voting for them. I have a poster that says "W '04: I consider Christianity a personality defect".

It's all about political ideology as religion... They play for keeps...

Republicans driving you crazy to the point you want to scream? Send money to the Obama campaign every time you fantasize about gunning Republicans down from a plane as they run for their lives. That was how Obama raised $10 million in the 24 hours after Palin's speech.

I'm dealing with the same emotions. I'm so full of rage about this election and trying desperately to figure out how to manage it. I went to an Obama volunteer meeting today and hope that actually doing something -- instead of reading blogs all day -- will help.

With what seems to be the impending collapse of our economy, this election is so much more than politics.

Read "The Authoritarians" by Bob Altmeyer (home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/) for insight into these folks.

I truly believe that if McCain wins, that's exactly what will happen. Global climate change will be ignored--until it's too late. Or, his hot temper will lead him to push the nuclear button. Or, he'll die and a woman with ZERO foreign policy experience will make an irretrievable mistake. Or all of the above.

The stakes were unaccountably high in the past 2 elections, and the disaster we've gotten has been far beyond our worst dreams. But things can still go downhill. We still have a planet at the moment.

Pay attention, Cary, this is big stuff--there is nothing bigger.