To do this right, Salon needs threaded discussions, moderators, clear rules of conduct and a big ol' shiny plonk button. And (are you listening, editors?) this would not substantially reduce page clicks. People would be more likely to stay and click around if they weren't forced to wade through page after page of filth.

I don't think the editors realize what a shitty reputation Salon has for harboring trolls. The Salon letters page is widely regarded as one of the nastiest on the internets. Portal of Evil News has more reasonable discussions on its comment boards than Salon does. POE NEWS. Land of endless articles about pet hoarders and two-headed babies, regular posters who find the word "fag" endlessly funny, and oh yeah, some of the most fair, intelligent political discussions out there.

To continue this way is just careless. Bad karma. It sucks.

This is from clbrune a few pages ago:

"The telling thing is that he now admits he was fully aware of his Pastor's attitudes. Yet he stayed in the same church for 20 year, let the pastor perform his wedding and baptize his children.

"A real leader would have chosen a church more consistent with the teachings of Jesus, instead of giving this fanatic a wink and a nod."

OK, what's the conclusion we are supposed to draw from this? That Obama can't lead his country because his pastor said some nasty things and Obama didn't immediately switch churches? That is absurd. We all know people who say offensive things on occasion, and yet have a lot to offer 99.9% of the time. Are we supposed to disown them? It is not as if Wright spewed this vitriol every Sunday and Obama meekly listened for 20 years, nodding his head in agreement.

Wright was letting his anger get away with him. If you haven't occasionally thought to yourself, "damn the USA," then you think only very occasionally. I admire Obama for staying in a congregation where different and radical ideas, even crazy ones, are at least aired and discussed. Would you rather your president be incurious and easily fooled (by, for instance, his monster vice president), or would you rather that he have the courage, curiosity and intellect to listen to all ideas and make up his own mind?

You're having the all the lonely impact of an impotent insect. Buzz on baby!

You rule the internet!

I read many of these comment's and now I know why Bush is president and the country is in a melt down.Some people just because someone can read a good speech written by someone else they go apeshit over what a wonderful president he would make. It amazes me how gullable some people are.Obama has nothing in his background to qualify him to be a senator much less president of The United States.You are praising an empty suit who voted present 118 times(which is voting for nothing) when he was a state Rep. in Illinois.The only thing Obama is doing is splitting what's left of the democratic party which if he is the nominee will destroy it as well as finish destroying this country.Experience is what brings change not empty words.When Obama talks about bringing this country together he show's just how green he is. McCain and the republican's will tear his thin skin and hugh ego to pieces and Obama will be standing there wondering what happened since he thinks people love him. What a joke.I guess some of you want a first lady who doesn't llike this country like Michelle Obama--talk about a bull in a china shop Michell in the White House that I can't imagine.What a disgrace.

Why am I totally unsurprised?

The Police State, surveilance state, private gulag industry, fundametnally changing foreign policy, and the drug war are all bigoted policies, and they are all taboo. Off limits. I mean, think of the children...

Nobody dare discuss pulling the trough from the Fascist's Cash Cows.

Not a peep about judicial racism or the fact that less than 1 in 100 Americans walk the streets as "free" men and women, because none of that will be "changing" any time soon. These policies, like our bigoted and paranoid foreign policy, are the engines that drive the drivel we see on TV.

And the same people that will praise your points about the drug war are the same people that a few months ago would call out the only candidate on both sides, Ron Paul, names and make up lies about how he is a scary boogeyman that is going to steal your abortions and welfare checks than leave you die in the street. The same Ron Paul that ran on the platform of ending the drug war (let alone merely mentioning the taboo of the "war" itself) and the only candidate to bring up judicial racism, was smeared and dismissed as a racist/bigot/antisimitic/puppy killer/etc. by the same people that praise your analysis of the drug war and its injustices. Oh well, someone perceived as anti-Empire getting smeared by the War Party for going after the precious Welfare/Warfare Police State? Say it isn't so...

I can't help but imagine the glazed look and starry eyes on Obama supporters faces as they fawn embarassingly over the speech. Any people faint at this one?

My reaction to the speech: God save us. And kate sums up my reason why, the specifics everyone knows about or ignores.

All we had to do was throw the Clintons and grandma under the racist bus, but hey, it was worth it. -- KateTex

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Just curious. Is everybody that stupid they they don't see the three sylable pattern. It's an oratory device not tied to great speech making, but more to evangelical "administering to the flock" kind of cadences.

"Not this time"

"Yes we can"

"Hope and Change"

"O-Bam-A"

Jesus Christmas and Mary, this is childish.

It was a good speech and, well, the Grandma issue seems minor, and yet...I really, really love my grandma, so...

He implies that she "confided" in him that she was afraid of black man. As in a confidential conversation with someone you trust.

That kinda sucks.

Also, and correct me, I'm just citing this from memory from something I read, but didn't his Kenyan grandfather vehemently oppose his parents' marriage because he didn't want his son "tainted by the blood of a white woman" or something like that? Did he mention that in his speech? (I confess, I wasn't able to read the whole thing) I guess he wasn't born yet so that would just be hearsay as opposed to something that someone confided in you personally.

His speech was really well written and I'm trying to put my finger on why I feel a little annoyed just now that he is lecturing to us about race. His moral high ground has seriously eroded for me lately. It's hard. But I'm working on it, because we really do need to get past this. Sigh.