Nixon WAS convicted by the Senate for Watergate breakin--that's why a "there" was there for pardon..

if Telecoms have thus far NOT been convicted of any crimes--there's no pardon to be made-it's drawing circles in the air.

iow-wait it out til after 1-20.

.., the saints are down in the local soup kitchen.

you wouldn't leave your kids at a child-care center run by known pedophiles, but every 4 years you hand your nation over to known politicians. how dumb is that?

it's easier to complain about the character of pollies than do something about making them obsolete. this is not hard, mike gravel has a plan on his site, but it requires a lot of people to put down the racing guide, the tv schedule, and start acting like responsible citizens. maybe it is too hard, although they do it in california and switzerland.

people complain endlessly about political parties, but if america had citizen initiative, you wouldn't be captive to pollies, you could do it yourself. maybe taking responsibility frightens you? you should be more frightened of where the pollies are taking america.

Glenn:

The reason Democrats claim to run to the center, which always seems to running away from them, is because that is where the money is. Obviously, Democrats are not doing this out of their belief in principles (of which neither they nor Republicans have any), but out sheer greed. I guess this is like picking low hanging fruit. People like Obama and McCain believe in nothing. At least Obama is honest enough to do this before elections take place, I am not quite sure whether out stupidity or greed, which he can always claim that he never hid his true colors.

Nixon resigned because of certain impeachment.

Nixon was not impeached.

Mr Greenwald

Several months ago I heard on tv the familiar media trope trotted out with reference to Obama's possible opposition to a war supplemental: 'Will voters view him as not supporting the troops because of his stance on this bill?' I became an Obama supporter when I heard the soundbite of his response: 'If the Republicans, who sent our troops to an elective war with inadequate planning and insufficient equipment, want to have that debate, I'm very happy to have it.'

It amazed me to hear a nationally visible Democrat willing to challenge the premises of the debate. Is he forgetting now what he knew then? With his 10+ point lead in the polls and the current state of the Republican 'brand' as you put it, unprincipled behavior and the perception of weakness it creates is one of the few things that could stop him from becoming President. You are right, since securing the nomination he seems to be heading straight down the Kerry path. Where is this sought-after voter who would not consider supporting Obama unless Obama supports telecom immunity? In the minds of the consultant class only; common sense indicates no such person exists in the real world.

Thanks for another excellent column.

I voted for Barack Obama in the Florida Democratic presidential primary. And I plan to vote for him this fall, although I am becoming increasingly unhappy with his performance.

His FISA flip-flop, death penalty pandering and double-talk on campaign finance reform make me question exactly how much change Obama will bring to Washington if elected.

So yesterday I took a small step. I told the Obama campaign to remove my name from their e-mail list.

Fortunately, there also was an optional space in the opt out e-mail to explain why I was pulling my name. I let them know Barack's change of heart of warrantless evasedropping and telecom amnesty upset me greatly.

What I wrote probably won't have any impact, but it's all I can think to do now.

I tried duckpin bowling once, and I didn't even score a 33.

It was a total disaster, because the ducks kept spitting out the pins.

To those doubting that Allen's "macaca"(sic) remark was intentionally racist: have you heard him say it?

He sounds like a drunk at a whites-only private country club, scolding a waiter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r90z0PMnKwI

(dubious bonus: the comment section)

[click my highlighted screen name for link]

The term "macaca" = "macaque", another widely used name for the rhesus monkey (Rhesus macaque.)

Anyway, Allen's a footnote now. Maybe him and Gingrich can get a tap-dance routine together. One can hope, anyway.

On-topic: another terrific column, Glenn. Man, can you write.

When are the Beltway Democrats going to get it? It seems like every election, they turn off millions of potential voters who should be integral to their natural constituency- "the set of all voters waiting for a reason not to be cynical"- supposedly in an effort to reach out to "Reagan Democrats"...?

The "Reagan Democrats" are a category that Dem strategists seem bent on reifying into permanence as the de facto arbiters of American elections- even as their numbers dwindle, replaced by a youth vote with consistently more liberal political leanings. (And I think a poll measuring the present political leanings of under-30 voters who went for Bush in 2000/2004 would be highly in order.)

The "vital center" is in a different place, this year.

It's time to go to a local fishing lake. I'll ask `Hay you. GOP CEO's

`any predatory mackerel fish biting? `yea. halibut, and fresh tuna too.

`The darn sun fish ate a whole 'can of worms' and drank 7-cans of beer.

`The carp are burping mountain dew foam polluted run~off from flood waters.

`gads. I need someone to check my ears for wax? It's too goofy for me anymore.

`The gops remind me of the drowning politic's. Hay! You need a rope? No! Why?

`Yoo look like your drowning, hungered, pale, gasping, and need flippers and eye goggles.

`O No. Denial. B. Obama. Tell the honest to god truth and nothing but the truth. Hip hurray.

` Oh, who ain't commencing to swear. hiss. I make up cuss words. stooped. What's with 'um?

`We GOPS eat earthworms too. The cans of slime are cheaper than cans of chipped cream kale.

`O gads. I'm gonna glean the rural hick roads to gather up the beer tin cans. They fetch money.