...could I just complain to the judge that he was criminalizing a policy difference?

Hey Elephantdick: I was thinking about not voting for Obama because of his FISA capitulation but the more I see disingenuous assholes like you trying to create a rift, the more likely I am to close ranks and vote for Obama anyway.

The WAPO criticism is actually about how Russia treats Oilmen and Oil Companies poorly, if I read it correctly. Included is this comment, about former Petro-strongman Khodorkovsky, who was disappeared by Putin to darkest Siberia:

Khodorkovsky, who has spent nearly five years in prison, was another one who hoped Medvedev would be different. He recently filed a request for parole, for which he became eligible in October 2007. Medvedev could have signaled a clear break with the past by ending the persecution of a man who provoked Putin's wrath by promoting democracy and the rule of law. Instead, he blandly told foreign journalists this month that Khodorkovsky's case should be handled by "law enforcement authorities." Prosecutors duly filed a new set of charges that could keep Khodorkovsky imprisoned for many more years.

How dare the Russians hold an innocent oilman for years, only to slap new charges on him when it looked like he finally might get a chance to, at minimum, get a decent hearing.

Surely the US would never sink to such behavior.

I also find it interesting that Russia, perhaps on the brink of becoming the worlds foremost Petro-Power, is the target here. Why not direct our righteous scorn on the equally-criminal Chinese? (HINT:)Is it because of all the US debt they hold? Or possibly the imminent beginning of the Olympics?

So it goes, with Carbon-Based Ethics and Law.

Actually, polls show McCain losing even more badly when any third party candidate is listed - including Nader.

At this point, according to polls, both Nader and Bob Barr appear to be taking support from McCain, not Obama.

My personal guess as to why is that in oversimplified, two candidate poll scenarios, there are about 5% who "hold their nose and declare for McCain", but really don't want him. Since these votes seem to go to either Barr or Nader, they must be coming from people who really don't want McCain, but have some reason for refusing to support Obama. The reason can't be rational, as there is no possible rational viewpoint that is compatible with both McCain and Nader but not Obama. Please note that I said "rational".

As for me, it's easy. I'll vote for Obama except in the extraordinarily unlikely circumstances that he becomes worse than McCain. One of them is going to win, so that's the only standard that matters this year.

With one exception - ethanol an sugar subsidies, which Obama supports - McCain is already as bad as Obama can ever become on every issue. Only an idiot would think that McCain would have stood up against FISA. For some more examples, if Obama were to declare today that he planned to continue the war in Iraq for 100 years, appoint activist right wing nut judges, make the budget deficit far worse, and probably start another major war at the most disastrous possible time, he'd still only TIE with McCain on those issues, and he'd be better on any number of other issues.

Now, if Obama suddenly starts saying that he'll declare war on England the day he's inaugurated, pass a federal law requiring everyone to wear their clothing backwards, appoint a cabinet of ministers who are aliens invisible to everyone but him, or something of that sort, I may consider voting for someone else. But Obama has to achieve the difficult task of being, not a "mediocre" or "bad" candidate, but a worse candidate than McCain, his only real opposition, before I'll do so. Given two choices, I'll always choose the better of the two.

I am so extremely skeptical of the entire Bush family going back to Prescott Bush (involved in war-profiteering, covert munitions sales in WWII-not to mention kissing Big Oils Texass' ass)---

that I really almost feel sympathetic to Putins and Medved.

It's not impossible to suppose that Putin may have had to seize Yukos, Gasprom for the sake of keeping it from being bought by Americans.

It's no secret that the US has been conducting CIA missions for

Years to break up areas of Soviet influence since the Vietnam years-to gain control of the gas/natural resources..

Russia has one of the most vast supplies of many natural resources than any other country in the world..

So the Reagan 'bring down this curtain" speil didn't really fool me..

Afterall-once capitalism is installed there--Americans can buy it up...Put bases in some of the other Russian areas to undermine/gain control of resources..(Gergia has raised the price of rent on US bases 15 times in attempts to get us out).

It's especially true since Russia supplies so much energy to Europe/China...surely must have Enron, Cheney, GW, other Texas oil buddies since LBJ (defense contractors too) seeing $$ signs...

So we helped break up Soviet Union--in the name of "democracy"..Yet in the aftermath of that breakup--we gave Russia very little help in adapting to another social,economic, political and just watched them flounder and grapple with things on their own..

It was a missed opportunity to actually show our goodwill-and intent of democracy-and they had no choice but to revert back to the only ways they knew best as to not be taken over by Western influence and lose control of their own countrys' resources to American robber barons...

So they learned to compete on their own terms---and the Oil guys didn't like it much..

Gotta give em some kudos..

Look at maps also of Iraq and Afghanistan. Back right up to some countries in the Caspian area with lots of natural resources (Turkmentistan-which just happens to border Iran)-like oil and natural gas..

So since Afghanistan back in the 80s-we've been conducting a proxy-war with Russia for natural resources in thier part of the world..

If the US wants to claim to be so pious and point fingers at Russia--let's at least start the conversation with what our own CIA is doing in various countries--and WHO is secretly funding thses missions..