Glen,

I agree with you at the gut level and whole-heartedly endorse your call for debates that truly separate the candidates. But I just don't know how we're going to do this. The MSM would rather bloviate for days about about the pregnant daughter and the appropriateness of covering the issue, then delve into how Palin's own position on the issue might be relevant.

The current meme is that Palin is a tough reformer. How tough was it for her to head up a 527 organization with the name "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service"?

The media, as usual, won't even think of that question, let alone ask it. And we're sadly left with the same crap.

I almost don't care anymore. If the American voters buy this crap then they, um, we deserve it. For all I know the Republican ideology exists somewhere on a pure plane ready to be frankly judged, but those bionic assholes were just scary and nasty, and what really hurts is they don't want my vote because they sure didn't ask.

On Glenn Greenwald's point- nice blog, because it allows an answer to the question: what should Joe Biden do? It seems so easy. Why do they have to keep trotting out that John McCain is a great patriot because he spent six years in a cage? Where are the other guys from the POW camp? Are they off running city councils?

If the Democrats can't attack this silly canard it's because their principles are so weak (which is better than being absolutely nonexistent, or reprehensibly harmful). Why not assert that intelligence and familiarity with the law and foreign affairs might be a good thing to seek out in a political leader? If the Democrats can't simply examine the recent record of the Republican candidates and come out looking better it does not say much for the Democrats. Or anyone. By gum, I'm so close to voting third party. But I probably won't press the red button. How depressing.

Brilliant - you hit the proverbial nail on the head! Almost all of her rousing statements were littered with false or misleading information.

Any buffoon with a computer can do their own research and discover for themselves that Palin dropped a big 'ol pile of steaming crap on the convention floor. Sure it sounded good (if you're the GOP), but it wasn't even close to the truth.

Why does everyone, including Biden, keep saying she delivered the speech well? I watched her from start to finish, and her delivery went from awful to mediocre. Is this really good enough for everyone? Come on people, enough of this -- it's time to demand our leaders perform at a truly excellent level. We are finally getting rid of the monkey, let's not replace it with another (self-proclaimed) animal. We deserve a great leader.

shooter's documentation of some of the vitriol that is found in abundance on many Salon comment pages- including this thread- is indisputable.

The only problem is that Glenn's critique wasn't targeted at the peanut-gallery atmosphere that pervades many comment sections on the Internet, regardless of the prevailing ideology, or even whether the topic relates to politics or societal issues.

Glenn was directing his comments to comments by people holding especially high vantage points and especially amplified voices in the public sphere- political figures, media personages, pundits, campaign directors and their paid professional staffs, 527 groups...voices like that.

The comments of some of the so-called "Salonistas" hereabouts are simply irrelevant to Glenn's critique of those who are significantly more powerful and influential.

And shooter persists in missing the mark over and over, on this very issue. How many times has he implored Glenn, in tones of hand-wringing concern, to scold the motley agglomeration of letter writers in his comment section for their partisan trash-talking?

Don't you get it, shooter? The Right Wing has talked trash like that for years and years- not as handfuls of letter writers on the Internet, but amplified by 50,000 watt radio stations from coast to coast; on television programs; using paid political ads and and public speeches by high-profile leaders.

No, they typically don't resort to cussing in public. Their stock in trade is verbal abuse that works in much more insidious and damaging ways that go far beyond name-calling: wholesale employment of logical fallacies, slander, libel, hyperbole and fear-mongering. The techniques of demagoguery.

I've heard some Democrats do those things, too. But nowhere close to the Republicans, who have become dependent on those unethical tactics to underpin their position on the issues across the board.

I realize that you can supply some sound-bite anecdotes to dispute me on that, and fill up a couple of messages worth of bandwidth harping on your pet examples. But my only disadvantage in responding would be the sheer amount of time, column inches, and effort required to enumerate instances of Republican demagoguery, exaggeration, and outright lying without once having the need to repeat myself- except when describing the Republican's preferred mode of operation, and the self-intoxicated shamelessness associated with it:

"taking on Big Oil..."

LOL. Sleight of hand. Now you own it; now you don't.

Thankfully, I'm fairly sure I'm seeing signs of the growing ineffectiveness of those techniques, as long as an effective counter-response is mounted IMMEDIATELY. I sincerely hope that the Dems don't delude themselves into thinking that they can grant themselves a string of successes by emulating the array of weaseling, nut-kicking, and projection-accusation tactics in the Karl Rove playbook- which should never, ever become confused with the essence of an aggressive campaign.

Thats right, nothing. (A trick question.)

A pit bull with lipstick, eh. I don't doubt it.

Alas, I missed Palin's speech last night but caught many highlights on the Joe and Mika show this morn over cheerios. Nick nack paddy whack ... give a dog a bone.

I think it best to wait for the active, on-going investigation of Palin to wrap-up before ... in fact, I didn't know you could pick someone under investigation for the Vice President. But it don't surprise me none.

lipstick for possums too,

bah.