I agree with Greenwald. The Democratic campaign has been too nice and needs to rev up its intensity. Kerry didn't win because as critics point out, he let the Swift boat attacks go unanswered. Democrats have to fight back or they are going to lose.

So you think people can be swayed by foam faux pillars? And you accuse conservatives of being easily swayed.

By the way, I asked some time back for someone--anyone--to provide specifics from Obama's speech or Biden's (without cheating and going back to look).

So far: nada.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden are a much stronger Democratic ticket than Kerry/Edward and Gore /Liebermann. I think Obama has run a brilliant campaign and forced McCain into picking a poorly vetted Palin. Every day there is some new negative revelation about her that no amount of script writing can overcome. Her political record is now seeing the light of day and it is not pretty. Nor is her personal managment style. Obama has the organizing talent to out organize McCain and he wil out raise him financially. And wait until the reporters get to grill Palin like they have Obama and Biden.

Democrats couldn't join a fight if somebody slapped their mommas and spit in her eye!

Its a darn shame. They think that being good gets them points. No, you don't want to be an out and out @sshole, but guess what folks, its a fight for power!!! It's not supposed to be civilized.

Political civility is what made Kerry a joke. Its like expecting a pit bull to bark "excuse me" before taking a chunk out of your @ss.

I can truly understand Obama taking the high road, but the rest of the Democrats have no excuse. They keep waiting for America to be better than we are.

At the end of the day, they are a bunch of rich muckety mucks, I have to surmise. Maybe their idea of battle is giving someone the cut direct.

I swear before all that is holy, if the Democrats lose this, I'm never voting for them again. I'll go Indie or Republican.

You want my vote? You want control over this great country? THEN FIGHT!

Palin's mocking of Obama's community organizer stint is a direct response to his holding it up as an example of his experience while Obama's spokesman mocked her experience as a mayor.

She was making a direct and on-target comparison. She came out on top.

She's running on her "family values and religious" cred, wanting to ban certain books from a library and she dresses like this?

You don't get it, looking slutty for ones husband is not equivalent to actually BEING a Slut whenever possible. Her husband is one lucky guy.

You can't compare the RNC with the DNC--the DNC was electrically charged, filled with great speeches and memorable moments. The RNC has been drab and filled with snarkiness. All the analysis nailed it--that speech fired up the base, but it will win no independents to the cause. And the Republican base is not big enough to win this election.

I disagree with Glenn. The problem with Gore and Kerry is not that they didn't get as nasty as Bush, it's that they were like a deer in the headlights and didn't respond at all. I really believe that issues-oriented campaigns can work. Dems must respond to attacks, but to get down in the gutter with the Republicans is a mistake.

The Dem response was right on. They were right to say the obvious, that Palin delivered her speech decently, but also right to point out that the speech did nothing to address the problems of this country, especially the middle-class.

Contrast this to Kerry's response to swift-boating. One commentator (whose name I don't recall) said she was asked onto a show to talk about it. She called the Kerry campaign to find out what the talking points were, and there were none! Kerry could have at least pointed out that one of his attackers had actually campaigned for him in the past and had now flip-flopped.

Hey chippy, nobody is responding to you because it is not worth anyone's time to try and talk to someone as obviously diseased as you are. Feel free to right whatever you want, but don't get cranky when we ignore you.

why anyone thought that sarah palin's speech was anything more than public speaking 101 is beyond me. that jabbing finger, that pinched face and that accent straight out of "fargo" all highlighted the words of a bitter, ill-informed and sadly unqualified candidate. if america is looking for a reality show where the maligned protagonist first gets mad and then gets even then stay tuned to the sarah palin show. after eight years of failed policies, a brutal war and rising poverty, the republicans have no shame in trying to pull the wool over the eyes of americans one more time with hypocritical family values, playground bully leadership and false promises. let's hope people get a clue and vote for reason over retrograde politics.

With her sneering attack on Barack Obama's work as a community organizer, Sarah Palin disgraced herself and John McCain's candidacy. My sister has cerebral palsy and has benefited greatly from the work that community organizers in her city do to help her and others like her in areas such as transportation and jobs.

Palin's shameful pandering to the bloodthirsty Republican Party base may have played well in the hall, but I believe that there are many voters like myself who were repulsed by the nasty, dismissive tone and substance of her acceptance speech.

"Which is better? Try to run a clean campaign while your opponent goes for personal attacks, or get into the mudslinging and give them even more fodder for personal attacks?"

Can't there be a middle ground? Biden could have easily eliminated the first part of his answer this morning - the praising of Palin - and simply stated the second part in a rather agressive manner.

The attacks don't have to be personal and the compliments should be nil.