You've officially created the largest left-right collection of nutcases in Salon history, with a "rational fringe" of aghast commentators who point out your frequently purple prose.

An interesting mental exercise for you might be culling all the favorable letters after one of your columns, reading them together, and visualizing the crowd you produce. Then think of yourself surrounded by them, sans bodyguard.

It might not be a pleasant mental picture, but I'm sure you'd find a way to blame it on Obama.

From the beginning of the Obama campaign, his tactics were a case study from Carl Rove's playbook. Example: If anyone disagrees with him, plant the racist idea -- just like Bush -- When anyone disagreed paint them unpatriotic. The threats and talking points leaked down to the very lowest campaigners -- many of us went home and stayed there. We saw the light early enough to question.

Congressman Rick Boucher, 9th district of Virginia who co-authored the bill has thumbed his nose at his supporters and constituents to gain favor with this president even though he knew the bill was couched in backhanded rhetoric and doublespeak. Hope he gets that favor because his very safe seat will be lost in 2010. His constituents are not stupid.

Virginia's sitting governor has forsaken his duties to hump nationally for Obama and head the Democratic National Committee.

The tactics being used by this popular president is dangerous. It will be years before his impact is known. People, please ask why the push to get every problem solved in the first 6 months? Pete Peterson of the Peterson Foundation, among many others, warn of the promises made to Americans -- $56 trillion in the next three decades. Bush doubled the debt of all preceding presidents, by 2018 Obama's policies will have again doubled the national debt. From whom will be continue to borrow? From where will the funds come to pay it back?

IGNORE THE WISHES OF THE PRESIDENT, INDEED. YEP, START NOW.

To my recollection - and please, feel free to correct me on this point - I haven't claimed expertise on anything at all.

But then, I'm neither the expert on putting words in other people's mouths, nor am I of the view that expertise is required in order to reach a rational conclusion.

Your endless resort to the fallacy of authority is highly amusing, not to mention anomalous, in a man who claims to be able to construct a rational argument.

Ever thought about stand-up?