It may be corny, but Joan, you left out how inspiring he is, how he fills people with hope. Clinton comes across like a technocrat or a bulldog, and there's a touch of those qualities in Edwards, too.

But try a little, what is it now?

Oh yeah. Faith.

Jesus. You're so jaded you'd laugh in the face of pure truth, beauty and love. You would. You're doing it now. Admit it.

Maybe what we need is to believe in our nation as the noblest of all the experiments. Maybe a little fluff isn't so bad. Maybe we need to fucking believe in something for once.

My Gods and Goddesses. Is it true that we can't listen to words that promise a better, higher purpose than litigation and prosecution without expecting a naked, media-borne emperor, sans clothes, sans thought, sans belief?

Yes yes. It is true. Too bad. Fuck you, Joan. Put your publication on the line for once. Trust something.

What if everything isn't about profit, about sucking marrow from others' bones, about 9/11, 9/11, 9/11? What if you're wrong? What if your stupid, asinine, sad belief that nothing will ever matter, ever again, ever is wrong wrong wrong?

What if one or two of us are still stupid enough to believe in a better world? What if we're all about Camelot?

I dare you. Punish us for our beliefs. Make us scapegoats. I dare you. Make us all wrong about how things can be better than this. I double-dare you. Make us wrong, I double-dog dare yah.

Hope springs eternal.

Then comes the fall.

I'll bring you more on Obama, Edwards and Clinton before Tuesday.

I'd like to know why Hillary doesn't think judges are competent enough to do their jobs without minutely detailed written instructions from Congress.

I saw her at a Democratic dinner here in Seattle, about 1 month ago. She had the whole Benaroya Hall jumping up and down from their seats, clapping and yelling.

I'm sure your opinion of Hillary is based on "perception"? "TV appearances"? What a laugh.

Perhaps Hillary's crime is that she needs to hire George Lakoff and really learn how to frame her message so that it hits us in the gut, like Obama's does. But shit, anyone can do that. So Obama knows how to articulate the progressive principals better, does that make him ready to be president?

Frankly, I find it incredibly ironic that Obama supporters fall for this "building a broad coalition/consensus" theme that he preaches which includes reaching out to everyone. Then they turn around and consistently leave the nastiest, most condescending and most sweeping general statements on all the comments pages (HuffPo, Salon, DailyKos, etc...).

What is this authoritative bullshit? You're either for Obama, or against Obama? You can't criticize Obama? Joan Walsh deserves a "fuck-you" because she writes from her perspective of being a skeptical-Obama believer (yet)?

Fuck YOU, Obama supporters. Get more rational, and more mature about this. Joan is leading a discussion and doesn't deserve to be attacked like that.

Wow, I could hear the "pop" as clintonites started pulling their heads out. Congrats Joan.

It's like someone muttered a safe word and the pundits loosed their knots, pulled off their blindfolds, and snuck a peek out of the hillary "love-in". They discovered that there are a lot of people outside looking in. People wondering if the hillary love-in is religion, kink, or just a repeatition of old familiar motions. There are even more people not bothering to look, but instead are continuing a very long march to win the white house.

Obama could well enjoy a honeymoon, but it is his second. It is, however, a first one with the punditry shedding their old gear and looking for new (but not strange). One thing is certain though. He's already had one honeymoon and it is long over.

I couldn't help but notice that in Iowa, Joan chose to room in clinton central. Sure, she wanted convenient access to hillary's victory speech and party. It sounds like Obama throws a far better party (hint).

p.s. Sensory deprivation gear is, well, um, sensorily depriving. Don't wear it to work.

Do you really believe Obama has a chance to be President, if nominated?

Why do you think the republicans are so PRO Obama and are pushing so hard to have him be the democratic nominee?

Think very hard about these two questions.

The republicans know that if they are up against Obama for the run of the White House, that they will win.

It is so obvious of what the republicans are doing when they bring up his name. Why would they acknowledge him, other than to get it in the minds of some Americans that he is their (republican’s) choice.

The Republican Party has been researching everything negative about Obama and will hold off on presenting this detail about Obama to ruin our need for a democratic president.

Why would we take this chance?

Yes, we all know that Obama used drugs, which included cocaine, marijuana and alcohol. This is not something to take lightly and I know it will be the main issue of attack by the republicans.

In all reality, Obama committed a felony, but since he did not get caught using the drugs, he was not charged.

You may protest what I am saying or say that you smoked marijuana or may have tried cocaine and that it’s no big deal. But remember there are people in jail today who have been convicted for drug possession and use and drug use is not something that the republicans will keep under the rug.

George W. Bush may have gotten away with his DUI, but I am sure the drug usage, especially cocaine will be big with the republicans.

I would like to end by asking; what are we telling our children and young adults about alcohol and drug use? This is a very big issue in the United States and it should not be skirted around.

I was brutal.

Brutal as our opponents.

But my point is this.

If the people we're opposed to have their way, we'll all be in jail. Without trial. Ever.

For the crime of asking "why?"

And this publication is arrogant enough to worry about nitpicking? These fine people are interested more in subtleties than, gee, right and wrong? These people don't care about the dream that our Constitution promises?

No. You don't. You care about being cooler than Slate.

Well. Congratulations. You're under arrest for being cooler than Slate. Happy?

Jerks.