My BF helped me with this. His BiL (and BiL's whole extended family) is very conservative. When we go there for holidays, the room is filled with loud, blustery neocons. BF said to me--you know what they believe is short-sighted, you know you only see them once or twice a year, and you know you won't change their minds. They aren't worth one second of your energy. When they start talking, don't listen. Just look at them and think "you're all idiots" and go find someone to talk to about something which will be positive for the both of you. It really helps me get through those evenings.

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Fortunately, my nuclear family (mom, bro, stepdad, and, to some extent, dad) are all just as rabidly yellow-dog democrats as I am. So if we get sucked into a political discussion by my dipshit facist neo-con uncle, we just roll our eyes at each other and back each other up.

Our cue to dissolve into hysterical laughter is the first time any one of the extended family uses the phrase "trickle-down."

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My three brothers and I are evenly split along party lines. Mostly we're civilized about it, but every once in awhile it breaks out, like the day after Dad's funeral when Ex-Army Brother (GOP) and Georgia Brother (Dem) had a shouting match about Iraq, in which Georgia Brother's son, also a Democrat, is serving as a National Guard lieutenant. It wasn't pretty.

I'd love to know what EAB thinks of this debacle. He's an engineer with degrees from West Point and Stanford, spent a good chunk of his career with the Corps of Engineers, and had some experience in disaster recovery before retiring from the Army as a Lt. Col. I remember thinking early on how much better he'd do at running FEMA even though if I were POTUS I'd appoint someone a little more senior--if I wanted Corps experience, I'd pick a general or at least a full colonel. I was flabbergasted to discover just how much more relevant experience EAB has than Brown! Anyway, as of two weeks ago he was an administration apologist who can't shut up about how Clinton trashed the military, so I can't help wondering if this last week has changed his views at all.

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I swear, my job doesn't require knowing anything other than a) who has the info b) how to best cajole it out of them and c) how to spin it for the people that need it.

There's something after a? Completing a) might be my workplace Holy Grail. It happens and I expect cherubs to descend. Singing. And with the harps too.

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My very favorite part of the McClellan grilling:

Q And you're saying there is not a blame game, but you open the door to the response --

MR. McCLELLAN: I can't tell you that everything you said is factually correct, and they've got -- we've got to look at all the facts. We've got to determine what worked, what didn't work, and apply --

Q Well, what's not working? What's not working in your view right now?

MR. McCLELLAN: -- and apply lessons from that.

Q What do you see that's not working right now? What is not working? Because these people are dying from dysentery now --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, last week --

Q -- infection now; they're displaced, homes are gone. Does anyone in this administration know anyone that's down there --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think you need to talk to people on the ground --

Q -- beyond Trent Lott?

I so need to find video of this. And play it every Christmas.

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Is the Daily Show new again tonight?

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I'm personally of the opinion that if you can't talk nice -- and often, people talking politics can't -- then you should talk about the weather. Family gatherings are not a place for screaming argument about people you've never met (unless your name is Bush, and then it is a legitimate family problem ). When family go busting out with inflammatory political arguments, and you're just trying to enjoy their company, it is perfectly legitimate to wield the Iron Wand of Smiting Politeness and ask them to kindly stop mentioning [Rush Limbaugh, Noam Chomsky], or else invite him next time instead of you.

If there is one thing I despise, it is people who make a hobby out of petty feuds. There is no call for glee at crude divisiveness, and stoking of same may justifiably be called rude. (See Iron Wand etc. etc., above.)

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The Daily Show is new.

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I'm personally of the opinion that if you can't talk nice -- and often, people talking politics can't -- then you should talk about the weather.

Unless, of course, the problem was sparked by said weather...

My most conservative family members are all Canadian, and not in Alberta. Even my pro-life and very churchy cousin comes across as liberal compared to the US right, and my parents and in-laws are about as blue as blue gets. I'm so glad I never have to deal with the left/right split at the dinner table.

In fact, the worst political thing I have to deal with is filtering out an insane amount of West Wing talk from the in-law side. If I never hear, "It's like they say on the West Wing..." when talking about actual politics ever again, it will be too soon.

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If I never hear, "It's like they say on the West Wing..." when talking about actual politics ever again, it will be too soon.

Of course, if we could get two thoughtful Supreme Court Judges now like they did on the West Wing...

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