These people yeild a lot of influence.

Yeah, my parents, who watch Fox News exclusively, were among the people who thought Mark Foley was a Democrat. We don't generally talk politics, but my mom mentioned on the phone to me that she thought it was terrible that the Democrats had shielded one of their own after he'd molested teenagers. I'm not a double-take kind of guy, but my reaction there was broad enough to play on a sitcom. If I'd had a mouthful of water, I would have spewed it. But ignorant though she might at times be, she's my mom, so I broke the truth gently.

---

I don't think the level of vitriol can be compared without taking into account the relative level of influence the vitriol has. The insano-extreme left is widely acknowledged by everyone to be insane and extreme, but Bill O'Reilly is taken seriously by a frighteningly large number of people. I'd bet good money that the vast majority of Americans have no idea who Randi Rhodes is (I'm not even sure I do), but Ann Coulter is a best-seller

Yeah, tommyrot's statement was about hatred from conservative bloggers. It wasn't further qualified. I'm not going to try to think of anyone on any side of any aisle who says more vile things than I've read Coulter say.

---

I was telling family in email, I feel cautiously optimistic this morning.

And you know really, I don't want indictments, I don't want hearings, I don't want an impeachment. I just want my habeus corpus back.

---

And you know really, I don't want indictments, I don't want hearings, I don't want an impeachment. I just want my habeus corpus back.

Oh, yes, so very this. If this election could signal a return to things working more or less the way they're meant to under the constitution, I'd be happier about that than anything a million vengeance fairies could wreak.

but if the vengeance fairies want to put some itching powder in the RNC's collective underpants just to make sure they have all their bases covered.....

---

tommyrot's statement was about hatred from conservative bloggers.

True, but I don't think it's irrelevant that wingnut bloggers have bigwig wingnut pundits to quote from, while insano-leftist bloggers have to make up their own rants. It leads to a uniformity of insanity on the extreme right that I don't think exists on the extreme left.

---

Both Jon Tester and Jim Webb have won their races in Montana and Virginia but want to make sure that every vote is counted.

I wonder if the situation was the opposite, would their opponents feel the same way, or would they pre-emptively declare victory?

No, wait. I don't.

And you know really, I don't want indictments, I don't want hearings, I don't want an impeachment. I just want my habeus corpus back.

You just spoke for me, Sean. That, and getting the troops home ASAP without leaving too much of a mess (not terribly optimistic on that one though).

---

Sorry, didn't mean to pile onto you, Cindy.

And you know really, I don't want indictments, I don't want hearings, I don't want an impeachment. I just want my habeus corpus back.

I want all of those things. You shouldn't get to get away with lying to the American people, especially if you're the top executive power in the country.

---

And you know really, I don't want indictments, I don't want hearings, I don't want an impeachment. I just want my habeus corpus back.

Oh, see, I'm greedy -- I want all of it.

---

Capable focus on undoing the harm that's been done to this country's rights and freedoms over the past few years is certainly the top item on my wish list for the 110th Congress.

I'll settle for Bush enjoying the same sort of warm, supportive relationship with the legislature over the next two years that Clinton had during his years in office. Because, quite frankly, I don't think he'll have the maturity or strength of character to stand it when the rubber stamp he's used to getting from Congress starts reading "NO."

---

Oh, I won't object if we get those other things.

Habeus corpus first, though.

---