"What A Country We Live In"

Were the Obamas on their game last night or what? Yes, the questions from 60 Minutes' Steve Croft were largely hanging curves (I can hear the yelping from the Palin apologists), but Barack and Michelle still had to swing the bat and hit them out of the park. Here's one home run, with Michelle Obama talking about when it all sunk in:



All in all, they came across as a devoted, loving couple who are comfortable with themselves, as dedicated family people, and as prepared for the new life in front of them as they can be...

Meanwhile, the Republicans begin to sort through the rubble. Did they depart from conservative principles by letting the budget get out of hand? Have they become too narrow, too defined by cultural issues? Does the problem have everything to do with the incompetence of the Bush administration and nothing to do with conservatism itself? I'll let them figure it out, but will point out one thing: The Republicans have become the party of anger, resentment, and victimization at a time when the American people want hope and practical solutions to the problems facing the country.

So here's a thought, Republicans: Whatever you do, put country first. When you disagree with President Obama (do I like the sound of that!), how about doing it respectfully and rationally? Search for compromise when you can, and when you can't find it, present your differences in a way that does not demonize the millions of fellow countrymen who happen to be Democrats. When you get right down to it, this approach to politics -- embodied by the likes of Karl Rove and Newt Gingrich -- ignited a civil war that had its Fort Sumter 20 years ago with the infamous Willie Horton ad. If nothing else, the failure of the Republican strategy to bring down Barack Obama by attacking his "association" with William Ayers signifies that the American people have tired of this approach and will reject it. The louder you shout, Rush, the less we'll listen...

Speaking of which, don't miss the Big Fat Idiot channeling Willie Stark (at 1:38):

We laugh (or cringe or spit nails), but Limbaugh speaks for a lot of people. Not that I lose sleep over it, but it's hard to see what the Republicans do when the most active part of their party lacks the temperament and intellect for objective self-examination. They've painted themselves into a very tight corner and don't even know it...

Bruce Springsteen's twenty favorite singers here. The guy's got taste, although I'm a little surprised to discover that only eight or nine of them would make my list...

Swimming Upstream, Eve Ensler's (The Vagina Monologues) new play chronicles the experiences of New Orleans women before, during and after Katrina with characters drawn from a wide cross-section of New Orleans society. Says Ensler, 

Usually, [women] are the people who don't create the wars or pick up the guns, or have a say in the structural realities of crisis, yet they are the ones who always end up picking up the community, repairing the community, because they are so resilient...

Finally, Paul Krugman slamdunks George Will:

Sorta like this: