Noted without comment:

The latest effort to crack down on violent and sexually explicit games came this week from Sen.Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., when she announced plans to introduce legislation to protect children from inappropriate video games, and singled out the popular game, "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," in particular.

"The disturbing material in 'Grand Theft Auto' and other games ...is stealing the innocence of our children and it's making the difficult job of being a parent even harder," Clinton said in a news release, adding that "I believe that the ability of our children to access pornographic and outrageously violent material on video games rated for adults is spiraling out of control."

If you're on my f'list, I want to know 36 things about you. I don't care if we never talk, if you're more of a lurker, or if we already know everything about each other.

BE HONEST! Answer the questions in a comment, then repost on your own journal.

1) Are you currently in a serious relationship?

2) What was your dream growing up?

3) What talent do you wish you had?

4) If I bought you a drink what would it be?

5) Favorite vegetable?

6) What was the last book you read?

7) What zodiac sign are you?

8) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.

9) Worst Habit?

10) If you saw me walking down the street, would you offer me a ride?

11) What is your favorite sport?

12) Do you have a pessimistic or optimistic attitude?

13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?

14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?

15) Tell me one weird fact about you.

16) Do you have any pets?

17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?

18) What was your first impression of me?

19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?

20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?

21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?

22) What color eyes do you have?

23) Ever been arrested?

24) White or red wine?

25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?

27) What's your favorite place to hang at?

28) Do you believe in ghosts?

29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?

30) Do you swear a lot?

31) Biggest pet peeve?

32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?

33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?

35) Do you believe in God?

36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?

Its no secret that I am an Obama man. 

Many people take that to mean that I care more about style than substance.  Though that is often the case with me, (I play hoedowns on the violin;  If I worried about substance I'd be too scared to even look at the thing)  in this instance I like to assure myself otherwise.

This assurance has occasionally proven difficult to defend, however, because the "substance" I find exciting in Obama often takes an abstract form, and I end up using terms like "worldview" and "overriding philosophical approach" and "Tao". 

Words which seem rather, well, unsubstantial.   And style-ey.  I mean stylish.  Whatever. 

Thankfully, Talking Points Memo alumnus Spencer Ackerman seems to be better with words.

When considering any presidential hopeful's foreign-policy promises, it's important to remember that what candidates say is, at best, an imperfect guide to their actions in office. What proves to be a more reliable indicator of presidential behavior is a candidate's roster of advisers. (If the press had paid better attention, the country would have seen through Bush's pitch about a humble foreign policy and realized that many of his advisers, including Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Perle, were conspiracy-minded warmongers.)

(snip)

"There is a popular notion that Democrats have to try to appear like Republicans to pass some test on national security. The fact that that's still the case after Iraq is absurd," says one of Obama's closest advisers. "So you break from that orthodoxy and say 'I don't care if the Republicans attack me because I'm willing to meet with the leadership in Iran. We haven't for 25 years, and it's not gotten us anywhere.'"

(snip)

The Obama foreign-policy team describes it as "the politics of fear," a phrase most advisers used unprompted in our conversations. "For a long time we've not seen much creative thinking from Dems on national security, because, out of fear, we want to be a little different from the Republicans but not too different, out of fear of being labeled weak or indecisive," another top adviser says. Identifying that fear as the accelerant of the Iraq War mind-set is the first step to a new and innovative foreign policy. John Kerry was not able to argue for fundamental change in foreign policy because he was consumed by that very political fear. Obama's admonition to Democrats is much like Pope John Paul II's to the Gdansk shipyard strikers -- first, be not afraid.

Every single paragraph in the article reminds me of why I believe Obama is THE MOST SUBSTANTIAL candidate I'm ever likely to see.  He and his team CAN'T WAIT to wrap this election around foreign policy, and neither can I.  To me, their mindset represents the exact antidote to the  regressive and absurd logic that got us into Iraq (as well as the myriad realpolitik atrocities that led up to it) in the first place.

It's time to kick some ass!  

Whoops.  Sorry, got a little crazy there.

Cross posted at TPM Cafe.     

Yesterday was tough for me. 

I'd like to think that I put A LOT of effort into fostering reasonable and civil political discourse, even when confronted with less-than-rational arguments.  I used to pride myself on it.

To say that this past week was a challenge to my efforts is a monumental understatement. 

I've never heard such vile, insanely bigoted shit come out of anyone as I've heard come out of some HRC supporters online the past few days. 

Here's a little sample from my world:

Osama never produced one shred of evidence for his charges against HRC.
More pathetic Osama lies piled on lies piled on lies.

What do we know about Hussein Osama?
That when faced with any criticism he cries "Racist!" and then lies. And lies again to cover the initial lies.
The new politics? What a fucking joke the Blackster is.

Osama stands publicly revealed as a racist lying hate monger. This of course explains his suckcess with the irresponsible and useless latte sipping ObaIdiots.
And also explains why and how the ObaLiar is now burnt toast.

This is not a drive-by troll.  This comes from a long-time member of the community who has demonstrated that they can be reasonable and respectful in the past.  This is also far from an isolated incident.     

It left me feeling astonished, exhausted, and  enraged. 

So I posted a photo out of sheer frustration, in the hopes that it would release a little steam. 

Otherwise, I literally  felt like I'd take out my anger on the first "Clinton '08" symbol I ran across, and that's not O.K.  

I hope this gets better.  

EDIT: So what I originally intended to say was that I'm SORRY for perpetuating that horseshit.

Yes, friends, that there is the most famous Preacher in the United States right now, Jeremiah Wright, the would-be downfall of Senator Obama.  On the day pictured he was a White House guest of President Clinton.  I guess the event was a big one, because the VP and the First Lady were reportedly at the function as well. 

The occasion?  Well, it seems that W.J.C. had a sudden need for religion, so he got a bunch of religious leaders together to let them all know he'd repented for his extramarital activity: 

"I have been on quite a journey these last few weeks to get to the end of this, to the rock-bottom truth of where I am," Clinton said in his most emotional and dramatic statement since the affair with Lewinsky became public. "I don't think there is a fancy way to say that I have sinned."

Agreeing with his critics that he was not "contrite" enough during his initial Aug. 17 statement, Clinton said, "It is important to me that everybody who has been hurt know that the sorrow I feel is genuine. First and most important, my family, my friends, my staff, my cabinet, Monica Lewinsky and her family and the American people. I have asked all for their forgiveness."

His comments were the first time the president has publicly apologized to Lewinsky. Clinton went on to describe the journey he has been on during the weeks since his first public admission, saying that he has finally repented.

"I have repented," Clinton said. "I must have God's help to be the person that I want to be. A willingness to give the very forgiveness I seek. A renunciation of the pride and the anger, which cloud judgment, lead people to excuse and compare and to blame and complain."

What does this mean?  Nothing really.  I just find it amusing.