Sarah Palin...

...and thank God for that. A woman who refused to abort her Down's Syndrome baby is my kind of politician. It seems that McCain has escaped the traps laid for him by his Republican "friends" and selected the ideal candidate: a reformer, a person of impeccable honesty, a high-achieving married woman and mother (that will rub salt into the wounds of Hillary's supporters), a woman with the vigour of youth still about her to balance McCain's white hair, and an outsider. As if that wasn't enough, she is even a former beauty queen! Thinking about it, she was the obvious choice, and it is only the navel-gazing self-regard of the Republican rumour mill that could have distracted us from her obvious merits to worrying about machine candidates like Romney or Liebermann.

Especially for jamesenge: I have come to respect and admire Senator Obama, but as an opponent. He is an opponent worth having; one can hardly wonder that grizzled old machine politicians grown grey in local struggles identified him at once as a coming superstar. It was like the grandees of the barely-founded Republican party sending each other enthusiastic messages after the Cooper Union speech: "We have the perfect candidate, and never mind that you never heard his name before". But there is one fundamental issue that separates me from him; namely, abortion. If the Republicans had nominated an abortionist such as Giuliani or Romney, I would have said that Obama is the better man. But Senator McCain, apart from himself leaving the impression that he hs "a fully paid-up member of the human race" (to quote a quip about a British politician), has shown himself his own man even when that could have made him unpopular, and has now made a selection of running mate that is as good as a statement. And while Senator Obama remains an impressive candidate, I will now be cheering for his opponent.

Swine

Nuking Microsoft out of existence would feel rather good right now. Except it is too quick a death for what they deserve.

Having had to put up with *&%$!!! Republicans, I now got the treatment from a @?>&^!!!! Democrat.

Part of what I had to say to someone who got mad at me because I treated Obama like a human being:

The only thing that is obvious from your bizarre pseudo-arguments is that you are nowhere near as confident as you claim, and that you resent anyone saying anything negative about your attitudes. And that is not words in your mouth, it is my conclusion from your completely absurd behaviour. It is my privilege to draw such conclusions, and as you have been increasingly rude and increasingly aggressive, it is my privilege to say so to your face. Rudeness, defensiveness, aggression, and a complete refusal to consider your own behaviour, are your pattern of behaviour in this exchange. Because I really would miss you from my f-list, I have put up with more from you than I would from most people. I will now do the last thing open to me, which is to state plainly that this is my last word and that anything you say from now on you will be for your own benefit. Jesus Christ almighty, do I have to put with goddamn Republicans teaching me to suck eggs, and then with equally narrow-minded and aggressive Democrats who call me all sorts of names because I do not think the sun shines out of the arse of (any kind of) politicians? I really have had enough of the both of you. You are the mirror image of each other, and where arrogance, defensiveness, aggression, projection, and know-nothingism are concerned, you deserve each other.