Politics and other nightmares

With Cindy Sheehan's protest getting reverential treatment by the press and Republicans like Chuck Hagel pounding President Bush over Iraq, the split within the GOP is getting most of the attention these days. But Democrats aren't exactly one big, happy family, either. As The Washington Post reports, they are themselves bitterly divided over Iraq.

Hunter Thompson was one of a kind. Where is he now that we need him to cover an absurd memorial service with the snarling cynicism it deserves?

There are still efforts to mine John Roberts' Indiana childhood for clues to his philosophy and personality, including this bizarre one, the purpose of which seems to be to explore the possibility that living in an area that once had exclusionary neighborhood covenants and a nearby race riot would somehow make Roberts a racist judge eager to dismantle civil rights law. "I think it's legitimate to look at the past if it tells you anything about the person.

Some thoughts on Evan Bayh's quest for the White House:

The current Sen. Bayh is a moderate, while his father, though certainly never a far-left liberal, was in the ranks of Senate liberals.

And the younger Bayh seeks an entirely different designation among Democratic presidential contenders on the political spectrum.

Yes, the yucking it up is definitely creepy. George and Bill are not John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, "serious men who stood for serious things," with "serious supporters who were not to be trifled with." Clinton and Bush 41 were very alike in one way: The presidency was, for them, the next line on their resumes, the job they should have because it's the one they had always been aiming for. G.W. is different because he has -- agree with it or hate it -- a set of core beliefs.

Out in Seattle, the people who run the editorial page have taken interactivity one step further. After the editorial board chooses a topic, it is posted, and readers are invited to send in comments before the editorial is written. The editor says some comments may show up as letters to the editor and some might even be quoted in editorials, though he admits that the pre-feedback probably won't change the editorial board's mind on anything. What do people here think?

Here's another report from the field by Libertarian correspondent Mike Sylvester:

George Bush was the choice for those of us who think Islamofascist terror is the most serious threat facing this country. John Kerry didn't have a clue, and most national Democrats still don't. That doesn't mean we're all thrilled with Bush's domestic agenda. As a fiscal conservative who would like to see some scaling back of federal appetites, I'm dismayed (even shocked! and appalled!!)that the president has yet to issue a single veto in his nearly five years in office.

A group called the Bay Area Center for Voting Research has examined the voting patterns of all 237 American cities with populations over 100,000 and ranked their political leanings. If you look at the conservative rankings, Fort Wayne comes out 44th on the list; on the liberal list, we come in at No. 193. Shocking, I know, simply shocking. Gary comes in at No. 236 on the conservative list and No.

The prime directive of libertarianism and a pretty good restatement of the Golden Rule: "Just don't stand on anybody's head." Not sure I buy this marriage of conservatism and Dead Head-ism, but it's a fascinating read. For sure, more people on the right are fans of Jerry Garcia than of the Rolling Stones. Joke I heard once: What did the Dead Head say when he ran out of pot?