1 Don't get me started about the absence of political skills demonstrated by this supposedly "politically savvy" administration. We're still waiting for him to respond appropriately to the Kerry allegations about al Qaqaa and the Kerry exaggerations regarding his secret UN meetings. As usual he leaves it entirely to his supporters to respond and come to his practical defense. Which is just fine I guess, if he wins. But I'm gonna be very very pissed if he loses... because this has been a pattern for four long years, and I'd like to see him pick up the cudgel in his own defense a little more often. Not to mention that he hasn't done diddly to defend US actions in the Arab media world... again leaving the job of winning hearts and minds to volunteers. And again, I'll forgive him if we win... because that really takes precedence. But if we don't, and things start going south in terms of popular opposition from Iraqis in a broad swath of the country (and not just the Baghdad region), then again I'm gonna be really really pissed. Sorry, but I'm not at all impressed by Rove and Company. To me, they seem pretty amateurish. Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest. Carry on.

2 PS: I'd post something about the game, but that was the worst job of base running I've ever seen in my live, and I'm just too disgusted to say anything more. Good insight about the death penalty issue, though.

3 Being from the Boston area I remember very well the Kerry v. Weld debates for the US Senate. The most famous exchange, one that many say turned the election Kerry's way had to do with the death penalty. Weld basically asked Kerry how he could be so out of line with the rest of the country and not support the death penalty? Kerry response was something along the lines, "I know something about killing. I don't like killing" It was a great rhetorical flourish and the uber-liberals in Cambridge ate it up. The quote doesnÂ’t do it justice you need to see video of the exchange to get a feel for what happened. They then used it as a hammer to remind people Weld sat out Vietnam with a bad back. I agree more should have been made of this issue, but then again when I look at what happened to Weld (who I am a huge fan of) I understand Rove's reluctance to put the issue in play.

4 To all my conservatives out there I fill very sorry for you. However, I am not conservative, but despite being liberal I do support the death penalty. And I ask you in the case of Karl Rove, should one who in a time of war (War on Terror, (which is not winnable, sorry conservatives), should one in a time of war, a person of influence in the highest levels of our government, who willingly betrayed and leaked the identity of a CIA operative, not receive the death penalty? I ask you? In a conservative system treason I believe is defined by "A betrayal of trust or confidence." Is this not the case? But if it is treason, a betrayal of the state, does it therefore deserve the death penalty? I'm curious to see how conservatives respond. Steve