now, tastes more like real life

This is kind of what I meant about a change in leadership (free this week, and whenever the Times decides that TimesSelect is a dumb idea).

Let Karl know that you think this is a critical election, because you know as a citizen that if the Bush team can behave with the level of deadly incompetence it has exhibited in Iraq — and then get away with it by holding on to the House and the Senate — it means our country has become a banana republic. It means our democracy is in tatters because it is so gerrymandered, so polluted by money, and so divided by professional political hacks that we can no longer hold the ruling party to account.

Still nervous, by the way.

On a semi-related note, I felt really good about myself today because Shari (boss on leave) came into my office and mentioned that Andy (her husband, very politically-conscious/aware liberal) was reading blogs that were up in arms about automated phone calls ("robocalls") that were turning up again and again purporting to represent Democrats, but actually from their Republican detractors. Why did I feel good about myself? I knew what she was talking about.