Obama's still just the lesser evil...

...so I'll vote for a third party candidate. Why Criticize Obama, on Digital Underground, gives some reasons.

The only good thing about the winner-take-all electoral college system is that I live in a fairly safe Democrat state. Hence I have the luxury of voting my conscience instead of being forced to vote strictly to repel the barbarians at the gates.

Would that everyone were so lucky.

Some may be missing the point

From Impeach Bush Now by Elizabeth Holtzman, in The Nation.

Impeachment is one of the few ways Congress can draw limits around presidential power and educate the country about those limits. And without the people's support for those limits, they will be breached again and again by future Presidents.

The important things about this question aren't punishment or politics, they are precedent and deterrence. We prosecute the accused to find the facts of the matter, to reduce future crime, and to help determine the kind of society we inhabit. Whether we acquit or convict, we don't turn a blind eye and tacitly condone, or we deserve what we get.

A little light reading

The Green Light by Philippe Sands, In Vanity Fair.

Torture, war-crimes, and the neo-con cabal--I say Hang 'em. It'll teach 'em a lesson.

Believe Me, It's Torture by Christopher Hitchens, in Vanity Fair.

Hitchens waterboarded--I may think he's an ass, but at least he seems honest.

It Takes a School, Not Missiles by Nicholas D. Kristof, in the New York Times.

Decent people may yet prevail.

The Real-Life ‘24’ of Summer 2008 by Frank Rich, in the New York Times.

What we don't impeach, we condone.

Rangel Calls Rent Bargain Legal and Fair by David Kocieniewski, in the New York Times.

You don't have to be white to be a jerk.