Why I Haven't Been Watching the Presidential Debates

Why haven't I been watching the candidates for president in any of their debates? Nicholas von Hoffman (on the most recent Democratic debate) and Steve Benen (on last night's Republican debate) explain why: I'd probably lose all faith in American "democracy."

Who anointed these media gasbags to be the interlocutors? And since when did people wanting to ask questions have to be properly "vetted"--why isn't being an American citizen enough?

Foolish questions, I know.

Let Leftovers Be Leftovers

Some good post-Thanksgiving advice.

The Candidates

My paper copy of The Nation arrived on Monday, in which various writers make the case for their chosen candidates. As it happens, The Nation has also posted all the contributions at their site, where you can read them here. You'll get: John Nichols for Joseph Biden; Ellen Chesler for Hillary Clinton; Katherine S. Newman for John Edwards; Bruce Shapiro for Christopher Dodd; Richard Kim for Mike Gravel; Gore Vidal for Dennis Kucinich; Michael Eric Dyson for Barack Obama; and Rocky Anderson for Bill Richardson.

You also get Robert Scheer on that voice in the Republican wilderness, Ron Paul.

More about Benazir Bhutto

Fatima Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto's niece, does not have a high opinion of her aunt, to put it mildly, and worries here about what her return means for the future of Pakistan.

...and Some Very Bad News

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued its report, and the news is even worse than many of these scientists expected. This is the most important issue the world faces right now. I wish that I could believe we're up to meeting the challenge.

The BBC has posted a draft of the executive summary of the report here.