Wesley Clark could do it. He has the integrity which is in such short supply these days. I won't vote for any of the miscreants currently running. Panderers, every single one.

Dorothy, a song for you."One can stand alone in the dark Two can make the light shine through.It takes two, baby To make a dream come true, just me and you."-"It Takes Two"-Marvin Gaye

I think the country being on the wrong track has a lot to do with the model provided by the Bush administration. You have the top executive and his minions ignoring the constitution and making their own laws. I think the tendency is for power, major and minor, to try and increase itself. If Bush and boys are doing it, why not the local sherriff? The Bush model is a power grab, ignoring previous models and standing brazenly immune to criticism. If you have a reactionary fool in America's highest position, who got there by very questionable means, you can bet you have reactionary fools all over the country in the amen corner. The pendulum swung to the right for a long, wide sweep. I think the pendulum is on it's way to a long trip left. It's not like everybody hasn't seen what's going on. Every time you look up, new laws are being passed to take from the poor and middle class and give to the wealthy, whose sense of entitlement leads them to see nothing amiss.

America has no morals? Well give me a hummer in the Oval office, who would have thought it.

"Is there a presidential candidate who can do it or at least simply address this?" Anyone who thinks one person can fix this are as silly as the people who think one person is responsible for it.

That's the problem with the country everyone is looking for some kind of a savior to help us through the wilderness. This is especially true with the dogmatic on the right and the left. However misguided they are, at least they have passion for what they believe in. Most Americans in the middle of the political spectrum want things to change but ask them to give a little of their time or pay a few more dollars in taxes and they scream like a stuck pig. If someone wants change they can't sit around and wait hoping it will happen. To bring about change and have hope for the future one must do more than just pay taxes and be slaves to the status quo. One must get up off of their probably oversized behind and get involved in something other than watching television. Too tired, you say? Too busy? Well, it doesn't appear as if people are too busy or tired to whine.

Anyone counting on Obama for salvation of America had better be coming up with a plan B. Just in case America is not ready for a black president, even one who is wise and honest. We've only had a couple or three black presidents even in the fantasy land of TV.

The Bush administration has sure changed this country. His war on the middle class is obvious.

The problem with the focus given by politicians to the issues affecting America is that the press is driving the issues. If the press were to ask profound questions instead of the garbage that they ask at the debates, and if they were to print press articles of substance, politicians would have to address them. Politicians are not alone in failing, the press is too. As Still Crazy quoted, it takes two ...to make this mess.

Robert - I completely agree with you. I think that apathy combined with laziness is one of the biggest problems that we face these days. People simply don't care enough to do anything other than complain. People want things to change but they are unwilling to give anything up to accomplish that change. I'm not just talking about money; I'm talking about time, hard work, etc. Obviously I don't mean everyone but this is a trend that has been heavily studied in the last 10-20 years - how the engaged baby boomer generation has given way to the younger generations who are simply not as involved with the world outside their own 4 walls as they used to be.

"Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?" is a good headline, and unfortunately the press is also now an institution to suspect. For exmple last night NBC did a piece on terrorists operations on the internet - the gist of the story was jihadists are controlling our thinking with their website blogging. I felt on viewing it that it was an insult to all those Americans who are genuinely fed up with this war because of their own rational deductive reasoning, not because some agent of Islam is brainwashing us. Is it perhaps that the ratings of TV news are falling and the internet is becoming a preferred choice of the people?

Hard work? This generation? All I ever hear is "I want it all and I want it now". I was always taught that if you want something bad enough, you'll walk barefoot across white hot coals to get it. The young people in america these days, it's more pouring ice cold water over those coals. But I see it in the schools here in corpus. No homework, no rewards for showing a good work ethic. You have to reward them all or not at all. Whatever happened to homework? Now they just send out report cards that say, eh they did enough. But, of course it goes without saying, that liberalism is part of the problem(you libs knew this was coming). We have young people making over $10 an hour and I have to keep getting in their faces about the jabber and standing there with their hands in their pockets and tell them to get to work. The kids today just don't have the work ethic and they wonder why they bounce from job to job. They see idiots like Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton and think, man that is the life. And to blame Bush because people cannot take control of their lives is just too laughable to even respond to. At least he doesn't have oval office intern problems like the last guy, yet Americans at the time loved a guy who was unfaithful to his wife and daughter, took no actions to repair his life and had to go before an impeachment of the Senate for lying to investigators. I guess we have shifted quite a bit, from porn in the oval office to a war in which our lives and the future of the world rests on what we do.

Thanks, Still Crazy....! Here's a dance tune in a similar vein: "It takes two, it takes two, me and you....It takes two to make things turn out right..."--Cathy Dennis

odd how you notice mccain's lessening wiggle room, while paying no attention to the ongoing trashing of john edwards.

Dear Chuck, Mark, and Domenico, America's discontent over the current path it is on has nothing to do w/Paris Hilton, or Barry Bonds, or William Jefferson. It has nothing to do with Jack Welch, or Enron, or WorldCom, or Tyco. You seem to make every excuse in the book for Republicans who, with Mr Bush as thier front man at the executive level, have taken this country decades backward in terms of international and domestic economic status, and internal socio-political unity. We are a nation disgruntled and divided by a dozen years worth of a Republican Congress that built walls between the two major parties by seeking absolute power for itself, and trying to over turn the valid results of two national elections through impeachment. We are a country of low moral because of a President who sends our beautifully brave, and wonderfully courageous young warriors off to die for the lies he told us, and them 4 years ago. We are a nation thirsting for leadership after 6 years of Republican "mob-style" rule from a man who actually incapacitated himself with a pretzel. Those are the reason Americans are presently mal-contented. It isn't going to change until the power structure in Washington switches to The Democratic Party, in order that a decade worth of Republicans mis-rule is counterbalanced. You may not want to admit it. Maybe you can't admit it. But, you know I'm right, and you know that Democrats are going to sweep through the Presidential and Congressional Elections next year.....and it's about DAMNED time too!

You do have a point--the whole Paris Hilton thing makes me feel cynical not only about the nature of justice in America but also about the priorities of the news media (or, as some have called it, the drive-by media) in general because Paris (and Lindsey, Britney, et. al) are being covered when more substantive things aren't. And here's something far more interesting as well as substantive than Paris Hilton's problems that happened today, that I'd like to see an entry on: Rep. William Jefferson's not-guilty plea at his arraignment and his having had his assets frozen (insert your own $90,000 in the freezer joke here.)

Yah, Rick - it's so much better to have a president who wipes his butt with the Constitution in the Oval Office and wages class warfare against 75% of the population- thank God for clear-thinking rational people like us with their priorities straight.

"Live And Let Die"-Paul McCartney

Ravine Force - It's not just the press. After all they are part of something else -- Big Business. When will the country quit coddling business? I know everyone needs a job to provide for their families but haven't we gone to far. Business is driving the immigration problem - they want cheap labor for more profits. Business is driving the global warming issue - no drastic changes because the economy can't stand the hit and cost. The Iraq war - just how many private contractors are over there and does any one have any idea of the profits they're making? Oil - we have so much vertical integration that there is no longer any competition. Then to top it off you have the fat cat CEO's who get obscene salaries and bonuses none of which are justified when compared with the average salaries of workers who are making the companies profitable. As Robert says we need major change and every one being part of it. A little sacrifice for the good of the American people and not business. If it means a little less pay check to get cleaner air, lets do it. If it takes more taxes to pay people to do a little trust busting that Gonzo's boys won't do, lets do it. Finally, the press needs to stand alone to provide the function they should. Independently owned newspapers, radio and television not beholden to someone like Rupert Murdoch with his own personal agenda. Its time for the people to take the front seat again and throw business to the back of the bus.

Jerry - Unless I am mistaken, Republicans have kids, too. My parents are die-hard Republicans, and their children have all been afflicted with the same generational trends. It is not about liberal or conservative; it's about technology. With all the advances that have been made, we do live in an instant gratification society; if you want something, you just press a button and there it is. If you think that conservatives have not contributed to the generational shift, then you are even more out of touch than I thought.

Why don't we just hire Temps? Then we can fire them on Fridays and have new ones in on Mondays.

Carrie: question: if we live in a an instant gratification society, why aren't we gratified for more than 30 seconds? That's it! The gratification is is instant... it only lasts for an instant. The one thing we can all agree on is that the media turns tricks for us and calls it journalism. It is a kinky form of enabling love and it makes some of them think they are in the first circle of the Paris circle-jerk. The second thing we can agree on is that the media love the Paris Hilton cult because it sells. Paris and her gang-bangers love us because we are such gullible and willing dupes. All you need is love, love, love. Sweet.

Messers Todd, Murray, Montanaro, The press asks where did you go...oh say Mickey Mantle. The answer is no where; it's just that if the Mick were alive and playing baseball today, you would not talk about his baseball skills, instead you would cover his drinking and womanizing 24/7, and then piously ring your hands about the state of American culture. The mainstream, conventional thinking media has precisely ZERO interest in covering issues of substance, or getting the facts right when they dabble in real news issues. Today's front of First Read is a case in point. Your lead article bemoans, "can that faith be restored? Is there a presidential candidate who can do it or at least simply address this? That's been the surprise of the campaign so far, the lack of any candidate attempting to address larger crisis in leadership." EXCUSE ME?! There is at least one such candidate in the race; permit me to introduce Barrack Obama. Judging by your coverage, and that of the rest of the mainstream press pack, I can only conclude you haven't met him. Have you forgotten already his 2004 Convention, "There is no 'white America," or 'black America'...but one United States of America." Haven't you noticed his repeated call for new and less devisive politics, (http://www.barackobama.com/2007/05/19/remarks_at_southern_new_hampsh.php) among other remarks. Or perhaps his attempt to reach out to Americans of faith, and try to work with none other than Sen Sam Brownback, who's only one of the most conservative members of the Senate and at the opposite ideological pole from Sen Obama. You folks have run with the story that he is a "rock star" (by implication, lightweight), but you hardly cover his national health care proposal (http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/ with Ross Perot'ish pie charts and everything). But, you are all over whether Tony Resko is "related" (whatever that means, the zone of tainted money seems to get wider and wider) to some political contribution or another. I happen to like Sen Obama, and I think he speaks about leadership more often and more eloquently than the other candidates. But leaving aside my preferences, I'm sure the supporters of the other candidates can come up with their own examples of the looking for a quick headline media burying Presidential qualities in favor of making their person look like a fool &/or a crook. And on the subject of today's youth, would you be referring to the group of people who saw the Sep 11th attacks, walked right over to the military recruiting station, just like their grandfathers after Pearl Harbor, and ended up joining the military, and fighting and dying for their country before their 20th birthday? Please let me refer you to one of the numerous web sites commemorating the casualties from Iraq, Afghanistan and other combat zones. Please note the ages of the individuals portrayed. Warning: it has a tendency to make your eyes water. I'm a Naval Officer, and I have served on the staff of Navy Recruit Training Command, the Navy's only boot camp. I am NOT concerned about the mettle of today's youth. What I am concerned about is a pack of myopic baby boomers who think they have cornered the market on truth, justice and being civic minded, and what those folks will do to politics and the priorities of the Federal Government when they reach retirement age, and start voting like their retiree predecessors.

Dorothy, "It takes Two to Tango", so "Turn Out The Lights Why don't you stay"-Seger

Can faith in other institutions be restored? I'd suggest MSNBC not look for a presidential candidate to do that. Let's look at faith in the media... no, it can't be restored when you lead your blog entry with Paris Hilton, even with the "twist." If you want to seen as serious journalists then you have to perform like serious journalists. I just sense the entire industry is allowing Fox to pull it down into the realm of Paris Hilton, or whatever drama surrounds any other cute blonde.

Paul, I think we made a pretty serious point about US institutions (and Americans' loss of faith in them), as well as asking a serious question about why few American leaders and politicians are talking about it. It was just something to chew on this Friday.

"Last Tango in Paris"--A movie

First off I'd just like to say that I wish that *I* could get as stuck in the late 90s as Rick, Dave, and Jerry. Those were some really good times. Secondly, regarding how the Bush administration contributes to the sense that America is on the wrong track, does it occur to anyone that an entire poltical generation received the message that lying about oral sex will get you impeached but lying 3500+ members of the armed services into an early grave gets the Medal of Freedom? I know that alot of people who are paralized on the right will never manage to get over Clinton. But the reality of the matter is that, while people care about it and disapprove, there is "that was a really mean thing he did to his wife and it must have been very emberassing to be a Clinton that year" wrong tradk and there is "these people took action that literally led the deaths of thousands of my countrymen based on complete fabrications, have destoyed the dollar, have expanded the federal government at unprecedented rates, tried to violate my civil rights, protected a child molester, outed a covert CIA operative working on stopping Iran's nuke program, fired US attorneys who wouldn't indict people for partisan reasons, directed federal money to partisan poltical campaigns, all while taking more vacation than any administration in hisory and there appears to be no punishment" wrong tack. Jerry can winge on about his preception that liberalism (in TEXAS no less) destroyed soceity. But it is the conservative movement that has caused so much damage to our economy, our legal system, our schools (Texas was the prototype of No Child Left Behind), our armed forces, our ports, and our international position in the last six years. My God... imagine if Bush hadn't spent half of his time clearing brush!

How about someone checking to see if any wire transfers of say a million or so have gone into a bank account somewhere for Paris's LA jailer. That's how it's done in South America.

"My Generation"-The Who

Go pound your peanut butter John Doe. I didn't mention Clinton, or anything to do with the 90s. Did you copy and paste that post from yesterday, the day before, or the day before that? It all sounds the same. Michael Moore puked and you lapped it up like a hungry puppy.

"Oh, there's nothin' halfway, about the Iowa way of thinkin'." and "We'll give you the shirt off our back if you need it, even though we may not ever mention it again." -Meredith WIlson

I blame the baby boomers..

Mark - we get MSNBC at the lunch room in the office building. I saw the "breaking news" coverage of some truck bringing party supplies to the Hilton household, while the pack of "journalists" were outside waiting to see if she got in a sheriff's car to go back to court to discuss, what, her 23 day sentence? Now what were you saying about serious points?

CJ a song for you. "Child Is Father To The Man"-Al Kooper

My grandaughter has something to chew on... we call it a pacifier. She's two and nearly grown out of chewing on it. In one phrase we see what our feeders think of our intelligence. Truth is, JIrby, Paul Miller, Olivia, Steve Turner, Robert Catalano, J Merle, Amy, Carrie, Sierra, Still Crazy and Dorothy, among many others, keep us coming back every day because they don't insult us. Skip the pacifier and go directly to the posts. Breaking news: chew on this.

Michael Moore tells the truth, but you intellectual slobs aer far to lazy to pull your brain stems up by their boot straps and get a clue. All society pays a price due to lazy, unthinking drones like jerry, dave in TN, et al. I'm sick of the intellectual welfare state we live in because so many Americans are too lazy and stupid to pull their heads out and take a look, preferring to take any the word of any idiot talking head on Fox than to think. I won't say what you lap up, Dave, but it doesn't come out of Bush's mouth.

"Thirty Days in the Hole" Humble Pie

I am so mad, I'm going to hold my breath until I get my fix! I clicked on the MSNBC home page to find out if Paris was wearing underwear when they cuffed her and took her off to bondage and torture (kinky, eh?). But what do I get for my trouble? A stupid lead story about the Joint Chiefs of Staff being sacked. O my God. To keep up with Fox, you folks are going to have to try harder. I need something to chew on. Now!

jerry/corpus christi texas - We all understand that deep down you are as disappointed with your former governor's performance as President as the rest of the country and is why you have little else to say on these blogs but to repeat over and over and over your views of Clinton. Most of us would take Bill, warts and all, over Dubya in a heartbeat! Maybe what Dubya needs is a 20 year old intern instead of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff giving him his daily b-job - I mean daily briefing! Perhaps Gates has seen the light!

Thanks for keeping up your standard level of discourse Dave. Just remember that after the 2008 elections that it was people like you that made the Republican Party unelectable.

Mark - I don't necessarily think we can all agree that the media turns tricks for us and calls it journalism.

I think people should get off the MSM's case about covering Paris. Sleaze sells. We have a morbid fascination with falls from grace, whether it is a politician, a movie star or a socialite like Paris. If we didn't want to watch it, listen to it or read it, it wouldn't be everywhere.

"The last time I saw Paris...her heart was young and gay...."--Old song

Mark Thieme - What? No Paris? What about Anna Nicole?

Carrie: Agreed that if we didn't want it, it wouldn't be there. Nonetheless, I do think the MSM has a duty beyond feeding our morbidity. No, I don't let them off the hook. As Bill Moyers puts it so well in critiquing the MSM (paraphrase), just because there is demand doesn't justify the supply. A lot of things sell, but we don't have to respect the pusher. It might be a good thing to call folks on sleaze rather than giving them pass (such as in: "get out of jail free").

Double standards. Like Bush can skip his guard duty. Like Paris can get her sentence changed. Like Cheney can shoot a man and wait until the next day to talk to police, so the alcohol can have time to wear off.

Ollie, isn't that how you define a Repub. Look at the outcry over Libby's sentence. They feel they are to privileged to have to pay for their indiscretions and/or illegal acts.

Hope still exists...Paris was sent back to jail. maybe w will pardon her.

"Teach Your Children Well," Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young (or maybe not Young)

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