Well I'm glad that we could back down from our mutual snit. Rancorous fights get to be tiresome to me pretty quickly, and I'd always prefer a good discussion instead.

I'm sure that most Americans of any political persuasion share the loathing I have for Islamist extremists. I just saw today that the Taliban released a video showing the execution of two men, one by beheading and the other by a bullet. These people have nothing to offer but death and religious repression, and there's nothing in the world that I despise more. I'm completely certain that McCain, Clinton and Obama share the same feelings. For that reason, I think it's a little silly to worry about which candidate al Qaeda would prefer. Obama recently recommended intensifying the hunt for bin Laden, saying that it's quite likely that he'd be killed as a result. Does anyone seriously doubt that Obama would go lightly on bin Laden if he had the chance to capture or kill him? I certainly don't.

As far as "the Democrat Party" thing goes, it's not for my sake. I just think that as a matter of showing due respect for their fellow Americans and a hallowed political institution, that it should properly be called "the Democratic Party."

Lieberman is not only endorsing McCain, but is apparently eager and willing to be his Vice President. Isn't it kind of like a player on a football team working to score touchdowns for the other team? Do you think the coach should leave him in the game and give him that opportunity? On another point, I wouldn't compare Lieberman to McCain. McCain is for the most part a completely orthodox conservative, even to the point of now supporting every major policy of the Bush administration. I would say that a better counterpart to Lieberman would perhaps be Chuck Hagel, who's been vocal in criticizing his own party, particularly over the Iraq war, and who has been suggested as a possible VP candidate for Obama (I have no idea if he'd be interested at all). Anyway, it'll be very interesting to see how it all turns out.

Have a good one, rajhc. Thanks for being a sport. I'll look forward to us being friendly adversaries in the future.