AddieStan

Feel-good exercise The last question -- Anderson Cooper asking each of candidates to say something nice about the candidate to his or her left -- was just silly. And John Edwards used his opportunity to say something about Hillary Clinton by calling attention to her gender, playfully saying he didn't like her coral-colored jacket, which he called a "coat." Hillary was superb; looked like a president. Obama continues to impress. Having the two stand next to each other felt like a foreshadowing of things to come. Bon soir, mes amis!

Religion and the Democrats Alas, this debate format does not allow for a substantive exploration of the the religious pressures on the Democrats , thanks to the likes of Rev. Jim Wallis . One young man, bravely stating his beliefs as atheist, asked if he had anything to fear from Democrats who pay lip service to evangelicals. I believe he does, though not nearly as much as he does from Republicans, whose party is a wholly owned subsidiary of the right-wing cabal that goes about cloaked in religious vestments.

Great question on undocumented workers

The new America Never mind the substance of this guy's question on taxes. You gotta love a Persian (at least I think he's a Persian) singing in a Southern accent, strumming a Johnny Cash rhythm. Check out Remy:

Nukes? Puh-leez! Barack Obama uttered his first big no-no, as far as your cybertrix is concerned, when he told this guy that nuclear power should be "part of the mix" of alternative fuel resources designed to reduce global warming. Hmmm...there's one drawback to embracing a presidential candidate too young to remember Three Mile Island.

Greetings from a red state These guys may be red-state shills, but they sure are funny. Great timing.

Being taken seriously Hillary Clinton was just asked by a U.S. serviceman, via video from Okinawa, whether she would be taken seriously by the leaders of Muslim countries where women "are regarded as second-class citizens." Ooooo, that steely gaze left no uncertainty; Clinton said quite rightly that after her meetings with high-level officials in 82 countries, she was sure there was no doubt in her ability to be taken seriously. While she noted a number of women leading countries in today's world, none of those she mentioned lead Muslim countries. Would that she would have mentioned some of the female heroines of Islam.

Splitting the difference Edwards: I don't believe in gay marriage, but my wife does If Edwards ever had a chance at getting the vote de l'ecrivaine , he just lost it.

Gay marriage and the black church We just heard from the Rev. Reggie Longcrier of Hickory, North Carolina, who is destined to be one of those momentary stars made by televised "town hall" candidate fora in presidential campaign years. The good reverend caused the audience to erupt in applause when he challenged John Edwards , the former North Carolina senator, to explain why the candidate's "Baptist upbringing" offers adequate justification for being against gay marriage. Rev. Longcrier reminded the smooth-talking trial lawyer that the Bible was used to justify slavery and deny women the vote. What made that such a big deal? Rev. Longcrier is African-American, and the rap on the black church is always about how homophobic it is. Your blogstress, errant Catholic that she is, has never bought that rap. By that, she doesn't mean that black churches don't have their share of homophobic leaders and followers; it's just no different there than amon...