It's Not The Size Of The Man In The Fight...

And looking at Bon's point from earlier today, I honestly don't understand the media obsession with Chris Christie's weight.  Yeah, he's a big guy, so what?  If you're going to go after Christie, he's got a long record of wingnuttery and semi-ethical New Jersey political nonsense to shine the spotlight on.

One of the most persistent stories that dogged Christie in his 2009 campaign was his unusual financial relationship with a top aide at his federal prosecutor office, Michele Brown. Christie lent Brown some $46,000, which he says was to help a family friend through a rough patch. But critics argued that the move was an improper conflict of interest heading into a gubernatorial campaign since Brown was in a position to help Christie in a variety of ways. Her job included handling FOIA requests, including those from Governor Corzine’s campaign, for example. And in one instance, she argued to colleagues in favor of wrapping up a major corruption probe before July 1, when Christie’s successor took over the US Attorney position, a move that ensured credit for the case would clearly flow to Christie. Brown resigned shortly after news of the loan broke and, according to the New York Times, she paid off Christie’s loan in October 2010.

It wasn’t the only allegation of conflict of interest that Christie fought off. The then-US Attorney testified before Congress on a series of no-bid monitoring contracts worth millions that he awarded to various law firms. One contract, worth up to $52 million, went to former Attorney General John Ashcroft, Christie’s old mentor. Another former US Attorney chosen for a monitoring contract, David Kelley, had previously investigated Christie’s brother in a stock fraud case in 2005 — he was not indicted while fifteen others were. Top lawyers at another firm he awarded a major contract to later donated about $24,000 to his campaign. Christie said the contracts were awarded on merit and accused Corzine of “character assassination” for raising the issue.

He was also accused of mishandling his office’s budget as US Attorney. In a 2010 report by the DOJ’s Inspector General, he was identified as one of the most profligate federal prosecutors in the country from 2007 to 2009, spending taxpayer cash on luxury hotels that exceeded government rates by as much as $242 a night. Christie said during the 2009 campaign that his office overspent only when there were no alternatives.

There are a number of serious ethical and corruption issues surrounding the New Jersey governor and they have nothing to do with his weight.  The more I see serious news organizations like Reuters engage the ridiculous "debate" over Christie's size, the greater disservice to what should be the actual debate is done.  Pretty soon we're going to be at the point where people will only talk about his size and not his record or corruption issues, and people will tune out "another story about Christie's waistline or whatever" even when the actual reasons as to why he shouldn't be in charge of anything are finally discussed.

No, I don't think Christie has anything close to a real shot at the White House because of his issues as a blue state governor in a blood-red primary season and his record is pretty repugnant, but honestly I find the constant stories about the "challenges" Christie faces because of his size about as ridiculous as the stories about the "challenges" women or minority candidates face in politics (not to belittle issues that do exist, but silly me, I believe a candidate should be judged on policy and record.)  What I mean by that is whatever actual issues that may arise from stories about Christie's weight are used for their "HA HA shock factor," not to actually have a debate.  It's been done to death with Hillary Clinton's gender and President Obama's race, Keith Ellison, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman's religion, etc.  It's obnoxious:

Speculation that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will enter the U.S. presidential race has led to a feverish debate about the possibility of having the fattest man in the White House since the corpulent William Howard Taft squeezed behind the big desk in the Oval Office.

Replace that "fattest man in the White House" language with any other description of race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, religion and you see what the problem is.  Why is this acceptable?  And this is Reuters, folks. Why not just call him President Truffle Shuffle and be done with it.  Criminy.

So yeah, lay off the size stuff and check the guy's record.  Not only does this guy not deserve to be President, his crony capitalism adventures mean he shouldn't be in politics at all.  The size issue is a smokescreen but it's the latest shiny object to chase this week for our Awesome Media Guys.

The Many Faces Of Discrimination

When the word discrimination comes up, most people think of racial mistreatment, because it is so sickeningly common even in this modern age.  This blog spends a lot of time covering racial discrimination and the double standard goverment applies to the gay population.  However, there are many other ways to discriminate, and they are coming up in the news more frequently.  I also see them coming up in day to day contact with people, and my frustration is nearing the breaking point.

We all have our own blind spots.  I recently came face to face with one of mine.  While discussing athletes and sportsmanship, the subject of intelligence came up.  My husband rightfully called me out on assuming athletes were a notch lower on the intelligence scale based on something I said.  That isn't to say that I think all athletes are dumb, but it showed a gap deep in my mind that I had never bridged.  Despite my regular efforts to see people as individuals, I made a blanket assumption about how athletes would react, and all I could do was own it and try to improve.  Dumb jocks, dumb blondes, dumb insert-group-I-dislike is everywhere.  But there are worse ways to look at our fellow man.

There is discrimination against overweight people, for example.  Many critics of Chris Christie (say that three times fast!) moved right past his career and how he handled the issues and went immediately for his weight.    Not only is that immature, it's exposing a major bias we have as a country.  The number of overweight people continue to grow, as does the bias against them.  The bottom line is weight has no effect on intelligence, talent or potential.  It's a health risk, as is smoking, drinking to excess, or other behaviors that go all the way back to George Washington.  Big deal, even Obama smoked and don't even start on the booze-loving Bush family.  I have plenty of issues with Christie, but how he looks in a suit isn't one of them.

There is discrimination against women.  I've been paid less for working harder and in a higher position than my male coworkers.  I've been dismissed as weak and brainless.  I have been patted on the behind and I have been judged by my boobs and clothes.  I realize I'm fortunate that what I've suffered has only edged into annoying and an obstacle I can fight my way through over time.  In some parts of this country, being born a female is the equivalent of a life of servitude and abuse.  In some parts of the world it's a death sentence or a life of torture or mutilation.  In America, women are still treated as weaker and less intelligent, less capable and emotionally vulnerable.  We are conditioned to be people pleasing doormats who only win by knowing how to play to the stronger forces.  Strong women are still considered ball busters and full makeup is a silent requirement regardless. None of that holds a candle to being flogged in public for driving a car.  While that one woman was spared, how many bear scars for wanting the basic freedom of moving around?

Discrimination against the poor must be confronted.  There is still a snooty tendency to view the poor as shiftless, dishonest or underachievers.  The reality is there are thousands of folks who do everything right and still lose at the game of Life (especially if you score winning purely in financial terms).  I've always liked the way this blog stood up for the little guy, and over the years Z has pointed out a thousand ways that the odds are slanted against those who need a helping hand.  People doing without has become a much larger reality in the past few years, and there is no improvement in sight.  America doesn't promise that you will become successful if you work hard, only that you can drive your own destiny.  However, once upon a time the hardworking was able to rise based on their labors, and now there are hardworking people who cannot find employment.  Unemployed is no longer a choice, it's a forced reality for thousands who seek full-time jobs.  Employers exploit this working class because there is zero competitive risk by slashing benefits and lowering wages.  Job openings are always filled and until our economy changes the working poor will become a major section of the nation's labor.  A strong work ethic and sharp mind isn't enough to make it nowadays, many poor are condemned to stay there until some massive changes are made.

The problem with discrimination is that while we know that on one level it's wrong, sometimes on another level we demonstrate something else.  Even the good guys can make a mistake, and in this case all sides are guilty of something.  That doesn't mean we can't come clean now and try to fix our mistakes.  We can start by holding government accountable for their oversights, starting with some of the measures on the table that will further punish the poor and reward those who already have enough.  We can make sure to recall those events as reasons for voting in a better direction, and send the message that our memory goes back further than the last commercial break.  The first political movement to convert minorities into the majority we are once united will rule for a good long while.  You would think someone would be smart enough to figure that out and make it happen, but so far it has been an epic failure.

Microsoft Plays Dirty Again

This is from techrights.org:

MICROSOFT loves blocking or suppressing GNU/Linux installations, typically using a process it keeps describing as a feature. Microsoft has been sabotaging the MBR using the excuses that it is hard to support it (funny how one or two GRUB developers can handle it just fine). There is antitrust evidence about it going decades back and there there is the war on fast booting systems and battles against Linux using VM restrictions (fighting Linux with a Windows EULA). We have covered many such examples, even those that extend to ACPI.

This has existed for a while, what may be changing is that Microsoft wants in enabled on every computer that is pre-loaded with Windows 8.  It is sure to draw fierce opposition, and may actually backfire in a loss of sales from customers who would run a multi-OS setup.  I'm not worried yet, because a lot of things would have to pass before this becomes a reality, and Microsoft has been shot down by anti-trust measures in the past.  It's no less aggravating that to promote a supposedly optional feature they would try to choke all competition.

This is the type of asshattery that Microsoft is famous for, and is likely to be their undoing in the end.  Taking measures like this is like a press release saying the growth of other operating systems has them concerned, and in the end their concern for customers has forced them to remove all other choices.  They have no facts or reasons outside of their own interests, but they'll kill competition so they can look out for the ignorant who rely on them.

Holy cow.  Sounding an awful lot like Tea Party bullshit to me.

Taking Pot Shots At Washington State

From what I can tell, SeaTac has basically turned into the fourth season of Weeds.

Two years ago, before Washington’s medical marijuana industry went completely nuts, Scott Havsy was without question Tacoma’s top pot doc.

He seemed like an outrageous radical at the time.

Unlike most mainstream doctors, Havsy had no qualms about authorizing marijuana for patients he believed were qualified under the state’s medical marijuana law.

He advertised widely, urging patients to come and get their “green cards.” By his own estimate, he wrote authorizations for 80 percent of the patients who asked for them.

Now though, with at least 150 marijuana retail outlets in Western Washington – more than 40 in Tacoma alone – demand for the cards has fueled a profitable and competitive industry: clinics that exist solely to churn out the authorizations and whose standards make Havsy’s seem quaint in comparison.

Because patient records are confidential, it’s impossible to know how many of the cards are bogus, but anecdotal evidence suggests authorizers have strayed from the legislative requirements that patients have “terminal or debilitating” conditions.

For instance, at last month’s Seattle Hemp Fest, two recently licensed naturopaths from 4Evergreen, a clinic with branches in Tacoma and Seattle, drew the attention of the state Department of Health for allegedly setting standards too low.

They did exams in a tent and issued authorizations for between $150 and $200 each.

A recent guide to medical marijuana resources in Washington listed 22 clinics and authorization businesses in the Seattle-Tacoma area.

And there's big money in medical pot for those willing to play a little fast and loose with the rules, looks like.  The Purgatory that is the patchwork of medicinal marijuana laws in this country really needs something of a unifying federal law to oversee it, but the odds of that happening are precisely zero until the big phama companies decide there's enough money in it in order to push for a national bill.  I still think that's the most likely way that we'll see legalization, but it's still going to be a long ways off.  Certainly we'd need a Congress not full of puritanical, hypocritical meatheads, and we've been awaiting that particular event for about 225 years now.

Like national same-sex marriage, I think legalization is coming.  The timeline is iffy, but the eventual direction is there.  Hell, at this point we're opening up casinos in downtown Cincinnati.  Eventually states will want their cut of vice money and push for a national law on this if only for the revenue.

The Nameless One Strikes Back

Yep, nothing gets Dick Cheney out of his undisclosed location and onto the Sunday shows faster than President Obama succeeding where Bush and Cheney failed.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is demanding an apology from President Barack Obama for slamming the Bush Administration on foreign policy and not using the phrase ‘war on terror.’

On CNN’s State of the Union Sunday morning, host Candy Crowley asked him that given President Obama’s foreign policy accomplishments if it really mattered to use the phrase.

Still upset over Obama’s 2009 speech in Cairo that criticized their administration, Cheney continued to express the importance of the phrase to himself. 

In a just world, Dick Cheney would be demanding the top bunk in a federal penitentiary and getting shanked by his cellmate Donald Rumsfeld over it.  No matter how you feel about Obama prosecuting the wars Bush and Cheney left in his lap, the last person on earth who has the credibility to give the President noise about an apology is gorram Dick Cheney.

And the part there about Cheney still pissing and moaning about the President's Cairo speech?  Pipe that speech into his cell 24/7.  The only apologizing here should be done by Cheney, and it should be to the families and loved ones of every soldier that didn't come home from the sandbox (and to all the ones that did come home, just for good measure.)

Good lord.

Water's A Matter With You, California?

Gotta love finding third world water contamination problems in the world's seventh largest economy: the state of California.

While on a worldwide investigation of dirty drinking water -- with stops in Bangladesh, Uruguay and Namibia -- a United Nations investigator visited the Tulare County community of Seville in March. After seeing conditions, the investigator urged state and federal authorities to consider healthy drinking water a human right and clean up the mess.

In a state with the world's seventh-largest economy, it wouldn't take a lot of money to clean up the Valley's small-town water problems -- $150 million total for projects on record. San Francisco last year committed the same amount of money to help homeowners and businesses finance solar panels and water efficiency.

But small-town residents face an uphill fight for the healthy drinking water that most Californians take for granted. Townfolk feel they have nowhere to turn. State public health authorities make a habit of inviting them to apply for cleanup funding, then turning them down for technicalities.

Residents, activists, engineers and local officials say the Valley's small drinking water systems are barely a blip on the state's radar.

And it's the people who can least afford to do anything about it who are hurting the most.

They are not alone in shouldering an extra cost for water. Last year, 95% of the people in a survey of small water systems in Tulare County said they drink bottled water or purified water sold from a machine. The Pacific Institute, an Oakland-based nonprofit group, did the survey as a part of a report on the human cost of nitrates in the drinking water.

The survey results showed some people spend more than 10% of their income to buy water for their families, though the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the 1990s said 1.5% would be a better guideline.

The ARRA largely missed Tulare County because a much broader investment is needed statewide, and the projects aren't "shovel ready".  What's needed is a large investment in American infrastructure just at the time when states are cutting water projects and putting those that survive at the bottom of the list.  But hell, we can't even fix bridges and roads in this country anymore because we have to cut taxes on the wealthy and on corporations.

It's a damn shame.

StupidiNews!

• Greece's new budget does cut debt but the country will miss the next round of bailout targets and may default by the end of the month without help.
• After more than 40 years on "60 Minutes", 92-year old Andy Rooney made his final observations to America last night.
• The latest trade battle between the US and China is over the Asian country's lucrative market for...chicken feet.
• With hundreds of arrests on the Brooklyn Brudge this weekend, the Occupy Wall Street movement has gone "Prime Time".
• Another security hole in Android phones allows apps access to location, e-mails and text messages without permission.

Last Call

That loud slamming noise you just heard is cruel mistress Fate slamming Rick Perry's gonads in the door of opportunity.

In the early years of his political career, Rick Perry began hosting fellow lawmakers, friends and supporters at his family’s secluded West Texas hunting camp, a place known by the name painted in block letters across a large, flat rock standing upright at its gated entrance.


“Niggerhead,” it read.

G'night, folks.  I'll save you the trouble of reading the other 2,000 or so words where Rick Perry's office lamely attempts to explain why it's taken a quarter-century for anyone to really notice he's been hunting on a property with that particular lovely name because the answer is apparently "Hell, we've always called it that round these parts, what's the big damn deal?"

I also recommend the house baked ziti, be sure to tip your servers and there's a two-drink minimum.  Drive safely and enjoy the rest of the 2012 GOP Clown Car Cavalcade.

Banned Author Speaks Out

Confrontation is the last thing she wants, the author of "Twenty Boy Summer" said.

That's because her book is more about how teens deal with death, loss and growing, rather than teen sex and beach parties, Ockler said.

That's why she was taken aback when her book and Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five" were taken from Republic High School library shelves, then later placed in a restricted section where parents could check the books out for their children, Ockler said.

She doesn't oppose a parent's right to decide a book isn't suitable for their child, Ockler said. What upsets her is that one parent can have the power to determine the options of all parents.

That's been my point all along, folks. I'm not saying parents shouldn't control what their children read. I respect that right, but it's up to them to enforce it. Removing reading material as a choice for other families is wrong. It's controlling and a way to avoid having to do the work of parenting at the expense of others.

Despite her claim that she didn't intend to be controversial, it's clear that Ockler likes to draw some attention. But that's her right, and anyone who feels differently has the right to go elsewhere. She wasn't being inappropriate, and her logic was dead on. Maybe some folks in Republic, MO learned a lesson from this. One can only hope.

Real Housewives Gets Dose Of Reality

The Real Housewives series is being hard hit.  Suicide from one-off cast members, regulars leaving the show, and now some leaving without being asked.  Jacqueline Laurita tweeted  "Teresa is scum!" There are rumors she has left the show amid fights with cast and crew.  Of many planned changes, I don't think this was one of them.


I'm not a big Housewives fan.  I like a little NYC on a rainy Sunday, but for the most part I think watching spoiled she-hawks try to justify living like wasteful fools is more than I can bear.  I'm grossed out by the indulgence, and the "as long as it makes me happy how could it be wrong" mentality that is so common of the spoiled.  I do recall watching one interchangeable blond stamp her foot and bawl because dinner wasn't how she wanted... and never realize how ridiculous she was.  That sums up the experience for me. Like Bridezillas, but with a budget.


Maybe reality TV is about to get more real, and these hollow creatures will disappear.  That would bring TV up several notches with one smart move.

Natural Gas Brain Fart

Today's slobberknocker comes from Philly.com:

A woman wasn't billed correctly for her utilities.  The utility company sent her an extra $12,000 on a bill, and only after force was applied dropped it to a little over $4,000.  And even though they admit it was a clerical error on their part, they refuse to "eat the bill" and insist it will be spread among other innocent customers if they don't collect their money.

Robyn Irving got her first break when the law said the utility company could only go back four years instead of more than a decade.  This capped what they could recover and what sent the bill down to 4k. However, any time they declare a loss it's distributed to the other customers.  The business doesn't take the hit, citizens do.  No matter how many mistakes they make, they never have to pay for it.  The employee who made the innocent mistake wasn't disciplined because it was an honest mistake.

I obviously can't verify most of the above, but I'm not afraid to publish it because we hear enough of that behavior locally, that this is the sort of thing that happens everywhere.  Utility companies, especially in areas that have no competition, are famous for terrible treatment of customers who rely on them for a necessary service, and it just sucks.  A friend of mine was in the local paper for such an argument with the utility company, where they admitted fault but left his power shut off until he paid what they decided was fair. And it was a lot.  Thank goodness there are a few regulations that protect citizens.  Not nearly enough, and as the economy gets worse so will issues like this.  There is plenty of room for improvement.

Jeff Conaway: Final Results

Jeff Conaway died of an infection.  The Grease star died in May of this year, and there was much speculation because of his known struggles with addiction.  Surely the weakening of his system was due to long-term drug damage, but a severe "internal infection" is going down as the official cause.

I'm still sorry he died, but I'm glad he was clean at the end.  Much like Mrs. Dubose (from To Kill A Mockingbird), he died in pain but on his own terms, and after having conquered his addiction.  He died winning the battle instead of losing it, and that surely has to count for something.

* Conaway's name edited for misspelling.

Heavy Rain In The Forecast

The Super PACs are coming to an election contest near you, and they're bringing a lot of big numbers with lots of zeroes at the end, and anyone who's anyone in the 2012 cycle is making sure they have a direct pipeline into the green.

Super PACs are supposed to be free from any influence by the candidates or their campaigns. But as with Burton's own ties to the president, outside groups that back Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Minnesota U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann are stocked with people who have strong connections to the candidate.

There's little question that 2012 will reach a new height in campaign spending. Campaigns invariably become more expensive from one cycle to the next. The 2008 election cost $5.3 billion, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan campaign watchdog group. It could be close to $6 billion next year.

It's also worth noting that contribution limits remain unchanged for the candidates' own campaign committees: $2,500 per donor for the primary election and $2,500 for the general.

In contrast, super PACS and other related independent groups have become symbols of the new Wild West of political spending.

"Now (a donor) can go to a super PAC and write a check for literally any amount: $5,000, $50,000, $500,000," said Michael Beckel, a Center for Responsive Politics spokesman. "The sky's the limit."

It's the result of a Supreme Court decision last year, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The high court said that corporations, unions and others could spend unlimited amounts of money on ads that favored the election or defeat of candidates.

The FEC further tweaked the rules to require donor disclosure only when the contribution is earmarked for a specific ad.

So yes, Citizens United means unlimited, anonymous contributions.  Considering how close the Senate is to flipping over to GOP control (and of course all 435 seats in the House up for grabs in a post-redistricting election) you can bet that every national contest will involve one of more of these groups.

If you thought 2008 was bad, the next 13 months are going to be insanity multiplied by nauseating.  Personally I think it's going to take constant stories about the endless deluge of hundreds of millions (if not billions) in campaign cash before America decides to do something about it.  What I fear however is that Citizens United makes campaign finance laws a moot point right now.  There are some bright spots, namely that the subject of disclosure of donations in the new landscape is growing in popularity on the judicial side as a necessary balance.  Congressional Dems are pushing for an amendment to the Constitution, but that has no chance of getting anywhere either.

A combination of disclosure laws and outrage may make corporate players leery of massive donations to some candidates and on some issues, but the reality is we're going to have to live with at least one Presidential election under this ruling and possibly a large number more.  We'll see what kind of tsunami is unleashed by the SuperPACs and what the electorate feels like after the cash flood recedes.

Last Call

Montana Republican Rep. Dennis Rehberg believes he has found the state's most urgent source of fraud and waste:  armies of welfare queens scamming school lunch programs.  As Evan McMorris-Santoro reminds us, this is the same guy who called Pell Grants "welfare" now taking aim at reduced and free school lunch money.

This time around, Rehberg set his sights a little lower down the educational ladder. On a tour of a Montana elementary school (where his sister is principal), Rehberg wanted to know quite a bit about how the school policies its government-subsidized lunch program. From the Billings Gazette:

Rehberg asked [his sister and school district official Brenda Koch] pointed questions about fraud and whether families ever dupe the free and reduced-price meal system.

Koch explained that each year, a random sample of families who sign up and qualify are audited by the district to make sure they meet the income guidelines.

On top of that, she said, the district is audited by the state every year on how its Title I dollars are spent.

“I’d like to punish those systems that rip the taxpayers off,” Rehberg said during the visit, according to the Gazette.

Rehberg (who is expected to run against Democrat Jon Tester for his Senate seat in 2012) is the 23rd richest member of Congress.  Tester's office didn't waste any time delaying their counterattack on him, either.

“Millionaire Congressman Dennis Rehberg went to an elementary school and demanded to know about fraud in the school lunch program for low income students,” Tester campaign manager Preston Elliott told TPM. “At the same time he’s voted to increase his own pay 5 times and to protect subsidies for oil companies. Well, Dennis, the fraud is you telling Montana families that you’re on their side.”

Reduced or free school lunch programs are about $1 billion total yearly for America.  Montana has about 1 million people, or 1/310th of the country's population.  Ballpark that out and that means the state's entire share of free lunch programs is roughly $3.25 million.  Even if some ridiculously high number like 10% of that is fraud, Dennis here could foot the bill himself if he's that worried about it.  If it's one percent, that's $32,500 or so.  Write a check, big man.  It's almost worth more to the state for Rehberg to pay the money than it is to prosecute anyone on school lunch fraud, for crying out loud.

The point is school lunch programs aren't the flood of fraud that Rehberg makes it out to be.  Now oil subsidies on the other hand, well, I'm sure Montana taxpayers could save a lot more money by looking at that.  Heck, if it's one percent, why the oil lobbyist money Montana's congressional delegation has been paid in your average year would more than cover that $32,500 fraud tab.

That'll buy a lot of little rectangular pizzas.

Obama To Address Gay & Lesbian Activists

Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama will deliver the keynote address Saturday to a gathering of gay and lesbian activists, a key constituency that hasn't always been receptive to the president's policies and style of leadership.

Supporters say Obama's accomplishments on gay rights issues have been substantial since he last headlined the annual National Dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, in 2009, including the repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. However, his lack of support for gay marriage still stands out as a snub for many.

Obama currently supports same-sex civil unions, and has said his views on gay marriage are "evolving." He recently announced his support of the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Obama had his hands full, and he has done more good for this direction than any in history. It's not enough, but because he has had so much on his plate I'm pleased that he is giving this his consideration. I'm still awaiting reports of how it went, but I will follow up as soon as possible.

If I could give Obama a theme for 2012 it would be "Let Me Finish"... maybe he is finally getting around to this because it's time, maybe not doing any harm was the best he had at a time when his every word was twisted and used against him.  He still has to be careful about his words because this is such a sensitive subject, but I hope he comes out with a more receptive message.  Of course, compared to the GOP treatment of gays, he could hardly do worse for himself.

I think he deserves the praise for his actions and the benefit of the doubt because even if he's slow, he can't do everything right away.