Here's a paranoid theory: Bolton's nomination goes to the Senate (it just got passed out of committee with no recommendation), he's defeated, then the Republicans crow about how the system "should" work, and use it as fuel for their nuclear option push.  

Yea?  Nay?  Completely nuts?  You decide.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7804770/

I wonder how many of United Airlines' pilots, many of whom have military experience, voted for Bush.  And will continue voting for Republicans and their blind faith in a free market ideology, despite glaring conflicts with the pilots' personal interests.  Because having your pension slashed by half isn't the sort of thing Democrats take lightly, but Republicans will just shrug and say tough -- and buy some stock in UAL which, by being allowed to default on its pension plan, just improved its competitive standing vis a vis the other airlines.  The only losers here were the employees.  And employees at other companies still carrying pension plans, who now have to look over their shoulders and wonder when some bean counter in corporate will decide to improve the company's bottom line by going after the pension plan.    

 

Are the women going pre-empt the sliming of Hillary?  If she's got Quindlen on board, will capricious, innately vicious hacks like Maureen Dowd join in, especially with Hillary's nominal status as a  New Yorker?  I think the fact that she's so popular in New York is going ot keep the NY Times off her back -- it's a national paper to a certain extent, but it's ultimately a New York paper, and I don't think people there would put up with seeing her slimed.  Gore had no base to offend and the media were all over him; Hillary has two: what I will call for lack of a better term, "modern women," and New Yorkers.  It takes guts to go against that, and these guys don't have a lot of guts.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7773614/site/newsweek/