Someone should point out to Michael Gerson that McCain called his wife a "C-word" in front of reporters, Cheney says "go f--- yourself" on the Senate floor, W himself has a well documented relationship with vulgarity (middle fingers, S-bombs, and pretty much every horrific and delusional lie out of his mouth). Franken's the last one we should worry about lowering the national discourse.

Umm... David Frome came up with "Axis of Evil"

Even worse than "axis of evil" Michael Gerson gave GWB "evangelical language" that he never owned for himself. Bush cloaked himself in Gerson's words that were so familiar to the right wing - beliefs, phrases and lingo that Bush would have never used on his own. The soaring speeches that plucked the heart strings of the evangelicals convinced them that GWB was "one of them" and in truth his own language and ability and my guess, even his faith, was never as real as Gershon's speeches convinced the right wing it was.

I would hazard a guess that after Gerson stopped writing for GWB his support levels dropped like a stone.

I lay much responsibility for the mess we're in at Gerson's feet. The propaganda that was peddled was only palatable because it was candy coated in his easy-Jesus words.

I wonder if Gerson has editorialized similarly about Limbaugh, Savage et al? Seems like he lives in a glass house. In general, I would like to see greater "civility" in politics (to be clear, I don't think that means euphemizing crimes or deceptions), but that door swings both ways.

Guy --

http://www.slate.com/id/2076552/

Personally, I don't care if we use civility in politics. We are actually the most civil in politics that this country has ever been. What matters is that (1) we care more about pretty lies than coarse truth, and (2) we love to use one another's lack of civility as a distraction from the serious issues. That said, Pot. Kettle. Black.

Incivility is running this country and is running rampant across the country.

The World Fact Book -- CIA.gov library publications show the population of the United States and China as follows:

China's Population: 1,321,851,888.

United States Population: 301,139,947

China has a population ratio to the United States of 4-1, having four times more citizens than the United States has, yet China has less people in prison than are in prison in the United States. Wonder why? Let's look at those figures again a little closer:

As of July 2007, China's population was one THOUSAND three hundred twenty one MILLION, eight hundred fifty one THOUSAND eight HUNDRED eighty eight [1,321,851,888] or 1 BILLION, 321 MILLION, 851 THOUSAND, 8 HUNDRED and 88 people.

As of July 2007, the United States' population was only 301 MILLION, 139 THOUSAND, 9 HUNDRED, and 47 people.

China has a population ratio of 4-1 to the United States, which means China has a whopping four times more citizens than the United States, yet China has fewer people in prison. Think about this. How could that be? Could it be that only United States citizens are worthy to be in prison? that the Chinese are just naturally good? Or is it oppression and tyranny to fill the newly built United States prison complex?