Politics: I discuss "the deserter" question in depth here; I get a bit emotional about Kerry here; and I still respect Dean in many ways, suggested in part by a NYT piece today that suggests he really is more nuanced than he appears to many. A good essay on the stance of the top four Democratic candidates on the issue of tort reform. And, a conservative explaining how the President is no fiscal conservative, maybe not a real conservative at all.

And for the political bookshelf, you can add Lies: And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them...A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right by Al Franken. There are many books that criticize the President, the Right, and so forth, and they each have their good points. Franken's book is a worthy addition to the genre in that he mixes humor, a lot of research, good writing, and passion to supply an excellent book that is both serious and funny.

He could do without the crud fiction that was in bad taste (and imho not that funny), but a two person play spelling out how Bush's tax policies affect a waitress and well paid lawyer was on the money. The comic "Supply Side Jesus" was wicked. His chapter on the Wellstone memorial hard to read. Good stuff. My only other criticism is that Fox, O'Reilly, Coulter, and Hannity are rather easy targets, who he might focus on too much. All the same, they deserve their licks, and he supplies enough other material to make it worth our while.