As my history professor used to say, ...

Every act is a political act and has political consequences.

Believe me. I tried to watch the Democrats' debate last night. I really tried. Each candidate wa given 60 seconds to give us slightly fresh answers to the stale questions that we have heard on every news and talk show for months. This format drives the wrong kind of behavior, rewarding people who think in small, tactical aphorisms. Even good Dennis Kucinich answered a question about counter-terrorism with a worn-out quote from Benjamin Franklin about security and personal freedom. We needed, instead, his ideas about how we should deal with the bad guys in our midst. After about 15 minutes, I switched channels and watched Larry the Cable Guy until it was time to go to bed.