Because I've reached my politics saturation point for the moment.

Though, fear not, I have a fisk about 2/3 done. We'll see if the batteries recharge.

In the meantime, I would like to apologize to all fans of the New England Patriots for Tom Brady's season-ending ACL injury. Why apologize? you ask.

Simple--I'm responsible. I drafted him in the first round of the fantasy league draft.

Grrrrr.

Don't weep too much, though--it's a six team league and Roethlisberger was my backup. Oh, and Philip Rivers was still on the FA list, so I snapped (no pun intended) him up as soon as possible.

Another apology, to Tennessee Titan loyalists: I drafted that fragile soul Vince Young (what the--? Seriously) in my brother-in-law's two QB league. I'm sucking wind on that one, though--there are twelve teams there, and there's squat on the waiver wire until somebody else severs a tendon.

Meh.

I think that the "pig in lipstick" reference is just the most well-reported of the Senator's verbal stumbles on the campaign trail, and nothing more. Given that Obama surrogates are seeing racism in the fact that black olives are imprisoned in steel cans while the green ones get to see the light of day, I don't think it's wise to play the same card.

I think Ann Althouse gets this one perfectly, right down to exactly why some women have reacted badly to it.

Rally To My Banner, O Hussars!

Or something like that. I've added a widget to the side of the blog, whereby you can identify yourself as one of my mind-gelde--er, regular readers. Scroll down to "My Lone Gunmen," which, fittingly enough, has the all-too-kind Cathy as the only current member.

That way, you'll get regular notice of posts and help feed my growing megalomania.

It's a package deal.

To quote Keanu: "Whoa."

Archbishop Niederauer to speak with Nancy Pelosi about whether she should continue to receive communion.

As Mark is wont to say: "Episcopal Spine Alert!"

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has accepted an invitation from San Francisco’s archbishop to discuss whether she should continue to receive communion at the Catholic Church in the wake of comments she made about abortion.

San Francisco Archbishop George H. Niederauer requested the meeting after receiving letters and e-mails from “many Catholics” expressing dismay over Pelosi’s remarks that the question of when life begins remained controversial within the church. He said many of those writing questioned whether Pelosi should be able to receive communion.

Pelosi made the remarks in an Aug. 24 interview with “Meet the Press” host Tom Brokaw. In response to Brokaw’s question, “When does life begin?” Pelosi answered, “We don’t know. The point is that it shouldn’t have an impact on the woman’s right to choose.” She went on to say, “I don’t think anyone can tell you when life begins — when human life begins.”

After Brokaw said that the Catholic Church believes strongly that life begins at conception, Pelosi said, “I understand,” but went on to say it had been an issue of controversy within the church for the past 50 years.

Her comments have been criticized by several Catholic Church officials, and Niederauer described them as being “in serious conflict” with the church in the Sept. 5 issue of Catholic San Francisco. Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl issued a separate statement the day after Pelosi’s “Meet the Press” appearance, criticizing the comments as “incorrect.”

Niederauer concluded that, based on Catholic Church statements, it is up to him as Pelosi’s pastor to address whether she may continue to receive communion.

“Accordingly, as her pastor, I am writing to invite her into a conversation with me about these matters. It is my obligation to teach forthrightly and to shepherd caringly, and that is my intent.
“Let us pray together that the Holy Spirit will guide us all toward a more profound understanding and appreciation for human life, and toward a resolution of these differences in truth and charity and peace,” Niederauer wrote.

Exactly the right action, with exactly the right genuinely pastoral tone. Bravo to the Archbishop, who has taken a lot of flak and has been accused of inertia on the issue. Definitely not the case now.

This is a relief.

He's taking a few days off.

I've been doing a little re-evaluating of the Atlantic's flagship blogger over the past few days.

Do not get me wrong--Sullivan has been nothing short of vile since Palin became the VP candidate, and has been on a general nasty downward trajectory for two years now, making him unreadable during that time.

But.

His work has been scintillating in the past, and I am grateful for that. He isn't remotely the same man now, save on the occasional issue (torture), and even there his general viciousness probably does more harm than good. However, I have to remind myself that he is a physically sick man and that the sick are commended to our care. There's nothing we can do to actually treat his illness (apart from prayer), but we can remember that sick people lash out and we have to gauge our response accordingly.

Not easy to do when he repeatedly calls the Pope a closet case, expresses sadistic glee about the opening of divorce files and publicly questions the maternity of a special-needs child, but it's something I have to do regardless.

Happy Birthday, Sprout.

Seven.

Seven.

Maddie at birth. She had me wrapped around her tiny fingers about two seconds post-birth.

Maddie, circa 3 months, with the late, great Bailey. She always loved that cat and I'm pretty sure it was reciprocated.

Maddie, during her recent hospital stay.

She can't be seven--I've been watching the whole time.

A public service announcement.

My Uncle Bob has read the blog and notes that I have omitted some pertinent facts about him, namely his "boyish good looks, athletic build, charming ways and intellectual prowess."

Fair enough. And to that I would add "almost saintly humility," even though I'm sure it comes through.

The really important thing was that I had done a good job for "my Sarah," and I think we can all agree on that.

OK, it was a touchdown. But they're still behind.

Still and all, a little Palinmania for yah:

Yesterday's sign that the GOP base is jacked: the Macomb County campaign headquarters was out of yard signs.

H/t to Jonah Goldberg for the tag line, and to Despair for the software.

Take a deep, cleansing breath or four.

And enjoy the following football metaphor.

Yes, Sarah Palin did great last night. But a little perspective: it's one night in a campaign that, at last check, is scheduled to last two more months.

I'll avoid the baseball terminology everyone else uses and instead will compare her to the greatest running back ever to lace up cleats: Mr. Barry Sanders.

Lions fans like myself (though I barely cling (HA!) to the title) remember that Barry was a back who could astonish you on a five yard run, making several NFL defenders look like they had strange nervous disorders in the process. He saw the field, watched as the usually outmanned offensive line failed to keep holes open, reversed course, and spun and juked his way to a decent gain that lesser mortals could not have achieved.

That's what Sarah Palin did last night. For three days, the GOP reeled under every stupid, lying attack tossed at their VP designate and tossed the ball to Palin. Against the odds, she dazzled her way for a nice gain and left her critics looking stupid.

Good stuff. I was cheering for her and she came through, big time. But in terms of the campaign, all she got was a first down. That's all she could get, realistically speaking, and it was definitely a play to remember.

But there's another two quarters to go, and the GOP ticket is still behind.

In the immortal words of George Lucas: "Don't get cocky, kid."

And also remember this: the Lions never won a title with Barry Sanders.

"Cold water splashed on Palinmania: Check."

That explains it.

Last week I was taking the Detroit People Mover and ran into a nice couple from Ohio.

They were camping north of the city and had decided to come downtown to see Greektown and the MGM Grand Casino. When I asked them where they were from, they said Toledo. I mentioned that I know someone who lives in Norwalk. They laughed and said they were camping with friends from Norwalk. "They're from Norwalk. They're crazy," they said, with a demeanor that said it explained it all.

Hmmm.

L'affaire(s) Palin.

Well, quite a set of firestorms which blew up, eh?

My mom's younger brother, Bob, should write a book. The stories he could tell warrant one, and I've long admired his sense of humor, which runs the gamut from understated to bawdy. Actually, me and my brother have hero-worshipped Uncle Bobby from the start. My mom's side has Danes in the family tree, and there must be something about America which lets the usually taciturn Danes hoist their freak flag. Remind me to tell you about his jalapeno cornbread and the black cocaine he calls coffee. He and my dad get along really well, which, if you knew the both of them, is something of a miracle of family amity.

Probably has something to do with the fart jokes. Like I said, freak flag flying.

Bob is an ex-hippie, a former resident of Amsterdam and long-time citizen of the great state of Alaska. He is also an unpaid spokesman for Stroh's beer, though I think he's had to wean himself off that given the collapse of the brand. His home in Seward's Folly has been the cosmopolitan Alaskan town of Talkeetna (pronounced "Tell-keet-nuh").

And I say "cosmopolitan" without a hint of irony. Alaska is America's last frontier, and can be fairly compared to a half-million square mile version of Tombstone, only with better vistas and more reliable water supplies. It draws all kinds. He walked around with a video camera for a week shooting his beloved town, and it's nothing short of rivetting. They say it takes all kinds, but Talkeetna has a few kinds yet to be catalogued. Bobby's been a dedicated employee of an Alaska utility for decades, and has built himself a "cabin" in the wilderness, right in the shadow of Denali. He's not exactly been a GOP booster. No one on my mom's side has ever been.

All of this is a long introduction to the following point: my uncle Bob is a pro-Sarah Palin fanatic.

Sure, he knows her father-in-law, but that's hardly the reason. The reason he supports her? She's a fearless politician who took on the (remarkably corrupt) Alaska GOP and has stuck to the reform agenda since she became Governor. It takes a lot to get him enthusiastic about politics, and Palin's tenure in Alaska politics has managed to do that.

My thoughts are a work in progress, but here goes.

First, if you've raised the experience issue with respect to Obama, then you have to be intellectually honest enough to apply it to Palin as well. On the other hand, if you've been willing to make allowances for Obama's thin resume', then shut your yap and go back to playing with your official Community Organizer! action figure (Now with Placard-Wielding Grip!). At a minimum, her experience compares favorably with that of John Edwards. But concerns over her experience are still eminently reasonable, and deserve exploration. And while Biden has more terms in office, there comes a point where it's more seniority than experience. Plus, being the Senatorial caddy for MBNA's licensed usury does nothing to endear the Gaffe-o-matic to me. Brief digression: that said, I suspect I'd like to crack open a beer with Biden, though. I find him a lot more of a genuine guy than I did Kerry.

Second, with respect to her family situation--the frenzy over it is ugly. CNN even sent a reporter to look into whether her youngest son is really hers. Think about that for a moment. Two days after she's tabbed as a VP candidate, "the most trusted name in news" [sic] is investigating rumors which were started on a hard leftist website. Compare the instant investigation with Anderson Cooper's agonized handwringing over "Why are we covering the Jeremiah Wright story?") I guess a news network's got to have its enthusiasms.

Obama's association with Jeremiah Wright--non-issue we're forced to talk about. Trig Palin's parentage rumors--DEPLOY! GO! GO! GO!

While a contributor to a blog that calls itself Catholic is more worked up about something that tired blowhard Limbaugh said (and is absolutely mute on the scurrilous attacks on the Palin family), it's important to remember that there just might--possibly, hypothetically mind you--be an agenda at work in the flood-the-zone coverage you are seeing.

Third (and related to no. 2)--the left, with a few honorable exceptions, has lost its mind. Hatred--simon-pure and gloating--is the order of the day. Oh, and Andrew Sullivan is officially a horrible excuse for a human being. The thought-provoking iconoclast of 2000 is dead and mouldering, and there's an intellectually dishonest shill and bad-faith poseur sitting in his place.

Fourth, and related to No. 3: Don't tell a theocrat such as myself what to get worked up about (language warning). Specifically, pregnancy out of wedlock. News flash: Dedicated Christian parents who love and are loved by their children have seen those children go astray, despite their best efforts. Be it drugs, sex, smoking, violent behavior, booze or flat out abandonment of religion, we've seen it happen. And we've seen it happen to good parents who did their best. Sure, some pharasaical jerks will get on their high horses. But most of us will sympathize and pray we and ours can avoid the same problems.

Fifth, and a tougher question: Trig and his candidate mom's schedule. First of all--to you lefties now singing the praises of stay-at-home motherhood: welcome aboard! For the entirely mercenary and cynical moment you plan to stay. Stick by the edge: it'll make your leap back off that much easier. Frankly, we don't want you all that close in the first place.

We decided that Heather would return to work after Maddie was born. If I may may be so brazen as to speak on her behalf, I think it was the longest eight months of Heather's life. Leaving her daughter tore her up, every time. But we had to. And it stopped after Dale was born, and it worked out as well as possible (albeit with some serious financial hits along the way). However, I've always said that not everyone can do this, and sometimes you have to have both working. While I think that politics is an elective job in more ways than one, it seems to be the case that this was an unexpected pregnancy. And you have to let the unexpected pregnancy take you where it will. While I'm not comfortable with the idea of the grueling campaign separating mother and infant, I'm not living in their shoes, and this is definitely a situation where everybody in the family has to pitch in.

Last and least: it looks like a good pick. She's smart, has a history of integrity in the political sphere and does have more executive experience at the state level than anyone else on either ticket. She's also held up well in the face of hideous bullshit attacks, which can be counted on to continue for the next two months.

Buckle up--should be very, very interesting.