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Imagine a world where public debate of serious issues included the uncensored input of a nation's citizens. Imagine a world where the opposition party called the party in power on their bullshit. Imagine these exchanges taking place on a public television news program for all the citizens to see.

This is what democracy looks like.

[If you're pressed for time, skip to minute 40-ish and watch 'til the end.]

Take note:

In these early soundings for 2006, Republicans face the potential reemergence of a gender gap that Bush narrowed in his 2004 reelection. While men split evenly when asked which party they intend to support in November, women prefer Democrats by 57% to 31%, the survey found. Democrats hold a commanding advantage not only among single women, a traditional Democratic constituency, but married women, a swing group that broke toward Bush and the GOP in 2004.

Via Chris, OurTenWords is looking for a ten-word slogan to define the Democratic Party's message. Maybe before they come up with their framing, they should come up with a plan to wrap the message around. Some plan. Any plan. Something.

There's an interesting throughline making its way around Leftopia today (and most days, these days): In order to win in '06 and '08, the Democrats must run on a unified "Progressive" anti-Iraq War platform. While I agree with you on many Progressive issues, I also wonder what country you all think you're living in. Let me remind everyone that

45% of American citizens still define themselves as moderate, compared to 34% who define themselves as conservative and 21% as liberal.

Let me also remind you of all the white men who have occupied the White House since I've graced this great blue-and-green ball:

• John F. Kennedy
• Lyndon Johnson
• Richard Nixon
• Gerald Ford
• Jimmy Carter
• Ronald Reagan
• 41
• William Jefferson Clinton
• George W. Bush

Do you see one true anti-War Liberal/Progressive on that list? One might argue that the most Liberal/Progressive Presidents during my lifetime have been Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton. And most of you banging the drum for the New Progressive World Order have "issues" with those two.

It's one thing for us to sit around the virtual campfire and make our case for the way things ought to be. It's quite another matter to suggest that Democratic politicians push our complete political agenda to the other 79% of the population that won't undergo ideological conversion by the time '08 rolls around, let alone next year's mid-terms.

I know what you're thinking. "But, Roxanne! The majority of Americans are now against the Iraq War. This is our big opportunity to push the Progressive agenda!" Of course Americans now view the War unfavorably. But probably not for the reasons you and I do.

As a people, Americans like to kick ass and take names. The nightly news has now become a daily reminder that we're losing this war --and we're not good losers. If you don't believe we have trouble with losing, you can take your argument up with Jimmy Carter or the ghost of Lyndon Johnson. Americans want out because they want the "losing" to end. They perceive our problem in Iraq as one of managerial incompetence and not the predictable outcome of a cynical ideology. (I believe both problems are at work here.) And many of them will vote for the first guy or gal who comes up with a reasonable, executable plan to get the fuck out of Dodge with our metaphorical cajones still intact.

More importantly, unless they're running in San Francisco or Minnesota or Massachusetts (and a few points in between), strict anti-war Progressives don't win elections. There's no U.S. Senator Helen Gahagan Douglas listed in my World Almanac! So when Rahm Emanuel [see comments] and other pols don't talk about the Iraq boondoggle as much as you'd like --and when they do, they don't do it in the way you'd prefer [see comments]-- you now know why.

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So much for semi-retirement. I just wanted to piss-off the Deaniacs one more time!

Kurt Vonnegut's list includes:

Ye cannot serve God and Mammon. The hell I can't! Look at the Reverand Pat Robertson. And He is as happy as a pig in s**t.

Personally, I could go a whole lifetime without hearing the offkey caterwauling of "All we are saaaaaaaaaying ...is give peace a chance."

What's on your list?