The great lesson here is that when politics drives the art (or the entertainment), the art (entertainment) suffers. When Wolfe went from entertaining to preaching, the show began its slow but sure decline. Ideally, "ripped from the headlines" should be willing to pry under the hood of conservatives and liberals, right and left, but no such luck on L & O.

Also, I like Moriarity's comment about length not being related to quality. Too many shows go on well past when the writers and producers run out of stories, then it just becomes an embarrassment. Say what you want, but that is why Lost and shows like it, that set a deadline and stick to it, lead to better drama and better tv.

I think you have hit on one thing that weakens Palin. You say yourself that Obama will still get an awful lot of Dem. support regardless of what happens. We need a candidate, then, that has the potential to appeal to independents and some Dems in the general election. Can you with a straight face claim that Palin can do that? She is the most polarizing politician of this generation, fair or not. There is no way she can garner enough support to put together that sort of coalition and actually win a general election.

Republicans are in a serious place right now. They have managed to squander their image with voters across the country since at least 1996 when it was clear they did not care at all about their stated principles of smaller and less intrusive government. Years of GOP control of government under Bush yielded nothing but more big government solutions. Both Congress and the White House were responsible for this. Whether we are talking about policy disasters (No Child Left Behind, Medicare Prescription drugs), fiscal irresponsibility (elevating spending beyond defense needs--see educational and environmental spending in the 2000s) or silly TARP funding, Republicans have no identifiable agenda with many, many voters. Republicans have to reconstruct themselves around well-articulated principles, selling themselves and their philosophy to voters looking for an alternative to the Obama disaster.

Do you honestly believe Palin is the person to do this? She has great difficulty outside set speaking pieces, which are now minimally important given decreasing attention spans and the fragmentation of media. I just don't get it. You and I are obviously going to disagree on this, which is ok. We can do that in a civil fashion if you can somehow steer away from impugning my knowledge, my "kool-aid" affliction, or my youth. Whether you like it or not, roughly 2/3 (see the most recent CBS News opinion poll on 11/16) of Americans do not see her as qualified to be President. Is that possible to overcome? Maybe, but the odds are way against her.

Looking at her objectively, she might best fit a slot like RNC Chair.

I don't mean to rile you. I appreciate what you have done and I am glad for it. Our country is a better place because people like you worked to put Reagan in office. Thank you.

I just don't understand how you are so convinced, given your amount of political experience, that Palin is the real thing. Her toughness is up for debate in my mind. I wish she had stuck out her term in office in Alaska, but she didn't. I understand there were lots of extenuating circumstances there, but it does weaken her as a candidate, I think. Having served for a full term and getting re-elected would have helped.

As for her ideology, I don't think we know enough yet to be sure of what that is either. I agree she says she has been greatly influenced by Reagan, but so does every Republican politician that wants to get elected--even George W--but that does not mean they would or could govern like Reagan.

In spite all of this, I still think she lacks the knowledge, as of right now, to make a good President. Even you might be willing to admit she has a long way to go on foreign affairs before she could credibly serve as our chief diplomat.

If you do see the political world through cynical, hardened eyes, do you think she can stand up to what will happen to her when she runs? They will throw everything they can at her. So far, at least in Alaska, she backed out of that fight when they began to launch ethics complaints against her. I agree they had it in for her and that it was not fair, but does that say something about her? What do you think? I am genuinely curious.

Looking at this blog is a frenzy. I was not old enough to vote for Reagan, and I regret that. I don't disagree that she inspires people, but so does Obama. Inspiration is not enough. Reagan was getting influenced by people like Milton Friedman and Irving Kristol and Bill Buckley. He read them, knew them, and understood their thinking. I just don't see that sort of thing in Palin at all. As for comparing her to Thatcher, Thatcher had been in Parliament for nearly 20 years before she became PM. Palin would probably say that makes Thatcher an "insider" and "part of the problem." Palin just has not done enough yet to deserve those sorts of lofty comparisons. Maybe she will at some point, but not yet. By comparing her to Thatcher, you are making my point for me. I am not saying you are a cultist, but people tend to see Palin through rose-colored glasses and they don't look at her objectively at all. I am trying to look at her that way. How would you rate her if she had her exact resume but were a liberal democrat? Would you say she is qualified and ready to be president?

Let's see, since they were the only Republican nominees to vote for in the general elections of 1988, 92, 96, 2000, 2004, and 2008, I am not sure how that makes me or them RINO's. I am guessing that if anyone is critical of Sarah, that makes them somehow less pure of a Republican? I think that fits my point pretty well, don't you?

I voted for H.W. Bush twice, Dole, W twice and McCain in '08. I am conservative, pro-life, small government, anti-gay marriage, pro 2nd Amendment, and I jealously guard the original meaning of the Constitution. I understand that Palin is quite popular and I agree with her on most issues. I think she has the right basic principles we need in a president. She was trashed by the MSM last year, disrespected on a daily basis by the intellectual and cultural elite, and inspires hatred in her enemies. All those are good things.

Does that make her presidential material? Reading the comments on this blog remind me of Chris Matthews' "tingle up the leg" and various "god-like" sentiments too often attached to Pres. Obama. I am sorry, but she is the Republican Obama in far too many ways--charismatic, yet not very experienced, pleasant to look at and listen to, but only superficially aware of the major issues that confront our country. We will regret it if she becomes the party's nominee in 2012.

John--as an academic office drone, this movie and your review both ring true. This movie gets played 3-5 times every year, generally when I have been over-sloganed, over-assessed, over-sold, under-appreciated, and "schticked" to death by management tricks that are really elaborate attempts to cover ineptitude. What Office Space truly contributes is the realization that there are millions of hard-working people starving for fair treatment and reasonable leadership that is not mired in a haze of mission statements and Hawaiian shirt days. In the end, all Peter wants is to be treated like a sentient being and not a sniveling adolescent that responds to banners and gimmicks. This movie is genius because it is both true and painfully funny.