I'm watching $20,000 Pyramid on the Game Show Network (my default viewing when there is nothing else on), and one of the celebrities is a young David Letterman. He's really no nonsense as a clue giver, focussing on a few very descriptive words. He also stays really calm. I suspect that's because he really doesn't care that much. addam Hussein. I haven't actually seen the ad in question. I got an e-mail from MaxMail, Cleland's newsletter, referencing this article in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. In it he makes some very good points about the long term effects of the current political climate, how cut-and-slash campaigns poison the well for the future of politics. From the article:

Cleland teased the children and they teased him back. When he was through, they wanted hugs. After they were back in class, he talked about the decreasing affability in politics.

"Did you notice that when I asked them about their dreams, not one of them said they wanted to be president of the United States? They talked about winning the lottery or owning a limo. We're all part of TV Land and what happens on television affects them. All of us need to be careful that our ads reflect who we are. We need to generate hope," Cleland said.

This current era of public discourse, where the primary mode of expressing disagreement is to shout down your opponents, is depressing and sickening. This is why I can't watch Crossfire or Politically Incorrect or any of the "sit in a circle and shout" political shows. It's all bullshit. Why is it so impossible for philosophical differences to be treated as such, and not as moral failings for everyone who believes differently than oneself?