Honestly, would you purchase and read a book about:

[Mike 03]

[Journeyman]

1. They sound pornographic to me -- lots of people getting screwed in both books. . .

[Bluebear]

6. ---

:spray:

[leftstreet]

9. LOL

:spray:

[Arkana]

10. I laughed at this.

I do not know why.

[Mike 03]

2. Thank you for your honesty: You are saving me thousands in travel expenses and wasted hours in

writing.

Thanks, I guess.

[Bitwit1234]

3. How to get rid of all republicans in congress

[TexasObserver]

4. I would read a book about the wasted opportunities for Democrats.

The topic that the past 14 months most exemplifies is LACK OF LEADERSHIP.

I've never seen such an opportunity wasted by our party as the past 14 months. All that work and positioning to finally pass some decent laws, to finally change directions of the money eating War Party, and almost nothing has happened.

The president is the president for at least three more years, so he's got to get it together and learn how to lead. Beer summits and begging the minority party to please, please, please come out and play is a complete waste of time. We have the votes. Use them.

If we get pummeled in November, it will be a result of NOT being liberal enough in our party's efforts, of failing to deliver on things that could have been delivered.

[prairierose]

7. I think the "lack of leadership" really has to do with..

what I am beginning to think of as the bipolar nature of today's Dem party. The leadership is mostly dlc/corporatist and it seems that more of the rank and file is progressive/liberal.

I think what we have to work on is either getting the corporatists to govern in a progressive way or we have to work for a progressive leadership for the party.

Unfortunately, the corporatists often speak as if they are progressives. They seem to have learned the language and the issues and they also seem to feel the need to disguise themselves on the campaign trail.

[CTyankee]

5. I am reading (from the library) books about the republic of Florence in the middle ages.

I am interested in how people in a society decided to govern themselves with a republic. This is fascinating. The people of Florence were passionate about democratic rule and continued to be so until the Medici dynasty finally just corrupted their system. It is a lesson in the failure of republics to succeed.

The Florentines heroic battle over the years to save their idealistic "commune", pronounced Ko MOO nay, is as inspiring as it is depressing. Their intermittent fight against a powerful banking family that practically ruled the financial world in Europe of the 15th century is a thing of beauty.

It's depressing but also instructive.

[Quantess]

8. Maybe the fight to pass health care reform....

but only if there were all kinds of scandals and juicy gossip. Or a particulary interesting angle.

On the face of it, it sounds dry.