Because she was "sipping a caramel macchiato"? I dunno, don't do Newsweek-speak, but it must be an important signifier somehow.

I don't count steps -- I use the Runkeeper app on my phone to track my miles walked. My middle-aged bones and feet do 30-40 miles per week -- knees can't handle running any longer!

Squeeze are one of my all-time favorite bands. I hung with them through the years, and do think they did some fine work after their break -- though they never reached the same heights. I really enjoy the Play album, for instance.

The "new Lennon/McCartney" critical overpraise had a negative impact on Difford & Tilbrook, just as the "new Dylan" tag had upon innumerable singer-songwriters.

And James is spot on with his analysis of the Clash (I owned all those albums, too). Squeeze holds up better 30 years on.

That photoshop appeared in a very strange dream I had last night. I shall try laying off the Chimay before retiring, in the hope it haunts me no longer.

Heh. "Expect" is the key term here. Catch me on a bad day, and I would argue that the government is doing exactly that. But I am typically more optimistic about my fellow citizens.

Robert,

This doesn't fit (to me) criticism of the "person, not the office":

"Another discussion on the site in March said he would refuse to obey orders given by Obama. He later clarified to say he meant illegal orders, which he has explained as orders such as sending the military to Syria without congressional approval."

Fair points, James. I have at times lived in areas where Catholics were a distinct minority, and it did indeed impact the salience of that characteristic to my identity.

Still. Harry Reid is a "successful" Mormon as well, and I can't imagine a huge overlap between his supporters and Mitt's.

I'd actually hope for better writing than ordinary people exhibit. But I'd take what I could get as an alternative to bureaucratese.

Absolutely correct, Professor.

All other things being relatively equal, probably correct. But religious denomination isn't necessarily the most important variable there. I mean, I'm a Catholic but wouldn't vote for a  Kennedy or Pelosi on that basis. Ultimately we are all demographic groups of size one.

No, there is plenty of evidence for the heritability of intelligence, though certainly genetics doesn't account for all variance.

That is all I have ever done, and I expect all that the great majority of voters will do.

You're probably in the middle of doing so right now, Yeti, but don't forget to update the feedburner RSS feed for those of us who grab the episodes that way.

EDIT: As I knew it would, it has appeared. Thanks!

Oh, I am having my own, right this moment.

Seconded!

No sit ups...but I did just mow my lawn :)

Thanks, all. I shall wear it proudly.

I hope I have similar luck in the political "tournament" this November.