Re: margins: Eno, you are right, of course, that those policies, and many others, move well beyond the margins. I have to say, though, that in our current political reality we are faced with largely marginal differences. If our choice were between a $0 and $600B, it's a no brainer. But the likelihood of facing that choice in the next administration is so small as to be hardly worth discussing, other than in the abstract. That said, a $100B difference has some meaning, does it not?

I don't pretend that Bush or the Republican party at large is anything but marginally better than John Kerry or the Democratic party. In fact, I'm not blind to issues where the reverse may be true (again, marginlly). I can handle voting for a candidate I often disagree with, because I disagree with his opponent a)more strongly b)more often or c)on more critical issues. I don't enjoy the compromise, much like many Democrats will take no joy in voting for John Kerry. Does that perpetuate a pretty horrible political reality? I guess so. Got a better alternative?