Was buried under a flurry of "ahhhhh, shit"s, this afternoon, and might have become concerned, myself...had I not looked out the window and down the road, apiece.

Doug Thompson, of Capitol Hill Blue:  I've decided to stand down for a while. Take a breather. A break from all this madness called politics. I don't know if it will be a permanent break or not. I'm tired and this tilting at windmills business is exhausting.

Uh-oh. I know how he feels, but. I also know how it feels to be abandoned in a bushrovian world [and, yes, I'm slagging you, MediaWhoresOnline and A. Whitney Brown (among others). How dare you behave as though there exists a more meaningful raison d'être than that of keeping me thinking, amused, and informed)].

There are many who've come to rely upon Doug's port in this storm. He may not be as funny as people we've slagged, but he's a critical thinker, easy to agree to disagree with [and leaves no horrible aftertaste]. He's got to stay for...um...for the children! Surely he knows that he's either with us, or he's with the trrrsts.

A little over a year ago, my wife and I left Washington for good, to retire far away from the political world. I announced that I would stop writing about the sordid world in Washington.

The plot thickens...

But I didn't. I've tried to walk away from this more than once. I always come back. So this time I'm just calling it a break and taking some time off. I moved to the mountains to relax and writing about the corruption and failures of our government is anything but relaxing.

See? I wish people would Think before they scare a girl half to death. I've announced that I'm going to stop talking and writing about the sordid world, a passel o' times! So, I know whereof he speaks. He moves to the mountains, I leave the country [or remain in-country, honing my nearly flawless impression of an agoraphobic]. He ain't goin' anywhere, and he admits as much. So, settle down, everybody.

As an American I shudder at the consequences of the damage inflicted on America by the current system of government and the dominance of politics.  Party loyalty has replaced loyalty to country. This is true for both Republicans and Democrats. Both parties place allegiance to party dogma ahead of what is best for the nation and neither party, in my opinion, is fit to govern.

But too many Americans, sadly, are followers who cannot function unless they allow someone else to do their thinking for them. They must have a political or philosophical despot to tell them what to do. Sadly, the truth cannot be found in the words of either Rush Limbaugh or Al Franken. It lies somewhere in the middle, ready to be embraced by independent thought but lost in the mire of partisan extremism.

Here, we disagree. Rush Limbaugh and Al Franken are no more "political creatures" than they are "party loyalists" or "partisan extremists." Both are devoted to their careers and their bank accounts. Just like Colin Powell, and the rest of los gay cabalyahoos [my new favorite word].

Were there mo' money, greater fame, and easier access to pharmaceuticals in "liberal demagoguery" than in "conservative hate-mongering," Rush would jump the fence faster'n you can say, "free oxy!" Were there more money, fame, book deals, and jokes which write themselves in a Kerry presidency than in a continued Bush residency, Franken would never have told everyone to put their pants on and go home, only hours into Coup II. He would have been a leader in the fight for full investigations and recounts. Just as, were there more money, fame, book deals, and speaking engagements in retirement than in the military...oh, wait. That's right. Colin chose to carry [toxic] water because he wasn't quite ready to give up the [delusion he had] power. And he knows the money, book deals, and speeches will be waiting for him, whenever he gets there. His bread's buttered on both sides! The man loves butter. And, apparently, we the people love men who love butter. No, this isn't about politics and parties. It's about inflated egos, insatiable greed, passionate aggression, and infernal idiocy.

I've been writing about the foibles, corruption and misdeeds of politicians for more than 40 years but the system we have today is worse than ever. I'm no longer sure that trying to educate a deaf audience through journalism is worth the time or the effort. So I'm going to take the time to rest and consider other options. Capitol Hill Blue will continue with others who still believe it is the role of a journalist to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. If there is a better way, maybe I can find it. If not, maybe I will be back.

Here's my guess:  resting is nice, but it gets old, after a while. Considering other options is always exciting, and allows one a new focus. A really good option or two makes it possible to forget [temporarily] about stunning coups and extraordinary renditions and uninformed citizenry and corporate malfeasance and even goddamn pieces of paper.

Contact "with others who still believe it is the role of a journalist to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable" is made warily, and best kept to a minimum during the initial withdrawal. One wants to know but one doesn't. One cares, but wishes one didn't [and insists to oneself one soon won't. For real, this time].

Next begins the phase where one tells oneself one can do no more, and that it's okay to try no more. One isn't responsible for the fate of the world [and, were it even possible to save a people from themselves, "who made me the Jello Sheriff of the nation?" one asks].

Not too many phases later [having had all that time for Rest & Consideration], one begins to fear that maybe people who do nothing because they're tired of doing nothing else are not all that different from people who do nothing because they're too lazy to do anything at all. Ouch. Nahhhhh...can't be.

Soon, unfortunately, synchronicity starts lobbing grenades into one's path and lobes. An "all that is necessary for evil to flourish," here, an "our lives begin to end the day we become silent," there...a niggling question or two about what America might have become had the people one most admires decided to take their balls and go home. Then one wonders what will become of America if everyone gets tired and goes fishin'.

Reality's cluster bomb scatters constant reminders that "the powers that be" be enjoyin' one's self-imposed silence. "Another one bites the dust!" One worries that maybe a lot of "good Germans" were really just tired Germans. One feels queasy, and begins to have trouble sleeping. One conveniently hears about a particularly egregious and unconscionable act [and we all know those only come along once or twice an hour, these days]. One decides a few comments wouldn't hurt. Then one admits a little article is probably mandatory.

We'll see.

And we'll keep your seat warm...Rb [who'll bet he's just making a battery run.]