1. I don't believe Al Gore sexually assaulted a masseuse. Or anyone. (Maybe he inkled a proposition, but I'm skeptical of even that.) Democrats are as horny as anyone, but the Al Gore thing doesn't sound credible to me.

2. I have enjoyed watching soccer grow and expand in the U.S. Now, I'm not excited about it continuing to become a bigger and bigger sport. I like it as a little brother to baseball, football, basketball, hockey. Crass American commercialism will probably ruin this sport just like it has other major sports. The LeBron James madness is a good example of what's in store for soccer. And they will have to stop the game every 3 minutes to have 2 minutes worth of commercials.

3. I listened with great interest to Senator John Cornyn's emotional discussion of the loss of freedom in America in the last 30 years. This was part of his questioning of Elena Kagan yesterday. I believe he believes what he says.

But, I also believe he's wrong. My experience has been entirely different. I think that life in America is more free than it used to be. Maybe that's because I haven't been trying to defend the same values he has. For example, he is a wealthy man from one of America's most right-wing states. Rich white men from the south have probably lost a lot of their easy social dominance. I wonder why.