Golden Girls was ground-breaking in that it portrayed older women, but Bea Arthur in Maude was cutting edge on social issues.  I thought it was great.

I don’t understand the Obama Administration’s seeming snub of Dean.  I see that some of you are blaming Rahm.  Maybe you know something I don’t?  As I remember, Carville attacked Dean and Rahm refused to join in.  If  Dean was too leftist for the Obama team when he was a candidate, he certainly tacked center during his stint as Party Chair and he devised a very successful strategy for a 50-state solution to win.

 I wish him well on CNBC, although I never watch that station.

My life is quite rewarding and my mother never made any such sweeping generalities.

Well, your comments are a little strong!  but I have always disliked Penn.  I have never understood why the likes of Charlie Rose fwn over him.

I, too, rarely agree with Liz Peek and usually feel irritated when I even see an article of hers on this site.  (I usually agree with you, though!)  However, Peek is right about Congress’ rushing to get on their moral high horse of indignation and rage.  I understand the rage everyone feels about paying billions of $$ to people who have helped to cause this financial collapse by their risky actions.  We should feel rage.  And so should Congress and the Executive.  But in their rush to prove their rage, the House has passed a ridiculous plan for taxing the bonus recipients.  Never mind that the rate is high, it’s the principle - will Congress set a precedent for retro-actively taxing any group who does something they disapprove of?  That’s not how the tax code should be used. 

I do disagree with Peek that Chris Dodd is among those members of the Senate most "morally challenged."  I don’t know who is to blame in this mess.  Wasn’t Dodd just honestly trying to respond to Treasury’s concerns that the bill would be killed if the more stringent provision Dodd had inserted wasn’t modified?  He shouldn’t get all the blame.  There’s enough blame to go around. 

 As to Robert Reich, god spare us.  Here’s one instance where I disagree with you DeBurca. 

MSNBC’s numbers have been improving slightly, I think; but the network is not high in the ratings.  It has to compete with CNN for viewers who might want something more centerist.  FOX has no rival for right-wing news and commentary.

 Maddow’s show is the only MSNBC show I make a point of turning on.  As DeBurca said, Maddow is smart and civil.  That’s why I watch her, as opposed to the rude, self-admiring Matthews and Olbermann’s childishly trying to imitate the voices of Rupert, O’Reilley, and Limbaugh.  If he’d give up those imitations, I might watch him more often.

My sentiments and experience exactly!

Yes, Hemingway loved the women of his fiction. Updike didn’t. Hemingway puts his women on a pedestal, Updike despises his.

Updike wrote beautiful sentences. He put all his love into them. He had none left over for the women he created in his fiction.

Ms. Smith Goes to Washington … well, New York is okay, too. You would keep any city of its toes. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Excellent interview. And Streep deserves all the honors she’s received. However Streep was almost too big for the screen in “Doubt.” The close ups where complex emotions are registered in every twitch in her face were wonderful. At other times, she almost came out of the screen. Too much! As to look alikes - You are much better groomed, Cynthia! You could never keep YOUR job if you weren’t!

I don’t understand your impression of Rachel as “snide” at all. I quit watching MSNBC because of the arrogant, snide, smug hosts. Then Rachael came along. I watch not only because she’s smart but also because she’s civil - a perfect example of Obama’s mantra, “you can disagree without being disagreeable.” It was a good interview, Leslie, but a few times I wanted to hear/read the end of Rachael’s answer to your question but you interrupted her. And by the way, Rachael is right: Chris Matthews is a very uncertain liberal … and barely a journalist.

Probably was a bad idea to be on “Dancing with the Stars,” but it must have been much more appealing than going along on the Death Watch with John and trying to look rapturous.

Totally agree on Susan Sarandon. Don’t know if Glen Close looked like a “flamer” handler in the ring cuz I don’t know what that is, but I would never have put her on a best dressed list. I thought it looked as if the drycleaners had shrunk the legs of her slacks. As to Renne Z., she usually has impecable taste, but I thought that dress was way over-the-top. Does anyone want to talk about the way the men were groomed? When will that sloppy style end? I think there shoud be a rule against open shirts, loose ties, and uncombed hair for dress-up occasions. I was glad Kyra Sedgewick made the best dressed list. She looked fabulous but Kevin Baon looked terrible. I know he lost all his money recently and evidently he’s not eating. Nonetheless …

Meryl is almost too big for the screen.