I'm extremely proud of my home state right now. I haven't lived in Connecticut for 32 years, but Ned Lamont's victory in the Democratic primary has me grinning like an amateur myrmecologist in an ant-farm shop. It's going to be bizarre fun to watch the Republicans attempt to label Lamont as a hard-line leftist. (We'll leave alone for the moment the even more bizarre idea that calling someone a leftist should be an insult.) Then again, these are the people who claimed that Howard Dean was a left-wing extremist, fergodsake. (Earth to Joe: What part of "strong anti-war sentiment among your constituents" did you not understand? And if you want your political legacy to be one of moderation and civility, why have you been cuddling up to the kind of people who waffle over whether torture is a good idea?)

I'm mildly sorry to see Cynthia McKinney go, but unfortunately, she's been her own worst enemy one time too many. A few years ago I was acquainted with a community leader whose popularity plummeted when he began to lash out at his own supporters for minor perceived slights. One of his close friends described this fellow as the kind of man who would have spoken out against the Nazis or the Red Guard at the risk of his own life. I have no doubt that this was true. I also have no doubt that he would have brought exactly the same intensity to a dispute over a parking space. That's been McKinney's problem, and it's an easy one for an opponent to exploit.

Closer to home: Check out Salon Life for this article by Rebecca Golden. (You'll need to watch an ad to get a day pass if you're not a paid subscriber.) Rebecca and I have been friends, and frequent partners in outrageous quizbowl trashiness, for eleven or twelve years. She's also one of the bravest people I know, and the article proves it.