We've got a new Think Again column called "CBS and Dan Rather--Doing the Right's Dirty Work," and it's here.

My Nation column, "Where have you gone, William Safire?" is here.

The worst day of the Obama campaign for me was the day I got an email saying "Vote Charlie Rangel for Change." My congressman is quite properly a symbol of everything people hate about the Democratic Establishment and they are cowards for trying to sweep this away. If anyone can imagine a better symbol of corruption that a guy who can't be bothered to pay taxes on the resort he owns in foreign country--who gives the excuse that they were speaking Spanish to him when half his district is Spanish speaking--writing the goddam tax laws that the rest of us losers have to follow, I'd be mighty impressed... I wrote this column in December 2008, things have only gotten worse.

Alter-consumer advocacy:

With Ralph Nader wasting the world's time with counter-productive presidential runs and unreadable 700 plus page novels, I thought I would pick up some of the slack by warning people against scams I've noticed.

1) T-Mobile rebates and S-Wireless: I upgraded my Blackberry at a place called "S-Wireless" on Broadway and 108th. The upgrade was supposed to cost only $50 with a new contract after rebates. Of course, after I paid them the $200, I learned I was ineligible for the rebates, and this store had no business promising them to me. Once they had my contract, however, it wasn't their problem. I don't know if I found one dishonest broker or if this is endemic but in any case, read the fine print and stay away from "S Wireless." (T-Mobile "communications" eventually got me my $ once I told them I planned to write about it here...)

2) Third-party Amazon purchase and ImportCDs: I bought the 2008 Japanese import re-release of Santana's "Lotus" from "Importcds" via Amazon. But ImportCDs was lying. It was the original 1991 domestic version. When I told them, they asked me to send it back at my own expense. I did that. They claimed never to have received it. So I'm out the original price plus shipping and handling twice. It's easy to return stuff to Amazon but not if you're buying from third-party sellers, like the liars at ImportCD, whom I see, are looking for another sucker, here.

3) Medico. I get my Lipitor from Medico. The other day, I got sixty pills I didn't request and of course was billed for them. When I called, which is a pain in the neck, they said my doctor had signed the prescription. Thing is, they sent him the request, not me. I didn't want or need them. The first person to whom I spoke told me to blame my doctor. Then I got that person's supervisor on the phone and they were all apologies, and told me to keep the bills, though I'm guessing they made plenty of $ from my insurance company on the deal.

Now here's Sal on Rosanne Cash's The List.

At first glance, Rosanne Cash's The List may appear to be just another covers CD. But it IS Rosanne Cash, so we should all know better. Chosen from a list of 100 essential songs given to her by her father, Johnny Cash, the twelve songs selected for The List have been given a smart, fresh, and glorious reading. Thanks to Miss Cash's personal attachment to the material, producer John Leventhal's brilliant (yes, brilliant) arrangements, and the subtle but very effective use of some big time special guests, The List is one of those records that will stay in your heavy rotation for some time.

As for those special guests, Jeff Tweedy lends his harmony to a more-upbeat-than-usual version of "Long Black Veil," while the omnipresent Elvis Costello does his thing on "Heartaches By The Numbers." But two standout tracks for me are Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings," featuring a gorgeous backing vocal performance by Rufus Wainwright, that is almost a separate song on its own, and the Don Gibson hit, "Sea Of Heartbreak," the duet with Bruce Springsteen and the album's first single. This is just perfect, as if the song was written for the two of them. There is a wonderful chord change on the chorus that I know wasn't on the original. I credited Bruce, since it sounds so perfectly constructed around his voice and something I've heard him do on a number of his songs. I stood corrected by Miss Cash, (via ERA) that it was indeed the genius (my word) of Miss Cash's husband, John Leventhal. (Nice one, John.)

That genius is most apparent on the best moment of The List, an absolutely stunning version of "Take These Chains (From My Heart)." Leventhal's arrangement, which features his guitar break preceding Jenny Scheinman's short but effective fiddle solo over just one chord humming on a Wurlitzer, is absolutely dream-like. All of these songs hit you as if hearing them for the first time, and for that I credit Rosanne Cash, whose soulful readings rarely disappoint, and often break hearts.

Sal Nunziato
Burning Wood

The mail:

Name: Michael Green
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Brother Pierce has given us too much to laugh at and attack! I could spend most of this response pointing out that if I said and wrote in my class and syllabus the stuff that Peggy Noonan did, I would be carted off to the Nevada State Home for the Bewildered. How and why would HARVARD tolerate this bilge?

But, more important, in the spirit of my new hero, Rep. Grayson, I apologize on behalf of Charles Pierce, Altercation, thenation.com, and all media critics everywhere for insulting Sabrett's by letting Pierce suggest that one of its vendors would be so stupid as to approve Dana Perino's "commentary" (there is no word for it) on that sorry excuse for a political news website. Sabrett's has higher standards than that, and I am very disappointed that Pierce does not appreciate that. Even if I do prefer Nathan's.

Name: Steve Davis
Hometown: Harrison, AR

Belated thanks to the Honorable Pierce. (Is this the right channel?)

It takes considerable talent to make it a pleasure to sit in the choir and listen to the sermon all the way through. It takes brilliance in the occasional turn of phrase to make the bass section laugh out loud.

As for the Big Dawg, I have some proximity, which is surely not the same as understanding. I matriculated at Waterman Hall (I was an old guy) halfway through Bill's first term on his way to being the youngest ex-Governor in history.

Bill has made a life out of recovering from disappointing. We learn from Luke 15 that worker bees like you and me always resent the return of the prodigal son. It doesn't help.

Keep it zipped? Who else has a big enough persona to raise a weakness for volunteer lubriciousness to the level of a Greek tragedy? You understand, of course, that the Big Dawg has likely declined more volunteer nooky (the old saying around here was that they would trip him and try to beat him to the ground) than you and I together imagined back when Playboy still airbrushed and inked the centerfolds.

One thing for sure about our damnable, disorganized party, going back in personal experience to Harry Truman, we produce by at least two orders of magnitude the best ex-Presidents. If he lives long enough, the Big Dawg may yet grow up.

Wait for him.

Name: Amy Billings
Hometown: Portland, Me

I must be some kind of masochist. I've been posting in the comment section of ABC's The Note almost every day now for months, because I feel its important to speak up for Democrats and President Obama in the MSM, if only to counter the endless stream of lies, misinformation, and slander the right spews across the nation, daily. But just today, after reading yet another Limbaugh quoting Note, and another promoting a rightwing book, I thought, "I can't take it anymore." My question for you: should I keep trying to counter the Note's rightwing bias by challenging them in the comments section, or, is it better just to boycott them entirely? Furthermore, is MSM journalism ever going to get better, and if so, is there anything I can personally do to spead it up, or should I just disengage from all media-consumption, stat? What advice to you have for me?

Eric replies: "Well, people?"

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