Point of personal privilege... Matt Yglesias says:

I saw some poll on TV indicating that some large majority of people now think Howard Dean doesn't have the necessary "temperament" to be president. People suck. Based on my encounter with the man, backed up by things I've heard from others, the most legit critique of his temperament you could make is that he's stubborn. We now know, moreover, that he sometimes yells at political rallies. The current president, by contrast, is more-or-less by his own admission a lazy, stupid drunk. Low blow? Perhaps, but if we really want to play temperament, that's the way it's going to have to be. [Emph. added.]

Now, Matt, I don't know why the president's body, or mine for that matter, seems to respond differently to alcohol than the average person's; frankly, it's one of the great mysteries of my life. But I do know that those of us who have done whatever the hell it took to stop pouring liquor down our throats 24/7 have earned the right not to be called drunks by anyone, including smart-assed kids trying to score easy political points on their weblogs.

Like most Democrats (and Republicans, in fact), I think that every single American who has reached a point in his life where he works hard and plays by the rules deserves to be treated with at least a modicum of dignity and respect. And unless you happen to disagree with that sentiment, Matt, I'd really appreciate it if you made some small effort to extend that simple courtesy to the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. -- and to all the rest of us who wake up every morning in humbler glass houses.

POSTSCRIPT: Aside from the out-of-character post quoted above, Matt's site is, as always, a witty and erudite rebuke to all those who continue to insist that political blogs just don't matter. Go read it now.

UPDATE: All of which puts me in mind of the bumper sticker that's guaranteed to get you stopped every day of the week and twice on Sunday: I'm an alcoholic and I vote!