Michael Kinsley, American editor of the Guardian Unlimited website but writing in the NYT, sums up the current crop of books explaining what's wrong with America.

While the timing of the Saddam Hussein verdict had absolutely nothing to do with the U.S. midterm elections ("Preposterous," sniffed White House press secretary Tony Snow on Sunday), some polling indicates things might be starting to turn for the Republicans.

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When I last blogged about Rev. Ted Haggard, he was still in "I did not have sexual relations with that male prostitute" mode.

Things have somewhat changed. He's confessed to being guilty of sexually immoral behaviour, but everyone's being coy as to exactly what that means.

No matter, the New Life Church told him he had to go, Haggard agreed, and he had a letter read out to his congregation in which he made the following statement:

"There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark and I've been warring against it my entire adult life."

Nahh, too easy. :)

One great line I heard in one news report was that Haggard's downfall was a "spiritual 9/11" for the U.S. evangelical community.

CBC Radio's Tapestry interviewed an absolutely fascinating author on Sunday named Sam Harris. His books include The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation.

One of the points he made is that certain types of stupidity disqualify people from holding high elected office in the United States. But if you believe that Jesus will reappear in your lifetime and "rapture" you towards heaven before the merde really hits the fan, no problem!

In fact, if you were to denounce that belief as stupid, it would be political suicide because 44 per cent of Americans think that's exactly what's going to happen to them.

For that 44 per cent, a terrorist nuke going off in New York City might actually be a good thing, because it could be marking the start of the rapture!

The interview will likely be archived here. Give it a listen.

The Borat flick dominated this weekend, taking in US$26.4 million at the box office, according to the AP story on CTV.ca.

In talking to a few folks, it seems the crowds were definitely weighted to the 24-and-under set, and there's a strong possibility the last movie they saw was Jackass 2. :)

The consensus seems to be funny, yes, but not something people (at least those of us over age 24) would run right out and see a second time.

Here's my review.