A humble suggestion. . .

. . .for all the cloistered monks and nuns at Our Lady of Perpetual Isolation: The sooner you disabuse yourselves of the notion that people who don't buy into your shrieking rhetoric are necessarily stupid and want to bring America to its knees, the better off we will all be. You can accomplish this by simply stepping away from your computers for a few days, setting aside all the newsletters and email alerts you get from your special interest groups, and walking among people who are simply trying to get on with their lives as best they can.

Go to a lunch counter in a place where people don't obsess over any issues -- say, in Paducah, Kentucky for example, where nobody knows who you are. Sit down and talk to people and let them steer the conversation for a change. Let them demonstrate what's on their minds, rather than trying to pry an opinion out of them. Pretend, for a couple of days that you don't know, or particularly give a damn about politics; that you're just as jaded and apathetic as everyone else is. For once, be among people who would think you were weird if they knew how much you cared, and silly for thinking that you can make a difference.

If you will simply do this, you will come away with a brand new understanding of the appeal of a Mike Huckabee, a Barack Obama, and dare I say it, a John McCain. You might even come away with a new appreciation for them.