Dammit

All night I have missed them.

Some people tell me that it is a luxury to not have them all the time. That it will be easier to meet someone else without them. But. To me, it is a punishment. I want them. Even when Charlotte is tired and expressing her displeasure at increasingly louder volume. Even when she's screaming that she hates me. I know that it's not true. I know that she loves me. I know that she'll put her arms around me and kiss me and tell me that she's sorry that she yelled and that she loves me.

I miss them.

I miss talking to Hannah about her books and the latest song that she wrote and what she's doing in school.

I'm afraid that no one else will ever mean as much to me as they do. And I want to punch--repeatedly--anyone who says "It's a luxury to not have them all the time." Because I want them. All the time. And to me, the days off aren't a luxury. They're my babies, and I want them.

Live Mic, Republican Style!

Republican strategist Mike Murphy and Peggy Noonan on The Palin*:




Thomas sent to this me from ClusterFlock, who got it via TalkingPointsMemo. TPM thoughtfully included the transcript:

Chuck Todd: Mike Murphy, lots of free advice, we'll see if Steve Schmidt and the boys were watching. We'll find out on your blackberry. Tonight voters will get their chance to hear from Sarah Palin and she will get the chance to show voters she's the right woman for the job Up next, one man who's already convinced and he'll us why Gov. Jon Huntsman.

(cut away)

Peggy Noonan: Yeah.

Mike Murphy: You know, because I come out of the blue swing state governor world: Engler, Whitman, Tommy Thompson, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush. I mean, these guys -- this is how you win a Texas race, just run it up. And it's not gonna work. And --

PN: It's over.

MM: Still McCain can give a version of the Lieberman speech to do himself some good.

CT: I also think the Palin pick is insulting to Kay Bailey Hutchinson, too.

PN: Saw Kay this morning.

CT: Yeah, she's never looked comfortable about this --

MM: They're all bummed out.

CT: Yeah, I mean is she really the most qualified woman they could have turned to?

PN: The most qualified? No! I think they went for this -- excuse me-- political bullshit about narratives --

CT: Yeah they went to a narrative.

MM: I totally agree.

PN: Every time the Republicans do that, because that's not where they live and it's not what they're good at, they blow it.

MM: You know what's really the worst thing about it? The greatness of McCain is no cynicism, and this is cynical.

CT: This is cynical, and as you called it, gimmicky.

MM: Yeah.

* Like all other hurricanes, the Palin only needs one name.