On my way out to pick up the morning paper, I saw my neighbor in her house dress which looks like it dates back to about 1955. "He's leaving, you know," I said. "Who's that?" she asked. "Alberto Gonzales," I patiently told her. "Oh, you mean the guy from San Jose." "No; the attorney general of the United States."

I couldn't help but marvel at how red state and blue state could live side by side separated only by a row of empty trash cans, all the while oblivious of ideology, and wars of ideology, despite the sophistry that tries to pass itself off as foreign policy these days.

She calmly put one hand on her hip, as if to cushion her retort, and said "Oh, Bush, well, he's getting rid of everyone, but it's not going to help. He's still going to have to leave when his term is up."