Reply #2: This is kind of an aside, but the other night I heard a show about the 'real'

[gateley]

powers that be. The speaker was the author of Family of Secrets, Russ Baker. I believe he's considered a credible, reliable investigative journalist. Anyway, I just caught the end of an exchange where he was talking about how the CIA, for example, would just do things without even notifying their "bosses" -- just completely rogue. And that Kennedys were the last administration to try to do anything about it. Gulp. He has a point.

That being said, I agree that I'd hoped for a new renaissance, and have been disappointed, but on the whole I'm grateful he's our President, and that Biden is our VP.