What's wrong with America was on display on ABC tonight...

[milkyway]

Judy Dean is one of those people that radiates human decency. Watching her for only a few seconds on television is a humbling experience. She is so appealing precisely because she doesn't try to be appealing. She is a genuine human being, and exemplifies all that we should be.

Sitting across from her was her polar opposite, Diane Sawyer. She reeks of phoniness, with her schmaltzy sincerity (except tonight, she made it clear she wasn't a big fan of the Deans). She kept trying to get Judy to admit to Howard ever losing his temper and Sawyer wouldn't take no for an answer. She was desperate for Judy to give her just one example so she could have her big scoop. (And so what if he had occasionally lost his temper? Most people get angry and yell once in a while, including Presidents, but we need evidence that Howard Dean had done it just once so we can convict him).

But what really upset me was the subtext of the question about why she would subject herself to being First Lady and getting dressed up for State dinners. They showed a picture of a perfectly coiffed pickles with a Miss America smile walking down a runway. The clear subtext of the question was, "Why would a plain, simple woman like yourself want to humiliate yourself trying to live in a world you're not meant for? Wouldn't you rather be home knitting sweaters and munching granola? After all, I'm sure you were never the Prom Queen like me."

Diane Whore, a shallow and empty human being.