“These times are so uncertain, There’s a yearning undefined…people filled with rage.  We all need a little tenderness.”
-Lyrics from “The Heart of the Matter” (Don Henley)

Seven and half hours.  The cable news stations were humming.  

I have a day job and did not get to watch, but I was on the road and thanks to satellite radio, I was able to listen.

I think it was Republican Senator Lamar Alexander who first mentioned starting over.  Then, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said no to starting over.  That’s when I tuned the radio to Classic Rewind and forgot about it.  I think that happened in the first hour, so the last six and half hours were posturing.

Both sides are great at posturing.

According to The Washington Times:

By the end of the televised event, Mr. Obama had spoken for 119 minutes – nine minutes more than the 110 minutes consumed by 17 Republicans.  The 21 Democratic lawmakers used 114 minutes, giving the president and his supporters a whopping 233 minutes, according to a “talk clock” kept by GOP aides.

Since the “talk clock” was kept by a Republican (probably the same one who calls me all the time for money) I only have one thing to say:  You are in the freaking minority.  Let me repeat that, the Republicans are in the freaking minority.  Plus, your man is not in the White House.  He gets preference.

The GOP can blame themselves for the mess they are in and, with their weak leadership in the House and the Senate, they will probably screw up getting a majority back.

So, after seven and half hours we have no consensus.  Maybe if we told them their health care would be terminated on March 31, 2010, we’d get somewhere.