This is the way the BIG GAME is shaping up.
With good players on both teams, bad players on both teams.
 But not a single All-Star.
 
 Here is the lineup card for Tuesday'sgame:
 For the BUSH Righties:
 
 Pitching - Rudy Giuliani
 Catching - Ed Kotch
 1st Base - Rush Limbaugh
 2nd Base - Jerry Falwell
 3rd Base - Newt Gingrich
 Shortstop - John McCain
 Left(?) Field - Colin Powell
 Center - Donald Rumsfeld
 Right Field - Ariel Sharon
 In the Bullpen - Pat Robertson, The Supreme
 Court,
 Halliburton.
 Coaches - Israel, American Legion, Hillary
 Clinton (in
 disguise).
 
 For the KERRY Lefties:
 
 Pitching - Jesse Jackson
 Catching - Al Sharpton
 1st Base - Jane Fonda
 2nd Base - Michael Moore
 3rd Base - Dick Gephardt
 Shortstop - Howard Dean
 Left Field - Bill Maher
 Center - Kofi Annan
 Right(?) Field - Dan Rather
 In the Bullpen - ABC, CBS, NBC, NY Times, NPR,
 CNN.
 Coaches - France, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran,
 Hollywood.
 
 Umpires: Dick Cheney, John Edwards and Bill
 Clinton. A "fair and balanced" trio.
 
 Although the games will be played in every
 state,
 only the one in Florida will count.
 
 Please feel free to make changes in either
 lineup, and pick the team you:
 
 1) predict will win
 2) hope will win.
 This is open to citizens only, except in
 California where things like that don't matter.

A POLITICAL THOUGHT

I know of thousands of troops who are fighting and dying for the freedom and protection of foreigners, mainly Arabs and Afghans. The most ungrateful people on Earth. They are soldiers, it's true. But they're doing the work of inner-city cops - not soldiers. They're dying to create a democracy where it's never been known, never wanted, can't be understood and will never been established. I suppose in light of all that, these American Forces need our prayers as much or more than any other troops we've ever sent abroad. Their mission, if it can be called that, is doomed to failure.

Lew:
 
I'm interested in your thinking: why exactly did Gore force you to vote for Bush in 2000?
Thanks in advance for your reply.
 
Hello Ben Boretz:
 
In 2000 I had little regard for, or faith in
 either candidate. Sort of like this year! A lot like many years in the past! 
 
But I saw Ross Perot on the Larry King Show just before Election Day. He completely blew Larry off, and looked straight into the camera, wagged his finger, and said that if Gore was elected, it would be a disaster. He went into some detail (which I can't recall right now). He added that Bush was no great prize either; but Gore was worse.
 
Since my brother had worked closely with Perot for many years, I asked his opinion of the man. He had nothing but praise for him (Perot) and that his warning about Gore should be heeded.
 
That, plus my suspicions about Gore's honesty (e.g. fund raising in Los Angeles) did it for me.
 

Thanks for asking.
 Lew.