Politics: We all need to move past the hate

Janeane Garofalo's Air America is no match for legions of followers addicted to the bellicose braying of Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly, the top junkyard dogs of political discourse. I won't pretend that Democrats lack the stomach for down-and-dirty name- calling - the blogosphere proves otherwise, every minute. Yet for some reason, liberals aren't drawn to the siren call of major media provocateurs in nearly the numbers that conservatives are. Keith Olbermann's blistering attacks on the current administration have made his MSNBC show "Countdown" a moneymaking hit, yet fellow word warrior O'Reilly has more than twice as many viewers. Rather than keeping score, however, why don't we look at facts that indicate a new reality? The current election cycle is proving that many of us are putting down the weapons, trying to find a way to work together; it's why John Edwards' battle cry of "Two Americas" rubbed voters the wrong way. Instead, you know we're looking at a new America when some young evangelicals find themselves drawn to Obama and when some older Democrats find a compatriot in Republican John McCain.