But it's always the spouse who takes these things more seriously than the candidate, isn't it? Abigail was definitely the tougher of the Adamses in a political fight. A practitioner of the snub supreme, she never did forgive the cagey Mr. Jefferson for his behind-the-scenes campaign against her husband, not even when he tried to deny it and cozy up to his rival in their old age.

Age could not wither nor custom stale Mrs. Adams' contempt for her husband's nemesis. As the Irish would say, she had a tongue you could cut a hedge with. The sainted Abigail would have made Hillary Clinton, who passes for an alley fighter in these tough-as-tapioca times, look like a sweet little thing.

Sir, you must try harder. You might not be able to do as well as John Adams, but surely you can do better than, "In my opinion, if this man is elected President our country will enter a period of total eclipse in regard to good political and economic decisions."

After "total eclipse," which has a nice astronomical drama to it, it's all downhill. Maybe it's the "in regard to" that gives this attempt at dire prophecy the flavor of a standard American business letter circa 1924.

Pull up your socks, man, and start crying Impending Disaster. Picture grass growing in the streets, planets in collision, "a conspiracy so immense, an infamy so black, as to dwarf any in the history of man." That was Joe McCarthy going after a real patriot, George C. Marshall, back in 1952.

To warm up, read some of Robert Welch's old John Birch Society tracts. American political literature is full of examples to draw inspiration from.

With a little practice, surely you can do better than a form-letter phrase like "in regard to good political and economic decisions." Anybody could.

Better luck next time,

Inky Wretch