George W. Bush made some pretty important decisions in office: how to respond to 9/11, when to invade Iraq, how often to let Scooter Libby watch 'Ally McBeal' on TV. But we're about to learn a lot more about GW's thought process through his new book, 'Decision Points.' But those close to Bush say the publisher has cut out all the parts where he made decisions based on whether a TV commercial was for a sex hotline or a flavored alcoholic beverage, which leaves out most of 2002.  

Outraged at the continuing financial meltdown and flailing government fixes, the American public has once again formed a circular firing squad and started shooting. We can't help ourselves. In our heavily partisan political climate, we're conditioned to fight our neighbors, whom we refer to as "rivals" and "enemies."   

If you were to ask most Americans, there's little doubt that a sizeable majority would say overhauling the U.S. healthcare system is more important than bailing out the major banks. A recent study concluded that having the United States convert to a single-payer national health insurance system would result in a net increase in cost of $63 billion — or about six times less than what the federal government is spending on the bank bailout.  

President Obama addressed Congress on Tuesday with a summary of America's many problems, but instead of Wednesday's headlines reading "Obama, America Totally F'd" they read "Jindal, Republicans Look Stupid."  

Al Franken was correct back in 1996 when he said Rush Limbaugh was a big fat idiot. A lot has changed in 13 years; Franken, for instance, is one court ruling away from becoming the junior U.S. Senator from Minnesota. Limbaugh, however, has remained consistently big, fat and idiotic. Maybe even more so.  

So I was sorting through a folder of paperwork last weekend in order to get an early jump on my tax return. Taxes, what a joke. Barack Obama ran his campaign on the themes of 'hope' and 'change,' and he was pretty convincing. Hope? Change? Nah, sounds like too much work. I prefer to just sit around, bitch, moan and be cynical. After all, a cynic is never disappointed.  

I hope you don't have to be a young dude to read the Living Out Loud column. I'm in my sixties, just like Mick Jagger, but I feel young at heart.   

The world is screwed. I can't help but feel that way after listening to Richard Cressey, president of Washington, D.C.-based Good Harbor Consulting and a regular NBC News analyst, talk about the state of the world on Feb. 2 and how things could change under a new Obama administration.  

Post-inauguration, inundated by videos of my favorite president dancing with his wife and smitten as a 16-year-old pouring over 'Bride' magazine, I try to write this month's column with only one thing on my mind: Not what will he do, but what will he eat?  

Amazingly, with all that ills the world today and the repeated missteps of the Bush administration leaving a wake of messes to clean up everywhere, President Obama says getting greener is a priority for our country. That hum you're hearing might be the collective sigh of green-conscious people everywhere coupled with the big one let out by Mother Earth herself.