I'm not sure the Olympics necessarily "divide us further," but I think the inherent competitiveness of the games kind of precludes any sort of cohesion or increase in good will that a singular event such as a bringing together of multiple countries and cultures might have. When we watch a Zimbabwean long-distance runner neck-in-neck with an American runner, we don't think, "How great these two have found a common ground in athleticism," we just think, "I hope the American guy wins."

Sure we feel empathy and inspiration from the occasional story of say a bobsled team from a desert country, but usually it just proves how our loyalties lie with our own and furthers our depiction of opposing countries in our mind as "the other." So, while it is nice we can all ostensibly get along for a few weeks, when we watch the national processions with each country's athletes decked out in their traditional garb, we still see groups such as Iran and we still think, "Wow, I hope they don't bomb Israel."

Your top two statements don't actually have any relation to each other - Texas may have the most uninsured in the nation (not by much), but actually, they have the easiest access to healthcare. Secondly, while John Cornyn never voted for a Noriega's state prescription drug plan, he clearly supports federal medicare drug programs. Noriega's so-called health care "plans" are vague, impractical and darn near impossible - as pie-in-the-sky as his energy "plan."

Who you vote for depends on the issues each nominee stands for. The differences in the views of the candidates could not be greater than in this race, and you can always tell where John Cornyn stands. He has proven himself a strong leader who has adhered strongly to his values in his campaign speeches and during his years in office. He has shown a strong commitment to our troops: He backed a provision to a veteran benefit plan recently signed by George Bush to allow vets to transfer education benefits to their spouse or children, and he recently introduced a bill to congress aimed at making absentee ballots from troops overseas count. He votes for long-term changes, not quick fixes. He wants to secure Iraq before removing troops, and the democrats in the senate recently blocked a bill he introduced in May to provide greater access to health care coverage and higher reimbursement rates for doctors who treat medicare patients. He also believes in offshore drilling to defray high fuel costs while we seek alternative energy sources, rather than remaining at the mercy of markets and undependable, foreign sources. His record shows that he consistently works for legislation that benefits Americans and improves their lives through longer-term solutions.