When I was growing up, my hero was my mother. She came to this country from Peru at age 22 with little money and speaking no English. She had arrived in the summer, with two friends, to work and have an experience abroad. But when the end of the summer came, instead of packing up with her friends, my mother decided to stay. Truly, she'd known she was going to stay before she even left Peru.



She made a good life here, taught herself English, and worked hard. She agreed with my father that all their efforts should benefit the children, and so my brother and I had a great time growing up. We traveled all over Europe before I was 10, had season theatre tickets throughout our childhood, and ate probably better than anyone in this country ever has who didn't have a professional chef as a parent.

Mom read poetry, did batik with neighbors, knitted me some six dozen sweaters, fixed the plumbing, and screamed at the TV during the Super Bowl. You've never really experienced American football until you've heard a woman with a Spanish accent screaming for everyone to please stop hitting Lynn Swan.

Two years ago Mom died of cancer. A pain in her leg metastasized quickly and took her life only two months after she was diagnosed. Her recipes and her wild garden are her legacy, along with my brother and me. And in a similar way, this country of ours is the legacy of all those who broke their backs for an idea. Let's please not tarnish that idea by devoting any time to the pathetic story of someone we know only because her father is rich.

Instead, let's turn our attention to the men and women of the armed forces, and to their families, who face daily stresses most of us cannot even imagine. Or to those who make up the working poor--people who struggle in multiple low-paying jobs and live in cramped housing just to get by. Let's focus on teachers, who shape the future of our country every day. Let's focus on what matters and leave what doesn't to fade away like beer stains on Royal Street after a Mardi Gras parade.

If nothing else, last night's Republican presidential debate will certainly narrow the field. Those who have no shot: Duncan Hunter, Jim Gilmore, Tommy Thompson, Sam Brownback, and Tom Tancredo. They represent the fringe of the fringe. Mitt Romney will probably last until The Final Three, but only because he's such great television.

Let's get more specific. Gilmore said nothing memorable the entire evening. Brownback made it clear that he would pardon Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Thompson, venturing into some private Twilight Zone, promised to employ George W. Bush as a "youth ambassador," sending him out "to lecture about honesty and integrity." And Hunter brought some unwelcome levity to his discussion of the Secure Fence Act: "If they get across my fence, we sign 'em up for the Olympics! Immediately!" In a heated segment on immigration reform, the punch line was perfectly timed, but nobody laughed. I think we were all a little unsure about whether or not we were supposed to. And that pretty much sums up the overall tone of the debate. All night the candidates lobbed soft ones, and nobody was there to catch them.

Tancredo's blooper was a little more complicated. During the discussion of English as America's "official language," he said: "We're testing whether or not we will actually survive as a nation. Whether we can actually hold together--and hold onto something called the English language. We are becoming a bilingual nation and that is not good." I can't decide if I'm more afraid because he's a segregationist, or because he's unaware that we are a nation of many languages, not just two.

As a Democratic observer of last night's debate, I find myself at much more of a loss than I could have imagined. There was some humor in the discussion, but there was also horror. Specifically: when moderator Wolf Blitzer asked the ten candidates whether they would authorize the use of tactical nuclear weapons against Iran, only one--Ron Paul--said no.

We're in the middle of a war that few Americans like or want to continue, and these guys can't take a drink of water without talking about getting us into another one. And a nuclear war at that! Think about what supporting one of these candidates would mean: you're pulling the lever for vaporization. Is that a viable choice?

Honestly, if I was a Republican, I'd vote for John McCain. You can't fake sincerity like his. And the senator from Arizona had a good night, even if his heart doesn't seem to be in it anymore, and even if he was browbeaten for his bipartisan immigration bill. To his credit, he rallied and came away with the most emotionally powerful moment of the evening. Regarding Spanish--my native language, and one much maligned by Rep. Tancredo--McCain said: "[This is] a language which has enriched my state. My friends, I want you, the next time you're down in Washington DC, to go to the Vietnam War Memorial and look at the names engraved in black granite. You'll find a whole lot of Hispanic names. If you go to Iraq today you'll see a lot of folks with Hispanic names. These are people who love this country so much they're willing to sacrifice for it. Let's, from time to time, remember that these are God's children."