"This one ain't goin' away, folks!" Thus declareth Garry Trudeau, via the voice of one of his favorite mouthpieces, Mark Slackmeyer -- thereby influencing the public dialogue about Mitt Romney's teenage bullying accordingly. Sorry GBT, but "this one" is hardly the most vital campaign issue you could have chosen to skewer. Not when there is so much low-hanging fruit available in the realm of actual policy. So save your comedic wit -- and your outrage -- for something more worthy of it. Go after Mitt's clownish policy positions instead.

"Darn! Still blanking!" Classic. Bullying and intimidation are character traits, formed long before late teen years. They don't go away.

I commend you for highlighting this story, which everyone else seems to be sweeping under the rug. Either Romney's trying to cover up a dark moment from his past (which makes him a coward), or it was such a common occurrence that he genuinely doesn't remember the incident (which makes him a bully). Either way, it shows that that man does not belong in the White House.

I don't know what you think are accomplishing. The story about Romney leading a mob that assaulted a presumably gay classmate is helping him far more than it's hurting him. If you really want to hurt Romney, make Michael Doonesbury a Romney enthusiast.

Today's strip is pitch perfect, right down to the vaguely menacing "my friend." GWB's and BHO's youthful indiscretions largely went away when they acknowledged them, but Romney's peculiar memory lapse leaves us with an unpalatable choice: is he still a cruel bully at heart, or simply a liar?

Re: MESSIN' : The innate sweeping cinematography of Doonesbury is what causes the shift in POV from panel to panel and day to day. Meticulously cropped from each scene is a team of tireless professionals with steadi-cams and fat fuzzy microphones documenting the real life drama that is the mystique of Doonesbury. Really.

I am enjoying Zipper and Jeff taking a bubble bath in the hot tub. It is visual confirmation of their wonderful immaturity. It could only be improved by them sipping Kool-Aid out of champagne flutes.

Watching Jeff and Zipper commiserate at Jeff's pad, I hereby move that GBT commence a movie of the two taking a cross-country trip across America. He could call it "Zipp and Zipperer," or, since Jeff would probably be in the driver's seat, "Rascal and Rascaler."

Since when does Jeff "live in the real world." Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. The irony. Kudos to GBT!

Whoa! On Wednesday, Zipper is on Jeff's right, and on Tuesday he's on Jeff's left. That's really messin'. At least put Red Rascal in character if he's going to make moves like that.

There's something awfully ironic about Jeff trying to bring ZIpper down to reality. Then again, this could be seen as payback for him trying to stick a pin in Jeff's 'accomplishments' even if it was seemingly in jest.

Supreme irony. Today's strip, Jeff:  "I live in the real world." The biggest laugh out loud in the strip for ages. Certainly had me wiping coffee off my computer screen.

I see a (soon-to-be) classic statement in the current Mudline, by Cher, of all people. Worth re-reading, and re-noting!

I'm wondering who will choose the music for Alex and Toggle's blessed event. And will Jeff appear as himself or as The Red Rascal on so prime a babe-spamming occasion? Given the potential encounters, this wedding deserves at least a month of strips.

I'm very uncomfortable with the Alex-Toggle wedding plan series because we're the people being skewered -- the "peace, love, dope" generation of the 60s and 70s, me and the people I emulated. I'm not saying that it's not accurate; it's just that being on the receiving end can be painful.

I read the Flashbacks daily, and I see that 25 years ago today (May 14) Duke uttered one my all-time fave Doonesbury lines. "Well, to generate short term profits, of course..." Thank you for understanding.

I read Mr. Speaker's remarks three times -- just to make sure he hadn't said "histrionic" instead of "historic." A wonderful collection of adverbs, by the way!

Saturdays strip: What a thought -- that Toggle could be Tony Iommi or Ozzy Osbourne's love child and therefore half British. If he's Ozzy's then his own reality TV show is imminent.

Alex, elope. You can have a quiet little wedding at the courthouse/city hall and then the popster can throw a big reception/party for you later. It can work.

So Toggle may have been fathered by a member of Black Sabbath? I can hear the screams of anguish from the Motley Crue HQ: "Noooooo! I am Leo's dad!" Are we about to see a literal "battle of the bands" at the wedding?