By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

So as per usual I caught up with the mail bag on our blog last night. The good, the bad and the ugly. Almost exactly in that order. I can't believe my pal from Umbro, Maine was talking Patriots trash. Go Giants, Stephanie! Even though I have New England in my blood and have spent the equivalent of years of my life there, I bleed Giant blue.

A fella named Brandon wrote a post to say I was taking the network steadily downhill. (Thanks, other posters -- a few of the items Brandon mentioned in making his case were subjects I was responding to on this blog -- not subjects that had aired on the broadcast!) Then Brandon was, in turn, gently smacked down by members of my army from New England and Minnesota. Hey James Zipadelli: are you any relation to Tony Stewart's crew chief? And while we're on a scattershot tear here, was anyone outraged at the size of the police escort that took Britney Spears to the hospital last night?

Let's get down to business: tonight we have politics covered as usual (interesting debate last night, and another one tonight), the National Guard, China, health, and the UN's newest envoy for peace as profiled by Ann Curry. We hope you'll join us.