I posted this in reply but liked it so much I decided to put it here - so throw me in Gitmo.
Divide the diaries into three sections:
State of the Nation Diaries
This is reposts of NEWS items from other sources (USA Today: Keane Backs Down on 9-11, New NH Poll, etc.)
Daily Rants Diaries
These are our opinions or reposts of op-ed type pieces to generate discussion.
Kos Top 10
The 10 Diary entries from the last 36 hours with the most replies.
I think we would all self-regulate pretty well on the categorization. And I really don't fear people posting replies just to get in the Top 10. That would be pretty obvious and easily dealt with by our Sysops.