wdm doesn't start windowing manager.

[Neil Short]

Has anybody had this problem and fixed it?
wdm runs my ~/.xsession file; but no X-applications run. It just runs past them and returns to the  wdm login screen.

Currently I am running xdm; but it's kind of bland and spicing it up requires a very steep learning curve.
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 "What did you do?" the man holding the flashlight asked.

 "I put down a spider," he said, wondering why the man didn't see; in the beam of yellow light the spider bloated up larger than life. "So it could get away."