mac mail composing new message failure

[jbecker]

Hi, I have a new macbook pro(new in november) laptop with a 17 inch screen. The last couple of days I haven't been able to compose a new email message or reply to an email that has come in. I push the "compose a new message" button and nothing happens. Later, I see all the messages in my draft mailbox but I can't open them either. Things were working fine then all of a sudden this weird thing starts happening.