Diarist Mark Adams makes some pretty good points about Obama's rightward move in a post over at E Pluribus Unum. This one jogged my memory:

Welcome back for more veep speculation! Last thread we considered the top military veteran candidates to be Obama's v.p. Averaging in those votes yielded the same top 14 average vote-getters overall as the thread before that, so we'll consider them again in today's poll.

I'm still alternating "break-out" polls with the top 14 average vote-getting candidates in these threads' polls, averaging in each day's votes as we go. I'm going to do the top possibilities experienced with foreign policy/national security issues and governors/former governors before cutting 14 names to narrow the field to just two tiers--that's if Obama hasn't decided by then, of course. I'll reset the averages then, too. So that would be three or four more threads away from today.

Please discuss any v.p. candidates in the comments. The correct format would be to simply state their name, unless you have further comments, in which case, "I believe ___ ___ should be Obama's v.p. running mate because..." "Oh my God, where's Johnny/Jane Politician?!" would be a bit alarmist, don't you think? I'm sure they're fine. I'm happy to hear all ideas, and of course I'm no official gatekeeper, so play nice.

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Welcome back for more speculation! Today we'll be polling the the top military veteran possibilities for Obama's v.p. This includes all candidates who served in uniform (service branch is indicated after names in poll), not including state chief executives, who are commanders-in-chief of their states' National Guards, but who will be considered separately.

I'm still alternating "break-out" polls with the top 14 average vote-getting candidates in these threads' polls, averaging in each day's votes as we go. I'm going to do the top possibilities experienced with foreign policy/national security issues and governors/former governors before cutting 14 names to narrow the field to just two tiers--that's if Obama hasn't decided by then, of course. I'll reset the averages then, too. So that would be four more threads away from today.

Please discuss any v.p. candidates in the comments. The correct format would be to simply state their name, unless you have further comments, in which case, "I believe ___ ___ should be Obama's v.p. running mate because..." "Oh my God, where's Jane/Johnny Politician?!" would be a bit alarmist, don't you think? I'm sure they're fine. I'm happy to hear all ideas, and of course I'm no official gatekeeper, so play nice.

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Welcome back for more veep speculation! Last thread we considered the top Western candidates to be Obama's v.p. Averaging in those votes yielded the same top 14 average vote-getters overall as the thread before that, so we'll consider them again in today's poll.

I'm still alternating "break-out" polls with polls of the the top 14 average vote-getting candidates from these threads, averaging in each day's votes as we go. I'm going to do the top military veterans, those experienced with foreign policy/national security issues, and governors/former governors before cutting 14 names to narrow the field to just two tiers--if Obama hasn't decided by then, of course. I'll reset the averages then, too.

Please discuss any v.p. candidates in the comments. The correct format would be to simply state their name, unless you have further comments, in which case, "I believe ___ ___ should be Obama's v.p. running mate because..." "Oh my God, where's Johnny/Jane Politician?!" would be a bit alarmist, don't you think? I'm sure they're fine. I'm happy to hear all ideas, and of course I'm no official gatekeeper, so play nice.

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Justice Antonin Scalia: Al Gore to blame for 2000 US election mess

By Toby Harnden

The 2000 presidential election debacle was the fault of Al Gore, who should have followed Richard Nixon's 1960 example and conceded without legal action, according to the Supreme Court's leading conservative judge.

Justice Antonin Scalia"Richard Nixon, when he lost to [John F.] Kennedy thought that the election had been stolen in Chicago, which was very likely true with the system at the time," Justice Antonin Scalia told The Telegraph.

"But he did not even think about bringing a court challenge. That was his prerogative. So you know if you don't like it, don't blame it on me.

"I didn't bring it into the courts. Mr Gore brought it into the courts.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/...

Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain has been rapidly establishing a rampant pattern of inconsistency and outright contradictions, yet has essentially been receiving a free ride on it.  I wrote about this Sunday.  

Two days later, the Washinton Post's allegedly liberal columnist, Richard Cohen, wrote an editorial that provided an implicit -- and quite extraordinary -- rationale for this lopsided media focus. (Which Cohen then exhibits imself therein,  in spades).  And, as is shown below, this follows a pattern by Cohen of getting things blatantly, egregiously, wrong -- with respect to presidential candidates whom as a liberal, he ostensibly supports -- and then afterwards pretending as if it was "others" who did this.

Environmentalists are Gaia's priests, instructing us in her proper service and casting out those who refuse to genuflect... And having proclaimed the ultimate commandment — carbon chastity — they are preparing the supporting canonical legislation that will tell you how much you can travel, what kind of light you will read by, and at what temperature you may set your bedroom thermostat.  -Charles Krauthammer

That's the quote that David Huntwork leaves us with in his screed entitled The coming fascist state.

His scary head shot aside, Mr. Huntwork's "column" is really frightening.  Thanks to the Intertubes wingnuts like Mr. Lurch Huntwork now have a medium to spread their lunatic notions far and wide.  

Follow me after the fold for some choice bits and contact info so you can send this 'conservative activist' a nice note.

There's been a great deal of speculation over who Barack Obama will choose as his Vice Presidential running mate. There is the "list," drafted by veteran vetters, comprised of so many notable Democrats. Hillary Clinton, Evan Bayh, John Edwards, on and on. But several news sources have indicated that Al Gore may be on the list.

Today, Barack Obama showed us the future. He toured a solar plant that powers 75 homes and declared that this is the future of this country.

As part of a larger plan for a diversified, clean energy future, Barack has proposed doubling research funding for clean energy projects such as solar power while requiring that 25% of electricity consumed in the U.S. be derived from clean, sustainable energy sources by 2025.

What we should do is simple -- put a wind or solar farm in every town, and we'll see how much clean energy we can generate in this country. And we'll watch the tax base grow right along with it, along with new jobs.

Welcome back for more veep speculation! Yesterday we considered my own top picks, which got some mixed reviews. Averaging in those votes yielded a slightly different top 14 average vote-getters overall as the thread before that--namely, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg dropped down a spot, and Fmr. Sen. Bill Bradley (NJ) moved up into the top tier--so we'll consider this new top 14 in today's poll.

I'm still alternating "break-out" polls with polls of the the top 14 average vote-getting candidates from these threads, averaging in each day's votes as we go. I'm going to do the top Westerners, military veterans, those experienced with foreign policy/national security issues, and governors before cutting 14 names to narrow the field to just two tiers--if Obama hasn't decided by then, of course. I'll reset the averages then, too.

Please discuss any v.p. candidates in the comments. The correct format would be to simply state their name, unless you have further comments, in which case, "I believe ___ ___ should be Obama's v.p. running mate because..." "Oh my God, where's Johnny/Jane Politician?!" would be a bit alarmist, don't you think? I'm sure they're fine. I'm happy to hear all ideas, and of course I'm no official gatekeeper, so play nice.

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When will the racism end? In an otherwise obtuse AP article, it looks like Tennessee is still too racist to support Barack Obama.

Gore may need to work hometown for Obama support

CARTHAGE, Tenn. (AP) — If former Vice President Al Gore is serious about trying to rally voters behind Barack Obama's presidential bid, he might want to start in his hometown.

Supporters in the sleepy town about 50 miles east of Nashville witnessed Gore announce both his 1988 and 2000 presidential bids from the courthouse steps — and several express regret that he's not on the ballot this year.

http://www.usatoday.com/...

I just attended the annual Silverdocs international documentary film festival, an AFI/Discovery joint venture. Last year Al Gore attended with his film, this year in attendance were Wes Clark, Mike Gravel, Spike Lee, and Bela Fleck, among others. Great films, some reel(sic) eye openers i.e. Bulletproof Salesman, about an armored car salesman in Iraq, and IOUSA, about the national budget deficit. (Not to mention "All Together Now" about the Beatles/Cirque de Soleil Vegas production.)

                                               barack and al, detroit, michigan

Welcome back for more veep speculation! Last thread (two days ago) we considered the top Southern candidates. Averaging in those votes yielded a slightly different top 14 average vote-getters overall as the thread before that--namely, Fmr. Sen. Bob Graham (FL) dropped down a few spots, and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg moved up into the top tier--so we'll consider this new top 14 in today's poll.

I'm thinking of running some more "break-out" polls in the coming days, alternating with the top 14 candidates, averaging in each day's votes as we go.

Please discuss any v.p. candidates in the comments. The correct format would be to simply state their name, unless you have further comments, in which case, "I believe ___ ___ should be Obama's v.p. running mate because..." "Oh my God, where's Johnny Politician?!" would be a bit alarmist, don't you think? I'm sure they're fine. I'm happy to hear all ideas, and of course I'm no official gatekeeper, so play nice.

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It goes all the way back to Hubert Humphrey and maybe back to Adlai Stevenson.  Stevenson also had a "funny name" and was characterized as an "egghead".  My parents explained that to me when I was not even five years old in the 1956 election.

Let's face it; Humphrey was effeminate. That is why he lost in 1968.

Stevenson famously remarked, in response to a suggestion that any thinking person would be voting for him, that this would not be enough; he needed a majority.

It's related to the "elitism" problem.  Back in 1960, John F. Kennedy was greeting workers outside a plant somewhere, maybe in West Virginia.  Some guy said, "Senator Kennedy, I hear that you've never worked a day your whole life."  Kennedy seemed a little uneasy until the guy followed up with, "Let me tell you, you didn't miss a thing."

Kerry's windsurfing video was a dealbreaker.  Obama's hoops can maybe close the deal.  How I would love to see an ad with Charles Barkley and Bill Bradley, maybe some more.

Welcome back for more veep speculation! As promised yesterday, today we'll be considering the top 14 average vote-getting Southern possibilities for Obama's v.p. from these threads' polls so far--as usual, in alphabetical order. I used a pretty strict but widely accepted interpretation of "the South," including only Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. And I did not include Gen. (Ret.) Anthony Zinni, who seems to live somewhere between North Carolina and Virginia, but was born in Pennsylvania and has never been elected to office from a Southern state.

I'm thinking of running some more "break-out" polls in the coming days, alternating with the top 14 candidates, averaging in each day's votes as we go.

Please discuss any v.p. candidates in the comments. The correct format would be to simply state their name, unless you have further comments, in which case, "I believe ___ ___ should be Obama's v.p. running mate because..." "Oh my God, where's Jane/Johnny Politician?!" would be a bit alarmist, don't you think? I'm sure they're fine. I'm happy to hear all ideas, and of course I'm no official gatekeeper, so play nice.

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I've tried so many times to explain the complexity of the circumstances surrounding everything that happened in Florida--back in 2000 (and, really, in 2004 as well)--to people like my mother and some of my other musician friends; and, being that they're really not political junkies, they usually just stare at me blankly. ;)

Anyway, this scene from Recount has done the trick.  Leary, despite his foul language (although I find that hillarious), explains the problems with punch-card voting succinctly, yet simply. Plus, the added CGI effects actually showing the processes going on inside the votermatic were genius.

So with the 2008 election right around the corner, this single clip has done more to inform and energize a lot of the 'casually-political' people I know to be a little extra diligent before stepping into the voting booth. To ask questions like "Has all the CHAD been cleaned out of this machine?" or "Is there a reason why you only have two machines for this entire district?" etc.

This just in: