A Gentle Reminder of the Stakes
With this in mind--Current Supreme Court Justice Age---

John Paul Stevens (88)
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (75)
Antonin Scalia (72)
Anthony Kennedy (72)
Steven Breyer (70)
David Souter (68)
Clarence Thomas (60)
Samuel Alito (58)
John Roberts (53)

Consider the Republican candidates' answer to this question: Do you think Roe v. Wade should be overturned?

From John McCain's campaign website:

John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand...

From Sarah Palin's interview with Charles Gibson:

GIBSON: Roe v. Wade, do you think it should be reversed?

PALIN: I think it should and I think that states should be able to decide that issue... I am pro-life.

4 Justices - Alito, Scalia, Roberts and Thomas - sit poised to overturn a woman's right to make her own reproductive decisions. The 5 who would not are among the 6 oldest members of the court. Roe would simply not survive a McCain-Palin administration in its current state.

Finally
Now, if we can just get Obama to say this himself - and continually - and not wait until a Friday afternoon. From an Obama spokesperson:

Today on "The View," John McCain defended his campaign's latest ad campaign, which has been debunked repeatedly as both false and sleazy. In running the sleaziest campaign since South Carolina in 2000 and standing by completely debunked lies on national television, it's clear that John McCain would rather lose his integrity than lose an election.

Serious Question
It gets at the heart of my frustration all week: really, what is the reason for this?

Gotta Hand It To Republicans
They know how to get away with being boldly racist. Either someone on Obama's side has to learn how to produce ads like this, or we're going to lose. The only thing sadder than the fact that McCain is running this kind of campaign is that it's working. His entire campaign strategy is becoming clear, and it's the oldest smear in the history of race relations: accusing a black man of not showing the proper respect to a white woman. See for yourself.
Obama has 2 new ads out. One tries to be hard-hitting, but I think it misses the mark. The other is a feel-good. I'm not even sure there's anything he can do at this point. McCain-Palin gets all the attention these days, and even when they make horrifying mistakes, are shown to be liars, or to have a horrendous record, the public doesn't seem to care. What they do care about escapes me, but it surely has nothing to do with the policies of the country and its leaders.

Victims Have to Pay For...What?
Governor Palin had a distinguished career as Mayor of Wasilla: she was the first to hire a lobbyist to beg Washington for taxpayer earmarks, and the first to leave Wasilla in massive debt despite her earmark success, thanks to a budget-busting sports complex that soaked up her tax increase, left the city's infrastructure neglected, and still isn't close to being paid for. But, my favorite distinction is this new revelation: she's the only mayor in the state to have required sexually assaulted women to pay for their own rape kits.

One VP nominee, Biden, wrote the watershed Violence Against Women act of 1994. The other has a different kind of message on that subject. It's this: if you've been raped, you are on your own.

This is not standard practice in Alaska. In fact, Wasilla on her watch was the only town in the state with this repugnant policy. The state legislature *had to step in and intervene on behalf of victimized women in Wasilla* because then-Mayor Palin refused to authorize this basic investigative expense. They passed a state law just to respond to this cruelty under her leadership.

Not only does she believe the law should require you to have the child if you become pregnant as a result of that rape, she obviously didn't think the city should be bothered to pay for trivial things like rape kits. If the taxpayer covered things like that, after all, how would they pay for Palin to stay in her own home?

The E-Bay Myth
That E-Bay story Sarah Palin tells - how she got rid of the Governer's luxury jet by putting it up for auction online - is pretty cute isn't it? Shows she's spunky, right? Doesn't want to waste the people's money cause she's just regular old small town people huh? Just a regular old mom getting rid of stuff the way moms do, right?

Except for it's not true. She didn't sell the plane on Ebay. And putting it up for sale on EBay - which didn't work - wasn't even her idea. That's just how the Governor's Office there always tries to get rid of stuff. It's not Sarah's Operating Procedure; it's Standard Operating Procedure.

She doesn't value the people's money. In fact she stays at lavish hotels on the taxpayer's dime when she's away from home, and charges the taxpayer a per diem night rate even *when she stays at home*. She thinks she is God's gift to Alaska, and that Alaska is God's gift to her.

White Women, Let's Talk About the Public Library
Obama's recent slip in the polls is being attributed to white women, compelled by McCain's selection of Sarah Palin and convinced she is harmless, maybe even mavericky. I don't know any white women, of course, but if you do, ask them why they hate the public library, and why they think it's ok to use elected office to pursue extremist religious views and bully public servants. Or just send them this:

Not to put too fine a point on it, but haven't we had an asshole for a Vice President already and hasn't it kind of sucked? This is what kind of Mayor she was, and what kind of leader she will be. She intimidates, and she pushes her church's concerns onto the public.

Wonder what kind of Supreme Court justices she would pick as President, after the Massive McCain Stroke (or whatever...)? Listen carefully to what Alaska Reverend Howard Bess says in the report above: Palin is not just accepted by the far religious right. *She's one of them*. Please think again, white women.

To Recap
Obama accused McCain and Palin of being liars. But what they care about is that he used a pig metaphor to make his point. Being called a lying Republican is no longer an insult? Just a given?

On Offense
If McCain is going to push this "pig" crap and the "sex for kindergartners" charge, I think Obama should unleash an ad making clear Palin (and the McCain campaign that wrote her speech) admitedly borrowed material from an anti-semite and right-wing extremist who advocated the assassination of FDR.

What Do You Say
to a person like this? Sometimes I think people forget exactly what Presidents do.

Now I'm Worried
Once Republicans go this far overboard into self-parody, we usually lose soon after.

Not a Bad Trade
If it comes through. Palin may have won Ohio for McCain but lost Florida?

Former New York Mayor Ed Koch, who endorsed and worked for George W. Bush in 2004, is endorsing Obama today, NY1 first reported.

I asked Koch just now what prompted the move.

"The designation of Palin to be vice president," he said. "She's scary."

Maybe we'll find out just how valuable the Jewish vote is in Florida. If Obama wins only the Kerry states + Florida and Iowa (where he has a solid lead), he could afford to lose either Michigan or Wisconsin and still be President.

[UPDATE: While I'm thinking about it, and playing with an electoral map, could Obama win if he lost Florida *and* the rust belt states -Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania? Actually, yes. But he would have to sweep hoped-for states out west - Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Montana - and then take 2 out of three of Virginia, Indiana, North Carolina, where polls have been close. (Could lose Montana if he wins VA and NC.) Problem is, I don't think NC or IN will come through, which means he probably really *must* win at least one of OH, MI, PA, FL]

MEDIA MONDAY
What have you been listening to, reading, watching?

Thanks to Jenifer's rec in an earlier Media Monday, I saw the film "Tell No One" over the weekend and it was fabulous, a thriller-mystery that unfolds slowly almost all the way to the end, and one step ahead of us, not one step behind. If you haven't seen the trailer, here it is. Warning - tiny bit of nudity early on:
Anyone read the best-selling book it's taken from?

Not Again...
wtf

In swing-state Colorado, the Republican Secretary of State conducted the biggest purge of voters in history, dumping a fifth of all registrations. Guess their color.

In swing-state Florida, the state is refusing to accept about 85,000 new registrations from voter drives – overwhelming Black voters.

In swing state New Mexico, HALF of the Democrats of Mora, a dirt poor and overwhelmingly Hispanic county, found their registrations disappeared this year, courtesy of a Republican voting contractor.

In swing states Ohio and Nevada, new federal law is knocking out tens of thousands of voters who lost their homes to foreclosure.

Here's another. Supposedly, Obama is mobilizing an unprecedented voter protection team of lawyers. Let's not wait until Election Day to give them something to do. How about we stop some of these problems on the front end? Get to work.

Sunday Night Thought
George Bush has been horrendous and embarrassing as a President. Lots of Americans shake their heads, blame him for his incompetence, and relish the thought of a new leader. But many of those who have rightly concluded as much are doing it for the wrong reasons, thinking it is merely W's character and lack of intellect that have left us in this hole. They refuse to deal with the reality that *George Bush's policies* are what have put the country on the brink of disaster, economically and in foreign policy. So, many folks accept McCain as a positive successor *because of his supposed character as a good guy with a compelling running mate.*

But if there was ever a time that *issues*, *policies*, and *plans* are required to evaluate a race, it is now. There is simply no excuse for being against the direction of the country under Bush but for McCain to lead us into the future. It is non-sensical. If there are any fools in your life who have such an untenable pair of thoughts in their heads, make them tell you which of Bush's policies McCain would undo. In any significant sense, there are none.

You Tell 'em, Joe
Nicely done. More like this, please.

That McCain Video
In a comment below, I point to a hilarious development regarding that bizarre video screen behind McCain at the Convention last night. That weird mansion-looking thing turns out to have been Walter Reed Middle School. Apparently, no joke, somebody was instructed to get a picture of Walter Reed - you know, the *army hospital* - but they ended up with the school by accident(at least it wasn't a picture of Willis Reed, right?) and nobody noticed or cared or was paying attention to begin with.

Well it gets better. That introductory video that they showed before he came out on stage? Was anyone else wondering how they wound up with more black people in the campaign video than they did in the convention hall? That question has been answered as well... turns out those were - seriously - stock photos of black people. Wow. Just wow.

Beyond the cynicism involved in using African-Americans as props to begin with... this lazy, slipshod, half-assed, seat-of-their-pants, corner-cutting campaign - the one that's trying to convince us Sarah Palin was a thoughtful, deeply considered, thoroughly informed decision - wants to run the country?

Early Review
With time still left on the clock, let me be the first to suggest...
poorest.acceptance.speech.ever?

Not just a bad delivery, as we would expect. But a meandering, hard to follow bunch of mush?

Ugh
Last night was probably the most wretching, repulsive, offensive, nasty bits of political speechifying I have ever seen. Depressing in its gleefully sarcastic ridicule, I will never forget just how.... evil the tactics of both Giuliani and Palin turned out to be. It wasn't just the fear-mongering, which we have come to expect from Rudy, it was the belittling disdain for Obama and everyone who supports him. It was Bushian high school peer pressure tactics on steroids, trying to paint anyone still making up their mind that choosing Obama would be not just the wrong choice but a laughable choice.

This is one of the primary reasons I could never be a Republican (the other being their awful policies): their politics is a repugnant, cynical bullying. Even when Dems are hitting hard, it's related to policy or relevant character questions. Last night was mostly just cruel sneer. Their campaign strategy is clear: shore up and energize the base (check), and initiate a renewed culture war, this time between Obama and small-town America. It's nothing to do with issues. It's teenage identity politics.

I'm afraid it's going to work, if only because it always seems to.

I can't link to her speech, or to Rudy's. If you missed them I just can't describe how dismissive and insulting they were. Maybe I usually skip the RNC, but like I said, I've never seen anything quite like it. It was not, in the least, civil. If you did see it, though, and want to know the Obama response, they've released a detailed rundown snapping back at, for starters, Palin's lies and deceptions.

One thing they left out is that not only did Palin ignore the economy (and foreign policy) in her speech, she also declined to even outline Senator McCain's plan for implementing the 25th Amendment, much less offer any details. The people are waiting, Senator! I assume we will hear his presidential succession plan this evening in his acceptance speech.

[UPDATE: I agree completely with Andrew Sullivan - who is becoming increasingly must-read, this election season anyway - here as to the low point of the night, during Giuliani's screed.]

Kabuki Theater
It's difficult to keep up with all of the Palin scandals. This is not a blog that I post dozens of times a day, but would have to if I wanted to try and keep you up to date with all of the legitimate questions surrounding what is shaping up to be an entirely duplicitous act as campaigner, a woefully unethical record as both small-town Mayor and small-state Governor, and some real hair-raising positions she has associated with that alone should give any voter pause.

I could just make a list for your perusal and maybe will later on tonight. But for now, as her prime-time speech approaches tonight, I will leave it at this: she will leave a mark tonight - no doubt a grand and impressive one - through a bizarre set of theatrics that will gain more respect than they deserve. She will not have written her speech tonight. This presentation will test exactly one thing: her ability to deliver prepared remarks that bolster McCain's candidacy. It was not even written *for* her much less by her.

Not anticipating that McCain would choose a woman as his running mate, the speech that was prepared in advance was "very masculine," according to campaign manager Rick Davis, and "we had to start from scratch."

Fundamentally it will bear absolutely no relevance to the pressing questions that still demand answers: what does she believe in? What are her qualifications and plans? How does she explain her record?

In looking forward to the gushing of news personalities that have underestimated her political skills, it's worth remembering that the bit of theater we will witness tonight is designed to keep the American people from finding out what the potential Vice President is all about, not to illuminate us. Apart from the occasional biographical detail and reference to being a "hockey mom", there will be nothing of her in there.

If the campaign wanted to answer the questions surrounding her, they would let her do an interview or a news conference. Tonight isn't about answering any questions; it's about suppressing them.

In closing I would like to add that, despite my calling attention to it yesterday, John McCain still has yet to announce his plan for implementing the 25th Amendment should he become President. Why are you hiding Senator?

What is John McCain's Plan?
Sad news came last week of the advance of dementia in former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Her daughter revealed that the decline in Ms. Thatcher's mental state first became clear when she was 75 years old. That, of course is the age John McCain would be during the 3rd year of his presidency if elected in November.

I declare it is time for his stonewalling to stop. Senator McCain has been running for President for 17 months and has yet to answer questions about his plan for implementing Sections 3 and 4 of the 25th Amendment regarding the replacement of the President due to disability. The American people have a right to know! What is your plan, Senator? We don't want to have another Alexander Haig moment.

How and when will you cede the presidency? Who will you entrust with the decision-making process for determining when this passing of the torch should take place? Will the advice of the Vice President alone convince you? Your wife? Will the cabinet vote on your competence to open every meeting? Will it take a 2/3 majority or just a simple plurality of them to convince you to step aside, or will you make them take more deliberate steps to remove you involuntarily? What, exactly is your plan? The American people do have a right to hear your plans for the country, correct?

Have you ever been evaluated using the Abbreviated Mental Test Score, the Mini-Mental State Examination, or the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument? If so, why have you hidden this fact? If not, why not? Will you commit to submitting to such examinations regularly (once a month?) during your presidency, and making the results public to re-assure the American people?

How long will you make us wait without announcing a comprehensive 25th Amendment plan?

Palin - Book Banner?
As Wasilla Mayor, she apparently thought it was her job to rid the public library of any book offensive to her personal faith, threatening to fire the librarian for resisting...

I've got the quote in an update over at the other place.

Obama After Gustav
I got a text message from Obama today inviting me to donate to the Red Cross. There was a simple process for giving $5---text GIVE to 24357. I gave it a try and it's real easy - takes about 30 seconds. Send the message, then you will get a confirmation reply and have to respond to that with YES, and then $5 for the Red Cross will be added to your phone bill. I thought it was a beautifully easy way for the campaign to show leadership in a non-intrusive way that rallies the support of millions for a good cause. Give it a try.

This storm has brought out the best in Obama in other ways as well. You should read Jay Newton-Small's account (she blogs for Time Magazine) of Barack's speech tonight in Wisconsin. Here's how she introduced quotes from the Senator's address:

As a journalist who has covered Obama for 19 months now, I have heard him deliver more speeches than I can count. I know when he’s tired he goes long – like 90 minutes long – rambling through oft-repeated points and stories. I’ve seen him address crowds of 80,000 and rooms of less than 100. And after a while you become immune to his prose and tune in only to new wrinkles.

Obama spent today giving curtailed speeches in respect to Hurricane Gustav. But tonight, in front of a Milwaukee audience of 14,000, invoking both the Bible and Thoreau, he was as good as I’ve ever heard him. He spoke for just over 14 minutes but he left the audience roaring.

Go and read what he said, if you read nothing else. And forward it to others. Sadly, with coverage of teenage pregnancy all day, it hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. After Thursday, I don't need much reminder why I have been excited about his candidacy, but this would do it, if I did.

Foreign Policy Experience
There is no shortage of quality video relating to Governor Palin's curious selection. You could watch McCain's incessant ass-staring and wedding-ring fiddling during her speech on the campaign trail, or there's Palin suggesting in a CNBC interview that she needs to find out what the VP really does, and her goal in the job would be to put Alaska first(!). I commend them both to you, but thought I'd post tonight's Campbell Brown interview (via TPM) with McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds on CNN. Listen to him squirm as she searches for any real evidence of foreign policy experience on Palin's part. Luckily, she doesn't let him off the hook.

Labor Day Deep Thought
I fervently agree with Obama that the family issue is off limits and irrelevant. But, from the annals of IOKIYAR (It's ok if you are Republican), I have to wonder what the response would be if we just learned Obama had a teenage daughter who was pregnant.

I suspect we'd be hearing lots about role models and he'd lose the election over it.

Palin
How is it possible that a candidate who would be the most physically feeble President we've ever elected is giving us a vice-president that nobody knows about, with little relevant experience, none of which she's been at long enough for us to evaluate, and with almost no time for the press corps to investigate and question her? We went through this 19 months of grueling presidential scrutiny, weeding out the strong candidates from the weak, testing them under all kinds of various pressures, and are left with a VP who has been through virtually none of that, ever, in any context, sitting a 72-year-old heartbeat away from the nuclear buttons?

What the hell? Are we in the middle of some kind of bad Reese Witherspoon movie?

Is McCain insane?

All Out for Hillary Voters
McCain picks Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

If I could ask McCain one question about the pick I would ask him if he would have still selected Palin had Obama picked Hillary, because the answer is clearly NO, though he would have to say YES. There is a serious (72-year-old) heartbeat-from-the-presidency issue for a VP with so little experience. But there is also a McCain character question that continues to grow. Tasked with his first major presidential decision, John McCain made a deliberately political choice, rather than a principled one. That much seems unquestionable.

Post-Speech Thought
I didn't listen to lots of post-speech coverage, but I heard even Pat Buchanan say he thought Obama's was the best Convention speech he had ever heard. I thought it went really well. What did you think? If you missed the speech, you can watch it here.

"I Thought I Had Cried All My Tears"
On this day 45 years ago, Dr. King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in DC. Not many figures in history could claim to have given an address that became so ingrained in culture that - in the course of less than a generation - it was a staple in grade school education all across the country. I first heard it in school almost 30 years ago.

It is the quintessential expression of the American ethos at its best. That's why it's so revered, and why - despite the objections of John McCain at the time (how is that judgment, again?) - Dr. King has a holiday, to remember what he stood for, and how he stood for it.

But that's not the reason for this post. It's this: 9 other great Americans gave speeches that day as part of the March on Washington in August, 1963. All of them have passed away, except one: Congressman John Lewis of Georgia. 45 years later, he will speak again, ahead of Barack Obama's acceptance speech. This morning, NPR interviewed an emotional Lewis. I almost had to pull the car over. You can read it, but I recommend clicking the link to listen and hear his voice. Besides, maybe it's because I was driving when I heard it, but I would swear their transcript gets a key statement wrong. He didn't say "But I've cried all my tears." He said, weeping and surprised, "I thought I had cried all my tears." [UPDATE: Check the comments - they fixed the transcript]

I understand there would be a political risk in assuming too much connection between King's speech and Obama's address tonight. And I was initially wary of the campaign making too much of the anniversary. But now I think it would be a mistake not to pay significant homage to that moment, and the movement that - whether some like to hear it or not - now includes Senator Obama's candidacy in its embrace. Today, I'm not inclined to pander to the bigots who - once opposed to uplifting King's legacy - now cry "presumptuous" at Obama's claim on history.

I suspect Rep. Lewis will not be alone in his surprise at the level of emotion that comes from this recognition, that in Obama the bridge connecting today to August 28, 1963 has a new and potent steadying brace on which to build. There's going to be waterworks tonight, folks. I say, let 'em flow.

Bill
Simply the best. Thank God for him.

Why is that so hard?

Tonight is the highlight of the convention - clearly. And we haven't even gotten to Biden yet. Not just Bill, but John Kerry - who was on fire - Tammy Duckworth, Chet Edwards, and a few people I don't even know, hammered McCain and Bush for their mistreatment of troops and foreign policy. One thing is clear from tonight: the military is pissed at Republicans. Too bad the networks have missed it. Here's hoping the cable boxes of undecided voters across Colorado, Ohio, Florida, Nevada got somehow stuck on C-Span for a few hours.

In case you missed it, here's Kerry. Ya think he's out for some revenge?

McCain's Misogyny [UPDATED]
Perhaps building on the post below, I note with interest the celebration surrounding John McCain's endorsement by Latino star (apparently) "Daddy Yankee", whose hit song "Gasolina" is, well, not about fossil fuel. [Be careful with that link if you are at work...it takes you to some explicit explanation of the song's lyrics, as well as a music video that rather sells the point.]

Taken together - the cruelty toward Chelsea, the crudity toward Hillary, this new, let's call it teenage sexploitation endorsement, plus - don't forget - McCain's earlier suggestion that his wife should enter something of a topless fornication pageant at the Sturgis Festival, and you've got a candidate with a pretty disturbingly well-defined anti-woman resume.

You'd think after a while someone in the press corps might put this together and ask a few questions - not of McCain, but of the conservative religious crowd he so needs to have a chance at winning in November.

[UPDATE: As it turns out, teenage sexploitation specialist "Daddy Yankee" initially approached the Obama campaign for an endorsement (desperately seeking to break into the over-18 voting crowd?) but was rebuffed, for exactly the reasons that McCain's camp should be skewered for accepting him. For their part, the McCain campaign - presumably because they can't imagine any campaign might function with integrity - doesn't believe the Obama report.

It would be nice if the communication between the "gasolina" artist and the Obama campaign were archived in some form to prove them wrong. In such a case, I would trumpet this essential difference in campaign values every hour of every day from now until November. Maybe that's why I don't run political campaigns.]

Maybe I'm Crazy
But I'd like to see someone tonight - even Chelsea Clinton herself - make reference to the crude joke McCain told about her when she was 18, and would like to see Hillary talk about McCain laughing and saying "good question" when someone asked him during the primaries "How do we beat the bitch"?

I know, Americans don't like politicians playing the victim or that can't take a joke. But if Clinton supporters are going to really flirt with voting for him, they should have to come to terms with just what a woman-hating, anti-Clinton asshole he is.

Statistics
The good news is that the number of uninsured has finally dropped. The bad news is that the only reason it has is that *so many people* are now poor enough to qualify for Medicaid.

Kennedy Tribute
Michelle was fabulous tonight (transcript here). If that doesn't warm the cold-hearted skeptics to her, then I guess that just can't be done. But the thing I'll remember about tonight was the tribute to Teddy. Caroline's speech was moving and then the video tribute really got me. Below is a bit from her intro, and then the video, in case you missed it.

For 46 years, he has been so much more than just a senator for the people of Massachusetts. He’s been a senator for all who believe in a dream that’s never died. If you’re no longer being denied a job because of your race, gender or disability, or if you’ve seen a rise in the minimum wage you’re being paid, Teddy is your senator, too.

If your children are receiving health care thanks to the Children’s Health Insurance Program, if you see a nurse at a community health center or if you’re benefiting from the Medicare program that he fought to create, and that just last month he returned to the Senate to save, Teddy is your senator too. If your child is getting an early boost in life through Head Start, or attending a better school or can go to college because a Pell grant has made it more affordable, Teddy is your senator too. And if you’re an 18-year-old who’s going to vote for the first time — and I bet it’ll be for Barack Obama — Teddy is your senator, too.

MEDIA MONDAY
What have you been watching, listening to, reading?

Film Recommendation
I saw the incredible documentary Man on Wire last week. Will hopefully have time to say more about this later, but I think it's pretty easily the best film I've seen this year. If you get a chance to catch it, do! Here's the trailer, though it doesn't exactly portray the true tone of the movie:

Random Sunday Question
What did Ron Paul do with all of that money he raised?

Biden
I don't typically enjoy the sensation of reacting positively to a David Brooks column. It makes me wonder if I'm ill. But he has a good piece today on the merits of picking Joe Biden as VP. I learned some things about Joe I didn't know that will make me even happier if he should turn up on the ticket tomorrow (or later today).

Bayh update: Indiana out of reach?

Tennessee update: Being annexed by Alabama?

Confirmed
Everyone in my office is aware of how many homes they own. Make sure you check with everyone in yours. (Consulting with assistants or staff is not allowed)

And Another
This is getting fun...

The Too-Many-Houses Story Has Legs?
From Politico (via TPM):

The McCains increased their budget for household employees from $184,000 in 2006 to $273,000 in 2007, according to John McCain's tax returns.

The additional cash supports an "increase in the number of employees," the McCain aide told Politico. The aide did not answer a question about whether the growing staff stemmed from addition of new properties to the family's real estate portfolio.

That's certainly something all Americans can relate to, right? 1/4 million dollars a year on "household employees"... He's out of touch, out of touch, out of touch.

While we're at it, I'm sure someone's checked into the legal status of said employees? Were they paid a living wage? Health-care benefits?

More Like It

Stop Begging
This is right, and similar to what I was trying to say earlier.

Big Event in Indy?
Fwiw, the Nashville Post is reporting that campaign staff from around the country are coming to Indianapolis for a big announcement.

NashvillePost.com has learned that senior campaign officials from the Barack Obama Presidential campaign are being dispatched from various locations around the country and are converging in Indianapolis for a “major event” to take place on Saturday.
...
Sources in Denver, the site of next week's Democratic National Convention, say that individuals responsible for Obama's major public appearances have been pulled out of the city and are heading east towards Indiana.

Ken Whitehouse is a good reporter with good sources. I guess we'll see if this is it, and it's Bayh, which would be fine by me.

Winning Indiana would combine with Iowa and NM to overcome a loss in Ohio. The math is right. I could see Obama losing the popular vote and still winning the presidency this way.

Tuesday VP Talk
Biden gaining rumor mill steam?

Gore finally slated to speak at Convention - last night in the stadium with Obama.

Some techie sleuths think they've figured out it's Sebelius. It might be, but I'm not buying the argument.

I don't think Biden brings a state, but otherwise I don't mind. He's fiery and smart with lots of experience. If I was going to be President, I would want him to be a key foreign policy adviser. Whether that means the place for him is VP is another question, but I think his political skills make him preferable to other Senators with similar experience like Reed, Dodd and Kerry.

Obama at VFW
You can read the prepared remarks and see the video of the speech Obama gave today to the Veterans of Foreign Wars here, the day after McCain spoke to the same crowd and went back again to questioning Obama's patriotism in his views on the war. Obama responded directly to that charge, and TPM's Greg Sargent says:

Obama declared that it's time for McCain to "acknowledge" that Obama genuinely wants to serve America's national interest. It'll be interesting to see what McCain says if and when he's asked directly by reporters whether he's prepared to acknowledge this -- and how hard the national press corps will grill him for a direct answer to the question.

I don't think this is a positive development. We don't need more and more news cycles of asking John McCain if maybe, just maybe Obama only loves his country slightly less than he does, rather than much less. Why give in to the offensive notion that McCain is the proper judge of who loves the country enough?

When I complain that Obama is not hitting back hard, I'm not wanting stuff like this. I'm wanting him to hit McCain over what he would do to the country with his horrible ideas. I don't want the press corps asking about Obama's patriotism; I want them asking why continuing this war with no end in sight - and against the wishes of the American people - at $1 Billion/month - is worth it? McCain is distracting attention away from his policies, which the majority of voters disagree with.

McCain is not the arbiter of love of country. Don't explain that you love it. Show it, in your passion and your agenda. And accuse McCain of reverting to a politics of division that is trying to hide his agenda beneath scurrilous attacks. After 8 years of Bush, we need an infusion of character in our politics, and sanity in our policies. McCain currently offers neither.

VP Deep Thought Question
Between now and the Convention, the longer Obama waits to announce his running mate, the better known they likely are? Less of a need to introduce the person to the country in a series of news profiles? If he waits until the Convention itself, that increases the chances it's Hillary? Would need to get someone like Sebelius out there ASAP? Someone like Biden sometime in between?

MEDIA MONDAY
What have you been reading, watching, listening to?

New From Old
I've been listening to the All Songs Considered podcast recently and it pointed me to a couple of new recordings by not-so-new artists that may be worth checking out. David Byrne and Brian Eno have teamed up again for the first time since My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. Everything That Happens Will Happen Today is available now. You can hear a track in that podcast - link here. Apparently, David Byrne will start touring the material this fall.

Also Randy Newman has a new CD out that sounds great.You can hear a track from Harps and Angels in the Aug. 4 podcast.

Weekend Box Office
1. Tropic Thunder
2. Dark Knight
3. Star Wars: Clone Wars
4. Mirrors
5. Pineapple Express

More VP Talk
Steve Clemons says he knows something, but not everything.

[S]ources close to Obama report to me that after the "surge of concern" on the net about Evan Bayh, he has not been selected as Obama's VP running mate.

I have been informed that the decision has been made, and I don't know who that person is.

I also have been told that Tom Daschle is not the running mate. I also happen to know that it is not Wesley Clark.

I just received word that it is not Senator Jack Reed either, though Obama thought very highly of him.

I would be very disappointed if Bayh was passed over because of "concern on the net". We've got to deal with the electoral map. If Obama wins Ohio, then he's going to win and all is well. But if he loses there (and now it's looking tied after months of leading), some things have to go right. If we win all the Kerry states plus Iowa and New Mexico - as looks like a fair bet - that still leaves Obama 5 EVs behind. Colorado would do it. Nevada would do it. Montana PLUS Alaska would do it. Virginia would do it. And Indiana would do it. Bayh would bring Indiana. Who cares what his policy differences are!? Yeah liberals would get annoyed - and since when has *that* been a problem with the American electorate? And can we point to even *one* person who would have voted for Obama but won't if Evan Bayh is on the ticket?

I know, I know, I haven't exactly been a champion of Bayh until recently, and I'm still not *in any substantive way*, but come on let's look at the map. If the pick doesn't wind up making strong electoral sense (and I can only see 2 - Kaine and Bayh - that do), I'm going to be very confused. And if he picks someone else and we go on to lose by those 5 EVs, going down in both IN and VA by slim margins, he's got lots of splainin' to do. Indiana's right there for the taking.

Worrying about the liberal vote...sheesh, pleeeze. Of all the moronic things to worry about, what liberals think about the VP has got to be the most pointless. Pick Evan Bayh, win his 11 electoral votes, go to Washington and put him in a box somewhere for the next 4 years and don't let him out.

I should say...Clemons also tries to tantalize us with one more hint he got.

One well placed political expert just told me on the phone that we may all be wrong and that Obama could come out with something completely unexpected -- a Hillary Clinton or even (and this shocked me) Al Gore or John Kerry.

But note the differences. This is a political expert (not the source "close to Obama"), who says we "may all be wrong" (not that he has the slightest information that we are). This last bit is just idle speculation the same you or I could engage in. That said, I would have a positive response to either Gore or Hillary, even though the potential for electoral vote regret would be the same I mentioned above.

Not a Good Feeling
After that Saddlebrook Church CNN presidential forum last night. Watched the replay. If this is a preview of debate style, Obama is in for some tough nights. He seemed thoughtful, hesistant and nuanced in his approach to complex issues - which he answered in a halting, conversational style with the moderator. McCain was passionate, direct, seemed more awake, and spoke to the audience.

Of the 2 approaches, we know which generally wins presidential elections. It's only surprising the Obama campaign doesn't seem to know.

I put links to the video and transcript up at the other blog. Check it out if you want to watch or read the event online.

On other depressing campaign news, McCain has broken through his 44% ceiling in the Gallup tracking poll.

Friday Night Deep Thought: Olympic Edition
Many sports play well on TV. Badminton is not one of them.

VP [UPDATED]
I suppose, Obama has to announce his choice next week, since the Convention begins the week after that. Jerome at MYDD believes the speaking schedule announced rules out some high-profile candidates:

The headline prime-time speaker on Wednesday will be Barack Obama's Vice Presidential Nominee.
...
Former President Bill Clinton will speak on Barack Obama's commitment to a stronger and safer America, as well as the history of Democrats making positive change in the lives of all Americans.

Governor Bill Richardson and Senators Evan Bayh, Joe Biden and Jay Rockefeller will echo Obama's call for a new direction in national security and outline his policies and plans to secure America's future.

That, he concludes, takes Bayh, Biden and Richardson out of the running. But I'm not so sure. What would be so difficult about moving them from one slot on Wednesday to another? Anyway, announcing that slot now gives them a speaking assignment to start working on that speech...presumably before knowing it will really be an address given as the Vice President selection. It's hard to see how this schedule release really rules anyone out.

Or maybe I just want to think Bayh is still in the running. I've warmed up to the idea of his selection for one simple reason: he would bring Indiana. Which other choice has a definite electoral college advantage (besides VA's Kaine)?

[UPDATE: Here's a list of possibles and their supposed status. Those not yet crossed out include also Chet Edwards (who I like a lot, and if Obama's not going with one of the 2 that could win a state, I would be pulling for Chet), Chris Dodd, John Kerry, Wes Clark, Jack Reed and Sam Nunn.]

Article 19 Nutrition Quiz
Quick, label the following as either a fruit or a vegetable:
--String Beans
--Tomatoes
--Cucumber
--Okra
--Rhubarb
--Squash

If you said they are all fruits except for the rhubarb....you're right. Yes, now I'm really confused too. Read all about it, and why strawberries and blackberries are not really berries, here.

I'm a Champion
My teevee just told me that if I've had a Coke in the last 80 years, I've "had a hand" in every Olympic gold medal won since then. Who knows what kind of great stuff other people will continue to do if only I will keep drinking Coke.

Who's On the Fence?
According to polls, about 10-12% of likely voters just don't know which candidate they will choose when they get in the voting booth in a couple of months. Some 5% beyond that seem to be capable of changing their pick from week to week, depending on completely bizarre, irrelevant campaign trivia.

Some but not all of this phenomenon is due to the well-meaning people - you may know a few - who believe there is lots to like about John McCain, and are convinced he's a good, honorable guy, hence worth considering for President. These folks always thought of him as their Favorite Republican. Their one-time willingness to vote for him was the last scrap of evidence they could point to indicating they were Non-Partisan, as they hate to refer to themselves as Democrats, because that kind of team-based political cheerleading is for non-thinking Americans. To be a reasonable person, the argument goes I guess, you have to be willing to vote for the candidate whose policies best represent your values *and* sometimes the one who does not, to show you're not tied to that worst of all beasts Political Parties.

All of that to say, after sending them daily reminders of the Supreme Court's oldest members, you might also ask your bi-partisan friends to think about McCain's response to Russia's increasingly aggressive stance. You could do worse, as Josh Marshall says, than to start here, with Republican Andrew Sullivan's reaction. [UPDATE: And here's a more pointed critique from Josh here.]

Tell them that after they come to grips with voting for Obama, they will still have Lincoln Chafee and Colin Powell to like.

MEDIA MONDAY
What have you been reading, listening to, watching?

RIP, Isaac Hayes
But did he really create the "Memphis sound"? Just askin.' Perhaps sadly for him, whatever else worthwhile he did musically, I'll always remember him for his Chocolate Salty Balls.

Russia-Georgia Background
If you're as clueless as I am, this NYTimes piece is a good place to start for a primer.

And you can check the Wikipedia entries on the territories in question: Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

When You Sue, Settle
From today's NYTimes:

That is the clear lesson of a soon-to-be-released study of civil lawsuits that has found that most of the plaintiffs who decided to pass up a settlement offer and went to trial ended up getting less money than if they had taken that offer.
...
Defendants made the wrong decision by proceeding to trial far less often, in 24 percent of cases, according to the study; plaintiffs were wrong in 61 percent of cases.

I don't know that this is the right way to measure a gamble, though. The question is not how *often* either side comes out ahead or behind, but how much do they stand to lose or gain when they do. The piece goes on to tell that when defendants do get it wrong it costs them on average over $1 million, while plaintiff mistakes cost on average $43,000.

How Many Countries Can You Name in 5 Minutes?
Not a tremendously proud Article 19 showing. I got 50 the first time, but spent the last 2 minutes staring at the screen and trying to remember the Risk board. Then tried again and got 60 (without looking at the list of those I missed). The time starts when the page loads - also you don't need to hit enter. It will count your country as soon as you spell it correctly. Here's the link. Don't think about it. Just click the link and start typing.

Disclaimer: I got this game through the blog Bold Confessor, and not through the, ahem, dating site I just realized it's attached to.

Your Co-Worker May Be Secretly Delusional
I am not sure the evidence is solid against Bruce Ivins being the anthrax killer. But it is solid against him having a grip on reality. Still, he managed to keep his high security job handling dangerous biological toxins.

“I wish I could control the thoughts in my mind,” he added a month later in another message to a colleague. “It’s hard enough sometimes controlling my behavior. When I am being eaten alive inside, I always try to put on a good front here at work and at home, so I don’t spread the pestilence.”

He continued, “I get incredible paranoid, delusional thoughts at times, and there’s nothing I can do until they go away.”

These e-mail messages...provide glimpses into the personality of a man obsessed with a sorority that he first encountered while an undergraduate, asserting in an e-mail message that the women’s group was waging a “fatwah” against him.

I don't expect a military microbiologist to be an especially normal fellow. But neither should the lab that hires him. Let's watch the guys working on the deadly substances a little more closely please...

Exhale
Obama back in front in Rasmussen tracking poll, ahead by 4 by 2 in Gallup, and 6 in AP/Ipsos.

Pride in Their Ignorance
Another Obama statement I like:

I Like
You like?

Asked about the McCain campaign's claim that Obama had "played the race card" — one McCain spokesman had suggested that McCain was being painted as a racist — Obama called the criticism an attempt to alter the campaign's focus.

He added of the Republicans' approach: "They're very good at negative campaigning. They're not so good at governing."

This election message should be simple. Republican policies and ineptitude have gotten the country in the mess we're in now. McCain is proposing to continue the failed strategies of the past 8 years.

Though he has to pass a basic test of acceptability, this election really isn't and shouldn't be about Obama. It's about the last 8 years of failed government. Democrats need to get better about saying that same thing over and over again between now and November.

MEDIA MONDAY
What have you been reading, listening to, watching?

Weekend Box Office
1. The Dark Knight
2. The Mummy
3. Step Brothers
4. Mamma Mia
5. Journey to the Center of Earth

What's Happening?
I'm on vacation this week. The good news is that for the first time, our regular Myrtle Beach stay is offering free wi-fi. The bad news is that it's pretty spotty. So, what's going on in the world? Are we going to get one or other of the VP announcements before the weekend?

Outside the Box?
Link

Barack Obama's vice presidential search team has floated the name of a member of President Bush's first-term Cabinet, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, as Obama's running mate.

Veneman, 59, has a biography that could be suited to Obama's unifying message. A Republican raised on a California peach farm, she rose to become the nation’s first female agriculture secretary. In 2002 she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which was treated successfully. Today she serves as executive director of the United Nations children's agency, UNICEF.

We need to win soooo badly, that it seems to me Obama has some leeway here to choose a VP that might otherwise meet with lots of disapproval from the left. There is certainly nobody he could choose that would make me vote for McCain, or not vote, or pick Nader or Barr.

As Agriculture Secretary, she was not exactly a friend of business regulation. But she might send a message about Obama's commitment to women and family issues (UNICEF), and shows he is not an old school partisan - good for the independents. Still, does she pass the most basic test: ready to be President? Seems like a pick that would be a little too cute. You can read more about her here.

The Court
I had a dream last night about the election. Just before the conventions, Justice John Paul Stevens announced his retirement and the issue of the Court came front and center for the rest of the campaign. In my sleep, anyway, this was a great development for Obama.

Even presuming nothing so dramatic actually happens, the effect might not be such a bad idea. What do you think? Could Obama make gains by playing up the rightward jolt a McCain presidency would give the Court? Or would it bring out social conservatives in a year they may be otherwise inclined to stay at home?

For Obama to Win
I basically agree with Nate's list at 538.

Obama's Berlin Speech
You can read it here.

It's hard to believe the American people might let this moment pass by, and elect the uninspiring guy whose idea for the economy is to keep doing what's got us into this mess, whose idea for the war is to continue it, and whose age frankly makes it a virtual certainty that he will be a less focused person by the end of his first term than he is even today. No telling what a second term would hold, or who might be running the show. But the polls are tight and not especially headed in the right direction, so who knows.

Too True?
Via TPM, check out what they are actually selling at the official McCain campaign store! Ha! What's next, official McCain urinal cups? Toilet paper?

The "Dark" Part
Last night, I caught a late show of the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight. Still mulling what I think of it over all, but worth pointing out - if you didn't know - that this is not a movie for children to enjoy, like other recent superhero movies might have arguably been (Spiderman franchise, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Superman, even X-Men, etc..). Each of those may have had some ignorable innuendo and language that put it over the PG edge into PG-13.

This film is dark. There are some seriously disturbing thoughts, scenarios and ideas here. I'm not (necessarily) complaining. Just warning that this is not an especially fun film to sit through. Ledger's powerful Joker is not of the Jack Nicholson variety. If I was less than, oh, 15 or so, it would have given me pretty bad dreams for a week.

Nashville in the News
God help us.

It started when Juana Villegas, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who was nine months pregnant, was pulled over by a police officer in a Nashville suburb for a routine traffic violation.

By the time Mrs. Villegas was released from the county jail six days later, she had gone through labor with a sheriff’s officer standing guard in her hospital room, where one of her feet was cuffed to the bed most of the time. County officers barred her from seeing or speaking with her husband.

After she was discharged from the hospital, Mrs. Villegas was separated from her nursing infant for two days and barred from taking a breast pump into the jail, her lawyer and a doctor familiar with the case said. Her breasts became infected, and the newborn boy developed jaundice, they said.

Shameless
They accuse Democrats of being unpatriotic for our dissent - though usually the big-wigs leave it to others to conduct that kind of branding. But today McCain crossed a line I don't think I've ever heard from a presidential candidate himself.

It seems to me that Senator Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign.

That's a pretty nasty charge, putting political ambition over the well-being of the troops and the country...

But isn't it even worse if we pull the logical inference out of it? If he says Obama would win a campaign by losing the war, doesn't that implicate American voters in that ill-framed tradeoff? After all, the only way losing the war could turn into an electoral victory is if *we vote for it.*

MEDIA MONDAY
What have you been reading, listening to, watching?

Who's seen Batman already?

The Rest of the World v. The American Electorate
I may just be letting my natural political anxiety show here, but I am afraid the big spectacle being made of Obama's trip overseas may have some backlash here at home... I just figure that Europe liking a left-of-center American candidate will make most Americans like the candidate less. Not that it would make any sense, mind you.

Still, that backlash will be nothing compared to what this will cause. Do the DNC and Obama campaign have nobody on staff that can tell them how poorly the Hollywood-class endorsement route will play among the voters we need to convince between now and November? Are they *trying* to lose? Actively forgetting how hard Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, and Ben Affleck worked to elect Kerry in 2004? Remember that big tour through the swing states?!

It's real simple. Scarlett Johannson couldn't save Woody Allen at the box office, Affleck couldn't save Daredevil, and they are not going to get Barack Obama elected. The people we have to go after don't want entertainment celebrities telling them who to vote for. In fact, they would seem to resent it. I don't see how the DC Democratic political culture could be so star-struck they wouldn't notice they're handing Republicans fodder for their favorite stupid charge: elitism.

If he wants to close the deal on the election, the only relationship Obama should be having with the music and film industries is telling them to stop peddling smut and violence to kids. People love that. All of this rock-star-candidate stuff was great fun and exciting and provided necessary energy for the fund-raising and primary stages. But the campaign is in a different phase now, the one where he has to simultaneously look both presidential and genuinely in touch with working people. (Kerry got 1 of those 2, Bill Clinton 2 of 2.) I'm afraid the plans for Germany this week, and Denver in August - which might be exciting for a partisan supporter like me to watch - nonetheless work against both goals.

Then again, I have never been correct about a political prediction yet, so we will see how the polls develop this week. Hopefully, this isn't the time I'm finally right about something.

Times Change
Remember back when stuff like rape was so funny to joke about? That was way back in the 80s. John McCain was giving speeches back in the rape-jokes-are-funny era. Of course, he doesn't remember back that far. Maybe he can get this guy to work on piecing that time period back together for him. Or this guy.

That McCain camp is classy, no?

Community Schools
The American Federation of Teachers has elected a new President, Randi Weingarten. Earlier this week, she gave her first address and is calling on our nation's schools to take on a larger role. From the AFT press release:

A key aspect of Weingarten’s proposed solution is the expansion of the community school model—schools that serve the neediest children by bringing together all the services and activities they and their families need under one roof.

“Imagine schools that are open all day, and offer after-school and evening recreational activities and homework assistance; high schools that allow students to sign up for morning, afternoon or evening classes. And suppose the schools included child care and dental, medical and other services the community needs.”

I'm sure many schools do something on the way to this already, but this is a pretty broad challenge to make schools into full-service community centers. I imagine something along the lines of what churches do for many people - and did for me when I was younger. Maybe because of that I have mixed feelings about it, though I can't quite put my finger on what bugs me - if anything. Is this a really good idea for serving the community and bringing parents and everyone else to a greater sense of ownership over our community schools? What do you think?

Either way, though, isn't it just pie-in-the-sky rhetoric? Wouldn't we need dramatically larger facilities and greatly increased staff (and once it comes down to it, won't the AFT itself argue for higher teacher salaries over using an increased school budget for, say dental care)? Not only that, around here we have a problem with promoting exclusively community-based schools: segregation. I'm all for an overhaul - could things get much worse? But it's hard seeing enough political will playing out on all sides to make much of anything truly change, let alone something like this happen.

Guess What: TV is Bad
This makes lots of sense. I only wonder the age range for which it remains true that background TV might distract from the brain's development. Why think it effects only the little kids?

[I]n the new study, researchers say the disruptive effects were "real but small," amounting to a few seconds in many cases. For instance, kids played about 90 seconds less in the half hour with the TV on — they looked momentarily at the screen, then went back to their toys.

But researcher Daniel Anderson, a psychologist at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, says he's concerned the effects could be cumulative.

"It's that situation that I'm most concerned about, when you look at TV as being a disruptive influence hour after hour, day after day, week after week, year after year," he says.

Perhaps most significant: When the TV was on, kids of all ages played with a given toy — a jack-in-the-box, a baby doll, blocks, a toy telephone, a school bus with toy passengers — for about 30 seconds, on average. Without TV, it was 60 seconds.

Researchers say solitary play, especially with toys, offers many benefits. It allows children to practice planning ahead and develop cognitive skills.

Obviously it's even more important with very young children to remove that distraction, but since we know that the brain continues to develop for several years, it makes you wonder if background distractions can hamper you later in life as well. I also wonder if music can have the same disruptive impact.

Late Night Deep Thought
Hogan's Heroes is highly unrealistic. Maybe even moreso than Gilligan's Island.

MEDIA MONDAY
What have you been listening to, watching, reading? C'mon I know you've been seeing summer movies, reading summer books, and going to summer concerts. We want to know about them.

The Beatles Were a "Christian Band"?
That's (kind of) what John Lennon said in a 1969 interview recently broadcast for the first time.

Christians around the world had been dismayed by Lennon’s boast in an article in London’s Evening Standard about the popularity of the Beatles, but the singer says he was misunderstood.

“It’s just an expression meaning the Beatles seem to me to have more influence over youth than Christ,” he says. “Now I wasn’t saying that was a good idea, ‘cos I’m one of Christ’s biggest fans. And if I can turn the focus on the Beatles on to Christ’s message, then that’s what we’re here to do.”

He blames “the hypocrites” for being too “uptight” in reacting to his comments. “If the Beatles get on the side of Christ, which they always were, and let people know that, then maybe the churches won’t be full, but there’ll be a lot of Christians dancing in the dance halls. Whatever they celebrate, God and Christ, I don’t think it matters as long as they’re aware of Him and His message.”
...
Lennon actually tells the interviewer, “I’m a Christian, Mohammed, and Buddhist. Whatever you’d like to call it. I believe in Christ and Buddha and Mohammed and God.”

Of course, the next year he would release "God" on the Plastic Ono Band, in which he said quite specifically "I don't believe in Jesus", "I don't believe in Mohammed", and "I don't believe in Buddha". So, I guess there's something for everyone.

Weekend Box Office
1. Hellboy 2
2. Hancock
3. Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D
4. Wall-E
5. Wanted
I saw...
16. Mongol...pretty good.

Obama Hits Back on Iraq
With an op-ed in Monday's NYTimes.

In this campaign, there are honest differences over Iraq, and we should discuss them with the thoroughness they deserve. Unlike Senator McCain, I would make it absolutely clear that we seek no presence in Iraq similar to our permanent bases in South Korea, and would redeploy our troops out of Iraq and focus on the broader security challenges that we face. But for far too long, those responsible for the greatest strategic blunder in the recent history of American foreign policy have ignored useful debate in favor of making false charges about flip-flops and surrender.

It’s not going to work this time. It’s time to end this war.

Be Careful in Those Great Seats
I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often.

Doctors and family members say a 7-year-old boy who fractured his skull when he was struck by a foul ball at Wrigley Field was recovering and expected to live.

Dominic DiAngi of suburban Frankfort was sitting behind the Cubs dugout Thursday afternoon during a game between the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds when a foul ball off the bat of Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly struck him in the head.

Hockey finally put nets up that erase most - but not all - of the danger of flying pucks. It doesn't affect the vision of the game one bit and makes lots of sense. Maybe it's not doable in the danger areas down the lines of a baseball field (the backstop is well protected), but you shouldn't have to worry that such a typical occurrence (a foul ball) will kill your child.

Great Moments on the Straight Talk Express
I never thought there would be occasion to enjoy watching John McCain's face, but the contortions he goes through trying to answer - or trying not to answer, I should say - a reporter's question about health insurance companies that pay for Viagra, but not for women's birth control, are priceless. I've watched three times already. Note, by the way, as you watch this CNN coverage, that Carly Fiorina *is his national campaign chair.*

Don't Forget that Cholesterol Screening...
...for your 8-year old.

The new guidelines were to be issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday.

The push to aggressively screen and medicate for high cholesterol in children is certain to create controversy amid a continuing debate about the use of prescription drugs in children as well as the best approaches to ward off heart disease in adults.

But proponents say there is growing evidence that the first signs of heart disease show up in childhood, and with 30 percent of the nation’s children overweight or obese, many doctors fear that a rash of early heart attacks and diabetes is on the horizon as these children grow up.

I'm sure the drug companies are not excited about this. The NYTimes issued an editorial today that I basically agree with. I would only add this: if this was an example of our increased medical knowledge about early prevention, we could celebrate. But it sounds more to me like an example of the stress of today's toxic diet and zero-activity rate on children. I suppose the truth may be somewhere in between.

Whew..Just a Dream
It turns out that the woeful economy we thought we were going through is just in our heads. So sayeth McCain's top economic adviser. Get to work you bunch of "whiners"!

It's a good thing, too. Because I was starting to think that the unemployment rate had really climbed back to 5.5%, that home foreclosures were really skyrocketing, that health care costs truly were exploding and that gas really was over $4 a gallon. The old imagination running wild I guess.

Boredom and Imagination
I had a long conversation last night with a colleague who teaches something of a philosophy of art class. We were discussing attitudes - our own and our students' - toward art, observation, beauty, fiction....you know, standard Tuesday night conversation.

She said something that frankly shocked me. The last few semesters in this course, on the first day's discussion, students almost unanimously deride the value of imagination. They consider it a "pointless" resource, and using it a "complete waste of time".

Needless to say, I don't get to have discussions like this in a music theory class, so I didn't see it coming.

For a generation enthralled with role-playing games, virtual reality, and networks of friends and relationships even that exist on the fringe of the imaginary, I would have thought imagination played a key part in their existence. But it would seem the opposite is the case. Indeed, I am left having to assume that any person who fully discounts the usefulness of one's imagination - the fundamental muscle of creativity - simply doesn't have one, or at least not much of one.

Is this possible? Is there a population surge among the un-imaginative?

The second part of our conversation hinged on a question of mine that seemed like a logical follow-up to this revelation. Given that I *know* most of them are not spending lots of time productively on the outside of their brains, what do they spend all of their time doing, if not exercising their imaginations in some way or another?

She asks them that question, she said (see, I told you it was logical), and to a person, her students respond that they spend most of their time looking for ways to avert boredom. Their default position (in life) is bored disinterest.

Now, I'm not trying to disparage the youth here in a "the-kids-today" rant. That's the most tired, predictable, silliest drivel ever to mark growing old. For the most part, I consider that kind of nonsense to be sheer jealousy. What is more pathetic than the ravings of those that envy the beauty of youth? I'm not immune to it, obviously. But I try to keep it to a minimum. No, my trouble here is that I associate that kind of attitude - that would decry the value of imagination, hence stumble day-to-day in dreary boredom - with the jaded older set, those who prefer to lift up the glory of imagination's counterpart: reality (otherwise known as "the reeeal world"). I would not have thought students today to be so thoroughly disconnected from their imaginations....already.

And so I have questions.

Do you think they are telling the truth? Or did they simply not want to admit to or discuss their imaginations? Were you bored in college? (the stage of my life when I was *least* like that) Did you - or do you - think the imagination holds no value? Does this sound like young people you know? (no names, please) Do you think young people have always been like this and I'm just crazy? If not, to what do you attribute this phenomenon? What - if anything - might be the antidote?

Depressing
It seems like this FISA bill would have been an easy one to argue against on principal, without concern that the GOP smear machine would accuse all Democrats of being wusses. But, they're caving rather than fight. Having watched this interview last night, I can assure that you probably don't want to watch Jonathan Turley explain just how horrible this is, but just in case:

RFK Jr's Energy Manifesto
This is a couple of months old, but a great read. In Vanity Fair, Robert Kennedy, Jr. discusses our energy opportunities in a "manifesto", offering the next President some very specific advice that's pretty educational to a nimrod like myself.

There’s a second thing the next president should do, and it would be a strategic masterstroke: push to revamp the nation’s antiquated high-voltage power-transmission system so that it can deliver solar, wind, geothermal, and other renewable energy across the country. Right now, a Texas wind-farm manager who wants to get his electrons to market faces two huge impediments. First, our regional power grids are overstressed and misaligned. The biggest renewable-energy opportunities—for instance, Southwest solar and Midwest wind—are outside the grids’ reach. Furthermore, traveling via alternating-current (A.C.) lines, too much of that wind farmer’s energy would dissipate before it crossed the country. The nation urgently needs more investment in its backbone transmission grid, including new direct-current (D.C.) power lines for efficient long-haul transmission.

MEDIA MONDAY
What have you been reading, listening to, watching?

Weekend Box Office
1.Hancock
2.Wall-E
3.Wanted
4.Get Smart
5.Kung Fu Panda

Doc Watch
I saw 3 a couple of weeks ago.

Note by Note is a beautiful, fascinating look inside the Steinway & Sons piano factory in New York. It follows a single concert grand, starting as a long piece of wood from an Alaskan lumberyard through the year-long process it takes to make it a finished Steinway. The clear highlight is meeting the people who work with such obvious pride and skill at their jobs, which are shockingly un-automated.

My Name is Albert Ayler uses lots of first-person speaking from the subject himself to explore the music and psyche of one of my (anti-)heroes. Some of the footage is astounding - I had never actually seen film of him playing before - and the audio is revealing. I learned lots about him I didn't know, but still I have to say, I was a bit disappointed in the film.

Standard Operating Procedure is Errol Morris' new film, about the Abu Ghraib scandal. It's another haunting work by him, wrenching and powerful and so very disturbing. Somehow, he managed to make an entire film about the public characters of the scandal and still leave the impression that the subject of the story should be not those in the pictures, but those never pictured, whose actions remain a mystery. Even without pointing to much evidence of it directly, we are left knowing that something truly horrible was taking place in the prison, having almost nothing to do with the pictures we all saw and found abhorrent. The "real torture", someone says, was taking place behind the closed doors. I highly recommend it, but I don't think I could ever watch it again.

Holding Serve
Imagine if Major League Baseball instituted a new rule: only pitchers can bat. The notoriously weak hitting hurlers would ensure a defensive duel. Extra inning games would be the norm as team batting averages of .100 would struggle to score a single run.

That's a little what watching men's tennis is like these days. For some reason, I'm keeping an eye on the Wimbledon final. Basically, it's just a matter of waiting for a player to break serve, to have a chance to win. 48 games in to the match and it's only happened 3 times (a worse batting average, even, than most pitchers). Unless and until it happens a 4th time, nobody will ever win. Ever.

There are many reasons to prefer women's tennis that I won't go in to here. But, this is another.

[UPDATE: Of course, as soon as I type that, Federer gets broken in the 49th. But still, for such a close championship match, "the best ever", they are saying on my teevee, it sure can get boring.]

Gay McPride
McDonald's great sin, by the way, was sponsoring the San Francisco Gay Pride parade last year.

The Ted Kennedy Health Reform Act
You know that overhauling our health care system is where he wants to leave his legacy. Even in the hospital for brain surgery, he was making plans for his final act.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy's office has begun convening a series of meetings involving a wide array of healthcare specialists to begin laying the groundwork for a new attempt to provide universal healthcare, according to participants
...
Kennedy's committee has held two meetings so far - one with healthcare coalitions, the other with physicians' groups. Eight more will be held by the end of the month. The meetings are attended by aides for committee members of both parties, said Craig Orfield, a spokesman for Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming, the ranking Republican on the committee.

Come On In, the Water's Fine?
File this one under knowing-too-many-stats. A huge and impressive cleanup of the Cumberland River over the last dozen years has led to a yearly pr event demonstrating the cleanliness of the water as area swimmers throw on life vests and take a lap across. I'm sure it is, as they say, clean enough to swim in. For my money though, Councilwoman Emily Evans might want to abandon the precise statistics, you know, because of the imagery.

Emily Evans, who started organizing the event last fall, said the river was safe and pointed out that every swimmer would wear a life vest.

Evans, one of five council members who swam, also said sewage overflows into the river have decreased from 2.3 billion gallons in 1989 to 16 million gallons in 2007.

That's quite a decrease..I suppose...but come on, don't tell me there are 16 million gallons of sewage flowing into the river. It might not be much by river standards, but it sure sounds like plenty.

Announcing the Big Gay Mac?
In my inbox, I just got word from Donald Wildmon of the American Family Association - the freaks that started the boycott of Disney, and Ford (for advertising in gay magazines) - that he will have a "major announcement concerning McDonald's" on Thursday. I wait with bated breath.

Are You at Risk for Diabetes?
The NYTimes blog on health often has some interesting bits in it. Recently, a piece outlined the "11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating" (and in fact I'm not, with the exception of a little blueberry action). But I also recommend their post yesterday on diabetes. A recent study shows that more than 1 in 4 Americans is either diabetic or in a pre-diabetic stage. Included is a simple and brief questionnaire to help you evaluate your risk level. Remember to answer all the questions honestly... unlike when you get asked about how many fruits and vegetables you are eating, when you are clearly lying through your teeth.

Obama's Week
In case you missed it, Obama is giving a series of speeches in the runup to July 4. Yesterday's speech was about patriotism. Today's is about faith, specifically expanding and changing the focus of the President's faith-based funding program.

This part of the campaign might be a little bumpy for those of us who are unabashed liberals, not that there was anything in the first speech I find objectionable. (and not much in the second either) Like Atrios says, Obama's not trying to get our vote anymore. He's got it. Others still need to be convinced if he's going to win. It makes perfect sense, and doesn't mean he's excessively pandering. It just means he's shaping emphasizing his convictions with strategy.