1) Dems typically implode and pick the worst ticket they can find to make some ideological point, even if they know it will make them lose. It's called overreach. They think that this election is a lock and so they will nominate whomever they want thinking that unless they bring back Zombie Emma Goldman then they can pretty much pick anyone.

2) The Dem list of official victims puts women, generally at only after blacks, immigrants, the handicapped, Muslims, gays. So when we get candidates who are that, THEN we'll get a woman.

All those liberal enlightened Nordic countries that have had women at the top of the ticket? Yeah they didn't have any other oppressed minority to worry about first.

I don't see anything in his reading list that isn't covered by most BA programs. Which in an of itself isn't saying much either. It's not as if 85% of all Americans can't get by with no more than an 8th grade education. When you compare that to Hamilton, Madison, Adams, Jefferson who had facilities and literacy in Greek, Latin, Hebrew and French and who WROTE the books that we're asking our Presidents to have read today, it's pretty sad. Well at least he's not the blockhead we have now.

Fact is, Iraq is off the front page. Most Americans don't think too much about it either way. You're the 'media maven', count the decline in the number of articles now vs. 2 years ago. People are worrying about their own welfare not what the pundits are telling them to be outraged and/or terrified of. I think this more than anything is what sticks in the craw of the pundits, bloggers and other self appointed jerks; that they've lost significant power to make us sit up on our hind legs and bark on cue.

Because I've seen movies of these mass rallies. They can be pretty impressive.

Whether you like it or not don't stab the messenger. It's a big country with very long distances. Though I would be the first one to request that all the pointy heads in Salon Francisco be barred from traveling east of the Rockies so as to save precious resources, or, if you must, ride a bike. Even your 80 year old grandma.

Were we not treated a few months back to a yet another long boring Gary Kamiya poem to the Sierra Nevadas and the long road trip he regularly takes up there?

I lived in West Africa in '90's. I have seen 'collapse' up close. I seriously doubt whether this American culture and generation, which considers a day w/o internet and frozen pizza to be privation really understands the words that are coming out of their mouths. If you are a fan of 'collapse' then you may come to the day you are grateful you have living children you are still able to sell into slavery as opposed to having buried them.

Abortion isn't a real issue, it's a bellwether for ascribing your general brand affinity to this candidate or that. Since abortion is forever an insoluble problem it really doesn't matter what anyone thinks of it.

Your idiocy is neither here nor there. But you and your 17 fellow bloganauts, you keep right on clapping each other on the back. The Dems will have a huge problem if they attempt to resurrect Iraq as the single sole once and ever only issue in this election. Luckily they don't listen to the fools here.

Concerned about the transparent efforts to wrap him in the bunting of all that is holy. C'mon, on the anniversary of MLK's speech? Will he wear Jackie Robinson's numbered jersey too? Will Streisand and Maya Angelou sing a duet? Will there be a cleric from each of the largely interchangeable major world faiths in attendance? Will we even know who his running mate is by then or does he stand alone Christlike?

Doesn't this all sound a bit like NPR's version of NASCAR?

It must mean you're taking the time and money to eat out. Perhaps you need to dial back on that.

By the way, big or small, the US could save as much as fuel as forcing everyone into hybrids by simply dictating the gross weight of all passenger vehicles down by a small amount, say 10%. Pound for pound American passenger vehicles are twice as efficient as 20 years ago. Problem is they weigh twice as much. My Camry, empty is 3000 lbs. That would be a BIG car 20 years ago. It's almost 800 lbs more than my 88 Corolla. Now setting aside the fact that some of that is in the form of additional safety requirements, there's still a great deal of buffer to pare weight down.

"Most Americans" put Iraq on the back burner. I think they also accept that the somewhat vague answers from BOTH candidates indicates that whoever, whatever, we'll be in Iraq for years more.

Yes this will happen around labor day. The earth is coming to an end. Didn't you see this?

http://www.slate.com/id/2194503/

Kinda sucks because I will have already paid all the college tuition for the never to be completed semester.