What this is is a trial balloon, possibly spread by the idiots who have bought all those ads for the Donkey-Elephant clone, or supporters of the Bloomberg ticket -- in other words, idiots.

You can't make it happen, no matter how much money or creepy ideas you have, so you spread a rumor. If you can have a few meat puppets out there saying, "What a great idea," you're doing good. Only later do the people start laughing and you know you're cooked.

Look, if Veneman is thinking better of his membership in the Bush White House, he might end up going to heaven. It might be the sign of a sea change in the GOP. But that's still no reason to put him in the White House. Remember Kerry's Real Swell Idea for a running mate? Who was it? Why John McCain! A better argument against a Kerry presidency could not be imagined.

I'm a former Hillary guy, and I've got to completely surrender to the guy. I watched a lot of the speech, and found my eyes streaming with tears a lot of the time. He made me proud and hopeful, and there's not much more a speech can do, is there?

And you are hereby forbidden to listen to MSNBC hacks like Alter and Mitchell, particularly the latter. I didn't like them when they were dining on Hillary, and I sure as hell don't think any better of them now. Hacks. Fools. It has to be said.

At least, until you start thinking about it, and realize that his definition of "white" is "lefty." Where's the hilarious takeoff on that white person, Jesse Helms? That's really the definition of "whiteness." George W. Bush is the chief White Man today, not some bicycle geek from Seattle, or the admittedly

Definition of the fake left: they never say nasty things about the opposition. They love making fun of anybody who has stuck their nose out. Next, if you really try, writer of "Stupid White People," is the post that Maureen Dowd will soon vacate: chief snark who only makes fun of what she purports to be.

What you ridicule is often true, White Guy.com. Don't call it "white" or "progressive." Unless, of course, you're just secretly making fun of lefties, but you don't want to be called a "red baiter." That, of course, is what a lot of White People love to do.

Well, Bob Schieffer, for one. When Clark made his polite and careful criticism of McCain -- strictly factual, in that he was saying that McCain has never had executive power over military decisions -- and Clark, for one, has -- Schieffer reacted as though Clark had pulled the plug on his breathing apparatus. It's pathological, folks. The media will stand together with McCain, will publish the sneakiest lies about Obama without comment, and will do its best to throw this election to McCain. Get ready for a fight.

There's a method for this. He managed to pass Clinton on the right while appearing to his supporters as more of a leftist. Now he's running away from one thing: the stereotype of him as "an angry black man," "another Jesse Jackson." (Remember? That was the comparison that was derided as "racist." It wasn't. It was that the comparison, which Bill never made in any exhaustive way, that was verboten. It was radioactive politically.)

What's the first policy speech, on Father's Day? Repeat the Sister Souljah moment. Now, just tut-tutting about FISA, no vote against. Then make nice with the fundies, establish himself as just to the left of Dobson.

Know what you call this? Politics. Others call it "triangulation." Oh, but that's another radioactive observation. He's got you, former Edwards supporters, former Kucinich people and "anybody but Clinton" people. He's after the independents and a few of the evangelicals and a moderate Republican or two. He's thinking landslide. Smart politics. Not smart movement politics, but then, he never was that.