""News reports suggest that McCain is struggling to fill a 10,000-seat arena in Dayton""

That is typical GOP propaganda. They give out false leaks to press cronies like Charles Babbington of API, who then print it. Then the GOP sends 50,000 people to the arean so that it is standing room only outside and claim "The media is so biased! See how they disrespect and underestimate us?"

This past week's GOP meme was to vastly overestimate the poll bump Obama would get from the Democratic convention. I heard GOP mouthpieces claim that they expected a 15 point jump in the polls for Obama. Last night I turned on Fox Noise to laugh at a rerun of their coverage. That Greta woman with the facelift that looks like a Halloween mask was talking to some political linguist who was wearing a Beatle wig. They were claiming Obama would get a 10 point lead in the polls, all the while denigrating his speech.

You know and I know Obama will not get such a bump in the polls, but the GOP will say, when Obama gets maybe a 3 point bump, "Oh look! He only got 3 points when everyone was expecting a 10 to 15 point lead! See how the media loves Obama and overstimates him?"

That's how they manufacture news and "public" opinion.

This weekend, it seemed bizarre to me that so many websites were proffering the odd rumor that Sarah Palin's child was really her daughter's baby. I wondered "WTF? Where did _that_ come from? With all the questions about Palin, why would anyone focus on such a bizarre theory?"

Lo and behold, today the Palin family announced Bristol's pregnancy.

Coincidence?

I think not.

The McCain campaign is obviously the origin of the Trig rumor. There was no reason for anyone to be fixated on Bristol Palin this weekend. Unless... unless someone wanted to start and spread an outrageously fake rumor in preparation for announcing the truth.

It's an old trick. You have bad news? Make it worse by embellishment. Then, when the truth is found to be less outrageous, it seems unimportant compared to what might have been. Plus, you get to coldly damn those who helped spread the rumor.

I will bet dimes to dollars that GOP operatives were the source of the "leak" to bloggers this weekend with the Trig (or is it Trey? Trak?) rumor. They did it to discredit the bloggers and to prepare for the pregnancy announcement, which is less disturbing than the possibility of a baby-mom switch.

for choosing Palin be her family? Not for political reasons, but because he needs to be around lots of young blood?

He has been looking a great deal like Jacob Marley's ghost these days. Maybe we should get an independent dental examination to check his incisors, make sure they aren't sharpened to a point?

And why she is draped in a flowing white blanket while holding him. I mean come on, she only needs a burp pad on her shoulder, not a white robe.

Ahhh.. a white robe! A young woman, her face framed by pulled-back dark hair, a baby held close to her at all times, a white robe atop her clothes.

She is being iconized. She is supposed to remind us of another dark haired, white-draped young lady cradling a baby who lived more than 2,000 years ago.

I kid you not. The GOP is Mary-izing this girl. And it will work. Remember, though Mary had a baby, she was a virgin. They are making Bristol look like a virgin mother. Get ready to see Bristol carrying that baby with her day and night.

But don't ask me who is going to hold that little baby when her own child is born. Certainly not her busy, busy mom.

She looks like a cross between Bubble and Patsy Stone from "Ab Fab."

"So getting married makes it ok?"

Yes, it does. Evangelicals have no qualms against divorce. In fact, evangelicals have more divorces between them than anybody else I know. They sometimes have 4 sets of stepgrandparents. They are all worried about how gays will defile the institution of marriage, but they jump in and out of marriages as if it is a big ole game of hopscotch. They use the all-purpose evangelical explanation: "We all make mistakes. Not even Christians are perfect."

So there will be a shotgun marriage and a divorce in a few years. No biggie.

It's an official assassination song!

Tony got blown away to it in front of his family (as revenge for killing Phil in front of his wife and infant grandkids) in the last episode.

Nice goin' GOP.

This is a bigger blunder than Reagan using "Born in the USA" thinking it was patriotic.

She was a member of a secessionist party and gives a greeting speech at that party's annual convention. She gave one this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4iCDBIAde8

The Alaskan Independence Party is full of cray-zee nutz. Take a look at this guy, who in 2007 claimed he was NOT an American, but an Alaskan and that AIC members' kids give a thumbs down gesture when 'American' is mentioned in school and give a thumbs up when 'Alaskan' is mentioned. He also says that Palin was an AIP member but joined the GOP "to get along to go along" and infers she is still a secret AIP member who is pretending to be a Republican.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Re0vmbtHK8&feature=related

I have a friend who is a Red Diaper baby. His father was fired from his job -- in the 1960s, mind you -- for being a member of the Communist Party. He has a letter from his state's governor firing him. According to the governor, the Communist Party advocated the overthrow of the US government, so he was let go from his low-level government job.

What a difference. Now we have a governor who has supports a group which advocates secession from the United States! overthrow it.

Too wild!