obviously, the Obama camp would like to position its candidate as Lincoln to McCain's Douglas.

Except that Lincoln lost the campaign during which the Lincoln-Douglas debates were held. Douglas went on to win the Illinois Senate seat that year, although it did position Lincoln for his eventual Presidential run.

the producer was attempting to be 'cute' by referencing the movie of the same title."

Being cute by referencing a title to a film that came out and disappeared two months ago? I'm a Tina Fey fan (and have been so since her Second City days) and didn't make that connection at all.

It strikes me that this statement:

Ailes, unruffled, said it might not have been this way if Obama had more willingly come on the air instead of so often giving Fox the back of his hand.

Is fundamentally at odds with this statement:

Ailes adds, "I wanted [Obama] to understand that we're a real journalism organization and we're going to cover what's there. We're not out to get him.

The former certainly sounds like a schoolyard taunt rather than a "real journalism organization."

It is interesting to read about all these people who can't vote for Obama because they don't know enough about him and he's still a mystery, yet are more than happy to be supporting Sarah Palin.

Obama is only a mystery and a closed book to those who have willfully extended their ignorance.

it veers close to blaming the victim.

It veers close to it, swerves to hit it, runs over it, backs up, runs over it again, revs its motor and pops it into gear to peel off its mutilated corpse.

Sarah "Caribou Barbie" Palin, "Tailgunner" Joe McCarthy, Michele "Anti-Americans in Congress" Bachmann

George W. Bush, a pretzel, the Heimlich maneuver

What would be nice is a note about how many American nobelists are still alive. Is this 76 out of 100 or 76 out of 150?

I live in Illinois and don't recall seeing more than a handful of ads for either candidate. More than 90% of the ads up here are for various Congressional races (we have a Senatorial race, too, but you wouldn't know it from watching television).

Of course, Tom Lehrer wrote a wonderful satire of the Vice Presidency with his song "Whatever Became of Hubert."

Of course it is Obama's fault. If he hadn't gone and gotten himself elected, Blago wouldn't have had the chance to sell his seat.

IIRC he's lost every race he's run for statewide office.

You recall wrong.

Burris was Illinois Comptroller from 1979 through 1991. To get that position, he had to win several statewide elections.

Burris served as Illinois Attorney General from 1991 through 1995, again, winnign statewide election to serve.

Burris has lost in primaries, but never in a general election.

Although people keep talking about Powell v. McCormick, that is in the House. There is only one case of the Senate refusing to accept an appointed or elected Senator since the move to direct election of Senators. That case was in 1926 for Frank Smith, who had won an election (and also was appointed) to fill the same seat Obama just vacated. The Senate refused his appointment, they refused to accept him as an elected Senator, and eventually, more than a year after he first presented credentials, he announced his resignation and a special election was held.

C.R. Skees asked about the difference between Biden's oath and Obama's oath.

The oath for the Presidency comes directly from Article II, Section I of the Constitution. There is, however, no mandated oath for the Vice President. The one currently used is also used by Senators, Congressmen, and other high officials. It has been used by the Vice Presidency (with minor changes) since 1884.

John Quincy Adams took the oath of office on a Book of Law, which actually makes more sense than a Bible given the Bill of Rights.

Theodore Roosevelt, a Republican, didn't use anything.

Lyndon Johnson used a Roman Catholic Missal for his first inauguration, apparently there being no Bible on Air Force One.

And Franklin Pierce may have used a Bible, but he affirmed, rather than swore.

It was so passionate that here at my office in Illinois, we gave up watching about ten minutes in.

The Chicago Tribune calls for all Democrats to resign. They spent several years pushing a recall measure which would have been retroactive. They are counting the days until the next primary because they disagree with what the Cook County Board did. Having the Tribune call for a Democrat's nomination is about as newsworthy as announcing that Rush Limbaugh said something stupid.

If the Rightwingers are so sure the Mainstream Media is liberal, they should welcome the fairness doctrine, since it would mean the MSM would have to move further to the right.

It certainly is a good thing the Republicans didn't shout about how the President should be allowed to have whatever advisers he wanted back when George W. Bush was shredding the Constitution. If they had, this move might make them look like hypocrites and people who believe in politics uber alles.

For those who are comparing Norm Coleman to Al Gore in 2000, please learn your history. The first lawsuit in that case was not filed by Al Gore, but rather by George Bush. Bush is the one who, despite the Republican mantra of states rights, took the case to the Supreme Court. Gore, once he started filing lawsuits, wanted the case to be decided in Florida.

@Stozzel: No matter how many times you claim Vitter is a Democrat, the reality based world is at odds with your perception.

And yes, with Vitter (R-LA), it is the hypocrisy, just as it was in the Elliott Spitzer case, or the Larry Craig case.