If either Michigan or Florida is given a re-vote or their delegates are seated (and I’m not saying either should happen) then the DNC must slash the number of delegates assigned to each (Say to the level of Alaska or Wyoming, ok by half).

Giving them a re-vote AND their full delegate count will not only reward them for breaking party rules but it will also make their votes count way out of proportion than they otherwise would have.

Even worse, in 2012 we’ll see a load of states try to jump the gun and the primaries will end up starting Dec 2008. The primary season is too long as it is.

The Democrats over-reacted taking away all of Florida and Michigan’s delegates, they should have done what the Republican’s did (there's something I never thought I would type) and slashed their delegates. Instead they went nuclear and now we're in a mess.

But if they are going to choose to ignore the rules and either allow a re-vote or seat delegates then some punishment must be inflicted. I think that should be slashing their delegate count by at least half.

Arthur C Clarke, one of the true pioneers of modern science fiction.

My college library had several of Clarke’s novels and I spent a semester reading all of them. A have a few of his novels sitting on my bookshelf now. They do indeed hold up better than many of his contemporary’s work.

I think it’s because in addition to his strong grasp of the science Clarke, better than many of the others of his era, explored the social, the human aspects of technology. Spread throughout his novels are small touches (the mish-mash of Russian and English in 2010, the cocktail party from Childhood’s End etc) that have elements of realism. Natural reactions to extraordinary events that breathe life into his characters.

He never forgot the mundane things that define humanity. People still need to communicate with each other, need to travel from place to place, need to procreate, need to connect. Clarke explored how technology affected those things. The grand vistas he created in our imaginations may be what inspire us but it was the small things that made them seem real.

Every sci-fi author today owes a debt to Clarke. His influence over the genre (particularly hard SF) can not be overstated.

A quick look at Amazon.com will show that he kept writing right up to the end (four books scheduled for publication later this year).

in litigation.

Taken at its broadest this decision allows States to ignore certain treaty obligations.

Don’t be surprised if you start seeing individual states suing to get out of different parts of NAFTA or other free trade agreements. In fact almost all international commerce is controlled by treaties so the potential mess is huge.

And as wysiwyg pointed out this could also affect treaties with Native American tribes (the casino thing could get interesting).

As mentioned on NPR this morning this throws around 70 or so treaties into a major grey area. An entire sector of well established law (both US and international) has just been thrown overboard. It will take years or more likely decades to clean up this mess.

After the last seven years the Democrats should be able to put Charles Manson and Jeffery Dahmer on the ticket and still win by five points. And yet I keep dreading that they are somehow finding a way to lose the election to ‘bomb bomb bomb Iran’ stay in Iraq for 100 years social conservative John McCain.

Granted the media has a lot to do with it. But the mishandling of the Michigan and Florida situation and the increasingly bitter tone of the campaign (on both sides) with idiots in both camps saying they will vote for McCain if their candidate doesn’t get the nod make me feel like we’ll be inaugurating John McCain President next January.

And blame falls on both candidates. As much as people like to argue Clinton should get out, the truth is Obama has three or four opportunities to seal the deal and missed them. If he had won the popular vote in either Texas or Ohio the odds are enough super delegates would have pledged to him put it out of reach for Clinton. And since there is still a glimmer of hope Clinton will drag this out convention if she can.

The longer this goes, the more bitterness builds up on both sides and say hello to President McCain.

Aren’t provincial elections coming up in few months? Isn’t there a good chance that Al-Sadr’s party could gain significant political power in southern Iraq? Along with other parties that aren’t particularly happy with the current Iraqi government?

So now the Iraqi government is launching a series of attacks designed to take out one of their leading political opponents. Make no mistake, the Prime Minister and his political allies are running these attacks directly and their clear goal is to destroy or at least seriously weaken their main political rivals for dominance in the Shiite community. Al-Sadr has, up until this point, been keeping a relative lid on his forces (not a perfect one by any means) and pursuing his goals in parliament and setting himself up for the coming elections.

In any other context this would be called a civil war. In Bush’s world view it’s a police action to deal with a few criminals.

They get all the oil money they want from Saudi Arabia already. Who do you think funds them now? Rich Sunni oil barons based in that staunch US ally in the war on terror. Our greatest ‘friend’ in the Arab world is also responsible for spreading the most militant form of Islam around the world and the vast majority of the 9/11 hijackers called Saudi Arabia their home.