... and was actually impressed with the organization of the effort. Still, some of the questions from the attendees could make one wonder how things will go next Tuesday.

I took notes of my own, even though we are supposed to receive a packet before Tuesday with all of the information from the presentation in it.

The most important things I learned, in addition to checking the vote totals at the beginning and end of the day:

If there is a problem or an issue, first talk to the Judge of Elections about it, and try to get it resolved.

Then, call someone on the legal team to report the issue, whether it was resolved or not, in order to have the issue documented, and to get help if needed.

Although provisional ballots are allowed, they should be a last resort. It is always optimal to have a voter vote in the correct precinct, and on the proper voting machine, with the proper ballot of candidates, if at all possible. In other words, make the calls necessary to determine the correct precinct, to arrange for a ride, etc.

Finally, if there have been irregularities, or if the total number of voters doesn't agree with the number of voters who have signed, then encourage the minority judge not to sign off on the results, thus allowing for a follow-up investigation.

Things we were advised to watch out for: intimdation tactics, including asking for ID's when only first-time voters are required (in my area) to show an ID; asking voters to remove campaign clothing or accessories (they're allowed to wear it-- though inside poll workers are not); distraction techniques that keep workers or voters from attending to business; voters who take to long to vote when there is a line of people waiting-- three minutes is maximum...

a reminder about this story:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1178547,00.html

in which GWB was making a "real" joke about being unable to find the WMDs in his own office.

At the time, Kerry said:

John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat who will fight Mr Bush for the White House said the joke displayed a "stunningly cavalier" attitude.

"If George Bush thinks his deceptive rationale for going to war is a laughing matter, then he's even more out of touch than we thought. Unfortunately for the president, this is not a joke."

He added: "585 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq in the last year, 3,354 have been wounded and there's no end in sight. George Bush sold us on going to war with Iraq based on the threat of weapons of mass destruction. But we still haven't found them, and now he thinks that's funny?"

At the time, "only" 585 soldiers had been killed. Now, we're nearing 3,000.

At that time, and at the WH Correspondents' dinner, Bush could not even claim to have been misunderstood. Where was the Republican outrage then? All those votes allowing Bush to invade Iraq using younger men's and women's bodies as cannon fodder, and none of those who voted for it were outraged by his unique brand of humor? Please!!!

in that date range. Perhaps you meant 1969-1970?

Certainly, it is true that I am not as comedically gifted as our current occupant of the White House, who may not be able to put together a coherent paragraph on his own-- much less an effective war plan-- but is definitely capable of going for a punchline when he thinks the occassion calls for one.

And yet, I do not think I really need to apologize for this lack, considering that Mr. Bush's own comedic efforts have included such instances as:

his hilarious effort trying to find the missing WMDs under his desk in the oval office while our soldiers were dying because of their supposed existence (where was the media's outrage then?),

his mocking of a death-row inmate for pleading not to be killed (even Tucker Carlson thought that was over the top),

his predilection for flatulence humor intended to embarrass new WH staffers (I guess that's what he meant when he talked about bringing dignity back to the WH),

his so-called banter with, and nick-naming of, the press, rubbing bald men's heads, drawing attention to a person's physical appearance in front of large crowds, and so on...

What is the common theme among all of these examples, as well as others that I have not mentioned? George Bush's humor consistently involves making fun of those he perceives as having less social standing-- i.e., power-- than he does.

My own reaction to his missing WMD joke is part of the public record from that time, easily available on the internets via the Google. Clearly, I would never knowingly make fun of our troops. Period.

Finally--- as always, I appreciate the media's feedback on my own shortcomings, even though I am not on any ticket this year. After all, any time that Mr. Bush spends attacking me-- with your help -- is time that he is not spending poking fun at others who are unable, due to the circumstances, to defend themselves.

Surely he loves ole W, too! I agree it's about the love, not the gender... or whatever.

And my guess is that Barney hasn't actually told W, yet, that he also thinks we should get out of Iraq.

After all, W said he'd keep pushing on in Iraq, even if only Barney and Laura were on his side... and I can't believe that Laura really thinks the War is a good thing.

"Look, I had to go down to Sugar Land and act as the secretary of state: 'Take your pencil into the box and write it in.'"

It is entirely possible that GWB's "coaching" may have contributed to Sekula-Gibbs' loss, since a pencil would not have worked in those particular voting machines with the dials that had to be turned to capture each letter in her hyphenated name.

That one statement by GWB could represent every other time that he has done too much while knowing too little.