When we as American citizens are called upon to work for and support not only our chosen Party, but the candidate that our Party has selected for the General Election, then that is what we must do, to do other wise is to commit a serious wrong. The Constitution grants us certain rights and common sense requires that we should exercise those rights.

As our forefathers before us and the succeeding generations since have accepted the truth that all men/women are created equal; that by the very citizenship granted by this the Government of the United States of America, they must participate in the political system that these same forefathers had designed, to fail to do so will allow a government that will gather onto itself powers other than those granted by the governed.

Welcome back for more speculation! Today we'll poll the second-tier possibilities for Obama's v.p., from my new slimmed-down field of 28.

This elimination series will begin with the bottom 14 names, then eliminate the bottom vote-getter(s) and replace them with new names from just up the list for the next thread, reaveraging as we go (so each thread's bottom vote-getter(s) may not be the ones cut for the next--who's cut will be determined by the new averages generated from this elimination series's votes). I hope that'll be complicated enough to dissatisfy and confuse everyone equally. I'm hoping we'll have five or six candidates left when Obama picks and see if the DKos wisdom of crowds is. It should take about 14 threads to get all of the top candidates in the poll again, out of the 28 or so total threads.

Please discuss any v.p. candidates in the comments. The most correct format would be to simply state their name, unless you have further comments, in which case, "I believe _ _ should be Obama's v.p. running mate because..." "Oh my God, where's Jane/Johnny Politician?!" would be a bit alarmist, don't you think? I'm sure they're fine. I'm happy to hear all ideas, and of course I'm no official gatekeeper, so play nice.

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My copy of the New Yorker was in my mailbox when I arrived home Tuesday night.  I have been receiving the New Yorker for about 30 years after reading Brendan Gill’s book about it, and deciding that my mother (who has probably been a subscriber since the mid or late 1940s) might have been right about what the magazine presents.  Between Roger Angell, John Updike, Woody Allen, Garrison Keillor, Elizabeth Kolbert (today, Elizabeth Drew in the days of yore), Seymour Hersh and the drawings/cartoons, if you insist, and everything else, I am always glad to see it.

Some keep saying that Obama's numbers are like John Kerry's in 2004.
Certainly, statewise they aren't, in particular not in Ohio.

Welcome back for more speculation! Today we'll poll the top 13 average vote-getting possibilities for Obama's v.p. in average votes over all of these threads' polls, plus Sen. Jeff Bingaman (NM), who I think needs another round of voting to get a good average before I cut the field down.

Next thread I'm going to narrow the field from three to two tiers of 14--if Obama hasn't decided by then. I'll reset the averages then, too, and run a single-elimination poll each day going through the two remaining tiers, so maybe we'll have five or six candidates left when Obama picks and see if the DKos wisdom of crowds is. It should take about 14 threads to get all of the top candidates in the poll again of the 28 or so total threads in this elimination series.

Please discuss any v.p. candidates in the comments. The most correct format would be to simply state their name, unless you have further comments, in which case, "I believe _ _ should be Obama's v.p. running mate because..." "Oh my God, where's Jane/Johnny Politician?!" would be a bit alarmist, don't you think? I'm sure they're fine. I'm happy to hear all ideas, and of course I'm no official gatekeeper, so play nice.

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I heard of a poll today on NBC that seemed to be saying the election was drawing into pretty much a dead heat here in the middle of summer. A poll is just numbers, saying what they might mean is opinion and that's where I come in. It's no surprise that the electorate, at least those who were "polled", are generally evenly divided. This has been the case for several elections now. But specifically this year, it may be the result of a let down after the protracted Democratic primary and voters reassessing the candidates. This poll seems to suggest that many voters who had been supporting Democrat Hillary Clinton are not just automatically backing the presumed Democratic nominee Barack Obama.

Mark Hyman, the Sinclair Broadcasting hack, Sleaze Boater apologist, and on-air pimp for Tom Lipscomb's Pulitzer scam, has outdone himself this time.

His American Spectator "special report" (cue the ticker!) is so full of outdated lies, distortions, and just plain bad information, he makes Lipscomb's latest sleazefest look like real journalism by comparison.

Let's have a good laugh at what this blowhard managed to come up with.

Welcome back for more speculation! Today we'll poll the the top gubernatorial possibilities for Obama's v.p. in average votes over all of these threads' polls. I decided to include Wesley Clark, Max Cleland, Al Gore, Joe Sestak and Anthony Zinni as well, since they have also had top-level executive experience in some governmental role (and to fill out the poll!).

I'm going to do one more thread polling the top candidates' overall before cutting names to narrow the field to two tiers of 14--if Obama hasn't decided by then. I'll reset the averages then, too, and run a single-elimination poll each day going through the two remaining tiers, so maybe we'll have five or six candidates left when Obama picks and see if the DKos wisdom of crowds is.

Please discuss any v.p. candidates in the comments. The most correct format would be to simply state their name, unless you have further comments, in which case, "I believe _ _ should be Obama's v.p. running mate because..." "Oh my God, where's Jane/Johnny Politician?!" would be a bit alarmist, don't you think? I'm sure they're fine. I'm happy to hear all ideas, and of course I'm no official gatekeeper, so play nice.

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    People pooh-pooh the need for a military person on the ticket, e.g., "Kerry lost", etc. --But if Kerry hadn't been a war hero, he might have done worse. (He won a lot of states, remember...) So what unconventional, not-just-some-average-Dem-politician, and militarily experienced choices could Obama make for VP?

    Anthony Zinni, Marine 4-star general, has been floated, cf. newsvine.com, Obama VP? Gen Anthony Zinni - Foreign Policy and Military Guru.

    Chuck Hagel, you know a little better. ...There is the issue of that Political Party he belongs to, but he has an independent streak and perhaps if he re-registers as an independent or something else...we'll see.

    So vote!! Thanks. It may send a message...

Welcome back for more speculation! Today we'll poll the the top 12 possibilities for Obama's v.p. in average votes over all of these threads' polls. 12 instead of 14 because of a three-way tie for thirteenth place, and because I want to work in Sen. Jeff Bingaman (NM), the most plausible candidate I haven't polled yet.

I'll alternate "break-out" polls with the top average vote-getting candidates for two more threads after this. I'm going to do the top governors/former governors and one more top candidates' thread before cutting 14 names to narrow the field to two tiers of 14--if Obama hasn't decided by then. I'll reset the averages then, too, and run a single-elimination poll each day going through the two remaining tiers, so maybe we'll have five or six candidates left when Obama picks and see if the DKos wisdom of crowds is.

Please discuss any v.p. candidates in the comments. The most correct format would be to simply state their name, unless you have further comments, in which case, "I believe _ _ should be Obama's v.p. running mate because..." "Oh my God, where's Jane/Johnny Politician?!" would be a bit alarmist, don't you think? I'm sure they're fine. I'm happy to hear all ideas, and of course I'm no official gatekeeper, so play nice.

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If we are to learn a lesson from the FISA struggle, it is that the louder we yell, the less Obama will listen to us. Paradoxically, the calmer we are, the more likely Obama will listen to us. Roger Cohen wonders why Barack Obama left Richard Holbrooke off of his foreign policy team. But he winds up answering his own question in his column. The lessons from that are important to take home.

Four years ago, the Democrats had a pretty good presidential candidate. Not a great one, but a pretty good one. John Kerry had a long record of mostly exemplary service in the Senate; he was a war hero. As the campaign unfolded, though, his major qualification for the White House seemed to boil down to one thing: he wasn't George W. Bush.

It wasn't enough. Bush kept his job.

More below.

I believe that Hillary Clinton is actively trying to undermine the Democratic Nominee for President out of spite. Her campaign staffers are betraying the party and the causes they claim to support. The truth of the matter is that this is about money, and shills need to pay their bills from renovations of their mansions. They want us, the people who are struggling to buy a tank of gas to get to work, to do it. They, like the politician they represent, are shameless.

Welcome back for more speculation! Today we'll be polling the the top possibilities for Obama's v.p. with experience in foreign policy/national security. I did not include state chief executives, who are commanders-in-chief of their states' National Guards, but who will be considered separately in two threads' time.

I'm still alternating "break-out" polls with the top 14 average vote-getting candidates in these threads' polls, averaging in each day's votes as we go. I'm going to do the top governors/former governors before cutting 14 names to narrow the field to just two tiers--that's if Obama hasn't decided by then, of course. I'll reset the averages then, too, and run a single-elimination poll each day going through the two remaining tiers of 14. So that'll start three more threads away from today.

Please discuss any v.p. candidates in the comments. The correct format would be to simply state their name, unless you have further comments, in which case, "I believe ___ ___ should be Obama's v.p. running mate because..." "Oh my God, where's Jane/Johnny Politician?!" would be a bit alarmist, don't you think? I'm sure they're fine. I'm happy to hear all ideas, and of course I'm no official gatekeeper, so play nice.

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Or should I say the top ten things he SHOULD do on his first working day as President, the day following Inaugaration Day.

Of course we all have our own preferences, but since this is my diary, I go first.I encourage you to list your own priorities in your comments.

All of the things President Obama should initiate on that highly anticipated first day are important and serious. Some are more significant than others. So I will start with the least serious and work my way up to the most imperative actions with No.10 being the least serious and No.1 being the gravest .Above all he will need to make a strong first impression, both domestically and internationally.

On Face the Nation yesterday, Senators John Kerry and Lindsay Graham made an appearance, as surrogates for the Obama and McCain campaigns, respectively.  And I have to say, the debate wasn't even close.  Read the transcript and see what I mean.  Graham was reduced to sputtering out tired talking points (yeah, for the umpteenth time we know Obama hasn't attended a dog and pony show in Iraq for two years) while Kerry gave a lesson on the long and complex histories of the Middle East, Iraq, Iran, and ... John McCain.  Although the media is working over time carrying water for their favorite "maverick", Kerry's clear spoken language on what is going on with the Republicans is exactly the right message not only for Barack Obama, but for our Congressional candidates as well.

Trei Brundrett is a Democratic activist and super-techie from Texas who traveled to Iowa in early 2004 to help the Howard Dean for President campaign.  The following interview was completed as part of research for Netroots Rising on July 25, 2007.

In Iowa, I didn't go with the Texas Rangers, I went on my own a week before the caucus and stayed until the day after the caucus. I connected  online with people that were going to be there but I didn't know anyone with the campaign there. There were some people from New Mexico that we knew from canvassing before.

"Kerry says McCain lacks judgement" - CNN

Last week I wanted more from Wes Clark. This week I want less from Kerry, for 2 reasons:  

1.  Clark has more credibility - he served a president that had no military experience and they turned the Balkan's religious war into soccer clashes.

2.  Kerry is a blast from an ignomonious past.  Kerry's military experience is as old as McCain's and less heroic - and he's tainted.

Without doubt, McCain's military judgement should be put into question.  The question is, who is the best surrogate for that role?  Clark or Webb can stay on message and still stay fresh - I have yet to hear either use tired old lines like 'Bush's 3rd term'.

As evidence of the verbal mastery, Clark's 'getting shot down' response wasn't overly sensitive, but it is a convincing and memorable argument.  Furthermore, Clark is more a military than political figure, so he has the liberty of digging hard while being dispassionately analytical.  Voters expect our Generals to be tough.