The UK's Times Online ranks the greatest American presidents. Abraham Lincoln is first on the list. A worthy choice, although my personal favorite, Thomas Jefferson, is ranked a disappointing fourth.

In last place: James Buchanan. The Times Online ranks the current Bush in 37th place, tied with Nixon. Harrison, Van Buren, and Pierce round out the bottom.

Live from New York, Celebrity John McCain hosts Saturday Night Live tonight. This is an open thread to discuss his performance or anything else.

Update(TL): Anita and I loved the intro. It was the most human we've ever seen McCain. Cindy's role was perfect. Palin holding the t-shirt was genius. They were almost likable. Too little, too late though. Thank goodness. Now we're looking forward to the skewering of Olbermann. (We're also on our third biff of the evening.)

Update: Transcript of McCain segment below:

Remember this Saturday Night Live skit, showing John McCain slinking away from a George Bush endorsement? One of the few politicians with a lower approval rating than Bush has emerged from his bunker to stump for McCain.

“Earlier today, Dick Cheney came out of his undisclosed location and hit the campaign trail. He said that he is, and I quote, ‘delighted to support John McCain,’” Obama said at an outdoor rally in this Colorado town where he was accompanied by his wife and two young daughters.

“I’d like to congratulate Sen. McCain on this endorsement because he really earned it. That endorsement didn’t come easy. Sen. McCain had to vote 90% of the time with George Bush and Dick Cheney to get his support.”

Cheney gave his speech in Wyoming, perhaps the only state that still welcomes his presence. But why let Cheney see daylight? Surely the McCain campaign isn't worried that Wyoming will turn blue.

I can't think of a better place to blog the final days of the election than Owl Farm. I just arrived and am waiting for Anita to get here.

On the drive up, I heard both Obama's Pueblo speech and McCain's PA speech. I heard Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney and Joe Biden.

I doubt this election will be close, but still, everyone needs to get out and vote.

This is an open thread, I'll be back later. Here is another photo and larger version of the one above.

Why John McCain would want an inarticulate, corrupt boob like John Boehner to campaign on his behalf is difficult to understand -- except that inarticulate, corrupt boobs (and a few Hollywood celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger) are all he has left.

Appropriately enough, Boehner was campaigning for McCain in a bar. He's at his best when he's had a few drinks. At the Brick Street Bar and Grill in Oxford, Florida, Boehner criticized Barack Obama for voting "present" 3 percent of the time he voted in the Illinois legislature:

"Now, listen, I've voted 'present' two or three times in my entire 25-year political career, where there might have been a conflict of interest and I didn't feel like I should vote," Boehner said. "In Congress, we have a red button, a green button and a yellow button, alright. Green means 'yes,' red means 'no,' and yellow means you're a chicken sh!t. And the last thing we need in the White House, in the oval office, behind that big desk, is some chicken who wants to push this yellow button."

Is there really a yellow button in the White House, Senator Boehner? [more ...]

John McCain must now defy history. No candidate trailing in the Gallup poll at the end of October has ever won the Presidency since Gallup commenced polling (note - in the Truman-Dewey race, Gallup did not poll till the end of October.) Today Gallup has Obama leading by 10, 52-42 in both likely voter measures, the traditional and the expanded models.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

In Colorado, the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC) has been helping inmates who are eligible to vote. The Aspen Daily News reports:

In Colorado you are barred from voting only from the day you are convicted of a felony offense until you complete your prison time and any parole sentence.

So you can vote if you are in jail on a misdemeanor conviction, free on bail for any crime, if you are a pre-trial jail detainee, or have completed your sentence and parole. Colorado felons are allowed to vote while on probation.

Colorado is considered "moderate" when it comes to inmate voting. Among other states, [More...]

The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is being held in Jacksonville, Florida today.

Go Gators!!

This is an Open Thread.

DKos/R2000 has Obama by 7, 51-44. The last two nights of polling have been +8 and +9. I predict that come Tuesday morning, this poll will predict a 9 point Obama win. Ras ticks one point in Obama's direction to a 5 point lead, 51-46. Ras seems headed to predicting a 5 point Obama win come Tuesday. No tracker has McCain closer than 4 (IBD/TIPP has Obama by 4.4, Battleground has Obama by 4) Most have the race closer to 9 ( See Gallup, WaPo and Hotline.)

Here is our fun with Zogby moment of the day - today Zogby's poll show McCain doing better with women (where he trails by 4) than men (where he trails by 6.) Zogby is truly a joke. Even when he is angling for publicity as he is today, he can't tell a plausible story.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

Earlier today I wrote about the latest Colorado poll showing Obama still with a big lead over John McCain. A reader asked me if I'm ready to call Colorado for Obama yet.

I thought I was, but now I'm having second thoughts. He was just in Denver and Fort Collins last week, so why are he and Michelle coming back to Colorado tomorrow to do a rally in Pueblo? Pueblo is a Democratic county. Maybe it's just that early voting turnout in Pueblo has not been as high as other places. As of today:[More...]

In Michigan, more than 300 juveniles have been sentenced to life without parole. More than 300 kids thrown away. Michigan should give them a chance to earn their freedom.

Michigan's notorious juvenile lifer law has brought international shame to the state and contradicted common sense, legal traditions and public opinion. ... Bills now before the Senate Judiciary Committee would prohibit life-without-parole sentences for juveniles and give those now serving those sentences a chance at parole after 10 years.

[more ...]

Almost two years ago, TalkLeft began a series of posts addressing the death of Kathryn Johnston, a 92 year old woman who was killed by police officers during a drug raid in Atlanta. The officer who swore to the search warrant application invented an undercover drug buy in the woman's residence that never occurred.

The officers lied to a judge, smashed in Johnston’s door and unloaded 39 shots at the elderly woman as she fired a shot at the invaders with an old revolver. One officer then handcuffed Johnston as she lay dying. Drugs were then planted in her basement.

Two involved officers were convicted of manslaughter in state court and federal civil rights charges. They are awaiting sentencing. A third just entered a guilty plea to a federal charge of conspiring to violate civil rights in exchange for a recommended sentence of about 10 years. That officer is already serving a 4 1/2 year sentence for lying to investigators about the botched raid.