No surprises in the abortion plank of the Republican platform. In 2000, John McCain wanted the platform to include exceptions for rape and incest, and to save the mother's life. He said in May that he still held to those positions. He apparently has little influence over the platform of the party he leads, or he's choosing not to exert the influence he has. The platform will not include those exceptions. Wonder why?

Mr. McCain has been trying to win over social conservatives wary of his candidacy, and the party is set to approve the platform Monday without the exceptions. On Friday, he named a vice-presidential running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, who opposes any exception for abortion and whose selection was hailed unequivocally by groups opposing abortion rights.

Under McCain/Palin, the Grand Old Party is the Same Old Party. The party that refuses to respect a woman's right to choose. The party that would rather see a woman die than allow a pregnancy to be terminated medically.

Josh Marshall defends his reporting on Gov. Sarah Palin's alleged abuse of power involving her ex-brother in law, state trooper Mike Wooten:

I've noticed some people who should know better claiming that bringing up Gov. Palin's troopergate scandal is tantamount to making a victim of or defending her slimeball ex-brother-in-law who allegedly [BTD - makes you wonder how much Marshall knows about this story as Wooten admits to the tasering] once used a taser on his stepson. That's awfully foolish. So I thought I'd put together a post explaining why.

The person in question is state trooper Mike Wooten -- Palin's ex-brother-in-law who's embroiled in a bitter custody and divorce battle with Palin's sister. . . . Most people who are familiar with the ugliness that often spills out of custody and divorce cases know to take accusations arising out of the course of them with a grain of salt unless you know a lot about the people involved.

(Emphasis supplied.) More . . .

Al Giordano is right, the Obama bio video that preceded his nomination acceptance speech was fantastic. If you missed it, here it is:

Perhaps hearing it from Digby will make it more palatable:

I really hope the Obama campaign does not take to heart some of the "advice" it's getting about going after Palin with snappy slogans over her picture that say "this is what McCain thinks is ready to lead?" After all the talk in this election about feminism, I think the Obama campaign is sensitive enough to know that that reads like a sexist dogwhistle loud enough to shatter the sound barrier. This is not a good approach.

I don't think that many Hillary followers will vote for an anti-choice zealot, but there is no point in unnecessarily suppressing the female Obama vote by thoughtlessly pushing buttons that don't need to be pushed. McCain chose Palin partially because they wanted to keep open the wounds of feminist discontent and there's no reason to help them by picking at the scabs. There are many things on which to attack her --- her social conservatism, her anti-environmental extremism, her bad policies, even her potential corruption, but her inexperience has to be handled very deftly. [More . . .]

Digby writes about the Democratic Convention:

I was quite surprised at how ... well, progressive everyone was. The Democratic party is beginning to unapologetically identify itself as ideological again, tempered with a new pragmatism about Obama and what we can expect him to accomplish on his own. There wasn't much disagreement at all on issues or the fact that the party establishment is not going to do what needs to be done without strong outside pressure.

The task before us, as a progressive movement, is to figure out how to make them do it. . . .

(Emphasis supplied.) Agreed. But, here's my question, where was this awareness for the past year? And what evidence is there of it now, other than Convention cocktail party talk?

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

According to this story, Joe Lieberman was John McCain's preferred choice for VP. Ultimately, he listened to advisers who gave him the obvious news: McCain-Lieberman was a losing ticket if he wanted to hold his base.

For weeks, advisers close to the campaign said, Mr. McCain had wanted to name as his running mate his good friend Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, the Democrat turned independent. But by the end of last weekend, the outrage from Christian conservatives over the possibility that Mr. McCain would fill out the Republican ticket with Mr. Lieberman, a supporter of abortion rights, had become too intense to be ignored.

Polling didn't help McCain pick Sarah Palin since "virtually no one had heard of her, a McCain adviser said." She beat out Tim Pawlenty and Mitt Romney because she had "glowing reviews from influential social conservatives" and McCain felt he needed an "attention-grabbing choice." [more ...]

Sending good thoughts to those in the path of Hurricane Gustav. New Orleans has been evacuated.

This is an open thread.

Steve Benen writes about the Palin pick:

A top "loyal Bushie" told the Politico's Mike Allen that McCain's decision is "disrespectful to the office of the presidency." That's actually a pretty good way of characterizing it. . . . Campaigns have their ads, their polls, and their tactics, but at the end of the day, credible people who care about the country know that this is more than just a theatrical game -- the future of the nation counts more than the future of a candidate. . . . [H]onorable Americans of character don't gamble with the nation's well-being. They know there are lines that can't be crossed for expediency's sake, no matter how strong the temptation.

(Emphasis supplied.) [More...]

Yesterday we noted the Washington Post picked up on Troopergate. Tonight, it's McClatchy.

Is Gov. Sarah Palin ready for what's coming her way?

Politico reports John McCain may postpone the Republican National Convention. Daily Kos says it's a good idea.

Update: Five questions Gov. Sarah Palin needs to get ready to answer, from her financial disclosures to her passport.

Update: Marcy weighs in on Palin. Humorist Mad Kane writes a limmerick, Sarah Who?

Borrowing from the Bush Administration's "preemptive war" playbook, police agencies in the Twin Cities made "preemptive strikes" against organizations planning to protest at the Republican National Convention.

Ramsey County authorities conducted raids across Minneapolis and St. Paul Friday and Saturday .... Five people were arrested and more than 100 were handcuffed, questioned and released by scores of deputies and police officers, according to police and elected officials familiar with the raids.

The police continue to be obsessed with groups that came to town to monitor police misconduct. [more ...]

The Florida Gators stomped the Rainbows Warriors of Hawaii 56-10. Michigan lost its home opener for the second year in a row, this time to Utah, 25-23. It was a good day.

This is an Open Thread.