Unlike the entire Left blogosphere, I could not care less how many homes John McCain's heiress wife has purchased for him. I worry about McCain's tendency to react like a madman regarding foreign policy issues (see the Russia-Gerogia conflict). But I do find it amusing that McCain's "reluctance" to discuss his prisoner of war experience does not extend to responding to silly charges about houses. Via TPM:

This is a guy who lived in one house for five and a half years -- in prison," [McCain] spokesman Brian Rogers told the Washington Post.

Aren't you glad Obama threw Wes Clark under the bus for saying getting your plane shot down was not commander in chief experience? I'm telling you, convicted felon former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a Vietnam war ace, got a raw deal.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

The great Gene Upshaw, a great football player and leader of the NFL Players Association, has passed away:

Gene Upshaw, the Hall of Fame guard who during a quarter century as union head helped get NFL players free agency and the riches that came with it, has died. He was 63. Upshaw died Wednesday night at his home near California’s Lake Tahoe, of pancreatic cancer, which was diagnosed only last Sunday, the NFL Players Association said Thursday. His wife Terri and sons Eugene Jr., Justin and Daniel were by his side.

“Few people in the history of the National Football League have played the game as well as Gene and then had another career in football with so much positive impact on the structure and competitiveness of the entire league as Gene,” former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue said.

RIP, Gene Upshaw.

In a rare display of ethical responsibility, an assistant prosecutor has been fired and referred for disciplinary charges after he ignored evidence that proved the defendant was elsewhere when the murder with which he was charged was committed. TalkLeft discussed the wrongful conviction of Claude McCollum earlier this year.

Without providing details, the county prosecutor in Ingham County, Michigan announced the firing of Eric Matwiejczyk at a news conference yesterday. The prosecutor also "released a report from the state Attorney General's Office that he says exonerates his office of any allegations prosecutors knew about" the exculpatory evidence prior to trial. Matwiejczyk claims he gave the new evidence to the defense during the trial, but the defense attorney is uncertain whether it was provided during the trial or only after the trial ended. In any event, it's clear that Matwiejczyk went forward with the trial despite his knowledge that the new evidence demonstrated McCollum's innocence. Matwiejczyk's response -- he didn't believe the new evidence was accurate, even though it was furnished to him by the police -- is feeble. Matwiejczyk deserves to have his apparent misconduct investigated.

Kevin Drum reports:

..In a New York Times Magazine piece running this weekend, David Leonhardt does a good job of describing Barack Obama's economic worldview, which is dominated by a mindful friendliness toward market solutions for economic problems (Cass Sunstein calls him a "University of Chicago Democrat").

Since this comment is about Obama's economic views, I am fine with it. My problem with University of Chicago Democrats like Cass Sunstein are on civil liberties issues, the right to privacy and Executive Power. As a centrist, free trader, Rubin Democrat, Obama sounds good to me on trade and free markets. But how about all the "fair trading" populists? How do they feel about that?

Post Script - here is the NYTimes Magazine article and reading through it, sounds to me like Obama on his approach to economics is the second coming of Bill Clinton. I mean that as a a compliment.

by Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

Nevada is one of those states where the map can change for Democrats. But it's tight according to this Research2000 poll (I find R2000 to have a slight tendency to favor Dems):

A new RGJ/KTVN Channel 2 poll being released today shows Nevada continues to be a true toss-up in the presidential race. In the poll of 600 likely Nevada voters, 44 percent favor U.S. Sen. Barack Obama and 43 percent favor U.S. Sen. John McCain. The results also indicate that support for Libertarian candidate, Bob Barr, expected to do well enough in Nevada to draw votes away from McCain, is slipping. He registered just 3 percent support, while independent candidate Ralph Nader is at 2 percent. Six percent of voters remain undecided. The poll was conducted Aug. 18-20 by Research 2000 and has a 4 percent margin of error.

Colorado, NM and Nevada are tighter than I thought they would be when I called Obama a shoo-in. Iowa is still Obama country. Virginia is tight. The rest of the map, at least to me, looks like the Red/Blue map we've seen for the past 8 years.

By Big Tent Democrat

[Video added by TL]

So I am tired of the guessing game and the advice (so yeah, I am tired of my posts too), just announce it already! We know he is appearing with his VP choice on Saturday in Springfield, Illinois. So sometime between now and Saturday, Obama will announce his pick. So here is the new game - WHEN will Obama send the famous text message? This afternoon? Tonight? Tomorrow morning? Tomorrow night? SATURDAY?

This is an Open Thread.

The world is a dangerous place:

More than 60 people were killed Thursday when two suicide bombers attacked Pakistan’s largest weapons manufacturing complex, just north of the capital, the deadliest attack by the Taliban in their escalating campaign against the government.

The attack came just days after the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf left two rival political parties in the governing coalition haggling over the question of succession and added a new layer of turbulence to an unstable, nuclear-armed nation. Neither party has been eager to take on the campaign against the militants, which is seen here as an American conflict foisted on Pakistan.

Some "Serious People" think we do not have enough issues in the world and need to take on Russia by expanding NATO to Georgia and the Ukraine. I disagree.

The New York Times reports some members of Congress were briefed earlier this month on a Department of Justice proposal for new FBI guidelines that loosen surveillance restrictions and that a few Senators lodged objections.

The senators said the new guidelines would allow the F.B.I. to open an investigation of an American, conduct surveillance, pry into private records and take other investigative steps “without any basis for suspicion.”

The plan “might permit an innocent American to be subjected to such intrusive surveillance based in part on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or on protected First Amendment activities,” the letter said. It was signed by Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.

Attorney General Michael Mukasey gave this unreassuring description of the plan: [More...]

Want to put the election away, Barack Obama? Yep, one more time, with feeling, pick Hillary Clinton as your VP. The most compelling reason? Obama is underperforming with Clinton supporters, the most persuadable group for him. Picking Hillary Clinton is the most powerful action Obama can take to persuade them. It is that simple.

Some people have additional arguments. David Gergen writes:

I won't be around to hear the news of who Obama picks as his Vice-Presidential candidate if today is the day he chooses to text it to the world.

Here's a place for you to keep each other updated on what happens -- or doesn't happen.

I really hope it is not Joe Biden. But since everyone else seems convinced it is, I've got my i-Pod set to play Don Henley's "The Heart of the Matter" which begins:

I got the call today I didn't want to hear
but I knew that it would come.

Next up: B.B. King and The Thrill is Gone.

My earlier post on the mountain of material Biden will provide McCain for ads belittling both Biden and Obama, is here.

It may be that Sen. Barack Obama texts out his VP choice today. The pundits think it's Joe Biden. Clearly, I hope it's not.

But, what does Biden do for Obama? He gives McCain a wealth of tv commericals to use against him.

Can you just see them now? Biden, saying Obama wasn't ready to be President and the job is "not something that lends itself to on-the-job training."

Or this 20 year old Biden campaign commercial:[More...]