Here's an open thread for all topics. And yes, we'll have another later for Gov. Sarah Palin's speech.

The open mic fiasco, what some pundits, including Republicans, really think of Sarah Palin. TPM has the transcript.

Since 2006 when TalkLeft moved to Scoop, more than 9,200 readers have registered with the site, enabling them to comment. More than 1,000 comments a day are posted here.

Here's what I've learned: The greater the number of comments on a post, the greater the drop in the quality of the discourse. It's one reason we cut comments off at 200 per thread. (The other is it's a giant drain on our bandwidth, slowing the site to a crawl.)

I'm concerned about the poor quality of the comments, particularly by those who disagree with any particular post. They usually consist of little more than childish insults like "What about X" (who through the primaries was Hillary and now is Obama). Or they are off-topic. They degrade the level of discourse on the site.

So, here's the deal: [More...]

Be nice.

Open threads are filling up quickly today. Here's another. Please remember the rules.

It's lunchtime on the East coast. I'm back at work. Here's an open thread for you, with the caveat below still in effect.

This site will not host personal attacks against Sarah Palin, rumors of a personal nature or a discussion of her personal life or that of her children. All such comments will be deleted and repeat offenders banned.

Our comment policy is here.

A personal note --I am not comfortable with writing about this election right now. I am not comfortable with the behavior of some Democrats and Left blogs regarding Sarah Palin. Of course everyone is entitled to their own views on this and I respect that. But I am entitled to mine as well. I am going to take a break and see how I feel next week.

I want to add that I believe the Obama/Biden campaign has handled the Palin matter with considerable decency and political aplomb. I applaud their behavior.

One last thing, I recommend Bob Herbert's column today.

I speak for me only of course.

This is an Open Thread.

Again, we are not discussing Gov. Sarah Palin's family issues. Zero tolerance policy.

But, I won't be silenced from discussing reasons to oppose her and the Republican party.

• Max Blumenthal in The Nation: Ultra-Right Wing Christian Cabal Vetted Palin In MN Last Week

• Katha Pollit, The Nation, Wrong Woman for the Job

• Arianna Huffington: Saving the GOP and the Unbearable Lightness of Being Sarah Palin:

More...

I hope some of you take some time to celebrate the holiday. The summer sure went by fast.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome, with the caveat I stated below. Please read it before commenting.

It made landfall this morning.

This is an Open Thread.

Who knew Jimi Hendrix would be posing the seemingly seminal question of the election? (According to some folks anyway.)

This is an Open Thread.

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 ...]

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.