McCain claims not to use computers.  But I think he's secretly a World of Warcraft addict, spending all his free moments in the last week trying to level up his new Dark Elf Mage.

Hence, all the crankiness in public.

And when I finally got around to listening to the album itself, I found its contents to be at once uplifting and haunting. To this day, I consider Hasten Down the Wind to be Linda Rondstadt's masterwork.  Her subsequent Grammy Award as Best Female Vocalist was well-deserved. Unlike many artists whose individual awards usually reflect their work on a specific song, the Academy of Recording Arts and Science recognized her effort for the album in its entirety. Give it a listen sometime.

That particular clip of Ms. Rondstadt that Jeralyn posted is from a rather strange little movie, FM, which died at the box office back in 1978. However, its accompanying music soundtrack went on to become one of the top five best-selling movie sountrack albums of the all time. Go figure.

And speaking of "fever in the funkhouse now," Gov. Palin has a lot of people in Anchorage taking vigorous exception with her particular performance:

Anchorage Daily News | September 26, 2008
Anti-Palin rally draws about 1,000 protesters - "A protest rally blasting Gov. Sarah Palin's handling of the state's so-called Troopergate investigation -- and calling for the attorney general to resign -- drew 1,000 or more people to the Delaney Park Strip in Anchorage on Saturday. ... Earlier, hundreds of people lined I Street, waving signs that said 'Steady on her heels, wobbly on her words' and 'Tina Fey would do a better job' at passing cars. A group calling itself Alaskans for Truth organized the event, which at times resembled a Barack Obama campaign rally."

As I posted on my groupblog:

John McCain is reckless. Why else would someone who is running for President appear at a gambling casino? I mean what is he thinking? His selection of Palin was reckless. His policy in Iraq is reckless. His statements about Iran and Georgia were reckless. His plan to privatize social security - reckless. I could go on but you get the picture.

I know there isn't a whole lot of difference between the Democrats and the Republicans but when you take that small difference and multiply it by the economic and military might of the United States, the difference between McCain and Obama may be the difference between life and death for Iraqi, Afghani civilians and American soldiers. Our country cannot afford a third term for Bush's policies.

Newsweek | September 26, 2008
A Freddie Mac Money Trail Catches Up With McCain -- "Few advisers in John McCain's inner circle inspire more loyalty from him than campaign manager Rick Davis. ... Last week, though, McCain's trust in Davis was tested again amid disclosures that Freddie Mac, the troubled mortgage giant that was recently placed under federal conservatorship, paid his campaign manager's firm $15,000 a month between 2006 and August 2008. As the mortgage crisis has escalated, almost any association with Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae has become politically toxic. But the payments to Davis's firm, Davis Manafort, are especially problematic because he requested the consulting retainer in 2006 -- and then did barely any work for the fees, according to two sources familiar with the arrangement who asked not to be identified discussing Freddie Mac business. Aside from attending a few breakfasts and a political-action-committee meeting with Democratic strategist Paul Begala (another Freddie consultant), Davis did 'zero' for the housing firm, one of the sources said. Freddie Mac also had no dealings with the lobbying firm beyond paying monthly invoices -- but it agreed to the arrangement because of Davis's close relationship with McCain, the source said, which led top executives to conclude 'you couldn't say no.'"