He can't be serious. The selection of Sarah Palin shows a fundamental lack of judgment on the part of John McCain, and I can't help but wonder why he did it. He picked the most unqualified running mate in modern history to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency and he thinks women are going to flock to her because she's a girl? We already know the lack of respect he shows his wife, but does he really think we're all that stupid?

Sarah Palin has not been vetted, and we've only got a short time to learn the things we need to know about her. So here are some questions for Gov. Palin.

What does a VP do?

Sarah Palin admitted that she doesn't know what a VP does. Is she planning to find out before or after the election?

Karl Rove doesn't seem to think you're qualified.  Is he wrong?

Do you really disagree with scientists that polar bears are endangered? Is the preponderance of scientific evidence linking climate change to carbon emissions wrong as well? Can you cite any legitimate scientific studies to back up your position?

Does 'Troopergate', the misconduct probe for which you're currently under investigation, hurt John McCain's bid for the White House?

Is it acceptable to laugh when your state's Senate President is called a bitch, and what is the appropriate response when someone calls a cancer survivor 'a cancer'?

Do you know that there are hospitals in Texas?

Sarah Palin's water broke while she was in Texas, and rather than seek medical help for her child and herself at a Texas hospital, despite her high risk pregnancy, she flew 11 hours to Alaska on a commercial flight, risking herself, her baby, and the other passengers on board. Apparently, she did this because, as her husband noted, "You can't have a fish picker from Texas." Does Sarah realize that the Vice President is VP of the entire country, and not just Alaska?

Do you have any foreign policy experience? Did you consider getting a passport before last year?

Can you explain why your home state newspapers question your readiness to be VP?

Were you for Ted Stevens' 'Bridge to Nowhere' before you were against it?

We know Phil Gramm thinks the rest of us are whiners, but do you really think Hillary is a whiner, too?

Do you still think it's 'neat' that Senator Obama is competitive in Alaska, or have you changed your position?

Given McCain's age and medical history, we need to know more about his choice for VP. Does he really believe this woman is ready to run the country? He only met her once before last week. The McCain camp has said she will learn at McCain's knee, which is a little scary given his confusion on basic foreign policy, like the difference between Sunni and Shia. They'd better bring Lieberman along, at least, in case the questions get tough, like whether Czechoslovakia exists. With three of them, at least they'll be able to sing "Bomb Iran" in harmony.

I'm sure there are a lot more questions for McCain's VP pick, not the least of which is, 'Why?' Can anyone honestly say that McCain's VP pick puts country first, or is Sarah Palin the ultimate political appointee? Right now, the American people know more about Paris Hilton's position on the issues than we do about Sarah Palin's. There are lots of questions about Sarah Palin, and the reaction so far is mostly disbelief, as Reality Window chronicles.

We're going to need some answers.

Maybe this video gives us a clue to McCain's vetting process. It's a bit of a shock, and more than a little disgusting, but I'm not the one checking out the Governor's ass throughout her speech. If he nominates her for Miss Buffalo Chip, we'll know.

And provides some excellent reasons for giving it to him.

It's impossible to cover a 23 year Senate career in five minutes, but the video provides more than enough reason to give Senator Kerry your vote. The Kerry-Feingold Amendment, which had little support when it was first presented, is now the Democratic position on Iraq withdrawal. Senator Kerry has been one of the Senate's strongest voices for veterans, small business owners and the environment, and against the destructive policies of the Bush administration.

What the Senator doesn't mention in the video is his long history of investigating government corruption, including his leadership on Iran-Contra and BCCI, which many who have studied the issues and followed the connections view as the most compelling reason for making sure he stays in Washington. The very reason corrupt Washington insiders have fought for decades to silence Senator Kerry's voice and influence is the precise reason he must stay there. We need someone in Washington who isn't afraid to speak truth to power, and Senator Kerry is the person who has been doing that since long before he was elected to the Senate, despite the risks and knowing the power of the opposition.

In his 1997 book, The New War, Senator Kerry wrote of the link between international crime and global terrorism and of how we need to approach the threats to our security and our freedom, using law enforcement and alliances with other nations. On the surface, looking back at the failed approach of the past eight years of George Bush, the book seems prescient, and I guess it is. But the fact is that it's based on years of investigating crime and an approach that isn't a matter of intuition, but of study and logic. It's the result of connecting the dots and coming to the right conclusion about how to fight a global war on terrorism.

The strongest case for John Kerry in 2004 is the same for his re-election today.

“There has never been a guy who has run for president who has, hands-on, known the kinds of substantive things he knows about the world of international crime, about banking and international bank regulation and finance, about the interconnectedness of the world finance system and how various intelligence agencies play into it. He is uniquely qualified.”

Kerry’s experience fighting the Washington establishment over BCCI also gave him a profound education in the workings of the insider Washington power and corruption that support corporate and organized crime and weaken the country’s ability to counter terrorism. He showed that he has what it takes to stand up to the big-money special interests that don’t want the system to change.

National security is a serious issue in this election, and we need to look at the threats to our nation both from the outside and the inside. This is not a time when we can afford to lose our strongest voice against government corruption and its global implications. This is not a time when we can afford to forget who has been right about how we need to fight terrorism all along.

That's why we need John Kerry.

So, everyone's talking today about Sen. Obama's historic acceptance speech, and well they should. It was the retelling of the American story, and the promise of hope for a weary nation ready to regain our greatness.

It was a fabulous night to cap a great convention, and a speech maybe best summed up by Chris Matthews on MSNBC.

What he said was about us, and that's why we care about what he said.

But birthdays are important, too, and today is John McCain's.

It's an interesting date in history, actually. John McCain's 72nd birthday is the third anniversary of the day Katrina hit New Orleans and of Bush and McCain's party on the tarmac. They look like they were having a pretty good time, don't they? Well, it was a party. There was cake.

On August 29, 2006, as unknown numbers of Americans were enveloped in the great deluge, as Condi shopped and Brownie dawdled and Cheney hid in some undisclosed location, and America anticipated the horror, John McCain and George Bush were celebrating the 69th birthday of the Senator from Arizona, a man so out of touch with America and the people of the Gulf that he had a birthday party/photo op with George Bush as Katrina struck. Not because he didn't care, but because he doesn't get it.

As John McCain celebrates the big seven-two, and prepares for his convention, there's a reminder of that tragic day on the horizon, and it's not one that anyone will be celebrating. Gustav, already a killer storm, is expected to build to category five strength in the warm waters of the Gulf over the weekend and hit the still recovering Gulf region early next week.

Barack Obama said last night that it's not that John McCain doesn't care, it's that he doesn't get it.

Well, it's one of the two.

Cross-posted from Reality Window

The nattering nabobs at MSNBC blew it last night. CNN caught on part way through. And hurrah for C-SPAN and PBS, the only tv channels to have the good sense to allow viewers to watch all of the convention speakers. John Kerry stepped up to the podium after Bill Clinton had raised the energy level in the hall, and knocked one out of the park.

Josh Marshall called it The Golden Speech and said "in its own way I think the speech I just saw John Kerry give is the best one I've heard at this convention. And I do not have any doubt that it's the best I've ever heard from him." Emphasis is his.

It got rave reviews at/by Daily Kos, Steve Benen, Andrew Sullivan, Ta-Nahisi Coates, BalloonJuice, The Jed Report, Al Giordano, Karen Tumulty, Jack & Jill Politics, OpenLeft, mydd, Huffington Post, Crooks and Liars, Rod Dreher, Daily Intel, Reason Online, MalContends, and Democratic Underground. This list coud be 5 times as long but you get the idea.

Here's the video if you haven't seen it yet. It's worth your time.

JK did what those of us who follow him closely know he can do and has done before. Just watch his Dissent speech. And as he has before, JK gave us a masterfully delivered speech yesterday. It's hard for me to pick out my favorite excerpts. I'd end up excerpting most of it so go see the full transcript of his remarks as delivered below the fold, courtesy of Lynn Sweet at the Sun Times, if you can't watch the video.

A little more background: he also did a session for the New American Foundation in the morning which got rave reviews from publius.
 

Did you watch the roll call? Pretty great stuff, culminating in Hillary's call for Barack Obama to be nominated by acclamation. It was an historic moment, and a Day Three highlight.

There were others. Biden's speech was fantastic, and Bill was on his game and gave a powerful endorsement of Barack Obama to an adoring crowd. But my favorite part of Day Three was Sen. Kerry's barnburner. Now this is a speech.

How awesome is that guy, anyway? The media was looking for a red meat speech, and that was it. The Senator kicked Bush/McCain butt up one side and down the other in no uncertain terms, citing one McCain flip flop and Bush screwup after another, and the crowd ate it up.

It wasn't surprising that Biden and Kerry made the same Freudian slip when they each transposed the names of McCain and Bush in their speeches. Their difference between the two is barely perceptible. A McCain presidency promises the unthinkable, the third term of Bush, and it was never more clearly stated than when Sen. Kerry did last night.

The stakes could not be higher, because we do know what a McCain administration would look like: just like the past, just like George Bush. And this country can't afford a third Bush term. Just think: John McCain voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. Ninety percent of George Bush is just more than we can take.

But it wasn't just a speech where he took the administration and their pal John McCain to task, the Senator also spoke of the patriotism of the American people, and of the life of Barack Obama and the history of his family, even introducing Senator Obama's great uncle Charlie Payne who was in the audience with Michelle to cheer on his nephew's campaign.

No one can question Barack Obama's patriotism. Like all of us, he was taught what it means to be an American by his family: his grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line in World War II, his grandfather who marched in Patton's army, and his great uncle who enlisted in the army right out of high school at the height of the war. And on a spring day in 1945, he helped liberate one of the concentration camps at Buchenwald.

Ladies and gentlemen, Barack Obama's uncle is here with us tonight. Please join me in saluting this American hero, Charlie Payne. Charlie, your nephew, Barack Obama, will end this politics of distortion and division. He will be a president who seeks not to perfect the lies of Swift boating, but to end them once and for all.

This election is a chance for America to tell the merchants of fear and division: you don't decide who loves this country; you don't decide who is a patriot; you don't decide whose service counts and whose doesn't.

Four years ago I said, and I say it again tonight, that the flag doesn't belong to any ideology. It doesn't belong to any political party. It is an enduring symbol of our nation, and it belongs to all the American people. After all, patriotism is not love of power or some cheap trick to win votes; patriotism is love of country.

The crowd reacted throughout the speech, but never more strongly than when he reminded them that Barack Obama will do something that will have an immediate effect on our national security and global standing, shutting down Guantanamo.

It was a great speech on a great night, when the stirring words of President Clinton and Senator Kerry and our next VP, Joe Biden and of other great Americans like Tammy Duckworth and Patrick Murphy brought Democrats to their feet and tears to their eyes. For one reason. To take back our country.

The choice is clear; our cause is just; and now is our time to make Barack Obama the next President of the United States.

Yahoo has some great photos of the Senator at the Convention.

That's pretty good advice. When it comes to environment, there are few voices stronger, more knowledgeable or more compelling than that of Vice President Gore. In a new TV ad for John Kerry's Senate re-election campaign, Gore points to the Senator's 30 year history of environmental activism.

Actually, it was a bit longer than that. John Kerry was an environmental champion long before 2007, when the Kerrys wrote This Moment on Earth and Sen. Kerry and Newt Gingrich debated climate change (and Newt actually recommended the Kerrys' book), long before he was endorsed in 2004 by the LCV and the Sierra Club, and even before 1990, when the Senator and Teresa met at an Earth Day rally or 1992, when they again met at the Earth Summit in Rio.

As Al notes, Senator Kerry's environmental roots go back decades. Back, in fact, to 1970 when the young Vietnam veteran was involved in the first Earth Day in Massachusetts.

Beachmom pointed out in a Daily Kos diary that the LCV has again endorsed Sen. Kerry, noting:

" ... his unsurpassed leadership on clean air, safe drinking water, and open space issues make him an invaluable environmental leader in Congress."

The truth, in this case, is not inconvenient. It's just the truth. John Kerry is the strongest environmental voice in the United States Senate, and has been for a very long time.

After you're done listening to Al, be sure to listen to Hillary who gave a brilliant speech last night on Day Two of the Dem Convention. Nicely done, Senator Clinton. Senator Kerry is speaking tonight on national security, so you'll want to make sure you're tuned in for Day Three.

I'm not sure if anyone could have outdone Michelle Obama last night, but Ted Kennedy was right there. I have to call Day One a tremendous win, with the heart wrenching tribute to Teddy and his great speech, followed by the powerful words of Michelle Obama, connecting with the American people in a very sincere and profound way.

You'll see both all over the internet, I'm sure. It was a fabulous night, topped off by the adorable Obama girls talking to their daddy via satellite, which is bound to go viral. It was just too cute to not.

It's really impossible to compare the two moments, each profound and special, but I think the tribute video was something folks will remember for a very long time.

The Senator and Teresa were on hand to provide commentary of Teddy's speech and tribute. As Teresa noted, "The hopes in Barack that he has and the hopes for the country are exactly the hopes that he's always carried in his heart." The Senator went on to say that "Ted has been fighting for the things that Barack Obama has made priorities of the campaign." and that "Barack Obama represents the kind of change President Kennedy represented in his time."

There were other special moments on day 1, including Sen. Harkin's nod to the hearing impaired when he signed his own intro, and Jimmy Carter's tribute and Katrina video.

It's on to Day Two, when Hillary Clinton will keynote, and the Senate women, a slew of Governors including Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and other great Democrats will take the stage in support of our nominee and to focus on the campaign's goal of 'Renewing America's Promise".

The big news this week, of course, is the Democratic National Convention in Denver, where we will formally nominate Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Senator Kerry will be there, of course, and will speak on national security on Wednesday. The Senator has been an enthusiastic supporter of Sen. Obama, and released a statement this week on the VP pick.

The Senator was in Taunton and Worcester, both stops on the Kerry On Your Corner tour, and at Bridgewater State College for a green energy conference, and was scheduled to speak at a fundraiser for Virginia Congressional candidate Anita Hartke.

There's a rumor that JK is looking at a Secretary of State position in Obama's cabinet, but I don't know. I think he's enjoying being the Senator from Mass, and might just be next in line for Chairman of the SFRC. Either would be cool with me, in case folks are wondering.

The Senate's in recess, but there's still some news. There's a bit of a debate in the Small Biz Committee that the Senator is managing regarding research funding, and the Senator released statements on the proposed 2011 Iraq withdrawal timetable and Musharraf's resignation.

In MA campaign news, the Kerry and O'Reilly campaigns have agreed to a debate, which should be interesting. Well, at least Sen. Kerry's part. And short, as O'Reilly only has three issues and no history of having done much to address any of them. There was also a lame attack from the Republican challenger, who apparently thinks our veterans don't have the same rights as the rest of us when it comes to voicing a political opinion. That seems an odd position to take, but then, he is a Republican, and I'm not sure I really understand them all that well.

And Alexandra's book was released, so be sure to pick up a copy, it's fabulous.

Happy Convention Week. Enjoy the news.

If you're a Senate Foreign Relations junkie like we are or a fan of the Sunday morning news shows, you're already pretty familiar with Joe Biden. You probably know that he talks A LOT, and that he's not afraid to say exactly what's on his mind. I think when Senators Kerry, Biden and Hagel had to make that emergency helicopter landing in the mountains of Afghanistan last February and Senator Kerry joked that if the Taliban came, they would just "talk them to death", Kerry and Hagel likely intended to send Biden out first knowing they might not have to take a turn.

Biden is the anti-Cheney. Where Dick spent most of the past seven and a half years underground, planning unnecessary wars and seeing to oil company profits, I expect Joe will be pretty accessible to the American public and highly visible as he helps the Obama administration reverse the effects of the dark legacy of Bush/Cheney.

I've learned a few other things about Joe In addition to his reputation for verbosity. I know that his son Beau is in the military and is set to be deployed to Iraq in a few weeks. I know that Joe's been in the Senate for a very long time (35 years), is the Chairman of the SFRC and a member of the Judiciary Committee. I had heard that he lost his first wife in a car accident, and that he commutes between Washington and Delaware to be with his family. Not sure if I knew that he's Catholic, but I do love this quote:

"If I'm the nominee, Republicans will be sorry," he said. "The next Republican that tells me I'm not religious I'm going to shove my rosary beads down their throat."

My old grade school principal is probably pissed she didn't come up with that one first, it's a classic. Between that quote, Obama chastising Brownback for claiming religion as the property of the other side, and McCain's sordid past, ugly temper and Catholic problem, it looks like we've got plenty of ammo to use when the far right makes their inevitable attempt at co-opting the 'values vote'.

There are a lot of details about Joe Biden, though, that I didn't know. This clip from the primaries takes a look at what makes Biden 'tick', and how surviving tragedy and admitting and learning from his mistakes has influenced his life.

I'm sure we'll learn a lot more about Joe over the next days and months. Right now, I like what I'm hearing.

MoveOn has free Obama/Biden bumper stickers. Get yours before they're all gone!

A great choice, and what a day yesterday was, waiting for Sen. Obama to announce his VP pick. It was wall-to-wall coverage on every news channel of who he would choose and what time the text message would hit people's cell phones. Turns out it was 3 am (which was my guess), and Joe Biden's 35 years of experience make him more than ready to answer that call.

The frame for most of yesterday's coverage was homes -- staking out potential VPs' and adding up McCain's, just in case the question pops up again. On the second issue, the last count was seven. On the first, the number is down to one.

Olbermann had a great time with house-gate-VP-watch.

Joe Biden has a compelling personal story in addition to his years of experience. He's not perfect, but he's pretty damn good, and not afraid to take on the role of attack dog and fight back the inevitable smears from the opposition. Another thing I like about Biden is that he knows who led the Senate on the issue of Iraq withdrawal and who has a strong and consistent message on our foreign policy. Here's Joe acknowledging the work Sen. Kerry has put behind developing the Democratic position on Iraq.

Biden as VP also puts Sen. Kerry in the #2 position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which will give us strong, consistent foreign policy voices and decades of leadership in both the executive and legislative branches.

Congrats to Joe Biden for securing the VP nomination and to Barack for his excellent judgement.

Obama/Biden. I think it's a winner.

“I am honored to express my support for my colleague and good friend Joe Biden as the next Vice President of the United States. From his championship of families hit hardest by a failing economy to his dedication to ending the misguided war in Iraq, Joe Biden is ready to help Barack Obama provide Americans with change we can truly believe in. I have had the privilege of working closely with Joe on the Foreign Relations Committee and have witnessed first hand his commitment to elevating America’s stature in the world. Barack’s vision for a better future for America is reflected in Joe’s commitment to middle class issues, understanding of international relations, and duty to country. I look forward to doing all I can to help elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden as the next President and Vice President of the United States.”

Damn.

OK, I've got some good news and some bad news.

First, the good news. Sen. Kerry will speak at the Democratic Convention on Wednesday. You can hear the rest from him.

Well, that was pretty clear, and I have to admit, a bit disappointing. He'd have be a brilliant VP and a fantastic President. But there's comfort in knowing that he's going to be an even more powerful Senator when Democrats take back the White House, and there aren't a whole lot of jobs more important than that, or anyone better at it than Sen. Kerry. And if Obama picks Biden, that moves JK up in the Foreign Relations Committee. Obama/Biden. I could get behind that ticket.

What I found really interesting from that interview (after recovering from the brutal realization that cell phones across the country won't have John Kerry's name splashed across them in the big announcement today) is that the Senator has never watched his own convention speech. He should. It was a beautiful and hopeful message, and it's only on looking back at that speech four years later that the full measure of what we lost in '04 is made clear.

It is time to reach for the next dream. It is time to look to the next horizon. For America, the hope is there. The sun is rising. Our best days are still to come.

Damn, he would have been one fine President, don't you think? But it is time to look at the next horizon, and our best days still lie ahead if we don't screw it up this time. What's important with respect to the coming Presidential election is that we not make the same mistake this November that half the country made in 2004. I know there's a lot of buyers' remorse out there. I know that many who fell victim to the strategically timed terror alerts and the Rovian smear campaign four years ago realize now that they were bamboozled. But what's becoming increasingly clear is that a whole lot of people didn't learn the lessons of '04 and don't understand that McCain really does represent a third Bush term, and that a big chunk of the American electorate is about to get fooled again with more of McSame. Our job is to make sure they don't.

If you're a parent or a grandparent, that's got to scare the hell out of you. John "bomb-bomb-bomb Iran-stay-in-Iraq-for-a-hundred-years" McCain has an answer to the problem of our depleted military, and it's not diplomacy. It's not finding ways to keep from sacrificing our youth and our economy to unnecessary wars.

It's drafting your kids.

Now, I have nothing but respect for young people who have the courage to sign up to serve their country, but it's got to be a choice -- and with that choice, the knowledge that the leaders of this country will do right by our volunteer service people and not enter into illegal and unnecessary wars. What I don't respect is a politician who beats the drums of war and offers up other people's children as a sacrifice to the neocon agenda.

So, for all of us who have sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and friends who are or will be draft age during what could be a McCain presidency, remember what happened the last time we were deceived by a Republican who promised to chase bin Laden to the gates of hell, seven years ago next month.

"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." - G.W. Bush, 9/13/01

John McCain's misguided foreign policy is no different than what we heard from Bush four years ago. Have we yet learned what even conservatives and the Pentagon have told us about how to effectively fight terrorism, or do we risk the lives of our children for more of McSame? Will we teach our children the lessons of the past, or will our gift to future generations be the hopelessness of perpetual war?

For our friend Rick, and for his dad who passed away yesterday. You will always be your parents' child. May he rest in peace.

Well, here's some good news. If you haven't been able to make it to a "Kerry On Your Corner" event, you can still catch the Senator on video at the Mass Dems for Kerry blip TV site. They've captured highlights of the stops on the KOYC tour, so if you've missed one or all of the Senator's stops on his trip around the Commonwealth, or just want to hear what the people of Massachusetts are asking their junior Senator, you can find out at Mass Dems for Kerry blip TV or read about it on their blog.

Karen van Hoek captured video in Leominster on Monday of a constituent asking Senator Kerry a question that's on the minds of most folks in the Northeast as the summer winds down and thoughts turn to the prospect of huge increases in heating oil prices.

As Senator Kerry notes, he has introduced legislation (with Olympia Snowe on multiple occasions in addition to the increase in LIHEAP he proposed with Bernie Sanders and Ted Kennedy), and has also written to energy companies, and held hearings both in Washington and in Pittsfield, MA on the issue of high heating oil prices and the potential crisis this winter.

The Senator also participated in an energy summit at Bridgewater State College yesterday, where the focus was on green energy, jobs and conservation.

OK, I have to confess that although I love the Mass Dems for Kerry site, the reason I chose today to feature them is that I just bought Alexandra Kerry's book "Notes From the Trail", and I can't put it down long enough to write my own stuff. I just finished Chapter 2: Iowa, although I admit I cheated and looked through the photographs that fill the second half of the book. A far cry from your typical political retrospective, Alexandra Kerry's images, both literary and photographic, are presented with candid honesty and a vivid and strikingly personal viewpoint. Here's a short excerpt where she describes the campaign bus.

The Real Deal Express was not an idea or an image for those reporters; it was a drafty hulk of aluminum that they lived inside. Empty cold medicine packets, drained coffee cups, discarded Diet Coke cans, and endless wrappers of rapidly devoured candy bars littered the floor. Wet leaves lay buried like sediment under tracked-in road slush. I felt as if I'd stepped into the Old Testament scene in which Jonah hangs on for dear life inside the belly of the whale.

You'll have to buy the book for the rest. I'm on to Chapter 3: New Hampshire.

If you're up on your JK for Senate campaign, you probably know that the Senator has a "Democratic" primary challenger. And although this "Democratic" challenger has been all over the news and his few supporters have been swarming the blogs claiming the Senator is refusing to debate him, nothing could be further from the truth. Despite his claims, Mr. O'Reilly has refused to speak to the Senator's campaign manager to discuss debates because what he really wants is the media attention.

"We'd like to have a conversation rather than litigating this through the media in a cheap ploy for attention," O'Rourke said. "But every day that this character invokes the smears of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and channels the Massachusetts GOP in his personal attacks, you wonder more and more whether his campaign is based on anything but character assassination." -Brigid O'Rourke, Massachusetts Press Secretary for John Kerry

Did you see O'Reilly? That was one of those cheap ploys for attention Brigid O'Rourke was referring to. Pretty slimy, don't you think? Not as underhanded as when he chose to side with the Liars, but close.

Beachmom has a great diary at BlueMassGroup with details on the debate over the debates. The truth, as she clearly documents, is that the Senator's staff did contact O'Reilly, who has refused to discuss terms for debates with them in good faith. And now, with Senator Kerry busy at the Democratic Convention next week and with KOYC stops and Senate business to catch up on after that, looks like there may not be any.

Too bad, Ed. Of course, I don't think O'Reilly ever really wanted debates. To debate, you have to take a have something worth debating, and O'Reilly's a one trick pony, running on a platform of whining about why Senator Kerry won't personally return his calls.

So, what's to debate? O'Reilly has three talking points and no progressive record to run on. That's not a debate, it's a bumper sticker. And until he voices his support for the Democratic nominee for President, how can he even call himself a Democratic challenger? Believe me, I've googled. I've searched his website, and not a single word of support for our nominee, or for any other Democrat, for that matter. Now what kind of Democrat doesn't support any candidate but himself? Does Ed support anyone other than Ed?

And why did O'Reilly's former campaign manager dump him to join Team Kerry? I'd love to know the whole story behind that one.

Personally, I'd like to see Senator Kerry debate a worthy challenger. Now all he has to do is find one.

'Kerry hits a home run with 'Fenway' ad'

The blogs were abuzz this week with a couple big Kerry news stories. There was the much acclaimed 'Fenway' ad, in which Sean Bannon tells the story of his injury in Iraq, his purple heart and a first pitch at Fenway, and highlights some of the great legislation Sen. Kerry has written supporting veterans. The reaction I've heard to the ad was mostly "choked back tears" and "I didn't know Kerry did all that". Well, of course you didn't, the mainstream news is too busy covering rumors about Senator Kerry being considered for Obama's VP to talk about legislation. Rumors fueled by little more than that Sen. Kerry doesn't yet have a speaking slot at the convention and 'he'd be good at it'. True on both accounts, but not really a reason to start VP rumors flying.

The other big news was the launch of Truth Fights Back, a Kerry funded website to fight smears against Democrats. If you haven't already, don't forget to sign up.

In campaign news, Senator Kerry is said to be the fifth safest incumbent Senator. I guess so. Not to take anything away from the Senator, who is doing a great job and is considered one of the most powerful members of the Senate, but look who he's running against! Kerry spokesperson Brigid O'Rourke put it rather bluntly (and accurately) when she said of the Senator's primary opponent:

"... every day that this character invokes the smears of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and channels the Massachusetts GOP in his personal attacks, you wonder more and more whether his campaign is based on anything but character assassination."

In news that didn't hit the blogosphere, Senator Kerry called for FEMA to inspect underground fuel tanks in Massachusetts, and announced $209,000 in federal funding for the Uxbridge Fire Department.

And finally, in other Kerry news, Alexandra Kerry's 'Notes From the Trail' hits the bookstores tomorrow. The reviews have been fantastic, with historian Doris Kearns Goodwin noting

"Writing with warmth, insight and honest, Alexandra Kerry brings the familiar events of her father's 2004 campaign into fresh focus.''

Looks like I'm hitting B&N Tuesday after work. I promise not to turn all the Corsi books spine-in while I'm there, although I think it would be considered a public service.

Enjoy the news!

If you haven't run into Sen. Kerry on the street lately, just wait. I'm not sure he's going to make it to every street corner in Massachusetts, but he's giving it a pretty good attempt. The Kerry on Your Corner tour has stopped in Lawrence, Lowell, North Adams, New Bedford, Fall River, Framingham, Quincy, and Beverly, and continues Monday to Worcester, Leominster and Dorchester.

image: MapBuilder

The stop in Boston looks interesting. It's Monday at 4:45.

Senator John Kerry will visit the Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester on Monday to talk with residents and officials about empowering individuals and communities to take part in their health care decisions and how they can make informed and affordable choices. They’ll examine how the local, state and federal government can work together to promote health and independence.

Here's some video from JohnKerryTV of the Senator's stop in Framingham

And some photos from some of the KOYC stops

So, if you're around Worcester, Leominster or Dorchester tomorrow, or anywhere in Mass in the near future, keep an eye peeled for a tall guy with silvery hair. On a corner, most likely.

Few pieces of legislation are as important to parents as those designed to protect our children, and this week saw a major victory for anyone concerned with children's health and consumer safety. Congress recently passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 by a vote of 424-1 in the House and 89-3 in the Senate. If you're wondering who the four who voted against the bill are, they're Coburn (R-OK), DeMint (R-SC), Kyl (R-AZ) and Ron Paul in the House. I'm not sure why these four Republicans want your babies chewing on toxic chemicals, and I'm not sure I want to. Suffice it to say, most legislators on both sides of the aisle have a bit more common sense. And even though President Bush has said he disagrees with the ban, he signed it into law this week. Looks like he's doing some eleventh hour legacy work, which is fine by me. It's signed, for whatever reason.

As noted by PRNewswire via MarketWatch:

President Bush signed a federal bill today that bans six toxic phthalates from children's products. His signature bolsters Congress' overwhelming support for this legislation, and sends a clear message that toxic chemicals have no place in toys.
The phthalate ban, a provision of the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act, will protect children from these harmful plastic-softening chemicals which are linked to breast cancer, decreased sperm counts, birth defects and other health problems. Advocates see this legislation as a first step toward broader chemical policy reform. "Congress got a glimpse into how chemicals are regulated in this country and saw how broken the system is," said Janet Nudelman, director of program and policy for the Breast Cancer Fund. "The phthalate ban is only the tip of the iceberg of what's needed to protect Americans from unsafe chemical exposures."

Senator Kerry grilled FDA Associate Commissioner Norris Alderson in May on the issue of chemicals in household products and in particular the lack of independent testing on products we use every day.

Please don't ever make me testify before him when he's angry.

The Senator was much nicer to us when he and Teresa spoke on the topic in Pittsburgh last year. Of course, the people at the book signing weren't shirking our responsibility to the American people. I think that had a lot to do with it.

Both the Senator and Teresa have long been environmental champions, and have spoken on the issue of toxins in consumer products. I didn't know what a phthalate was until I heard it from Teresa at a conference a couple years ago and learned more from reading chapter two of This Moment on Earth, titled "A Body of Evidence". Written by Teresa, it deals extensively with toxins, and the Senator notes that it's his favorite chapter in the book (I'm partial to chapter six on drilling). Teresa has extensive knowledge of the subject from her association with experts like Dr. Devra Davis, Director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Dr. Julia Brody, executive director of Silent Spring Institute and through her sponsorship of an annual Women's Health and the Environment conference that brings together experts to inform the public of environmental health issues.

The phthalate ban is a good first step toward protecting consumers from household and environmental toxins. It's a far cry from where we need to be, but it's progress, and that's a good thing.

Democrats in the Senate have also introduced the "BPA-Free Kids Act", which has been referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Senator Kerry is an original co-sponsor of the Schumer legislation.

Kerry, Senate Democrats Introduce Bill Banning BPA in All Children's Products

Senator John Kerry (D-MA) joined U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), along with Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), to announce that they have introduced legislation banning a potentially hazardous chemical, known as bisphenol-A (BPA), in all children’s products. The legislation will also mandate that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conduct a comprehensive study of the health effects of BPA in children and adults. Earlier this month a U.S. government study revealed that bisphenol-A, a chemical used to make plastics clear and shatter-resistant, could pose major health risks. Canada has identified the chemical, which is present in water bottles and infant formula bottles, as one that could affect reproduction and neural development during early life exposure. Major U.S. retailers such as Wal-Mart and Toys'R'Us are already pulling baby bottles containing bisphenol-A from their shelves, and the popular bottle-maker Nalgene said it will discontinue production of its line of bottles that rely on the substance and recall BPA-affected products already in stores.

“As the evidence mounts about BPA’s health risks, the first thing we should do is take this chemical out of children’s products,” Senator Kerry said. “Parents should be able to give their kids a drink without wondering whether the baby bottle or sippee cup will make their child sick.”

Roundly criticized by legitimate media sources as a pack of lies, Jerome Corsi's latest craptastic volume has met with a barrage of fact-checking and has been found to have none. In addition to the Truth Fights Back site Senator Kerry's people have put together to fight smears against all Democrats, the Obama Campaign has put out a response to the Corsi birdcage liner, calling Corsi what he is, a 'discredited fringe bigot'. Personally, I can't decide. The Kerry site calls Corsi a 'fringe writer', Obama's calls him a 'fringe bigot', and Liberalcowgirl simply calls him a nutbag. I might have to borrow a bit from each and go with 'fringe bigoted nutbag'. It seems to fit. Whatever we call him, it seems the more we learn about the vile Mr. Corsi, the more disgusted we become.

For example, I didn't know that even though he attacked John Kerry's decorated service in Vietnam, Corsi skipped out with an eczema deferment. I wasn't even aware that itching would exempt one from serving his country. All a person really had to do to get out of serving in Vietnam was show up with a tube of Lanacane? I'll bet that really chapped Limbaugh's backside.

I also didn't know that Mr. Corsi trashed Pope JPII, one of my all time favorite Popes. Now that might just cause John McCain a little problem, given his association with Catholic-hater Hagee and now refusing to condemn the writings of a guy who called the Pope a senile pedophile enabler. Whadda ya say, Mr. Straight Talk? Any comment on the Catholic basher, or are you just going to let it slide like you did with Hagee? You can always give it a wink and a nod like you did with the Phil Gramm on-again, off-again, now on-again relationship and hope people forget when you flip in a couple weeks.

I had heard that Corsi called Sen. Clinton a lesbian and a fat cow or some such nonsense. He even went after Bush. I'd be willing to give him a pass on that one out of generosity and a pretty serious dislike of the President, but a lie is a lie, even if it's aimed at a serial liar.

Hardball's David Shuster called the Corsi book out for what it is. Except for the revisionist "John Kerry let this go" in '04 (he didn't), it was a pretty good take-down of the book and of Corsi.

Of course, the right wing nut jobs are buying Corsi's book by the truckload to drive up the numbers. The Obama Nation. Soon to be found at flea markets and $1 bargain bins at a book store near you. If the reviews are any indication, it's a waste of time and money at any price.

Perfect timing.

Just as despicable liar Jerome Corsi is feeding the public another fictitious screed against the Democratic Presidential nominee, the good folks at John Kerry's campaign are launching a counter attack. They've started a website to fight the smears aimed at Barack Obama and other leading Democrats called Truth Fights Back to stop the liars in their tracks. The site starts off with twenty recent right wing lies and debunks them one by one, then asks for everyday truth-tellers like you and me to join in and report smears as we find them.

Oh, where to start?

It's fitting that the Truth site launched just in time to counter Corsi's blather. I'm not sure if Corsi thinks people are stupid, but there is something inherently disingenuous about writing a 'revealing' book about successive Democratic nominees after the first book was found to be a complete pack of lies.

Like the Senator says, they're trying to scare people. It's what they do. To take an example directly from Corsi's book, and as Media Matters notes,

In fact, the article Corsi presents as having been "published ... in an avowedly socialist magazine" was actually published in April 2006 in The Nation, and reprinted by the Socialist Viewpoint. This is clearly indicated on the Socialist Viewpoint website for which Corsi provides the link. The same Graham-Felsen article was also reprinted at CBSNews.com. The May/June 2006 issue of Socialist Viewpoint also reprinted articles from the February 27, 2006, edition of Detroit Free Press, and from the March 29, 2006, edition of London's The Guardian.

Corsi specifically uses the term 'socialist', even though the Socialist Viewpoint merely reprinted the article. By saying 'socialist' rather than 'The Nation' where it was originally published, he plants a seed for the ill-informed (right wing) public. It's what slime merchants like Corsi do. Then right wing nutjobs buy these smear books in bulk and give them away to the public, pushing their crap books to the top of the bestseller lists. Another deception foisted on an unsuspecting electorate. It's swiftboat redux, and so obviously so that they brought back the same slimeball to do the dirty work. That takes either a great deal of chutzpah or a whole lot of stupidity on the part of the right wing. If I'm right we've gotten smarter since '04, and the regurgitated bile from Corsi et al will fill recycle bins across the country.

Senator Kerry's email yesterday started with these words: "The Liars are back, It's time to finish them off." He was talking to us, asking us to help combat the liars and their lies. There's something we can do this time to beat back the right wing smear machine.

Sign up and Fight Back with the Truth.

If I were asked to guess if Massachusetts was having a Senate election and was only allowed to judge by television coverage, I would have to say the only race that was going on at the moment was the presidential one. Maybe I was checking the wrong stations at the wrong times, but I had yet to see a political ad by Senator Kerry - until now, that is.

Yesterday, the Kerry campaign unveiled a wonderful ad that will run in Massachusetts for several weeks. It's about time, I say. It is easy for those of us who follow John Kerry's work in the Senate closely, to forget that not everyone has the same degree of political involvement as we do. It can hardly be expected that every Massachusetts resident of voting age knows the Senator's entire legislative history, and how it has impacted our state and us, but this lack of detailed knowledge inevitably leads to the question:

'What have you done for us lately, John?'**

This first ad in a series focuses on just one of Senator Kerry's many causes - the fight for our veterans. Watch as Specialist Sean Bannon describes his return from Iraq, and how our Senator went to bat for him in more ways than one:

Here I must confess that I also didn't know the extent of Senator Kerry's work on behalf of vets, active duty, and their family members. Before my husband finally retired after 20 years of service in the Air Force, he also had the $250,000 Service Life Insurance that would be payable to his spouse in the event of his death. What I did not realize was that this policy was only available (at affordable rates) to active duty personnel, and only thanks to Senator Kerry was it made available to reservists called to active duty and National Guard members.

While Specialist Bannon's testimony is only one personal example, Senator Kerry's continued leadership in Veterans Issues is exemplary.

Last year, as part of the Fiscal 2007 Supplemental Appropriations Conference Report, the nation's VA Vet Centers received $20 Million in funding - money that Senator Kerry had included as part of the war funding supplemental. Seven Massachusetts Vet Centers benefitted, as well.

Just recently, the new Housing Bill was signed into law, and it contained four key provisions introduced by Senator Kerry. Aside from helping thousands of Massachusetts homeowners (not a bad feat in and of itself), one of the provisions is directly aimed at easing the housing crisis for military folks.

* The bill also contains provisions to amend the Service Members Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by extending the period a lender must wait before starting disclosure procedures from 90 days to nine months after a service member has returned from active duty and capping interest on mortgages at 6 percent for one year after a serviceperson completes his/her services.

A visit and search through the legislation at the official Senate website would yield many more bills sponsored and co-sponsored by John Kerry that are a part of his fight for the Vets and active duty troops and their families. But this brings us right back to the beginning of the post: A lot of people don't have the time, nor the (sometimes admittedly obsessive) inclination to follow every piece of legislation ever introduced by the good Senator.

So yes, bring us more ads to highlight at least some of the great work JK has done for Mass. and the country. I would be willing to bet that a lot of people will watch the ad, and have the above question** answered.

John McCain may still have some of this stuff laying around in the ol' medicine chest.

It shocked me a bit, although it really shouldn't have, to see McCain on CNN yesterday proclaim that tire pressure was the entirety of Barack Obama's energy plan. It's not, of course. Although it's a really good idea for saving gas, it was simply a response to a question about what people might do to save money at the pump. But McCain said it straight faced to a crowd of people, with no commentary from the news anchor at the blatant deception. He's trying to bamboozle people, like the snake oil salesmen of the old west did, peddling their 'patent medicine'.

I got the snake oil image from wikipedia, by the way. Same place McCain got his last speech. Not that there's anything wrong with using the wiki, I just didn't think McCain knew how. Apparently, his staff does, so that's good, I guess, although you would think a Presidential candidate would have better sources than kids writing papers for school do.

I'm not sure why I'm still surprised that people like John McCain are willing to do anything, say anything, to promote big oil's big lie. There are two wars currently being fought for it. The Republicans in Congress put on a show for it, faking a plea for Congress to return to Washington to debate old ideas for the benefit of their big money friends. Hell, George Bush and Dick Cheney weaseled their way into office for it the last two elections.

I guess I'm still hoping people will see through it.

Karen Van Hoek captured some video of Senator Kerry exposing the Republicans' bogus offshore drilling argument for the canard that it is. John McCain and Congressional Republicans may think they're pulling the wool over people's eyes, and maybe they are for some. But most of us recognize it as snake oil, and the people peddling it as no better than the hucksters who sold their elixir to an unsuspecting public back in the day. Only now, people are a little more suspect.

In the video, Senator Kerry notes that there are 68 million acres of unexploited oil leases just waiting to be drilled. Only big oil won't drill when they can pretty much name their own price without lifting a finger. The response from the Democrats? Use it or lose it. Drill or get out of the way and let someone else do it. When CNN cheered yesterday at the mention that the price of gas has dropped to $3.81, I thought, "Go ahead. Tell us why." They didn't, of course. Neither did they mention that gas was $1.46 when Bush took office.

There's a reason you don't see too many folks selling elixirs from the backs of wagons anymore. They've moved on to houses. Big, white ones.

I wonder if C-SPAN misses me as much as I miss them? Good thing they have archives.

With the Senate in recess this week, Senator Kerry had time to spend at home in Massachusetts, and he didn't waste a minute of it. With stops in North Adams on Monday, Quincy on Tuesday, New Bedford and Fall River on Wed and in Beverly on Thursday, helping host Barack Obama's birthday party in Boston and and attending a fundraiser with Al Gore in Nantucket, he squeezed in as many towns as possible in his first week of the August break.

There was plenty of coverage in the local media, with some great video of the Senator's "Kerry On Your Corner" tour, including an interview with capitalnews9. There's a good news piece and a nice video with constituents, dogs and babies from the North Adams Transcript. That one's my favorite. He spoke with the Herald News in Fall River on energy and housing, and toured New Bedford to discuss how the money from the housing bill might help local residents. South Coast Today posted some good coverage of the Senator's visit. There's also a really sweet video from John Kerry TV of the Senator awarding Virginia Walsh the Beverly Senior of the Year Award.

The Senator proposed a $2.5 billion fuel subsidy program, announced $4 million for GLCAC’s Early Learning Services program, wrote in support of Oregon Senate candidate Jeff Merkley and New York Congressional candidate Jon Powers.

Senator Kerry remarked on a $2 million grant to Worcester Business Development Corporation and the Town of Shrewsbury, announced $2.3 million to the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety to help combat domestic violence, $3 million to Lowell's LEADER program, and $4 million to the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council.

There were more stories on the Pan Mass, focusing the $120,000 Senator Kerry raised for the Jimmy Fund with his ride.

And as The Young Turks noted, the new Pentagon report reads "as if John Kerry himself wrote it". I'm not surprised, I knew the administration would get it eventually. Except for McCain, they all seem finally to be figuring it out.

Howard Dean made a stop in Pittsburgh on Friday as part of his "Register for Change" tour, urging those gathered for the event at Freedom Corner to sign up new voters, but just as important, to make sure they get people out to the polls this November to cast their votes for the Democratic ticket.

He was joined at the event by Obama campaign chair Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, who was on hand for Saturday's Democratic platform meeting.

Governor Dean spoke about the Dem platform, which focuses on the economy, health care, jobs and the war in Iraq, and noted that Democrats are aligned with the majority of Americans on all the issues of importance to the American people.

He spoke about a study that was done, where the various methods of contacting potential voters revealed that the most effective way to reach people is face-to-face, and urged each of us to visit our friends and neighbors to talk about Barack Obama's campaign and the need for change in Washington. He emphasized that we need to reach folks and talk about issues that are important to us and to them, not just drop off a pamphlet and ask for a vote. Human being to human being contact. That's what it's going to take.

Governor Dean also spoke about Congressional races Pittsburghers need to focus on, specifically incumbents Jason Altmire, and Mike Doyle, and Tim Murphy's challenger Steve O'Donnell, who I spoke with recently, and who seems to be a really great candidate. Check out his site and show some support.

As Governor Dean stated, it's the people on the ground who are going to win the election this fall, not the Dem party leadership. So it's up to us to talk to our friends and neighbors, make sure they're registered, and convince them to get to the polls on election day. If you're not signed up to volunteer for a voter registration drive, you can find one in your area by visiting the BarackObama.com Vote for Change page.

Senator Kerry has been making the rounds in Massachusetts, talking with constituents about the issues that are important to all of us, like energy prices and the housing crisis and replacing the current resident of the White House with someone who will put us back on the right path, and not offer four more years of McSame. The Senator's "Kerry on Your Corner" stops have taken him all across the Commonwealth, and with the Senate in recess, he was able to spend plenty of time this week listening to what the folks at home are saying.

In yet another "Kerry On Your Corner" stop on Thursday, the Senator headed to Beverly, Mass. to honor 92 year young Virginia Walsh with Beverly's 2008 Senior of the Year Award. Mrs. Walsh, a WWII veteran, didn't say how she felt being awarded the honor by a bunch of young whippersnappers like JK, Teddy and John Tierney, but she did mention that her many hours of community service have "kept her out of trouble".

I say 'yet another' KOYC, because the Senator, despite his claims of near seniorhood, has been zipping around Massachusetts with all the energy of someone half his years, with stops in North Adams on Monday, Quincy on Tuesday, New Bedford and Fall River on Wed and Beverly on Thursday, all after riding in the Pan Mass, hitting the Sunday circuit, helping host Obama's birthday party and attending a fundraiser with Al Gore in Nantucket. That was this week.

I hear rumor that JK was accused of being creative with his age at the Senior Picnic, although I think we're going to have to take him at his word. I don't know anyone who claims to be older than he actually is, and even though he finished this year's Pan Mass with the front of the pack again, he is, by all accounts, turning 65 this December, and made a point of reminding the folks gathered to honor Mrs. Walsh.

It is a little hard to believe though.

Congrats to Mrs. Walsh, the 2008 Beverly Senior Citizen of the Year, and thanks to all the seniors and not-yet seniors who contribute so much.