And another anti-McCain ad

I honestly can't judge how effective they will be at bringing voters away from McCain and to Obama, but I have to say, they make my heart leap.

This one hits at one of McCain's three biggest specific weaknesses (first, that he's astoundingly, personally, corrupt; second, that he really doesn't understand or care about domestic policy; third, that he's a crazed warmonger) and then hammers home that he's Bush But Worse. And it's a clever Sam Cooke riff (even if done in a fake James Taylor voice).

( Warning: Fake James Taylor soundtrack )

A quick protest letter to NPR

On August 26, I was stunned to hear Steven Inskeep say that Robert Casey, Sr., was not allowed to speak at the Democratic National Convention in 1980 1992 "because of his opposition to abortion rights".

This is what the blogger Atrios calls a "zombie lie"--a falsehood that shambles across the political scene resisting all attempts to kill it.

As has been documented at length, speaking positions were given at that convention to many anti-choice politicians. Casey was denied a speaking position because he refused to endorse the party ticket and intended to spend his entire speech attacking the Democrat party because of the party platform support for abortion rights. Casey had a great many opportunities to make his views known--no one ever tried to silence him--but no party convention will give a venue to, effectively, an opponent who will spend 20 minutes in prime time attacking the party.