Apparently if you copy and past pro-McCain messages on message boards around the internet, you can earn yourself "McCain points" which you can redeem for great McCain merchandise and even a chance to ride the Straight Talk Express!

Time was when John Birch Society-type conservatives wanted to demonize the political left, they zeroed in on Berkeley, California—but that wild college town failed to capture their interest after a while.  After that, they started leaning on New York City as the bastion of modern liberal Babylon.  Then the World Trade Center attacks happened.  New York is still just as liberal, but attacking it now is un-American.

We had a black candidate and a female candidate running, both as serious contenders, but the voters for the most part didn't fall back on identity politics.  Obama, as part of the post-Baby Boom generation, understood that identity politics are a thing of the past, and that they're no way to reach voters.  Had he gotten up there on the podium and said, "It's about time we had a black president.  Vote for me!" I wouldn't have voted for him.  The goal is to look past skin color and gender, which Obama has implored us to do by way of not talking about his race as a reason for running.

We all heard Bush say that "an American senator" said he could have stopped Hitler from invading Poland, if only he'd been able to talk to him first.  But Bush didn't name the guy, making it tough for us to put this comment in context.  So: who was this senator?

So there's been a sudden dust-up surrounding Barack Obama's talk about how his white grandmother confessed that she felt jittery whenever a black man walked near her.  Some have taken umbrage to how he referred to his grandmother as "a typical white woman."  After he called her typical, he went on to say that she was a person who was made nervous by black men.  Obviously this doesn't mean that Obama's suggesting that all white women are nervous around black people, but obviously the right wing is working hard to spin it that way.

I feel a little stiff, but refreshed.  I took three Tylenol PMs instead of two.  Better not do that again.  Those things are strong.

The first thing I did, before picking up a newspaper or turning on the TV, was to jump on the DailyKos to sum up the last year's campaign events.  It was pretty clear how things were going to turn out when I drifted off on the night of February 18, 2007, so I might as well recap.

As we all know by now, Willard "Mitt" Romney dropped out of the presidential race today because he wanted to make sure the leading Republican got a clear shot at keeping the White House in the Republicans' hands and not the terrorist dupes who are working hard to win it back.  Obviously Willard's dropping out is going to have an effect on the Republican race, effectively making John McCain the Republican nominee, but will his effect have any effect on the Democratic race?

Okay, I'll pull no punches and I'll come right out and make it clear that I am not nor ever have been a Hillary Clinton supporter, fancier or even much of a tolerater of her.  However, the TV told me that tonight she won the New Hampshire primary by 3%, more or less, and I believe it, in spite of what all the polls—even Clinton's internals—said.  Well done, and I'll see you and your supporters at the next contest.

But apparently Barack Obama has scored 12 delegates from New Hampshire, while Hillary Clinton has 11 (and John Edwards has 4,) according to CNN's Delegate Scorecard.  Now sure, a victory's a victory, and I'd rather see Obama have more delegates, but what's the deal here?

It looks like the Obama's gaining ground in the second-place race.  While Edwards generally leads as the favorite second-choice candidate for Iowa caucusgoers, Obama's been picking up recommendations from the back of the pack: "Vote for me first, then vote for Obama if that doesn't work out."

You often hear people say that voters will go for a candidate whom they'd like to have a beer with for some reason, and that's the way they'll wind up voting.  In 2004, slightly more voters seemed to want to have a beer with a recovering alcoholic than a stiff drink with a stiff Democrat—and we wound up with a president who's really someone to drink about!

Here's a Christmas song I wrote a couple of years ago.  I wrote the words, but not the music.  But you can probably figure that out.

Let's remember those less fortunate than us this Christmas season—and let's remember those who are on the board of directors for the big box giant: remember them because they're the ones who are too willing to forget about you and everyone else.

Sure, all 42 of the people who have sat in the Oval Office have been men.  And sure, this is the first time we've had a female in the running who might actually win a major party's nomination (because Shirley Chisholm, Elizabeth Dole and Carole Moseley-Braun never had a serious shot, despite these candidates' varying merits.)  But just because a woman has never been president doesn't make the presidency an "all-boys' club."

I was in the World Trade Center's underground plaza half an hour before the first plane hit.  My train came in from New Jersey at that stop.  I was in the office fifteen minutes before the first plane hit.

We evacuated the building after the second one hit.  No one seemed to think anything of it until the second one; it was just a curious one-off.  I was stranded in Manhattan until about 4:00, when I finally caught a ferry back across the Hudson River and walked three miles home to the west side of Jersey City.

Last month I drove from Boston to southern New Jersey to Cape Cod and back to Boston on an extended weekend.  Along these mostly blue stretches of highway, I saw a number of bumper stickers that were residuals from last year's elections.  I saw cars with bumper stickers for Sheldon Whitehouse, Ned Lamont, Ben Cardin, Bob Casey, Peter Welch and Jim Webb.  I saw a few old Kerry/Edwards stickers but no Bush/Cheney stickers, and only one other Republican sticker—for Chris Shays.  It's nice to see all this action on the part of Democrats and nearly none for Republicans.

Last week, CNN and YouTube hosted a debate for the Democratic presidential candidates.  It featured questions recorded on film by citizens and played live before the candidates, to which they responded.  Some of the questions were ridiculous, and the most ridiculous were weeded out beforehand, but overall the result was interesting and received warmly by the candidates and the media.  I was on vacation when it aired so I couldn't catch it, but because it was on YouTube, all the footage was made available later online, allowing me to catch up.  The wonders of the age!

Senator David Vitter of Louisiana just had a second madam, this time one in New Orleans, claim him as one of her clients.  This madam, Jeanette Maier, went public not to humiliate Vitter but to rail against the DC madam who listed him as a client.  Maier said that it was unprofessional to "out" Vitter without pointing out all the good he's done in office.  With friends like this, who needs enemies?

This prompted me to read up on Senator Vitter, who in 2004 won his Senate seat campaigning against "Massachusetts values," saying that the Senate needs more "Louisiana values."  The brothel scandals got me wondering what "Louisiana values" were, since I'll admit I never would have guessed that Vitter's behavior jibes with them.  In fact, I'd think that many Louisianans might not agree that visiting brothels could be classed as a "Louisiana value."  But I had to know, and I had to know what was wrong with my values, since I live in Massachusetts.  So I wrote a letter to Senator Vitter.

So it's official: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has left the Republican Party.

Yep, Time Magazine has made its case for the value of teaching the Bible in public schools.  Their point is that since so many Americans these days draw on the Bible for inspiration, guidance and general decision-making, it's valuable for the youth of today to know the names of Noah's sons, the events at the banquet of Nebuchadrezzar, and the full text of the Sermon of the Mount.  It's just as necessary as teaching kids the Gettysburg Address, no doubt.  Blessed are those forefathers who brought upon this continent a new nation conceived in liberty!

At any rate, I think it's a great idea.  Many Americans' decisions are indeed influenced by the Bible, so teaching the Bible to schoolchildren is crucial.