BREAK GLASS IF NEEDED

As I post tonight while watching "The Third Man" on TCM, we still don't know Obama's second man (or woman).

Can I ask: what was the point of getting supporters to signup for the much-vaunted text message alert system for the VP if you weren't going to announce the choice before your Saturday morning rally? Or was the decision more agonizing than expected?

Anyway, since about one-third of the blogosphere believes the choice will be Sen. Joe "Hairplugs" Biden, I just thought I'd set out some gaffe appetizers from Biden's well-stocked pantry. More to come? Oh, baby, you can't imagine...so start with these if Biden does turn out to be Obama's "August surprise".

"I CAN'T STAND JOHN MCCAIN"

Looks like it's not only Barack Obama who imagines in vain that he can talk with his enemies and win them over with words and good intentions. How often do McCain and his surrogates express their desire to "reach across the aisle" and work with Democrats on "commonsense solutions" and "straight talk."?

Yet, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in this hometown paper interview, allows himself this:

"I can't stand John McCain".

Sure, you can reach across. It's just that you may pull back a stump.

OBAMA TRAILS KERRY AT THIS SAME POINT IN '04

You can make of this fact what you want, but a cool and wonky website called electoral-vote.com lets you keep track of the math that matters this election season, while showing you each state's past performance, and how the Bush-Kerry race tracked as well. At this point, the E-V map gives Obama 275 electoral votes (270 needed to win); Jean-Francois had 303 at this point in 2004 and still lost to President Bush.

Of course, Kerry was a stiff, had a terrible convention, and certainly didn't pre-design his own presidential seal. There's still hope for Obama. The point here is there is also still hope for McCain.

MIX A CUBA LIBRE...

...using Bacardi and Coke, not Pepsi...and get comfortable with T.J. English's "Havana Nocturne: How The Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It To The Revolution".

DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS ON OLYMPIC "RECORDS"

> > Hi Jack,> > Listening to the show and just wanted to make a comment. Of course all> of the external issues you're discussing are performance enhancing. But> that's not necessarily bad. I think the main issue is, that as time> passes, there are going to be a wide variety of enhancements in not only> equipment, but also training, muscle development, techniques and so on.> There's a natural progression that is going to lend itself towards> improvements in performance. That just has to be accepted.> > I'm sure Tiger woods would have a harder time keeping up with some of> the past golf greats if he didn't have all of the top equipment that he> does. Not to say that Tiger Woods shouldn't be respected, but there has> to be an acknowledgement that there is an advantage.> > Records are going to be broken and the only way to avoid that would be> to create a new category of records to exclude and make permanent the> records of the past, that were achieved with lesser means. But then 50> years from now, that would probably need to be done again to secure the> records made today.> > Bryan


Bryan,
Thanks for an interesting and thoughtful letter. It occurs to me, from what little I know of my favorite sports, like baseball and golf, that they would sometimes go through long periods of very little if any change in equipment or 'technology' and then during other periods of their long history, see spates of rpaid change (designated hitters, synthetic clubs/shafts/putters). I think it makes "all-time" claims almost impossible. Now, if the game is something like chess or boxing, where arguable very little ever changes, I think it's more realistic to compare people across decades. So, I think we're saying the same thing: you can be judged the best in a certain era, but comparing Tiger Woods to Ben Hogan or Phelps to Pavo Nurmi is probably kind of silly. Natural progression, as you call it, is evolutionary, but I think something like a sudden redesign of the pool or sudden leap forward in a synthetic swimsuit invalidates direct comparisons.---Jack



Jack
I think the olympics should be performed nude as they were in ancient times. See wikipedia (During the ancient times normally only young men could participate.[9] The sportsmen usually competed nude. This was due in part to the weather and also because the festival was meant to be a celebration of the achievements of the human body). This way there would be no enhancing swim suits. Depending on the size of manhood would determine the amount of drag. Or the water temperature. Just think what the TV ratings would be today. It would be rated MA.

Tommy

YES, WE CAN

Tired of hearing the ever-changing litany of excuses from the no-drill liberals? The Washington Post (repeat: the Washington Post) debunks three of their all-time lamest hits:

There's not enough U.S. oil to matter...WRONG.

Big oil isn't drilling its existing leases...WRONG.

We'll wreck the environment...WRONG.

Their conclusion: you cannot ignore the current and near-future importance of oil, and if we're going to be using it for some time to come, we might as well use our own as buy it elsewhere.

THE MAN V. THE MYTH

The Internet is the best thing to happen to elections since...(any suggestions? I'm drawing a blank, but I meant it as a compliment.

Anyway, this is cool: "Slate" has organized a timeline of Barack Obama's actual life story, as it is documented vs. how he tells his own story in his much-vaunted oratory. I guess I should say, "life stories"...