I must apologize I don't write diaries, but this is breaking in the blogs and needs more juice.  Karl Rove has been accused of threatening a primary witness in for the plaintiffs in the King Lincoln Bronzeville v. Blackwell.  Check out Brad Blog as well as ePluribusMediafor a backgrounder on the new "IT Forest Gump" genious computer Guru who has handled IT business for the Republicans since they lost New Hampshire in 2000.

Update: King Lincoln Bronzeville v. Blackwell link

I think someone may have spiked my Diet Coke with something extra special tonight because tonight's diary prep went to 2 pages - again. Goody for us all - I hope!

So, let's Countdown for the night before payday for me!

This is not about supporting Barack Obama or any lack of support for John McCain. This is about a lack of respect for every soldier that has fought in, is fighting in and has given the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq. John McCain’s assertion that another elected official (Barack Obama) wants to intentionally lose the war in Iraq is absolutely the lowest of the low.  How could any sensible man, elected official, presidential candidate, especially a veteran, say this about another elected official? His assertion is essentially an accusation of premeditated treason.

I feel incredibly out-of-step with everyone in the Dkos community right now. Diary after diary about the speech in Berlin, and the comments are piling up in Al Roger's lovely picture-diary which shot to the top of the Rec List.

Meanwhile...

Did this speech earn Barack even a SINGLE vote? Did anyone who wasn't already voting for him decide to vote for him? Did the speech help shore up his areas of weakness--namely national security and the ability to be commander in chief? Did it continue the good work of his trips to Israel, Iraq and Afghanistan?

OR, did it provide Mccain with a chance to talk some more about which one is more American. He already did so in his interview with Brian Williams for tonight--expressing that he would rather give that sort of speech as President than as a candidate. Did it give Fox News and their ilk some sound bytes that they will just love--Barack Obama, son of a Kenyan, who grew up in Indonesia, possible secret Muslim...declaring himself " a citizen of the world"...in front of a crowd of adoring Germans?

Republican Gordon Smith is running the most negative campaign in the entire country. Smith has spent over one million dollars attacking OR-Sen candidate Jeff Merkley. You'd think I wouldn't be surprised anymore with the Smith's campaign constant negative attacks and misleading ads, but today the Smith campaign reached a new low. Jeff Merkley released his rural economic development plan and this is how the Smith Campaign responded:

Jeff Merkley has a 10-year record of trying to beat rural Oregon into submission," Gilbride said. "His lackluster and disingenuous proposal is merely fruit from a poisoned tree. It is not credible for Merkley to propose things he spent a career opposing."

Wow.

Full disclosure; I am the netroots director for OR-Sen candidate Jeff Merkley

In a rather surprising statement, former Clinton Campaign Chairman and Uber Clinton loyalist Terry McAuliffe is promoting Virginia Governor Tim Kaine as Obama's running mate in 2008.

According to Marc Ambinder of The Atlantic

So does he know something we don't?

Is the Hillary Clinton-as-Vice President movement dead, if one ever existed?  Was she ever under serious consideration by the Obama camp?  If she was, does McAuliffe's statement effectively end any and all speculation?

More below the fold.

This Essay is #2 of 3 written by George about his opponent, Doc Hastings.  For more about George and his campaign for Congress, visit his site here.  If you live in the 4th Congressional District, don't forget to vote for George in the August 19th Primary!

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In 1996, Jack Abramoff, then a member of Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds, targeted my Congressman, Doc Hastings, for lobbying, while Hastings served on the House Natural Resources Committee. [1] Abramoff, and his team of lobbyists, then represented the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, a South Pacific territory of the United States. [2] Abramoff’s firm received millions for its lobbying efforts on behalf of the Commonwealth. [3]

My Dad, an extremely wise man, who went from being a ditch digger out of high school to becoming a successful small businessman, has a favorite phrase, "Do Something!" Throughout my life, from the football fields and wrestling mats of my youth to the classrooms and stumps of the present, I have heard the exhortation, "Do Something!" I've been thinking a lot about this lately. Everyday, while talking to people, either at their doors or at a local fair, I hear the same story. People are worried, frustrated, and angry about gas prices, the economy, the Iraq War, and health insurance. Gas, food, and health-care costs are going through the roof, people (rightly) are cutting back, people are losing homes due to foreclosure, job layoffs are just beginning to be announced, and winter is just over the horizon...Congress, meanwhile, does nothing.

Wow.

Simply freaking wow.

It's hard to express how I felt about the just-concluded Obama speech in Berlin, Germany, but it's not hard to see the effect it had.

We've heard for years from the right-wing tools that Europe hates us, and that they're a bunch of cowards who will never fight, and having any sort of ties to Europe is bad, yadda yadda yadda.

Today demonstrated what a bunch of errant nonsense that is.

Obama came as an American, no more, no less, and he reminded both Europe and us that we have longstanding ties that go back sixty years, to the Berlin Airlift, where through our better nature and a supreme effort, we saved West Berlin from falling to the Soviets, and preserved freedom in a landlocked island.  Forty years after that, the island was opened up, and freedom spread from it, as it does from all such ideas.

More....

The Slattery for Senate campaign is up with another spot on T.V.  "Young" began airing this week as well across Kansas and its a lot of fun with the flipping cube.

I know it's considered gauche to pimp out your own blog, but I only registered it, what, a day ago, so it's not like you can read anything at samethreechords.blogspot.com, even though it's there and I am very good looking.

In Kos's otherwise great post yesterday about Joe Garcia and the South Florida Cuban exile community, I was a little bothered, as a proud Democrat, South Floridian, and Cuban American, by some of the wording. It's not you, it's me.

This is big.

Great news for all of us who seek a Blue/Green Alliance!  The Teamsters today left the ANWR coalition, a group in favor of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  Jim Hoffa has just announced that the Teamsters are pulling out of the coalition supporting drilling in ANWR and are shifting their support to efforts to build coalitions with green groups to create a sustainable energy economy around sources like solar, wind and geothermal.

"We are not going to drill our way out of the energy problems we are facing—not here and not in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge," Hoffa told labor and environmental activists at an Oakland, Calif., summit on good jobs and clean air. "We must find a long-term approach that breaks our dependence on foreign oil by investing in the development of alternate energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal power."

Hoffa Rejects 'Drilling Our Way Out' of Energy Crisis, Demands Long-Term Policy Solutions

More, after the fold.

An old man goes to the park to hear the speech, armed with a bushel of rotten tomatoes.  When the speech begins, the old man lets fly -- over the head of the orator.  His next few missles sail to the right of their mark.  Soon, though, the man's age takes its toll, and his lobs fall progressively short.  Seeing this, a friend leans over and suggests that it's time to stop.  "Stop?" cries the old man.  "I've still got tomatoes, and I only have to hit him once."

Let's check McCain's remaining tomato supply.

For those of you who never got the chance to be a teacher and instead took the route of the more boring yet higher paying job, or for those of you who always wanted to tell a teacher what and/or how to teach, here's your chance.

My wife is sending me wingnut emails -- but relax.  It's not as bad as it sounds:

Date: Thu, 2008 16:37:34 -0500
From: ms.dsteffen@nearbystateuniversity.edu
To: dsteffen@domain.net
Subject: FW: FW: FW: Obama – For or Against

A definite response is needed!!!!!!!!!!

Ms. dsteffen

Attachment: Obama – For or Against.doc

A response?  As you wish...

You know about the stimulus-response rule?  Apply a stimulus, get a response.  So, how has the GOP attempt to frame the debate been going?

Stimulus: Tell America that Obama hasn't been to Iraq, and doesn't know what's going on in the Middle East.
Response: Obama visits Iraq, and their prime minister endorses his idea for troop withdrawl timetable.

Stimulus: Tell America that the "liberal" media is treating McCain unfairly.
Response: Media looks at McCain, and watches him make gaffes.

Stimulus: Tell America that Bush's call for drilling has brought down the price of oil, and schedule a photo-op on an oil rigger.
Response: What else?  An oil spill.

This begs the question: "Is the McCain Campaign cursed?"

We Democrats are getting confident.  How can Obama possibly lose?  Just wait until the debates!

The M$M, however, having lots of rating advertising to lose with a blowout, is in a panic.  They need a horse race.  Fortunately, they have a plan, and the money to pull it off.  Want to know how?

untie our hands
and we'll show you
what we can do

all we want
is a fair fight
nothing underhanded

we'll stick to the rules
and come out swinging
hit you where it hurts

and when we knock you down
you stay down
you take the count

some things never change
and some things do
now we're contenders

we're waiting for the bell
to dance you around
and then take you out

Peter Buknatski
Montpelier, Vt.

You know how much I like to cover election races from every corner of the country, and today I deliver yet again. This time, the news comes straight out of Hawaii where Honolulu Councilmember Ann Kobayashi has just announced that she will run a grass-roots campaign against incumbent mayor Mufi Hannemann.