THIS MODERN WORLD

McCain defends himself:

I am grateful for the fact that I have a wonderful life. I spent some years without a kitchen table, without a chair, and I know what it’s like to be blessed by the opportunities of this great nation. Cindy’s father, who barely finished high school, went off and distinguished himself in World War II in a B-17 and came back with practically nothing and realized the American dream, and I am proud and grateful for that, and I think he is a role model to many young Americans who serve in the military and come back and succeed.

I didn’t realize the American Dream included being a mobbed-up convicted felon.

But seriously, usually it’s the Democrats who are mobbed-up. Most Republicans have the money to engage in organized crime so high level that it’s called “foreign policy.”

Random photos from a Saturday night pre-convention media welcome party at a former Six Flags amusement park. Security is always intense at conventions, of course, and SWAT and FBI teams were particularly in evidence at Saturday’s party.

(In all seriousness, I have no idea why oversized stuffed bears and dogs in paramilitary gear are the carnival prize of the moment.)

As you have probably read, this is going to be the Greenest Convention Ever. But since this means that familiar objects such as napkins and plastic beer cups are actually made out of corn starch, it is necessary to have a full time volunteer by each recycling station explaining what goes where.

As this sign explains, vehicles at the Greenest Convention Ever are fueled by Coors brand waste-beer ethanol. I kept seeing the image out of the corner of my eye and thinking it was a picture of a gun, with the nozzle as the gun’s handle.

Always good advice.

And of course, I got to spend some quality time with the candidate himself, because that’s just what life is like when you are a big-time political blogger such as myself.

I, for one, am overwhelmed with excitement.

Bidenmania!

I know the veepstakes anticipation is feverish, but there’s no way this is real :

Just compare the sticker above the an actual Obama sticker :



The legit sticker is very well-designed. Notice how the “O” and “8” are slightly larger and frame the text portion of the sticker. And how it uses multiple shades of blue to great effect. And that it includes both the now iconic campaign logo and the address for the official site (which is also well designed in terms of font choice, size, color, and spacing).

Now keep all of that in mind as you take a look at the monstrosity of a sticker that’s making the rounds purporting to be proof that Obama is picking Evan Bayh. It uses the most boring and basic shades of blue and red imaginable, a silly wave of a white line that looks like it was borrowed from a Pepsi can, and truly bizarre choice of font for the “08” in the corner. The star in the “0” finishes it off as if to imply that this sticker was a class project from a Learning Annex Photoshop class rather than the work of design professionals.

If this is real, then it would mean that despite all of the perfectly executed planning and coordination by the Obama team, they handed over the design of their campaign merch to amateurs who shouldn’t even be in the same room as those who have been so successful in the campaign branding so far. Personally, I don’t buy it.

I don’t really give a rat’s ass about the VP selection, and imagine that 90% of guesses are just going to end up making the guesser look foolish — but having said that, I agree with Digby on this:

I wrote before that the Obama campaign has a flair for the theatrical and picking Clinton, after all the sturm and drang of the primaries and all this suspense of the last few weeks, is definitely a dramatic choice.

My non-prediction prediction: I won’t be surprised if Hillary is the big surprise.

(What I’d really enjoy is for McCain to select Lieberman. Talk radio has already made it clear that their embrace of Holy Joe only lasts as long as he is an outcast Democrat — if he becomes the Republican VP nominee, their heads will explode. And what great fun it would be, to be able to say — you wanted him? He’s yours! Sadly, I don’t think it’s going to happen.)

… Fox says it’s Biden … and that that’s Good News For McCain …