NOTE: Another in our series of special Election 2008 editions of our popular Around The Sphere link-fest where we offer readers links to weblogs of differing viewpoints — and give you our comments on some of the political issues raised. This version will only contain election-related links. It will appear several times a week until Election Day.

The Great Confederate Flag Controversy Surfaces In South Carolina (Again) and lo and behold it’s again being used against Arizona Senator John McCain who’s losing ground to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee who — coincidentally — is coming out in favor of it waving there (apparently forever). Booker Rising, a site that bills itself as a “news site for black moderates and black conservatives’ but must be required reading for everyone, writes this:

However, I’ll take on Mr. Huckabee’s statement and say it again: “Your” flag should be the American flag, not the traitorous Confederate flag. “Southern pride” here translates into racist Southern pride, for these symbols represent slavery, degradation, and un-Americanism. Most blacks are Southerners, yet very few are down with the flag. To flag lovers: you lost the Civil War - get over it already! The Civil War killed 617,000 folks, and the South illegally tried to secede from the United States. This flag is no different than the Nazi flag - that of a vanquished totalitarian entity that USA thankfully put out to pasture. Yet supporters want to fly this traitorous flag equal to that of the U.S. flag over a state capitol.

Read it all.

Yes On The Political Scene In South Carolina it is very un-pretty indeed. But some folks who would have never gotten an invitation to my bar mitzvah (or attended if they were invited) do have their favorites and unfavorites.

Why Are Some People More Than Ever This Year Progressive Democrats? The All Spin Zone’s Richard Blair has an extensive MUST-READ POST HERE. Here is just a tiny part of it but read it all:

I’m angry. I’m angry with the business climate that has upended my life and that of millions of others like me. I’m angry that I’m good enough at what I do that I’m the “go-to” guy when there’s a steaming pile of business shit that someone else has left for me to clean up, but there’s no one to back me up when I have a less than stellar day at the office. I’m angry that at this point in my life I’m locked into a fairly dead-end position because of the paycheck, but more importantly, benefits that I can’t (again, at this point of my life) afford to be without.

In the past year, I’ve seen one of my closest business associates hang it up because it just wasn’t worth it anymore - he bailed out early when he had the opportunity, even as he was somewhat unsure of his financial future. Another (15 years younger than me) had a heart attack just before Christmas. He was back at his desk last week. He’ll never make it to retirement. Another is opting for early retirement in March rather than spend another minute with her nose stuck to the grind stone.

We suspect there is a lot of that going around.

In Last Week”s Debate The Democratic Candidates Were Asked A Key Question and Senator Barack Obama scored — and Senators Hillary Clinton and John Edwards failed. Q: What was the question? A: See teacher Betsy Newmark for the answer.

Can This Be The End Of Rudy Giuliani? The ever-stylish and highly individualistic liberal The Heretik thinks so. And here’s a small part of what he says:

The collapse of the Giuliani myth is one of the most fascinating storylines of the season so far. The mayor’s gamble that the most traumatic national event of our time would also be the most political event of our time seems to have been a bad bet. George W. Bush was the 9/11 candidate and there may be no more to say about it at this point. Despite Giuliani’s decision not to contest Michigan, his three percent performance there was more than just a disappointing footnote: It’s a big hint. In any successful Giuliani scenario, Michigan was crucial. If the economically strapped progeny of the 1980s Reagan Democrats can’t grasp the charms of tough-talking, tax-cutting Rudy Giuliani, no one will.

Our view? If RG succeeds then he’ll be seen as a masterful strategist. If he flops (as looks likely) his (bad) decision will be talked about for years and will suggest that He Who Wants To Be President Better Enter The Fray Early (something Fred Thompson –who might start lining up his acting gigs ASAP — found out). It’s truly a pity because Giuliani does have some top notch people working with him. It’s also a pity that he used 911 so much as a mantra that many Americans tired of that meditation and clearly moved on to other options.

Can You Tell Democrats From Republicans And Republicans From Democrats Anymore? Jon Swift argues that the 2008 Presidential campaign shows we’re in an era of “political cross dressers.”

Does Hillary Clinton Have A “Democracy Problem?” Pajamas Media’s Daniel Koffler thinks she does and points to the court case in Nevada by the teacher’s union (that has officials who support her) trying to keep a pro-Obama union from having its members vote at their work sites.

Predictably enough, a backlash against the Clinton operation has begun. The Culinary Workers Union is stepping up the ardor of its support for Obama, distributing flyers throughout Nevada directly accusing the Clinton campaign of attempting a tactical disenfranchisement of its members. Union members are of course free to disregard their leadership’s endorsements, but one could hardly imagine a more effective way to galvanize Obama’s support among the rank-and-file than to alert them to Clinton’s efforts to take their vote away. Furthermore, left-leaning pundits and blogs have been training Democrats for years now to recognize even the slightest appearance of voter-suppression, and they are virtually unanimous in their condemnation of the lawsuit. Hence the Clinton tactics jeopardize many potential votes outside the union. Even John Kerry, who presumably still has some influence among Democrats, has taken a public swipe at the Clinton scheme.

Yet despite her apparent, sudden volte-face on voter rights, one could not fairly accuse Hillary Clinton of acting inconsistently or without principle. In Nevada, as in Iowa, New Hampshire, and throughout the United States, Hillary Clinton stands unwaveringly for the inalienable right of all citizens to vote for her.

Even so, polls show Clinton winning today in Nevada (just watch TMV for election results).

Has A Certain Issue Become Lost In The 2008 Presidential race? Arianna Huffington thinks so. It’s a teenie-weenie issue called “Iraq.” Her take on it is HERE.