As regular readers know, I’ve been watching the COPM states (Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan) to get a feel for who will be moving into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. next January. Whichever candidate can carry at least three of those four will make the path to victory for their opponent a virtual impossibility. The first of those, Colorado, has been generating a lot of news this weekend. Early reports, from both The Rocky Mountain News and 538.com, showed Obama’s previous slim but...

Even in the midst of the media feeding frenzy over Obamamania and the Republicans’ efforts to force some shoulder room on the stage for John McCain, it seems that Americans would still prefer to have more options. According to a recent poll from Zogby, the majority of voters would prefer to see Bob Barr at the lectern when presidential candidates debate this fall. More than half of likely voters nationwide – 55% – want Republican-turned-Libertarian Bob Barr to participate in presidential...

Did John McCain steal one of Jackson Browne’s songs without permission for use in a political ad? If you read the headlines, it certainly looks that way, but there is a bit more to the story. While Mr. Brown’s music apparently was used without consent, it may not have been done by Team McCain. The song, “Running on Empty,” has been used by the Ohio Republican Party (not the McCain campaign) apparently against Browne’s approval. The music icon also claims that in doing...

Whether you read his blog, watch his show on the Travel Channel or read his books, you can learn a lot from Anthony Bourdain no matter your political persuasion. Some things I’ve picked up. 1. There is no part of a pig you can’t love when handled skillfully. 2. Vegans should not be sent to concentration camps. Under the right circumstances, however, they could be forced into reeducation camps. 3. Anyone can love. If it’s not the love of your life, you can love someone who understands...

While it has cropped up many times over the years, another unanticipated bit of fallout from surging energy costs has been a renewed interest in both telecommuting and the four day work week. Chrysler is looking into it again, Howard County, Md. has adopted it, along with Brevard County Community College in Florida, among others. Some of these early adopters are seeing benefits in the form of reduced energy costs at office locations and improved employee productivity and satisfaction. The workers...

What with all of the excitement swirling around the Olympics and the ongoing drama in Georgia, I’m sure that the prospect of another heavily wonkish discussion of domestic policy issues might have you checking to see if you couldn’t schedule a quick root canal. But that won’t stop me urging you to check out a recent piece at BlogHer written by Nancy Pfotenhauer on the subject of education. I’ve interviewed Nancy before and she’s a seriously hard hitting wonk from McCain’s...

While you couldn’t tell it from the continuing dearth of coverage on CNN, MSNBC and Fox, Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr is still quietly moving forward with his plans to move in at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue next January. Most recently, Team Barr has gotten on the ballot in Kentucky, and look to do the same in Maine now that the deadline for signature submissions has been pushed back to August 15. Earlier projections of Barr being in the running in 49 of 50 states still appear to be...

Check out my new column on this subject.

We had a great panel discussion today on the subject of Russia and Georgia with myself, Ron Beasely of Newshoggers, our own Shaun Mullen, our Editor Joe Gandelman, and Cindy of Ladies Logic, along with our resident expert on Armenian history who put some perspective on how Georgia arrived where it is today. In case you missed it, you can catch a full replay of the show here at your leisure.

Given the rapidly unfolding (or perhaps collapsing would be a better word) situation between Georgia and Russia, (more on that below) Cindy and I will be taking to the airwaves today on a special edition of Mid Stream Radio at noon eastern time (11 am central, 9 am pacific) for a roundtable discussion of the latest news and what it all means. We’ll be joined by TMV’s very own Shaun Mullen, as well as the possibility of a couple other surprise guests. You can join us at the link above...

It may come as a surprise to many political observers that Angelina Jolie has not yet decided which candidate will receive her vote this November. Her stated reasons would indicate that she’s weighing her options carefully and waiting to hear more from the candidates on the issues most important to her. (These will come as no surprise to those familiar with her extensive work in human rights and aid to children around the world.) Both campaigns have reached out to her, apparently to court...

At this rate, I’m worried that John McCain is going to need a wheelchair if the Iraqis shoot him in the foot any more. Iraq’s Foreign Minister came out today with yet another statement to clarify the clarification of the enhanced explanation of the last five statements on the future of any sort of military presence by the United States in Iraq. Iraq demands “very clear” U.S. troop timeline The United States must provide a “very clear timeline” to withdraw its...

As we’ve noted recently, we’re in the somewhat boring days of summer – at least in terms of the campaign – and while we await fresh grist for the mill, many will be looking for something to fill the time. Cue the Right wing, with their “discovery” that Barack Obama may hold dual citizenship in Kenya. As James Joyner immediately noted, this is yet another “so what?” moment. Whether Obama is actually a citizen of Kenya and/or Indonesia is interesting...

Saturday brought us yet another rousing, back and forth war of radio ads, this time featuring the voices of both Barack Obama and John McCain themselves. Both, of course, were yet more disappointing examples of the tones of the campaigns trending downward. McCain took to the wireless with yet another tired, no-sale tirade about how Obama is a celebrity. “Taking in my opponent’s performances is a little like watching a big summer blockbuster, and an hour in realizing that all the best...

As we enter the second day of hostilities between Russia and Georgia, I see that the two major party candidates have already weighed in on the subject. (Has anyone even bothered asking the President, I wonder?) In a previous column, I posed the question, “do we even have a dog in this fight?” Some readers were quick in displaying the intellectual honesty to eschew any dithering over American parental obligations to the nascent Georgian democracy and the fragile Rose Revolution, pointing...

What better way to note the opening day of the Olympics than with a new war. James Joyner reports that Russi has tanks rolling over the border into the Caucasus region of South Ossetia in Georgia. (For all of you who consider yourself “caucasian” this may be your homeland. Ok… enough snark.) Indeed, news reports have already begun pouring in about military activity in the region, and this morning’s television news is reporting that Georgia has shot down two Russian war planes...

Can someone explain this to me, please? This isn’t some sort of rhetorical device, by the way. I honestly would like some help in understanding the questions surrounding Ron Suskind’s allegations regarding the forged documents which sought to tie Saddam to AQ in an effort to gin up support for the Iraq war. According to his account, George Tenet delivered the order from the White House to the CIA, and they forged the documents. Now, the American Conservative is claiming that while the...

What is the “best” form of government? Is there anything good about communism or faulty about democracies or republics? How is it that so few governments last over the long haul? Stop by Mid Stream Radio today at 1 pm eastern, 10 am pacific, and we’ll clear it all up for you. Oh, and we might have a surprise guest for you to chat with. Call us at (646) 595-3963 to have your say, or join us in the online web chat! See you on the radio.

A group of bloggers sat down for another conference call with Libertarian candidate for president, Bob Barr, his campaign manager Russ Verney, and staff members today. I’ll begin with some initial impressions. Bob Barr is one of the most refreshing faces in politics today in terms of interviews. Reporters who continue to be frustrated and annoyed by the major party candidates (who constantly seem to answer each and every question by falling back on one of the same half dozen canned talking...

Earlier, I wrote about a Washington Post story detailing some suspicious looking contributions to the McCain campaign bundled by Harry Sargeant III. Shortly after posting, a correction appeared in the original report, as follows: An earlier version of this story about campaign donations that Florida businessman Harry Sargeant III raised for Sen. John McCain, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton incorrectly identified three individuals as being among the donors Sargeant...

NOTE: There is an update and correction to this story. Please click through for the details. Is there trouble coming down the pike for the McCain campaign in the form of questionable campaign contributions? The Democrats experienced their share of woes with now famous bundler Norman Hsu, well known for generating large checks for Democrats from people of, shall we say, extremely modest means. Today we find out more about Harry Sargeant III. The bundle of $2,300 and $4,600 checks that poured into...

And so it comes to this. We’re in the midst of a heated presidential contest, an energy crisis looms, the economy is on the skids, and I come before you today to once again write about… Paris Hilton. The celebrity – whose fame, as near as I can tell, resulted entirely from the circumstances of her mother having intercourse with William Baron Hilton’s boy – has responded to John McCain’s use of her image in his recent “celebrity” advertisement. See...

As each day of “Energy Watch 2008″ ticks by here at TMV I find myself more and more puzzled by the tactics being employed by Senator Obama’s campaign. Today, it seems, he’s showing up in the Buckeye State to talk about energy. (Well done!) Unfortunately, the message being put forth leaves me scratching my head. “McCain has taken a page out of the Cheney playbook.” “Under Senator McCain’s plan, the oil companies get billions more, we don’t pay any less at the pump,...

I would like to take a moment to suggest you pick up a copy of a very old book, A Collection of Essays by George Orwell. Much of the work comes from his early years, including reflections on his childhood in England and his time serving the country in India. One of the more soul crushing but essential essays from the latter period is, “Shooting an Elephant.” In it, Orwell speaks of an incident where he is summoned to a provincial village to kill a “rogue elephant” who has...

No sooner do I write a column defending Barack Obama from an unjust and, frankly, nonsensical attack, than I see him getting ready to slit his own parachute lines on energy again. Obama: Tap nation’s oil reserve to help gas prices LANSING, Mich. – In a reversal, Barack Obama proposed Monday that the government sell 70 million barrels of oil from its strategic petroleum stockpile to help reduce gasoline prices. The Democratic presidential candidate said in a major energy speech that in...