Ben Smith is reporting that John McCain is making an issue out of suggestions by Obama in a position paper/statement on the relationship between the US and Ireland.

One matter covered in the paper raises the possibility of abolishing the post of Special Presidential Envoy to Northern Ireland.

McCain says that Obama's policy paper is evidence of Obama's foreign policy inexperience. However McCain is wrong, and is misrepresenting what Obama has said. Nonetheless there is some evidence that the way in which Obama's policy is being represented may hurt him with the :Irish" vote in the US.

I'd like to promote the new, awesome site ObamaTaxCut.com put together by Zach at AlchemyToday:

53% of Americans think Barack Obama will raise their taxes, which means at least 52% of Americans don't know anything about his tax policies. In fact, 95% of Americans will see a tax cut from Obama, and 80% of Americans will get a bigger cut than they'd get from McCain. Calculate your Obama Tax Cut at ObamaTaxCut.com!

Help spread the word about the site: Digg it up here.

It's official:  Nanacy Pelosi entered a motion to nominate Barack Obama by acclamation, it was seconded and carried. Discuss.

I turned on C-Span to look at the convention, and realized the roll call was beginning to start...

Okay, you guys, turn on CSPAN  and watch history in the making.  It's fun to hear the speeches, see the enthusiasm, feel the excitement.

Arkansas had some wonderful things to say about Senator Clinton and Bill Clinton their former governor and first lady, yet they awarded all their votes for Barack Obama in the spirit of unity.

The American Samoa delegation has just voted, casting all 9 votes for Senator Obama.

The land of endless blue skies (Arizona) and on behalf of crazy old man McCain's state; 40 for Obama, 27 for Hillary Clinton.

Arkansas is up now.

Bill Gwatney's widow is speaking on behalf of Arkansas

Arkansas casts 47 votes for Barack Obama.

Total current

1549.5-341.5 currently.

Halfway there!!!

Without further ado, here are the battleground numbers:

Colorado: McCain 47, Obama 46
Pennsylvania: Obama 48, McCain 43
Nevada: Obama 49, McCain 44
New Mexico: Obama 53, McCain 40

Dates conducted: August 24-26. Error margin: 4 points.

Any reasonably alert Kossack knows the vicious, unprincipled depths to which the Radical Right, i.e., the modern Republican Party and its hacks, will sink in their attempt to destroy Barack Obama. In case you need to see them all in one place, these are attacks that McCain and his thugs have ACTUALLY made:

Obama is a traitor

Obama wants to kill live babies.

And the list goes on an on and on.

Great news. Senate candidate and Saxby slayer Jim Martin is planning to join fellow Democrats at the Obama acceptance speech watch party to be held at Amsterdam Bar and Cafe in Midtown Atlanta. Below the fold is a message from Jim:

Funny, I always thought that having so many different news mediums and sources to refer to would make it easier to find out how the convention and the campaign in general is really going.  But actually it makes things more confusing.  All the different filters and opinions and spin makes it difficult at times to determine what is just perception and what is reality.  Are the media and/or the blogosphere accurate representations of what people are really thinking about all this and how this is actually playing out?  

Some people say we shouldn't worry about the polls, others say we should definitely worry about them, some say it's going great, others say it's not.  I might feel one way about something only to find out that I'm dead wrong only to find out that maybe I was right, only to find out that I don't know what the fuck I know.

I can't wait to hear Senator Obama's words in person. He's warned us not to expect that he can duplicate the electricity from his memorable speech in 2004, but I think he's just being wise to play down expectations. He has proven to be a remarkable human being with incredible judgment, an outstanding sense of direction, and unmatched communication skills. I fully expect to be inspired, as I was in 2004.

The above words are from a message on General Clark's website confirming that he wiill be in Denver when Barack Obama accepts the nomination for President from the Democratic party. Just one more sign of a united Democratic Party.

The title question refers to an issue that is frustrating me because I see hardly anyone else talking about it, and I don't understand why. Maybe somebody here can help me out on this...

How is McCain doing compared to Bush in the battleground states?
Comparing the latest polling data against the results of the 2004
election gives us a perspective.

For stupid head McAss!

They try and try, lies upon lies, but nobody is listening to them...The loud sounds you hear right now are pukes heads exploding all over the country...I hope someone reminds the MSM of the FACT, these numbers don't lie!

We've been down this road before, Obama must not think he can win where others have failed.

I know there are a lot of these so just think of it as a reference sheet more than a diary.  

Print this off and have reluctant Clinton supporters read it. The Democratic Party needs their votes.

This part 3 of Voting Record Comparison. I’ve added Hillary Clinton’s voting record on the important issues to Obama’s, Biden’s and McCain’s so that Clintonites and Hillraisers can judge whether or not they want to vote for Obama or McCain based on the issues not based on an emotional attachment to their disappointment.

While the example that I’m going to give is extreme, bordering on the ridiculous, it will illustrate the absurd nature of switching from Hillary Clinton to John McCain. If Mother Theresa, Mahatma Ghandi and Joseph Stalin were running and you couldn’t vote for Mother Theresa. Would it make sense to now vote for Joseph Stalin? A final word to Clinton supporters: Silence gives consent.

Let me start with how sickened I am with cable news.  Monday was 4 hours leading up to Michelle's speech with "what does she have to do?" blah blah blah.  Tuesday was 4 hours of "What does Hillary have to do?"  Blah blah blah.  Is there nothing else to talk about?

Is there an energy crisis?
Are we at war in two countries?
Is the economy in the toilet?
Is global warming a problem?
Should women get equal pay for equal work?

Is the media asking these questions?  Are they asking the Democratic Party what their position is?

As far as i know Barack Obama will be the 1st black person to be nominated for president of any country outside Africa. He is a Democrat. He will make his acceptance speech on the 45th anniversary of MLK's "I Have A Dream" speech. As of right now the only Democrat to serve as president for two terms since FDR will not be there. As of right now he man who spent 4 years as the head of the DNC will not be there.