The Dish

Not as rabid as Coulter but pretty pissed at the La Raza speech.

North Carolina’s voters are comfortable voting for female candidates:

Eleven women were on the ballot last week running in primaries for statewide elective office. Seven of them won their races by beating male opponents. An eighth, Winston-Salem’s Mary Fant Donnan, was the top vote-getter in the Democratic primary for commissioner of labor, and may face a runoff … In November, the U.S. Senate race in North Carolina will pit two female candidates against each other: the Republican incumbent, Elizabeth Dole, and her Democratic challenger, Kay Hagan.

A two-way street:

A reader writes:

I’m a graduate student at a prestigious university, with considerable international experience, (most recently working to revitalize the Afghan university system). Like it or not, I’m a member of an elite. I am a hard core Obama supporter.

I’m also a proud Kentuckian, who grew up with, and worked in tobacco fields alongside, people who, to this day, I consider to be as honest and decent people as one could ever be privileged to know.

They were serious about religion, and law and order, for whom  a trip to the Cracker Barrel was a big deal. Their kids longed to drive Camaros, and idolized WWF.  Many of these folks were born Democrats, and most of them have experienced serious economic hardship for a good while. Maybe a good bunch of them think Obama is ‘not American enough’ or even think he is a secret Muslim, at which I cringe and almost automatically think, "stupid redneck". Well, for all the hair-splitting about Hillary’s "hard-working white Americans" comment, let me point out, that while the folks I grew up around may not be a traditionally oppressed group, these days, no one bats an eye if you call someone a ‘redneck’ or a ‘country-bumpkin’ – they are fair game for all kinds of derision.  And while one might not be able to control some of their crazy notions about the likes of Obama, one can certainly control the rather facile urge to pile on and proclaim these people some particularly despicable species of moron.  If for no other reason than because in a tough year, the Republicans are salivating at the thought of exploiting such a rift.

McCain’s troubles with the right are not restricted to Christianists. Ron Paul plans to make an impression at the convention and Bob Barr will carry the banner of limited government. Money Barr quote:

"In the month since we formed our exploratory committee, not a single Republican who has spoken with me to try and convince me not to seek the Libertarian nomination has disagreed with my reasons for considering a run."

Oh, and Ron Paul’s book is Number One on the NYT list!

A first-hand account of the cyclone aftermath in Burma and some horrifying photos.

As his nomination and potential presidency loom larger, the opposition in some quarters gets weirder. Novak:

According to this activist, at the heart of the let-Obama-win movement is longtime Virginia conservative leader Michael Farris — the nation’s leading home-school advocate, who is now chancellor of Patrick Henry College (in Purcellville, Va.) for home-schooled students. Best known politically as the losing Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Virginia in 1993, Farris is regarded as one of the hardest-edged Christian politicians. He is reported in evangelical circles to promote the biblical justification for an Obama plague-like presidency.

The Black Death?

Noam says Obama shouldn’t debate McCain in unmoderated forums:

McCain has several big disadvantages vis-a-vis Obama. He faces a massive enthusiasm gap and will have trouble attracting large crowds. He’s in all likelihood going to be massively outraised and outspent, making it hard to get his message out. And, possibly as a result of the previous problem, he’ll be cast as a right-winger determined to continue George Bush’s policies.

The unmoderated debates would help him overcome all three problems. They’ll draw big crowds and generate lots of buzz. They’ll help him get his message out for free. And, just by virtue of appearing frequently at Obama’s side and having a civil debate, they’ll make him look much more moderate than the Obama campaign wants him to look.

A bear for Obama.

"The Geneva Conventions were set aside in February 2002 by decision of the president, at the insistence of Doug Feith and a small group, including some lawyers. And the memo by Donald Rumsfeld then came in December, 2002, after they had identified Muhammed al-Qahtani. But it was permitted to occupy the space that had been created by clearing away the brush work of the Geneva Conventions. And by removing Geneva, that memo became possible.

Why does it abandon American values? It abandons American values because this military in this country has a very fine tradition, as we’ve been discussing, of not doing cruelty. It’s a proud tradition, and it’s a tradition born on issues of principle, but also pragmatism. No country is more exposed internationally than the United States. I’ve listened, for example, to Justice Antonin Scalia saying, if the president wants to authorize torture, there’s nothing in our constitution which stops it. Now, pause for a moment. That is such a foolish thing to say. If the United States president can do that, then why can’t the Iranian president do that, or the British prime minister do that, or the Egyptian president do that? You open the door in that way, to all sorts of abuses, and you expose the American military to real dangers," – Philippe Sands.