Today, the news broke that McCain advisor -- and my former boss Charlie Black -- told Forbes that another terrorist attack would help John McCain. Per Forbes:

McCain adviser Charlie Black told Fortune Magazine that national security events help Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

"The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December was an 'unfortunate event,' says Black. 'But his knowledge and ability to talk about it reemphasized that this is the guy who's ready to be Commander-in-Chief. And it helped us.' As would, Black concedes with startling candor after we raise the issue, another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. 'Certainly it would be a big advantage to him,' says Black."

Black's first response? He just didn't remember.

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What with the Texas polygamist compound story falling out of the daily headlines,THANK GOD a fresh group of Texans has stepped forward to ensure that my native state continues to pwn the "freak show" slot in all daily newscasts.

At this year's Texas GOP convention, fun-loving delegates can swap tips for secretly taking advantage of Hispanic labor while preventing Mexicans from legally renting apartments; look for creative new ways to thin the ranks of Children's Health Insurance participants; and dodge responsibility for creating a rational system for school finance.

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I got the news of Tim Russert's death late Friday afternoon in the form of a delayed New York Times breaking news alert on my Blackberry. Unlike so many of the "breaking" news headlines I receive in a week, the word of his death truly took my breath away.

I was away from my computer, but near a TV, so I tuned in to MSNBC and soon found myself in tears as I watched his colleagues fight their own back. As anecdote after story after clip rolled across the screen, I couldn't help but shake my head at the depth of the loss. Particularly in this groundbreaking election year.

When I got home late Friday night, I fired up the laptop and headed here, to the Kos community, to get more than the tiny-screen, limited version I could pull up intermittently on my phone. And, as asinine comment after ugly criticism after hate-filled screed rolled across teh screen, I couldn't help but shake my head at the depth of the ugly, appalling bullshit flying around this place.

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(Writer's Note: I promised Land of Enchantment a week ago that I'd post this dairy this morning -- and I started my day with good intentions. When I sat down to the computer, however, I managed to slice my notebook power cord with the wheel of the computer table -- and, am, thus, back in the saddle after five hours, four computer stores and $69 in expensive, new cordage. Apologies to all...)

A progressive mind is a terrible thing to waste (unless, of course, you're talking about mine).

That was the extraordinarily prescient Kid Oakland's visionary thinking last year when he kicked off the scholarship fund for Yearly Kos/Netroots Nation. Thanks to his foresighted genius and the collective generosity of the unwashed masses in these parts, 19 worthy Kossacks who otherwise would have been unable to attend were able to come, commune and contribute.

It all went so swimmingly, it was clear that it was much more than a hunch...that this Netroots Nation Scholarship Fund would somehow form a family, that's the way we all became the Brady Bu....Cleary, I digress.

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Me...blah blah blah...You....blah...blah...blah...Popular vote....blah...blah...blah...Your hopes and dreams...blah...blah...blah...Historic...blah...blah...blah.

Me.

ME.

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEEMEMEMEMEMEM EMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMMEMEMEMEME.

You.

My supporters.

Popular vote.

Me.

More me, below.....

Somebody rush to tell Natalie Maines that her long national nightmare is OVAH!

When she uttered her criticism of the Shrub on that London stage five years ago, the argument "thinking" Republicans -- and the fine folks at Clear Channel -- put forward as they called for boycotts and CD burnings was the fact that she spoke against the president on foreign soil.

Today, George "Mission Accomplished" Bush attacked presumptive presidential candidate and likely future president Obama, referring to his logical, right-minded "strategy" of attempting to engage our enemies with diplomacy first as "appeasement" -- and lumping in a Nazi reference for good measure.

Natalie, not only was your professed shame over our Chimp in Charge well justified, your remarks pale in comparison to his.

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Hello, all:

I'm emerging after a blogless weekend -- blogless because of the hours and hours I had to spend with police, tow trucks and insurance companies after some crap-ass, drug-sucking felon stole the catalytic converter out of my 2007 Honda Element.

It has been quite an educational weekend, and I'm writing to alert you all to what, apparently, is the hot crime of 2008: catalytic converter theft.

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We all agree that last night's so-called debate was execrable. We all agree that the nation should collectively hold ABC's feet to the fire. We all agree that ABC and George Stephanapoulos and Charlie Gibson colluded to carry water for the other side, generally, and Sean Hannity in particular.

We all agree. But we're not talking about what actually happened last night. What it all means. What ABC's performance underscores in spades.

Last night? Last night was the collective establishment on both sides of the aisles telling we, the people, to go fuck ourselves.

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Hey, gang:

I'm reemerging around here after taking a break. I watched MSNBC long enough on Friday night to witness the early seeds of Bittergate -- and I just managed to turn off the tube before small pieces of my brain began to trickle out of my left ear.

After months of phone-banking and blogging and begging and cajoling and delivering signs and stickers and literature and conventioneering for days, I was forced to stage an intervention on myself. And Bittergate gave me the perfect excuse.

I promised myself to avoid Kos, MSNBC, CNN, NPR and the newspapers -- and, with a couple of notable exceptions, I did. Here's how, and I recommend it to you all...

Hello, fellow Obama supporters:

I got a call yesterday afternoon, and an e-mail follow-up, from Alexandria Rosetti, the Obama national campaign field organizer I worked with while serving as a precinct captain here in Dallas.

Sure, we caught up -- but, mostly, we talked about her need for support in the field in Scranton, where she's working now. Alexandria reports that Scranton, Hillary's birthplace, is tough sledding for the Obama team, and asked for any help we can provide by way of phone calls.

Info directly from her below the jump:

Woke up early this morning in the middle of a driving Texas hailstorm and flipped on the TV to see if things were better in other parts of the world. Still haven't broken the habit of tuning in Morning Joe yet, although I AM working on it....

Flipped on MSNBC and, as I took my first slug of coffee, was treated to footage of Hillary on Leno, yukking it up over her lies about Bosnian sniper fire.

I snarled so loud in response that I woke the small person up -- and, after some snuggling that lasted until the next time they rolled the tape, my eight-year-old, Sadie, had some choice observations for Hills:

Today alone, MSNBC pundits have casually, offhandedly referenced Hillary's win in Texas at least a dozen times that I've counted. Just listened on NPR to somebody referencing Hillary's win in Texas. And again, today, Wolfson is talking about Texas voters, indicating that they've placed their confidence in Hillary.

I've gone beyond irritation. I've gone beyond having my teeth on edge. I've gone beyond banging my head against the wall.

Hillary won Texas? My ass. Time to go postal....

Hello, all:

I'm just back -- literally, JUST back -- from Texas' 23rd Senatorial District's Democratic convention. I left my house at 6:15 a.m. I walked in at 12:30 this morning.

I'm exhausted. I'm thrilled Obama won by such a wide margin. I'm honored to have been selected to attend our state convention. I'm pissed as hell at HRC's national campaign.

And, after countless hours of phonebanking and organizing for Obama, an hourlong early voting process, a four-hour caucus process, and 18 hours of county convention, I've decided that I'm no longer willing to put up with anti-Texas jabs from Kossites, slurs against my patriotism from Republicans, and just about anything else from Clinton supporters.

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Sure, I'm a die-hard Obama supporter -- but that doesn't mean I'm not willing to give credit where credit is due.

Hillary says she's been tested, she's been vetted, she's got the experience needed to serve effectively as Commander in Chief...and my wartime experiences with her definitely back up that claim up.

I bumped into Hillary -- literally -- in the late 60s, when we were both thrown into the air when the bar we were drinking in was blown up by the Cong. The rest, as they say, is history.

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Over the last several days, we've gone from digging through HRC's records as First Lady to documenting her lies over Tuzla to making the obvious sniper-fire jokes.

Starting today, it's time to connect the dots on Hillary's duplicity. She misspoke? Since February. And repeatedly last week? Working from a printed speech? Mispoke? My ass, unless she's got the same tic that McCain does everytime he talks about al Q'aeda in Iran.

She lied. Like a rug. Repeatedly. Loudly and longly. With a self-deprecating chuckle.

Join me below, and let's talk about what HRC's cheerfully delivered pack of lies spell for a nation at war.  

 

(With apologies to pontificator):

America's middle class is done, and the speed of its collapse is nothing short of stunning.  A breaking news story now says that the middle class, which has been living on home equity generated by overinflated valuations and 44.9% credi cards, will announce either a sale to America's shadowy corporate overlords or collectively file bankruptcy before the markets open in Asia on Monday.  In a frightening sign of economic instability, analysts worry that the failure of enough middle-class Americans to pawn their refrigerators; sell their blood, sperm or eggs; or begin selling their infants to upper-class foodies a la Jonathan Swift could lead to a "financial crisis" for the nation's upper 1 percent of earners:

We've all had days when luck seems to leave us. When nothing turns out right. When everything we touch falls apart.

Days like the day Elliott Spitzer -- a.ka. Client No. 9 -- had yesterday. And days like the anonymous Client No. 8 is having today.

Yesterday morning, Client No. 8 was a man in charge of his privileged world. Fat bank account. (Well, fat enough to bankroll an evening with a $5,550/night hooker.) In all likelihood, a man of some power. (Well, powerful enough to get himself a membership in the Emperor's Club.) A man some may have looked up to. (Well, assuming none of his friends or colleagues knew he had to pay for sex.)

Today, Client No. 8's world fell apart. More below:  

Hello, all:

The lovely RenaRf just chided us all in a diary just posted to stop the ugliest of our sniping and start playing in the sandbox.

MSNBC just announced that a family fued between an Obama supporter and a Hillary Clinton suppporter just ended in a near-fatal stabbing.

Could there be a more graphic or profound example of what she's talking about? Sheesh.No lie.