I refuse to watch Obama's speech tonight.

Nah.  Gah.  Dooit.

We were pleased last night to hear Sen. Joe Biden, now a vice presidential nominee, express his desire to make college education more accessible and more affordable to more Americans.

Biden included the crisis of college affordability in a litany of economic pressures weighing on America's middle class. He imagined the conversations being held at kitchen tables across the country:

In today’s Washington Post On Faith section — a prominent feature of WaPo’s website — you’ll be heartened to know that the mainstream media is helping to educate us all about the roots of our next President’s name. To wit:

Barack Obama shares with past American presidents, including Abraham Lincoln, Zachary Taylor, and Benjamin Harrison, the distinction of a notable biblical namesake.

More after the fold.

Can you believe this shit?

According to Politic, John McCain is going to run competing ads in battleground states, at the same time Obama is giving his acceptance speech tonight in Colorado.

According to Politico, and McCain spokesperson, Jill Hazelbacker

"Sen. McCain is going to have an ad that's going to air in battleground states around the time that Sen. Obama is speaking tonight," Hazelbaker said. "He's going to be talking directly to his opponent. So, I'm going to leave it there. But it's going be very exciting. I think that a lot of people are going to focus on it."

Wow! McCain's team, just seems to get more lowdown, dirty and crazy, anytime the feel Obama's going to get some good publicity. What are these scum up to now?

http://www.politico.com/...

**Disclaimer** - I posted this about 2 weeks ago but it got lost in the commotion of Daily Kos.  I'm re-posting it now because it's message is more significant now on the day that Barack Obama will be officially nominated.

Tonight, Barack Obama will deliver his acceptance speech for the 2008 Democratic Party Presidential nomination to millions of viewers across the United States.  It has been a long and uplifting journey from his announcement in Springfield, Illinois on that cold and sunny February 2007 day, to his statement victory in Iowa on January 3rd, 2008, and finally to his official clinching of the delegate count on June 3rd, 2008.

This event will be truly history in the making, as the reality of the first black major-party candidate for President becomes official.  The journey from the 14th Amendment voting rights to the first black Presidential nominee has been filled with discrimination, intimidation, violence, and assassination, so the night of August 28, 2008 has sacrosanct qualities for all Americans, especially black Americans.

But what really does this moment in American history mean?

Dear Corporate Media,

I fully understand that controvery is your life's blood. I know you must feed this beast 24 hours a day with innuendo, gossip, speculation and drama.  I sympathize; I really do.

How dejected you must be that the manufactured luscious the-Clintons-are-not-on-board narrative has played itself out.  (Although to your credit, you milked it for every drop of airtime you could.)

Now, it's the hours before Senator Obama's acceptance speech.  What will you talk about? 

It's being reported that Senator John McCain refuses to run an honorable campaign by allowing the Democratic Party to have their convention week to themselves in exchange for the same curiosity to the Republican Party's convention in September.  He’s apparently a bit afraid to wait till Saturday or Sunday.

Senator McCain is reportedly planning on announcing his VP selection the day after Senator Barack Obama accepts the Democratic Party's nomination tonight.  Stealing away any possible attention/bump the Party might get from their convention.

Well, perhaps the Obama campaign should do the same honors to the Republican Party immediately after John McCain's acceptance speech at the end of their convention.

While some of you have been wringing your hands over the media memes about "columns" and "red meat", I have been greatly amused over the fact that the media has totally missed the point.

Briefly, on Morning Joke this morning someone touched on it, but that correct insight was covered up quickly with more of the "concern" that the Democratic event has failed to do the job.

I say: Seriously? Let me tell you what the Convention did. It gave a face to the people McCain and his Rovian thugs will be going after. Teflon John has been protected fom attacks by his POW/Maverick/War Hero brand. But we have seen nothing of that hero in his actions regarding the issues Americans care about.

Well, now that America, and especially American women, have seen and heard Michelle Obama and heard those two precious little girls greet their Daddy, how receptive do you think they will be to GOP tactics portraying Obama as "scary"?

I am a "white" man, born when Harry Truman was in the last month of his presidency, in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Oh, how far we have come since then, as a state, as a nation, as a people, as a party.

On the flip, some background and a couple of personal anecdotes to illustrate how far we have come - when the Democratic Party of Virginia can vote overwhelmingly to nominate a "black" man to be President of the United States, and the whole Party, in convention, can ratify and unify upon that hopeful choice.

This diary may break the rules and if people get too upset, I'll delete it.  But I am heading off to Invesco right now.  Unfortunately, I won't be in audience. :(  I will however be at the 100 Biltz Burger booth.  I am working their for charity.  Stop by and say hi!  (and trade some pins with me!).  I know this is an open thread comment, but there isn't any right now.  See ya there!

John McCain is a war hero. John McCain is an honorable man. John McCain is a friend of mine.

That, my fellow Liberals (thats right, I called you Liberals, OWN IT mfers!)is killing the cause. Its been said by a few people in diaries on Dkos and by people like Cenk  of the young Turks and many others im sure, but it bears repeating over and over and over until democrats get it through their heads that their hurting themselves.

John McCain violated the federal Neutrality Act when he sent his own money to terrorists in Central America and also visited the illegal attack camps of those terrorists.

Forty-five years ago, a man stood in front of the nation and dreamed of a day when all would be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

Forty-five years ago, that seemed a distant dream.

Five years ago, could we have imagined this day?  

My wife is at the convention and I'm at home. She stopped in Denver on Tuesday night after having to be at her company headquarters in Salt Lake. She was a big Hillary supporter and I was a big Barack supporter. We had many interesting debates and arguments, but we both made a deal that if Hillary won I would go to the convention and support her and if Barack won that she would go to the convention and support him.

What's even more interesting is that I am a white male and she is a black female.

Enough family history, I'm asking you to join me in raising some money for Barack today. I'll match another $50 if you donate at my Act Blue page. Read below to read my reasons

Obama's e-mail about WGN-AM
Text of the e-mail the Obama campaign sent to supporters:

I was unable to watch last night's speeches live last night. I caught part of Biden's speech on the radio as I drove home. It pained me to miss the festivities. Pained me even more to wade through all the punditry when I hit the bed to catch Bill Clinton's performance.

Last night, I conducted the last of five, two-hour resume-writing workshops for teens and adults at Oak Cliff's Hampton-Illinois branch of the Dallas Public Library. Over the last five weeks, I've had the privilege of meeting and working with about 20 total adults of every race, from every walk of life, pull together and package the details of their experience, skills and job history to begin yet another job search.

Last night, six "repeat customers" came to take advantage of our last session.

More below:

Obama's speech tonight will be profound. That's the basic difference between Obama and all others this year. He has the ability, at certain crucial moments, to reach us all. I could have titled this diary entry "No Fear", because lack of fear is what Obama brings to the table on a daily basis. It's an interesting contrast to the Republican party and it's new puppet, John McCain.

Obama has no puppet master. That concerns just about everyone. "How can we rein this guy in?" You can't. Obama's gonna do what Obama's gonna do. And every day is a breakthrough day for all involved.

Obama is being punished for messing with people's control issues.

Watching Joe Biden's speech, it got to me last night, how respectful everyone is being to John McCain.  He's always described as "a friend" or a "respected colleague" or a "hero.'  And finally it just got to me.  Jon McCain is no hero.

Follow me below the fold, as I explain in more detail how I came to my conclusion that John McCain doesn't deserve to be considered a hero.

(also posted at Booman Tribune)