Maybe this doesn't need to be said, but:

Anyone who talks about the "pro-American" parts of the country is making an anti-American statement.

Anyone who talks about the "real" parts of Virginia doesn't understand that all of Virginia is real--just not the reality as fantasized by the sort of people who see some parts of the country as more "pro-American" than others.

Anyone who describes one part of the country as "most patriotic" has lost all sense of what patriotism means.

(And any congressman who describes his own constituents as "rednecks" and "racists" probably doesn't have much of a future in politics, no matter how much pork he hauls home. I'm talking about you, John Murtha.)

But, seriously, you have to wonder why John McCain has spent so much time questioning the patriotism of others, especially his opponent, in this campaign. Is it because he once signed a prison "confession" that he considered treasonous? If so, please know that we don't blame you. You're a patriot, Senator, and a hero...at least, you were until you started questioning the patriotism of others--by saying things like they'd rather win an election than a war, and by implying that they're soft on terrorists. Then you became something else entirely. And it hasn't worked very well, has it?

$935?

I was googling around to see if I could find an answer to a commenter's question about the history of VP candidates and their accessibility to the media, and I came across this gold. It's amazing to think Spiro Agnew was chosen for his centrist credentials, and as a unifier:

A Democratic source tells TIME that John McCain is stretching his media buys in New Hampshire and Wisconsin, spacing out ads they've already bought to last through the rest of the election. The move would mean they would not spend any more ad money in the states, effectively pulling out without taking the hit in the press the way they did in Michigan.

A separate, non-partisan source who is in a position to know confirmed McCain is stretching his buy from week to week in New Hampshire, a state McCain is scheduled to visit tomorrow. The source noted, though, that the campaign could change its buys at any time - adding or subtracting - though McCain has fewer ads up this week than last week. “We are constantly adjusting our buy in markets based on our strategic objectives -- just like the Obama campaign -- but we continue to be on air in all of the targeted states,” a McCain campaign source said when asked for response.

Obama leads McCain 9.4% in New Hampshire and 11.4% in Wisconsin and both are rated "solid Dem" by the non-partisan website RealClearPolitics.com. The move comes as the campaigns finalize their gotv strategies and allot resources to the states they have the best chances of winning.

Update:
The New York Times reports that the McCain campaign is also reducing its ad buys in Minnesota, Colorado and Maine.

• "With so many permutations and mixed motivations, the Palin saga is starting to feel like a Restoration play. (I hope in the end all the characters come onstage and all is revealed.)" [Slate]

• The Jim Webb one requires no carving. [AP]

• "The DemoCat wins by 65 percent at the CFA-Iams Cat Championship." (Hey, makes as much predictive sense as the kids' poll!) [NBC]

• "McCain will need to win independents by about 20 points to earn a draw in the popular vote." [538]

• "Wikitruth isn't based on principles such as consistency or observability. It's not even based on common sense or firsthand experience." [Slashdot]

Sarah Palin truly is not a Washington insider. Per Think Progress, she told a local television station in Colorado (in response to a question from a third grader), that the Vice President is "in charge of the U.S. Senate, so if they want to they, can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes."

It is true that the Vice President is technically the President of the Senate. (Remember Dick Cheney's creative assertion that this makes him a member of the Legislative Branch--and, therefore, not subject to routine government oversight of his handling of classified material?) But under the Constitution, that job begins and ends with breaking tie votes.

The fact of the matter: No one is "in charge" of the Senate, a place where every single member has the ability to gum up the works. Which reminds me of the time that Adam Clymer of the New York Times asked then-Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell why he aspired to be major league baseball commissioner, a job that would put him at the mercy of 32* rich, egotistical maniacs.

Mitchell smiled and answered: "Only 32?"*

UPDATE AND CORRECTION: *Sharp-eyed commenter Phantom notes:

Not to nitpick guys (inlcuding you, KT), but there are only 30 MLB franchises. There are 32 NFL franchises.

My mistake, not Mitchell's. I'm sure he would have known that.

I've been enjoying the spate of "how Obama will govern" pieces because, well, I'm a huge science fiction fan and most of them read like slash stories starring Obama and either William Ayers or Rahm Emmanuel. (You know which one I would rather read.)

My thoughts on these thought experiments after the jump.

(more...)

Yes, yes, I've been banned from McCain's plane, though I don't consider it a big deal, which is why I haven't written about it. I can attend the McCain and Barracuda rallies, as I did last week. I can talk to McCain staffers--the less rabid sorts, at least, who are still willing to argue things out.

I do have an objection, though, to some of the things I've seen written about my Time colleagues on comments threads here and in the blogosphere. My job is different from Jay Carney's, Michael Sherer's and Mark Halperin's. They are paid to report and, to a certain extent, analyze. They operate under real, and valuable, journalistic restrictions. Their jobs are especially tough when covering a campaign as despicable as McCain's has been: an important part of their brief is to try to see the race through the eyes of the McCain campaign and explain to the rest of us what that looks like. For what it's worth, I think they've been doing a great job. I'm proud to be their colleague.

My job is different. I'm paid to have opinions. You know that because you've disagreed--vehemently--with my opinions in the past and will, no doubt, again in the future. (Yes, I'm still in favor of the FISA bill.) My part of the agreement is that I reach my conclusions honestly, after reporting the situation as well as I can (including talking to people on both sides of the issue), without distorting the facts. I've been pretty harsh in my treatment of John McCain this year, and his campaign has every right to keep me off their plane. Next year, you may find me writing whole columns about McCain's courage on immigration...or some other issue, although I think the verdict of history is in on the guy and I believe his behavior should not be forgotten: he has run a dishonorable campaign. Next year, too, you may find me disagreeing with Obama about this or that. You may want to kick me off your plane.

I understand that and don't mind it, as long as we keep things civil. McCain hasn't kept things civil this year, and he has taken dangerous and foolish positions on a great many issues, which is why I've been on his case. And will stay on his case, flying commercial.

UPDATE: More from JMart on that mailer. And this from Sam Stein.

UPDATE2: See the full interview with KSDK in St. Louis here.

Well, at least we can all agree that Rep. Bachmann probably did write this herself:

Despite the way the blogs and the Democratic Party are spinning it, I never called all liberals anti-American, I never questioned Barack Obama’s patriotism, and I never asked for some House Un-American Activities Committee witch hunt into my colleagues in Congress.

What I did was ask legitimate questions that Minnesotans have been asking me: What does Barack Obama mean by change?

They usually then follow with, "And how can I get some?" which is why Obama will win the state and soon we might have the enormous pleasure of introducing Congressman Tinklenberg to Washington.

(Come on, say it with me, CONGRESSMAN TINKLENBERG. TINKLENBERG. TINKLENBERGTINKLENBERGTINKLENBERGTINKLENBERG. Whee!)

Also?

MATTHEWS: So you think Barack Obama may have anti-American views?

BACHMANN: Absolutely. I’m very concerned that he may have anti-American views.

Not all liberals, you see, just the dark-complected one! And perhaps the ladies! And, of course, well, liberals. All of 'em, yeah:

MR. MATTHEWS: If you have liberal views, does that mean you have anti-American views? What's the connection? I don't get the connection. What's the connection between liberal and leftist and anti-American?

REP. BACHMANN: Anti-American is the point, because --