Maybe it just sounds stupid... or maybe it IS stupid

Each day, the guys at Politico.com give a 'winner of the day' award to either John McCain or Barack Obama, depending on how they perceive the day to have gone for each candidate. They also write a little piece describing the reasons for their decision. Until now, they've done a fairly good job, I think.  

Today, however, the Politico gurus must have been struck by a case of mass stupidity or maybe they experienced a massive drop in their collective IQs. Whatever the case, they decided that McCain had 'won' the day. Their decision would be hard enough to fathom under any rationale (given the current state of the race and of McCain's campaign), but wait till you read their reasons. McCain won the day, they argued, for "soldiering on amid a debacle".

It's a good thing guys like these weren't covering the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The Politico headline the next day would have screamed: General Custer Wins The Day!

Limbaugh - Powell endorsed Obama because he's black.

It was only a matter of time before the fringe right begin their assault on Colin Powell.  Mark Halperin notes Limbaugh's response as reported by Politico. Representing the voice of today's Republican party...

"Secretary Powell says his endorsement is not about race. OK, fine. I am now researching his past endorsements to see if I can find all the inexperienced, very liberal, white candidates he has endorsed. I'll let you know what I come up with."

"I was also unaware of his dislike for John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy and Antonin Scalia. I guess he also regrets Reagan and Bush making him a four-star and secretary of state and appointing his son to head the FCC. Yes, let's hear it for transformational figures."

Loser.

Pre-Debate Highlights

from Tale of the Tape by Politico.

Quote for this Week... and next

We are now on the eve of two weeks of non-stop coverage of the two major parties' national conventions.  During this time it will be helpful to keep in mind the following assessment of the mainstream media's handling of political news.  It comes from Marcos Moulitsas, founder of the DailyKos, as reported by Michael Calderone of Politico:

"[political coverage in the mainstream media is ] utterly vapid, devoid of context, frequently wrong, and wedded to narratives that defy all logic and reality."

Amen.  I'm keeping my blood pressure medication handy.