Gov. Sarah Palin

RUDY!

Fred Thompson

Palin isn't done yet and I can't help myself. She is witty. Smart. and her speech is down home but kick ass. I mean, if she were at my VFW in GB, Wisco I'd know no different. She holds herself well, she tells the right people to DIAF, and having her in DC is EXACTLY what we need.

Fred Thompson hit it out of the park tonight. Home. Run. Awesome speech, filled with great lines that just demolish the Democrats' attacks against McCain and Palin. If this had been the Fred that showed up on the campaign trail we might be at his nominating convention. Rudy's got big shoes to fill later on.

The McCain campaign deserves tons of kudos for pulling off this VP announcement flawlessly. They started giving tidbits out last night, had Romney, Pawlenty, many others all do head fakes to throw reporters off the trail. Not until this morning, totally cutting in on Obama's news from his speech last night, did it really start to heat up. First, we're told it's not Pawlenty. Then we're told it's not Romney. Then the rumors start getting louder that it's Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Then they confirm back stage an hour before the event. Obama folks, this is how it's done. Not 3 am on a Saturday morning.

This is a great pick. Besides the fact she's a Republican woman who likes to hunt (my kind of gal) she has a family, she's conservative, and she fills a lot of the holes McCain has and maybe appeals to those Hillary folks still mad that Obama didn't pick her. This is good.

Kudos again to Steve Schmidt, Rick Davis and the whole campaign for how they pulled this off. This is how you do it. At this point no one is remembering Obama gave a celebrity fest, movie like speech last night. In comparison to that over the top event now we go to a VP pick like this. Really, really well played.

I thought it was a great decision when the Obama campaign decided to do the speech at Mile High, but I think it's going to backfire. The bio video failed to be a good, dramatic, heart felt lead into his speech. Then the U2 music (cue rock concert) The speech, well delivered as always, but so much more about why McCain is bad than Obama good. In fact, Obama was talking about himself when he mentioned about someone having no record and having to attack his opponent to get people to run away from him. Overall it just gave me the aura of celebrity hollywood taking over America. Especially when they showed him on the screens in Times Square. Now fireworks galore and dramatic music? And what the hell was up with them playing Brooks and Dunn at the end of his speech? That was the President's song in 2004. Brooks and Dunn played at OUR convention. Not cool.

Regardless, a lot of great dramatics at Mile High. Lots of great shots, but is it too movie like? I'm typing this as I watch them wave and it's a freakin' movie score. I don't know, just seems off to me.

"Sometimes dealing with the Clintons is like dealing with Brett Favre," says Leon Panetta, Clinton's former White House chief of staff, referring to the Green Bay football legend whose on-again, off-again decision on whether to retire was a big story this summer.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-08-25-clintons-cover_N.htm

Hat Tip: Jeff B.

This announcement botch seems like something you'd more see in a West Wing episode. Young, energetic presumptive Democratic nominee is building up suspense to his VP pick, promises to be historic in announcing via text rather than MSM and the whole thing is fouled up by the darn media who's been around this block before.

Sidenote: It was broke by media but the first senses I got that it was Biden was from twitters by @newmediajim who's been staking out the Biden residence for a few days now and keeping us all updated. So maybe new media does get a mini win?

I have to believe the Obama camp did not plan on their pick being confirmed at 1 am with the text coming at 3 am. All on a Friday night/early Saturday morning. Friday night is usually when people dump the trash to the press (another great WW reference) not announce the second biggest news of their campaign. But the Obama folks should have realized that all this commotion around Biden and then secret service showing up was going to spark of sirens.

The whole text effort was a failure in that it came after the Politico alert and was at 3 am on a Friday night. I'd like to think I can stay out that late still, but last night was not one of them. :) The text I'm sure was a success in the sense it got people to sign up for Obama's list.

The RNC's going to have fun with Biden and it's going to be fun to see Rudy go after him in Denver. I also wonder if McCain does end up picking Romney, does that mean the conventional wisdom of picking a VP to help you pick up electoral votes is out the window? Though I suppose Cheney didn't exactly do much for Bush being from Wyoming.

Last night I went to 1789 in Georgetown with some friends. I had no idea it was in my favorite bar/restaurant family, Clydes, until the three folks I was with (two of which work for Clydes and one of which should be an honorary employee) informed me of this. It didn't give off a Clydes-y feeling which I liked. I mainly had wanted to go here because this is where you hear all the celebrities going -- Keith and Nicole for one I know had been here. So I wasn't expecting terribly much, but it blew my expectations away.

The staff was impeccable. Just really really good at their jobs. Folded the napkins, pulled out the chair, was attentive but not too attentive. Started with a cucumber sorbet with watermelon puree which was very refreshing. For the first course I had tuna, which had a real bite of salt to it, which was a tad overpowering, but good. Then we had a pasta dish in between this and the main course. It was good, but nothing to write home about. My steak however. A beautiful NY Prime Rib cooked medium rare with onion rings and a spinach ring was the best steak I have ever had in my life. It put my last best steak of my life at Cap Grille to shame. I could have eaten that steak all night long.

But then I went on to the cheese course with this blue cheese to die for. The desserts were fabulous too. I got the chocolate mouse, which was fine, but I should have gone for the blackberry sundae that had a chocolate covered mint leaf that I thought was the coolest thing in the world. Overall, this was perhaps my best meal ever.

Just got back from a great visit home to see my new nephew. Here's the pic of he and I on Thursday.

Woke up this morning in Green Bay (I'm home to see Jacob) and the front page of the newspaper is just a picture of Brett with the words Favre Traded. He's going to the NY Jets. I am and always have been on the Packers side with all of this. Both sides made mistakes during all of this, but no team can be held hostage to one player even if his name is Brett Favre. This also isn't about winning and losing to me. Yes, Brett is a better QB than Aaron. But Brett's best than most all quarterbacks. This is about Favre sticking to his decision to retire and ending this back and forth we've gone through after every season for the last 5 years. The team spent the off season re-working the offense for Rodgers. It's time for us to rebuild, think for the long term. I will always be a Favre fan and grateful for what he did for the Packers. But I'm a Packers fan before a Favre fan. I was a Packers fan before Favre and I will be after.