Editor and Publisher (and pretty much every other sane source) offers this review of the ABC Debate:

In perhaps the most embarrassing performance by the media in a major presidential debate in years, ABC News hosts Charles Gibson and George Stephanopolous focused mainly on trivial issues as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama faced off in Philadelphia.

Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the health care and mortgage crises, the overall state of the economy and dozens of other pressing issues had to wait for their few moments in the sun as Obama was pressed to explain his recent “bitter” gaffe and relationship with Rev. Wright (seemingly a dead issue) and not wearing a flag pin while Clinton had to answer again for her Bosnia trip exaggerations.

Most embarrassing TV media performance? Even in the age of Couric, that’s a description you don’t want to throw around.

It’s not that surprising that a Pope would lead away from secularism. But sometimes it almost sounds as if Richard Dawkins is writing these speeches as a parody.

The issue of the sex scandals came up. Doesn’t look like anyone asked about Bernard Law and what he’s doing in Italy when he should be in San Quentin.

A few recent polls have suggested that if John McCain selected Condi Rice as his Veep, that ticket would beat any combination of Clinton-Obama.

Let that soak in for a second.

The American electorate rarely surprises on the downside, but this could be an exception. Rice helps a ticket?

This should remove any doubt you may still cling to that voting and merit are in any way related.

As was aptly explained on a recent episode of Maher, Rice could easily be viewed as both the worst NSA and the worst SoS in decades.

I guess two wrongs can make a right.

My wife and I just returned from a week away from it all in Maui. Her major reflection following our week of family time was the following:

“For the most part your brain works pretty well, but there are few parts that need to be rewired.”

For the record, she now denies using the qualifier, “a few.”

The controversial Mark Penn is out at the top of Hillary’s campaign:

Friday, he acknowledged he had met with the Colombian ambassador to the United States earlier in the week in his role as Burston Marsteller’s chief to discuss the pending U.S.-Colombia trade pact, which Clinton has criticized on the campaign trail…

Penn said Friday that Clinton’s opposition to the U.S.-Colombia pact, which the Bush administration is trying to push through Congress, “is clear and was not discussed” during his meeting with the ambassador. And Clinton spokesman Mo Elleithee said Penn’s meeting was “not in any way done on behalf of the campaign.”

Holding this type of behavior against a campaign strategist is the like being mad when a prostitute fucks someone else. Give me a break.