Mark Kleiman:

Well, that was quick.

The Obama campaign is doing its job.

Now we get to see whether the media will do their job, or whether they will be cowed into submission. I'm not taking bets either way

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PALIN: “Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America's energy problems - as if we all didn't know that already. But the fact that drilling won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all.”

Tuesday 02 September 2008
by: Steve Weissman, t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Hearing Barack Obama speak last week in Denver, I found it hard to avoid bittersweet memories of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington in August 1963. How far our country has come! And how much further we have yet to travel on Dr. King's road to peace and social justice! For me, one memory stands out, a small piece of history that throws new light on why many progressives find themselves faulting Obama for moving toward the right wing of the Democratic Party.

As you all know there are other races happening in 2008 beyond the presidential race, and so far no one in that race has inspired me to get involved. However, I think it is important to keep our eye's on the ball as related to the House and Senate in 2008 as well. One strong potential pick up is the rapidly bluing state of New Hampshire. There John Sununu, son of Bush MkIs Chief of Staff by the same name, is up for reelection. So far the presumed Democratic candidate is former Governor, Harvard Professor, and National chair of the abysmal Kerry 2004 campaign, Jeanne Shaheen.

A new video was posted this weekend on YouTube that directly addresses Wes Clark. It is unusual as it is not a typical candidate video but rather one that speaks TO the candidate....in this case our man, Wes Clark. YouTube.com/polcampaign

It seems well produced to me. It leans on the reality of the Katrina Disaster and it's mismanagment as well as the terrible disaster in Iraq.

The first of what I hope will be many knives was stuck in the back of Mitt Romney yesterday. Paul Celluci, one of Romney's fellow former MA Republican Governors endorsed Gulliani after being asked for an endorsement by Romney. Read more at the Boston Globe.

I believe there's been some discussion of Charlie Rangel and where his loyalties will lie if Wes does indeed decide to run. He is very close to Hillary and has been for some time now but....he has a great respect and admiration and loyalty, I think, to Wes as well and I totally expect him to do the right thing by Wes when the time comes. He's got to feel at least a little responsible for getting Wes into all of this....you know, the "where's my General?" call and all...

There was that appearance on MSNBC, I think it was, a few weeks ago where he was asked about Hillary and Obama and chose, in answer, to bring Wes' name into the discussion as a possible candidate...

I think what Matt says here is spot on........

....I don't really know how important a political operation really is in a Presidential campaign. I have a sense that it matters, that the ability of a campaign to do the little things right adds up to a sense that the person can run the country. I'm not sure, though. I've only seen one contest up close.

Here's my sense of where the campaigns are. I'm no fan, but Hillary Clinton's announcement has been handled perfectly. The blog outreach was well-done, and it seems that calls went out to the right people at the right time. I have a well-placed friend today, a state operative not in a primary state, who got a call from a top Clinton strategist to tell him that Senator Clinton was going to call him in the next few days. Meanwhile, he can't get a call returned from either the Edwards or the Dodd camp despite having closer ties with both. This is consistent with what I know of the various operations.

Today's Boston Globe demonstrates some of the most well know Romney "evolutions" of the past several years in comical form. Why are they "evolutions"
(or devolutions as the case may be) when we talk about Republicans and flip flops when we talk about Democrats. Romney is a flip flopper!

Mitt Romney... he was for Massachusetts before he was against it.

Sorry if this has been posted elsewhere but I haven’t time now to check….

Steve Clemons has this to say about 2008 and New Hampshire this morning….

Obama Flirts with New Hampshire

Barack Obama is sizzling -- and now he's flirting with New Hampshire.

There is no doubt about it -- and it looks like what was a Mark Warner-Hillary Rodham Clinton battle will increasingly look like a primary battle between Hillary and Barack Obama. Edwards is still in -- but he's not getting much oxygen in the press. I still like Wesley Clark as well.