We're almost at the end of the 2008 MyDD Fundraiser.  Soon there won't be anymore Please Contribute to MyDD Today links and that means we only have a little more time to do the right thing and make this campaign a success.

I just made my own donation and I'm proud to tell you a little bit about why I did.

I made my own modest contribution, because I know that the money I contributed will go directly to defraying the expenses of two extraordinary bloggers and pillars of this community, Todd Beeton and Jonathan Singer.

These two guys work their asses off on a daily basis to bring you unmatched political reporting.  I know, because I've seen them in action.

Yesterday, I was at the Obama rally in Alexandria where Todd, after a late night covering the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Richmond, was listening to an education round table event with Senator Obama and some concerned citizens.  When I say he was listening, I mean it.  The whole room could hear the Senator, but only one small speaker was picking up the feed from the other participants' microphones.  While many national reporters took this as an invitation to catch up on their email, Todd was part of a small group clustered around that one speaker, listening to the Senator answer questions about special ed and math homework.

I walked over with Todd to the main event, a rally in the home gymnasium of the T.C. Williams High School Titans of Remember the Titans fame - I wrote about it earlier here.  It was my first Obama speech since the 2004 convention, but Todd had seen a pretty similar speech the night before, so he jumped in the car to drive an hour North to Bowie, Maryland to hear Bill Clinton speak.

The night before that, I was hanging out with Jonathan Singer, who isn't letting a full course-load at law school get in the way of his work for this site.  It was a Saturday night in a city of beautiful women and strong drinks.  Or maybe it's strong women and beautiful drinks, it doesn't really matter.  The point is, that he spent most of it on the couch in my apartment watching election returns and blogging.  I finally dragged him out a little before midnight and despite the late evening, he was up before me the next morning to watch Dubya' on Faux y Amigos.

I can't say it any clearer, Todd and Jonathan are deeply committed to this community and this movement.  They support our habits as political junkies and their insights make us better activists.  Now it's our turn to support them.  Please give what you can so they can keep going and make MyDD even stronger in 2008.

Click here to contribute.

Following up on Todd's post earlier this evening, I was also at the Barack Obama rally earlier today at historic T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia.  Like many politicians, Senator Obama is a pretty serious list-maker - he answered the last question with a list of three reasons why he would make a better president than Hillary, and the third reason had four sub-reasons.  Inspired thusly, I offer my own list of four observations from the rally.

1.  Tim Kaine might be ready for prime time

Governor Tim Kaine introduced Obama and really impressed me.  People in Virginia always talk about what a good guy and great governor he is, but after his lackluster response to the SOTU two years ago, I questioned his political skills.  Turns out it was the wrong format for Kaine, because he absolutely set the room on fire.

Kaine followed an immigrant from Peru and framed his entire speech around the idea that Obama is a bien listo, which I'll leave to someone in the comments to translate more accurately than the literal "well ready."  Kaine - who as a young man spent a year volunteering with missionaries in a poor village in Honduras - gave an entire section of his speech in Spanish.  For the sake of poor high school Spanish students like me, he finished by saying "the translation of all that is: [Barack Obama] is a great guy."

It was a moment that reflected his ability to connect with the many immigrants who have made their homes in Northern Virginia, without losing the down-home touch that is a part of how he's maintaining Mark Warnersque approval ratings.

Kaine continued with a full-throated and very political speech in which he talked about strategy and momentum.  He also didn't hesitate to mention how early he endorsed Obama and his role as a national co-chair.

The two men are clearly friends and Obama reminded the room that Kaine is a truly decent man who is in politics for all the right reasons.  It was enough to make me wonder if Kaine would be on his VP shortlist - ignoring for a moment that the Lt. Gov. in Virginia is a Republican.  The ticket would pair two young rising stars within the party, a la Clinton-Gore and might have better chemistry than any Democratic ticket in recent memory.

2.  T.C. Williams High School is a great venue

I call it historic, because it is where the events took place that inspired the Denzel Washington film Remember the Titans.  Short version: the Alexandria public schools were integrated in 1959, but remained functionally segregated until 1971 when they were consolidated, bringing white and black students together for the first time at T.C. Williams.  At the time of the integration, Herman Boone, played in the movie by Denzel Washington, was hired as head coach of the newly integrated T.C. Williams football team.  He replaced a popular white head coach and inherited a team split along racial lines.  The story of how he brought those young men and that community together, while winning a lot of football games, makes for a great sports movie.  To paraphrase Senator Obama on the film, Remember the Titans is one of the movies where guys get choked up.  Remind me to update my Netflix queue.

Cross-posted at The Albany Project

Draft movements are hot this fall.  Many of us have watched with high hopes as DraftUdall.com has given voice to the progressive grassroots in New Mexico.  It's almost hard to remember that a few short weeks ago, Congressman Tom Udall was very clear that he wasn't running for the Senate seat held for so long by the honorable troglodyte from the great state of New Mexico, Pete Domenici.  Now we're on the verge of Udall getting into the race and we've got Alex Flores and a network of progressives in New Mexico and across the country to thank for it.  Although recent DailyKos poll numbers may not show it, the NM Senate race should be a competitive one.

This kind of draft movement is a reflection of new energy and increasingly strategic activism.  Progressives are pumped, or at least as pumped as we can be after 7 years of Bush and a difficult to explain failure to bring an end to the War in Iraq.  This draft movement in NM and others like it reflect the energy we feel.  We can go out and demand the best candidate for these pivotal races.  We're looking for progressives with proven track records in office and on the campaign trail.  It's a level of sophistication from the grassroots that should give us all hope for the future of our politics.

But I'm not here to talk about those draft movements, which could be part of a cycle that takes us to 60 seats in the U.S. Senate.  Wow do I get excited typing that.  No, as the title of this post suggests, I'm here to talk about a different kind of draft movement.

The draft movement I'm launching is in the NY-21 Congressional District, where longtime Rep. Michael McNulty is stepping down after 20 years in the seat.  I'm hoping that my Assemblyman, the current Majority Leader in the New York State Assembly, Ron Canestrari will get in the race, and that's why I've launched DraftRon.com

The NY-21 is a pretty safe seat for Democrats, with a +9 PVI, although anything is possible when it's an open seat.  The reason I'm getting involved is because I believe strongly that unless we stand up and demand the candidate we want, we can't complain about the ones we get.

That's particularly true in the NY-21, a district that includes what's left of the Democratic machine in Albany, as well as parts of Rensselaer County across the Hudson river, and west to cities of Schenectady, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and Schoharie County.  McNulty was a good Congressman, although not a true progressive, and his record on choice was abysmal.  McNulty's nomination was decided in a back room deal in 1988, when then Congressman Stratton backed out of the race at the last moment because of failing health.  McNulty was thrust upon voters as the machine pick and with the exception of a challenge from the left in 1996, has never faced very serious opposition.

I may live in Washington, DC, but I still vote and pay taxes in New York and I'm not going to stand by and let some DINO like Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings get the Democratic nomination.  Incumbency is too potent a force and none of us want to say we didn't do enough when the next Liberdem gets elected.

This time, it is going to be different.  I'm trying to draft Ron, and I think I'll have a lot of people in Upstate NY joining in on this, because Ron is the right guy for the job.  He was the beloved mayor of Cohoes for 13 years, a former mill town that has seen its share of hard times.  He went on to the State Assembly where he chaired the higher education committee and last year, was made the day-to-day manager of the Assembly as Majority Leader, second only to Shelly Silver.  I won't bore you with his whole bio for national readers on MyDD, who may not be as interested, and for those of you seeing this on The Albany Project, who probably already know it.

It's time for your weekly dose of MyDD politics and punditry with Jonathan Singer and co-hosts Adam Conner and me, Aaron Banks.

We hope you'll join us as we wrap-up the week's major stories and look ahead to the news that will matter this week, without ever holding back on the snark.

The call-in number for the show is (646) 652-2585. You can also submit questions online via AOL Instant Messenger to "MyDDdotCOM", send us an email under the subject line "MyDD Blog Talk Radio" to jonathan-at-mydd-dot-com or leave your question or comment in this thread.

Cross-posted at NDNblog

There is a great column from Bob Novack today and I say that well aware that NDNblog readers may not be used to seeing great and Bob Novack in the same sentence very often.

His underlying point that "never before have I seen morale within the [Republican Party] so low" is backed up by facts that should be familiar to readers of this blog.   And remember, with a "half-century of reporting in Washington" under his belt, Novack has been offering his conservative brand of pundit journalism for more years than most, if not all, of the bloggers on this sight have been alive.  It serves to give him some insight into the waning fate of the GOP...

On immigration:

During the past summer, a female acquaintance of mine in her 70s who had been a faithful Republican during her long life was solicited by a GOP cold caller as a previous contributor to the party. Not this time. She informed the fundraiser that President Bush's position on immigration was the last straw. She would not give the Republicans another dime -- not now, maybe never. So, she told him, stop calling me!

On the state of the Bush Administration:

... melancholic Republicans yearn for a leader. It cannot be George W. Bush, an unpopular lame duck. The party's many presidential candidates pretend that Bush does not really exist, not mentioning his name during debates.

On the Senate in 2008:

The decision by Sen. John Warner announced Friday not to seek a sixth term from Virginia at age 80 was no surprise but still a disappointment. Former Gov. Mark Warner, no relation and a Democrat, is an overwhelming favorite to win in Virginia next year. Republicans privately estimate that this will be one of four Senate seats they will lose in 2008, giving Democratic Leader Harry Reid a real working majority.

On the endless tide of GOP corruption and hypocrisy:

If so many people knew Craig was an accident waiting to happen, why was he not eased out of office? How many other examples of scandalous behavior are known but hidden?

and

Rep. Rick Renzi, investigated by the FBI, announced he would not seek a fourth term for the highly competitive Arizona northern district that could go Democratic. That represents a double whammy for Republicans. Renzi, investigated for receiving an alleged kickback in a land transaction, is but one of at least half a dozen House Republicans under federal inquiry.

and

Mitt Romney approached the calamitous atmosphere last week by asserting that Sen. Craig, until last week his Idaho state chairman, is part of the capital's corruption that only a real outsider -- specifically, the former governor of Massachusetts -- can cure. Past candidates have succeeded in pointing to corruption in Washington, but always by the opposite party. The Republican Party's next leader faces a more complicated problem.

Cross-posted at NDNblog

On Monday, June 11, ONE is launching our biggest initiative to date. It’s an unprecedented, non-partisan campaign to make global health and extreme poverty foreign policy priorities in the 2008 presidential election.

We’re kicking off the campaign with a press conference on June 11th at 11:15am with Senators Tom Daschle and Bill Frist, Ashley Judd, and others, at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 3rd and A St. SE, Washington, DC. Please RSVP to attend. (Doors open at 10:45am)

The next president of the United States will take office in a time of great hope: there are effective and affordable solutions that save lives. AIDS drugs can now cost as little as $1 a day. A $5 bed net can keep a child from dying from a mosquito bite. With the force of more than 2 million members from all 50 states and a coalition of more than 100 non-profit, religious and charitable groups, ONE Vote ‘08 will educate and mobilize voters to ensure that the next American president is committed to using “smart” power to end global poverty and keep America strong.

Also- If you’re a blogger, please use this special blogger RSVP page- We hope you’ll come and start talking about ONE Vote ‘08 on your blog. We have a daunting challenge ahead of us, and we need every ONE member on board to make it happen.

According to the WAPO, the Bush Administration has approached at least three retired four-star generals to ask them if they would accept a War Czar position giving them strategic oversight over the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.  All of them have said no."  Marine General (Ret.) John J. "Jack" Sheehan put it best:

The very fundamental issue is, they don't know where the hell they're going," said retired Marine Gen. John J. "Jack" Sheehan, a former top NATO commander who was among those rejecting the job. Sheehan said he believes that Vice President Cheney and his hawkish allies remain more powerful within the administration than pragmatists looking for a way out of Iraq. "So rather than go over there, develop an ulcer and eventually leave, I said, 'No, thanks,' " he said.

And Gen. Sheehan works for Bechtel right now on "developing oil projects in the Middle East."  When the was profiteers want out, maybe it's time to take a second look...

The new Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell is having similar problems:

Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell has been unable to find a deputy acceptable to the White House during his first six weeks in office.

Several candidates approached by McConnell either turned down the job or were rejected by the White House, according to current and former administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not supposed to discuss the matter.

The position of deputy director of national intelligence has been vacant since May, when Gen. Michael V. Hayden left to become the director of the CIA. Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Burgess Jr., who was appointed to replace Hayden, had to vacate the post in January because regulations limit how long a person can hold the position without Senate confirmation.

While the matter lingers on, McConnell said this week, he has been working 18-hour days "at least six days a week" to handle the crush of work.

The general unwillingness on the part of qualified people to join the Bush Administration is threatening the operations of our government, particularly in areas critical to national security.  The end of the Bush years can't come quick enough.

Very interesting article in the NYT today, looking at a recent report from the Election Assistance Commission, a federal panel empowered to research elections.  Apparently there was some serious scrubbing of their look at voter fraud, moving the findings from the consensus view, to a position more in-line with conservative Republican views.

A federal panel responsible for conducting election research played down the findings of experts who concluded last year that there was little voter fraud around the nation, according to a review of the original report obtained by The New York Times.

Instead, the panel, the Election Assistance Commission, issued a report that said the pervasiveness of fraud was open to debate.

The revised version echoes complaints made by Republican politicians, who have long suggested that voter fraud is widespread and justifies the voter identification laws that have been passed in at least two dozen states.

Democrats say the threat is overstated and have opposed voter identification laws, which they say disenfranchise the poor, members of minority groups and the elderly, who are less likely to have photo IDs and are more likely to be Democrats.

Though the original report said that among experts "there is widespread but not unanimous agreement that there is little polling place fraud," the final version of the report released to the public concluded in its executive summary that "there is a great deal of debate on the pervasiveness of fraud."

The topic of voter fraud, usually defined as people misrepresenting themselves at the polls or improperly attempting to register voters, remains a lively division between the two parties. It has played a significant role in the current Congressional investigation into the Bush administration's firing of eight United State attorneys, several of whom, documents now indicate, were dismissed for being insufficiently aggressive in pursuing voter fraud cases.

The report also addressed intimidation, which Democrats see as a more pervasive problem.

And two weeks ago, the panel faced criticism for refusing to release another report it commissioned concerning voter identification laws. That report, which was released after intense pressure from Congress, found that voter identification laws designed to fight fraud can reduce turnout, particularly among members of minorities. In releasing that report, which was conducted by a different set of scholars, the commission declined to endorse its findings, citing methodological concerns.

A number of election law experts, based on their own research, have concluded that the accusations regarding widespread fraud are unjustified.

Buried in the middle of the artically is Karl Rove's use of Latin American stereotypes to justify disenfranchising voters.  Real classy, Karl:

The Republican Party's interest in rooting out voter fraud has been encouraged by the White House. In a speech last April, Karl Rove, Mr. Bush's senior political adviser, told a group of Republican lawyers that election integrity issues were an "enormous and growing" problem.

"We're, in some parts of the country, I'm afraid to say, beginning to look like we have elections like those run in countries where the guys in charge are colonels in mirrored sunglasses," Mr. Rove said. "I mean, it's a real problem."