Saddam Hussein

Remember all the reassurances back in June that the FISA bill Obama voted for was really not that bad and had all kinds of new provisions protecting people from unconstitutional searches and wiretapping, and how all the bloggers screaming bloody murder about killing the Fourth Amendment were just hysterical terrorist-lovers?

Right.

In the house that had just been raided, those inside described how a team of roughly 25 officers had barged into their homes with masks and black swat gear, holding large semi-automatic rifles, and ordered them to lie on the floor, where they were handcuffed and ordered not to move. The officers refused to state why they were there and, until the very end, refused to show whether they had a search warrant. They were forced to remain on the floor for 45 minutes while the officers took away the laptops, computers, individual journals, and political materials kept in the house. One of the individuals renting the house, an 18-year-old woman, was extremely shaken as she and others described how the officers were deliberately making intimidating statements such as "Do you have Terminator ready?" as they lay on the floor in handcuffs.

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"Barack has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee."

CNN broke the news, taking the wind out of Barack Obama's sail. Sen. Barack Obama has selected Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate, according to a text message the campaign sent to supporters early Saturday. Both men are expected to appear at a rally later today in Springfield, Illinois. More HERE and HERE.

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Boom. It's Joe Biden.

In Biden, Obama gets a street fighter whose toughness may serve as a needed counterpoint to Obama's smooth, gentlemanly style. He also gets a running-mate who possesses the longevity on the national scene that Obama lacks; Biden is the fouth-longest serving Democrat currently in the Senate. Obama prevailed by making the primary about judgement, not "experience," but now that he's got the nomination sewed up, it will not hurt to have Biden standing beside him, considering that McCain will likely try to throw "lack of experience" at Obama, as Hillary Clinton tried to do, with some success.

The scorecard on Biden's judgment is mixed. He is Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and you would think that perspective would lead him to more diplomatic solutions in the days after September 11. Yet, Biden voted for the war, jumping on the Bush bandwagon blaming Saddam Hussein for the World Trade Center, though only after a failed bi-partisan attempt (with ranking Republican Richard Lugar) to persuade the President to go to war only after diplomatic solutions failed.

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Barack Obama is giving his speech before the Veterans of Foreign Wars right now. With some Dems questioning whether he's hitting back hard enough against John McCain's attacks, Obama went out of his way to directly confront McCain's claim that he would rather lose a war than lose an election.

From the prepared remarks:

But one of the things that we have to change in this country is the idea that people can't disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism. I have never suggested that Senator McCain picks his positions on national security based on politics or personal ambition. I have not suggested it because I believe that he genuinely wants to serve America's national interest. Now, it's time for him to acknowledge that I want to do the same.

Let me be clear: I will let no one question my love of this country. I love America, so do you, and so does John McCain. When I look out at this audience, I see people of different political views. You are Democrats and Republicans and Independents. But you all served together, and fought together, and bled together under the same proud flag. You did not serve a Red America or a Blue America -- you served the United States of America.

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Fascinating debate today between Democrat Mark Udall and Republican Bob Schaffer, ranging from energy policy to the war in Iraq. As you've doubtless read or saw on TV by now, both sides are pretty sure they won.

One very interesting thing got asserted at the beginning of this debate, however, trumpeted in a press release from the Schaffer campaign immediately afterward. From their release:

U.S. Senate Candidate Bob Schaffer exposed the hypocrisy of Congressman Mark Udall's (D-CO) record concerning the war in Iraq today at a debate in Parker sponsored by the Southeast Business Partnership and moderated by Channel 9's Adam Schrager.

"Boulder Liberal Mark Udall continues to hide from his votes on both the war and energy," said Schaffer campaign manager Dick Wadhams. "The voters of Colorado deserve to know Boulder Liberal Mark Udall's real record."

When asked about why the United States went to war, Schaffer responded by reading excerpts from House Joint Resolution 118 introduced on October 7, 2002. The war resolution authorizing the use of force outlined Iraq's refusal to comply with the United Nations Security Council's call for the need to remove Saddam Hussein and Iraq's record as a state sponsor of terror.

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