Reports are that Evan Bayh is the top finalist for the Vice President slot.

Evan Bayh, legacy Washington insider, career politician.

Evan Bayh, supporter of the Iraq War then, supporter of the Iraq War now.

Evan Bayh, supporter of first strike aggression in Iran.

I could go on, but let's just say: I think there are better choices.

If you agree, join us.
100,000 Strong Against Evan Bayh For VP (A Facebook Group)

Time flies in presidential races, it seems like yesterday that a good friend of mine met with Barack Obama about running the online portion of his campaign. He didn't want the job after the interview, sensing, correctly, that Obama was centrist, maybe even centrist-right and my friend is more of a Democrat.

I remember the exact quote so well: "If he ran as a true Progressive, he'd run away with this thing."

Indeed.

Much has been made in the past of President Bush's past 'service' in the National Guard and specifically the fact that when he joined the National Guard, he pointedly checked the box:

Do Not Volunteer For Overseas.

As his term in office is coming to end, it is becoming increasingly clear that another tragic legacy of his time in office will be the demoralization and destruction of our National Guard. Never before in our country's history or in its own 370 year history has the National Guard been a front line force in a foreign war.

Consider these facts:

- Over 267,000 men and women of the National Guard have been deployed since September 11, 2001.

- 35 states have deployed more troops to Iraq and Afghanistan than to any war since World War II

- From now to the end of Bush's term in office, almost half of the troops deploying will be from the National Guard and of those, nearly half will be from units on their second tour.

Of all the statistics and stories I have read on this issue, many from the work I do with Veterans For America, one sticks out.

This fall, half of New Jersey's National Guard will be in Iraq, half.

What happens if there is another attack this fall at the end of the election cycle and half of New Jersey's National Guard is gone?

What happens if a hurricane strikes the Jersey Shore?

What happens if the National Guard is needed and they simply aren't there?

Other issues with Iraq get more attention, but the silent destruction of our National Guard and the impact of this administration's policies on the future of the guard are often over-looked. As this administration breaks with long-standing Guard policy, like the fact that the Guard used to give five times as much time at home as deployed, morale and enrollment in the Guard will surely decline.

It could get worse. John McCain's plan for Iraq means continued deployment of our National Guard overseas. The fact that rates of PTSD are higher among National Guard members or the fact that so many National Guard families have to rely on food stamps to survive, none of that matters to John McCain.

Thanks to a man who wouldn't go overseas when he was a member of the National Guard, we now have torn apart our nation's oldest military force and will be paying for it for years to come.

Here is the document George Bush checked and signed when he joined the National Guard.

The standard operating procedure for a nominee is to let the contenders for say, Secretary of State, fight it out through the general election in a battle to bring the nominee the most votes, the most money, the most positive press and the most assistance. I saw this first hand in 2004 when a constant barrage of contenders tried to outraise and outhelp John Kerry.

At the time, I often brought up, wouldn't it be smart to have a Shadow Cabinet? An unofficial assortment of Democratic leaders that allows a much more direct comparison to the current crop of failures.

It's Tuesday May 13, 2008 and on this day in history, The Beatles debuted the movie "Let It Be" in 1970 and back in 1943 German and Italian forces surrendered in Africa but that's nothing compared to what we have for you today.

Right now, it's 7:30 am here in Seattle and 10:30 back in Washington DC where as far as I can tell, not one elected official has thought today about the fact that by now, two or three, maybe more, young American men and women who served their country in Iraq and Afghanistan have killed themselves.

Some may have used a gun and pulled the trigger when they couldn't take the pain or the wait of up to six months that they are told to wait before seeing a mental health specialist. Some may use pills or drive their car into a wall. Some will slit their wrists.

All our brave young and women we as a nation have failed to serve with a hint of the honor and courage that they served us.

I like to think I've seen it all, or at least a good portion it. But this Friday, a new movie comes out; one that is nothing more than creationist propaganda in the fine tradition of cigarettes don't kill you and global warming is just a natural occurrence.

The movie, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, has been reviewed and reviewed and discussed.

But what hasn't been discussed as much is the fact that Yoko Ono either sold or gave the rights to "Imagine" to the producers of the film. In screenings around the country, and in copies of the movie reviewed, everyone notes the odd inclusion of the song.

I often write about what I see as the collision of the two power cores in politics, the aging DC legacy establishment and the new real world of politics that knows that access to information is changing the landscape forever. See here, here and here.

I predicted that we would see some might spin out of Iowa,but the clarity of the results slowed it down a touch, but no one showcases the clear lunacy of a legacy campaign than the email that Hillary Clinton sent out on Thursday night to her supporters.

Two weeks ago, there was a stunning admission contained in a National Intelligence Estimate about Iran. NIE's represent the composite view of all 16 American spy agencies' they are not the views of rogue agents or analysts but comprehensive collective views of opinion.

As such, when they make a declaration, it is usually absolutely correct.

This is how the New York Times reported the findings:

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 -- A new assessment by American intelligence agencies concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains frozen, contradicting judgment two years ago that Tehran was working relentlessly toward building a nuclear bomb.