(1) OK, I stand corrected on at least one of my "impressions" of the 60 Minutes Interview last night. Apparently, the Killian memos were all new developments, and Actually do add to the growing evidence that Bush went AWOL. Eric Boehlert (buck up and waste a few seconds on the "ad" in order to get a free "day pass" to Salon to read this, unless you're already a subscriber) has a terrific compilation of the published evidence, so far, that is really worth reading if this story interests you at all. I suspect the Bush Believers will dismiss even these developments: "what does it matter what he did 30+ years ago? The man found Jesus!" It matters that he "found Jesus" in the mid-80s, and yet continues to lie - every time the question comes up - about his service in the Texas Air National Guard.

(2) Bush wants to skip one debate this fall, because his handlers are afraid there will be "partisan" questioners (via Atrios; here's the WaPo story). How pathetic. The man appointed to be president of us all refuses to engage with us all. I caught a news report yesterday morning -- I can't remember which network -- about an extended session of heckling that Kerry endured at an appearance on Monday. The reporter closed his report with the pointed comment that unlike Bush events, where attendees are carefully pre-screened and attend by invitation only, Kerry events are open to anyone, thus hecklers are more likely to get in. I was astonished. He actually provided balanced information to the viewers!

(3) Respondents polled in 32 out of 35 countries would prefer Kerry over Bush. I wonder how many of those 32 countries we'll invade if Bush/Cheney are installed for another 4 years?

(4) Nobody at the White House will apologize for Cheney's repugnant threat (that not voting for Kerry will result in another attack on the US), but they're changing the official transcript to make it sound like he didn't say it! (via Tapped, which has more)

(5) This information needs to be a Kerry advertisement:

In March of this year, Cheney attacked Kerry for having “repeatedly voted against weapons systems for the military,” hammering the senator for voting “against the Apache helicopter, against the Tomahawk cruise missile, against even the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.” He said this record has “given us ample doubts about [Kerry’s] judgment and the attitude he brings to bear on vital issues of national security.”

What Cheney leaves out of his stump speeches is the ironic fact that almost all of the cuts Kerry voted for were endorsed or originally proposed by Cheney himself. At issue is not the cuts themselves, but the hypocrisy of Cheney attacking an opponent who merely followed his lead.

There are many specific examples. This needs to get around.

(6) Charles Pierce on the Daddy Party:

Card is now the White House chief-of-staff, and it was he who had to interrupt the ensemble reading of The Pet Goat in order to tell George W. Bush that someone had flown airplanes into the World Trade Center, thus starting the clock on the now-famous Seven-Minute Glaze. Card was talking to the two delegations about that moment, clinging to the GOP talking points like a nun to her beads. The president “didn’t introduce fear into any of those young children or through the national media, to the American people,” explained Card. Then, he attempted to explain how the president feels about the 200 million-odd souls who are, after all, his employers:

“It struck me as I was speaking to people in Bangor, Maine, that this president sees America as we think about a 10-year-old child. I know as a parent I would sacrifice all for my children.”

Let us leave aside any discussion prompted by Card’s remarks that might uncomfortably contain the word “Fatherland.” Let us take him at his word -- namely, that the president of the United States looks at the world’s longest-standing free democratic republic and sees...

A middle-schooler.

(7) Interesting. When I watched that PBS special about Bush's faith last spring, I noticed that in the "early George" film clips Bush spoke differently. He spoke with far less of a drawl, less slur, more fluidity, and - dare I say it? - even a touch of articulateness. Now, he always sounds drunk, he reaches for words, he delays faster-thinking questioners by saying "let me finish" and then concluding with something disconnected and puzzling. So check out this letter to the editor of Atlantic Monthly, posted by Kevin Drum; it offers a very logical hypothesis...

(8) I hope my hardworking gun control activist friend will forgive me when I say -- I'm glad this dog had access to an unlocked revolver.