Democratic strategist Donna Brazile told Salon. "This is an opportunity to go outside the traditional walls of looking for some kind of geographic or political balance [in a running mate]. The country's in such a mood now, it's in a pickle almost," she added, referring to the possible appeal of the national unity ticket.

Hagel would also bring some strong credentials, says former Sen. Bob Kerrey, a Democrat and fellow Nebraskan, who ran for president himself in 1992. "He's fun to hang out with, he's got terrific knowledge of foreign policy and national security, and he enjoys the work," Kerrey said. Salon

Hagel is an extremely CONSERVATIVE Republican. Progressive Punch gives him a score of 9.46%. In fact, he is more conservative than McCain who has a score of 13.89. Health care - Hagel has a score of 0, McCain has a score of 9.89. Corporate subsidies - Hagel has a score of 0, McCain has a score of 50. Environment -  Hagel has a score of 0, McCain has a score of 27.60  Education, Humanities, & the Arts - Hagel has a score of 0, McCain has a score of 5. Fair Taxation - Hagel has a score of 0, McCain has a score of 17.46.

Hagel would put choice and every other Democratic value just a heart beat away from being on the line. It would give his positions validity within the Democratic Party. It would also set Hagel up as the future presidential choice in 8 years.

I think conventions are important.  I believe the 1992 ("Better in the original German.") Republican convention was instrumental in Bush's loss.  The 2004 (let's not pick on Bush), Dem convention really hurt Kerry.

If the '08 convention plays out like some Club Obama revival meeting, we could be in big trouble.  If it's the proggy blogs vision of nirvana, we're dead.

At the end of the day, though, Obama's overriding focus is community service and individual effort. If we all try to do the right thing and help others who struggle more than we do, we will see immense progress in the lives of the poor and the forgotten.

But what exactly that means is a puzzle LeResche and other pain researchers across the country are trying to work through. The fact is, no one really knows for sure if women and men perceive pain differently, let alone how they react to it.

"There are [so many] overlays of societal and cultural norms and other factors that go into the reporting of pain that it may not have a biological basis at all," says Robert Gear, an assistant professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of California, in San Francisco. "It certainly could have a biological basis, but there is no way to test it so far."

go to two jails instead of one

Hopefully what is right will trump greed for a change.  The NBA could certainly use some good pr for a change, here is their chance...but it looks like they will blow it, again.

Rasmussen: Obama + 22 in ME, only -4 in Alaska

SUSA: Obama + 9 in WI

I'm still not over the rulz committee decision to give Obama Hillary's delegates.

That appearance on the view by Obama's wife is just too shallow for me to even think it worked.

The view isn't worth my time. Saw the clip online though and I will agree that dress Mrs. O was wearing is from a catalog I get at home. She just needs to wear the right clothes, since she is tall enough!

She should just dress nice and STFU about anything and everything around her husband like Laura Bush does.

Obama denies it.  In the past, he fired campaign adviser Samantha Power for saying the same thing (coincidentally, at the time, she called Sen. Clinton a "monster," and Obama used that remark as cover to fire her, but the real reason was because she said he would rethink his withdrawal plan once he got into office).

Like I wrote before, Obama doesn't want to publicly flip flop on his Iraq pullout plan until after the convention.  (It sure would be awkward if the nominee gets booed at the convention.)  When do you think it will happen?

1 - June
2 - July
3 - August
4 - September
5 - October
6 - November
7 - December 08 through early 09
8 - Never! Obama will keep his promise.

And, oh yes, The Next Food Network Star. This season has been a little hard for me in the wake of the primary. I'm an Obama supporter. I don't know if I'd go so far as to call myself a Democrat at this point, but I'm not a Republican anymore. Since about February, I've been paying quite a bit more attention to sexism and while I don't think the Obama campaign was overtly sexist, I think they used dog whistle tactics much the same way the Clinton campaign used race in the campaign. I'm not here to rehash all of that or to say one was worse than the other. This is just a jumping-off point.

Kelsey's getting a raw deal so far on this show. She wants the job more than anyone else, and has prepared for the competition in a way her opponents have not and so while she does seem to have an answer for every question and challenge, she's been treated so far as though she is merely fake and overly ambitious. It's hard to watch at times. Ironically, the female judge on the show, Susie Ferguson, is her harshest critic in this regard. She consistently calls Kelsey fake or annoying. Meanwhile, the men on the show who behave similarly or are just as prepared in a given challenge are talked about as having great personality.

Female senators make push for women voters - The Hill

For Now Sans Clinton, Democratic Women Rally - ABC News

Lincoln, other women senators unveil campaign goals -  Arkansas News Bureau

And from the Baltimore Sun, Mikulski meets with Obama's V.P. search team:

Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski met today with Barack Obama's vice-presidential search team but would not disclose details of the conversation. Mikulski is a former co-chairwoman of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
...

"I was honored to be consulted in one of Sen. Obama's first and most important decisions – the selection of his vice president. This is a critical decision that needs careful consideration. As mandated by this weighty decision, any future discussions I have on the issue will remain confidential."

I don't think it will hurt him, but it sure doesn't fit in with his unifying message.  I understand the motivation but I would have liked to see Obama challenge the assumptions about Muslims.  Its too bad, because it is this kind of stuff that worries me about Obama.  He will always be reacting and maybe over-compensating to fight the assumptions made about him.

I think it speaks volumes to see so many notables in Washington politics and the media, all gathered to remember Tim.

University of B.C. psychology professor Kenneth Craig, who has studied pain for more than three decades, says it's a "commonplace myth" that women are more capable of enduring pain than men.

"Most people relate it to the pain of childbirth, which itself is quite variable. That doesn't stand up when you look up the data."

Craig says that women tend to be more inclined to complain of pain and to attempt to withdraw from painful situations. Men, in contrast, are more stoical.