We tend to pay less attention to down-ballot state races, as if their only real importance lies in the creation of strong political benches, a sort of stockpiling of talent for the future. Even so, just reading the names Katherine Harris and Kenneth Blackwell reveals that we do actually understand that Secretary of State is among the most important political jobs in the country. From the opposite end of the spectrum, Californians proved it, yet again, when Debra Bowen was elected, last year. Now, it's Oregon's turn.

As a measure of the political rollercoaster in Kenya, I will include what I wrote last night, and would have posted this morning. Instead, it's just wonderful news, as reported by the BBC:

Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga have reached a deal to end Kenya's post-poll crisis, ex UN head Kofi Annan says.

"We have come to an agreement of a form of coalition government," Mr Annan said after a four-hour meeting with them.

He said he could not give any further details as the men were going to consult with their political parties.

Annan says he hopes the agreement will be signed by the end of the day!

This will be short. The shrill on this site has reached such a level of irrationality that a Hillary-bashing diary currently sits at the top of the Rec List despite its sole source being- The Drudge Report.

It comes down to this: the Bush Administration believes it is above the law, and Congressional Democrats concur. There is no other way to explain the unwillingness of the Democrats to force the confrontations that would reassert the primacy of law. The Administration demonstrates, time and again, that as long as it is allowed to get away with anything, it will do whatever it wants. The rule of law and the balance of powers are irrelevant. Obsolete, perhaps. Perhaps quaint. When Nancy Pelosi took impeachment off the table, it signaled to the Administration that it had a green light to function as a monarchy. If it wasn't going to be held accountable for past crimes, it might as well continue committing them, abusing its power, and overstepping its authority whenever and however it pleased. The Democrats would not force confrontations, because to do so would inevitably lead to questions of consequences. Eliminate the very question of impeachment, and there are no consequences. All is allowed. All is acceptable. All is tacitly permitted.

I haven't seen this posted, so for all who have lost perspective and forgotten who is the real political enemy, I thought this parody of the Obama viral video would help. Clinton and Obama are far from being perfect, even on Iraq, but this is the alternative:

Burma hasn't been much in the news, lately, but things have not gotten any better. Essentially, the violent crackdown on dissidents succeeded. Months ago. And it continues.

As Steve Soto put it:

As was to be expected, the media was quick to ask the superficial question immediately after the first two-candidate Democratic debate of this campaign: "Who won?"

They totally missed the obvious point: The Democratic Party won tonight.

The Republican race is growing increasingly acrimonious, with Mitt Romney yesterday accusing John McCain of using "Nixonian tactics," while, by contrast, host CNN and others headlined the comity displayed by Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. This is great for the Democratic party, and helpful to both candidates.

According to the latest polls, both of the Democratic candidates for president lead each of the Republican candidates, except for one. John McCain currently averages a point and a half ahead of Barack Obama, and just another three-tenths of a point ahead of Hillary Clinton. Given the margins of error, these latter polls are essentially neutral. They're also temporary. In previous polls, both have polled ahead of McCain. Overall, though, it would seem that the Democrats are in good shape. John McCain is still lionized by the corporate media, and all he can manage is a tiny, irrelevant lead over Democrats who generally don't receive such favorable coverage.

I've been around politicians all my life. My first paying job was working for a Congressman. I guess this will come as a shock, to some, but elected officials meet lots of people. Lots of strangers. Lots of people whose faces and names they won't remember five minutes after they've shaken their hands or had their photos taken with them. I know. I know. It's a sick, cynical world out there.

Here's a little secret: none of the big three candidates is perfect. None is pure. None is above the fray. Not is a radical departure from centrist Democratic orthodoxy. All are politicians. All play political games. Some do it better than the others.

I'm now supporting John Edwards, because I love his populism, but I am under no delusions about his Senate voting record. The only real change candidates are Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel, but neither is remotely viable. The big three are just nuanced differences apart from each other, and none is going to take on the military-industrial complex or the military or health care industries in anything close to the degree they should.

Once again, it's time for a little reality check. Senator Obama did not win the most convention delegates, from Nevada. I got this in an email, but USA Today has it:

Senator Clinton fired the Iowa staffers. Good. Senator Clinton had Billy Shaheen resign, and personally apologized to Senator Obama. Good. Senator Clinton sent Bob Kerrey packing, and Kerrey apologized to Senator Obama. Good. Andrew Cuomo does not hold any official position within the Clinton campaign. She is no more responsible for his behavior than any of the other candidates are for any of their supporters.

Senator Obama used Donnie McClurkin to raise money for his campaign. McClurkin behaved reprehensibly at the Obama event. Senator Obama has neither condemned McClurkin nor apologized for causing so much pain in the gay community. And I want to emphasize something very important: I do not believe Senator Obama is a homophobic bigot. Unlike some Clinton critics, who inflate everything said or done by one of her surrogates into evidence of racism or race-baiting, I prefer to stick to the facts. The fact is that Senator Obama has been very good on LGBT issues. The fact also is that he used a homophobic bigot to further his presidential aspirations.

I am convinced that a sinister cabal of space aliens and wood elves infiltrated the New Hampshire voting machines, and stole the election for Senator Clinton. They want to destroy America so they can have it for themselves, and we all know that nothing will more quickly and completely destroy America than will putting Hillary in the Oval Office.

The real story is not about Obama and Edwards trading surges, Hillary rebounding and collapsing, or the likely determining factor of the Biden and Richardson supporters' second choices. The real story is not about the weather facilitating turnout for Hillary, or the passion of Obama's youth vote, or Edwards's solid ground game with likely caucus goers. The real story has nothing to do with the candidates or the horse race or the volatility of the polls. The real story is that there's a story. In December. And early January. Ten-and-a-half months before the general election. The real story is the absurdity of a system that is so broken we don't even pay attention to how broken it is.

I don't want to cause any problems, I just want to make a few quick points, to put some of this in perspective.

I don't know the details about what's been going on, the last few days, but I know that a lot of people are feeling bruised. As many of you know, I've been disturbed by the animosity of the candidate wars, so I'm certain that some of what's gone down has been warranted, but it also seems plausible that some innocents have gotten swept up in it. My main hope, about all that, is that once the primaries are over, we can all come together and focus our passion and energy on helping bury this extremist Republican Party, once and for all. That's what really matters, here.

For those who are able, the week before New Year's can be a perfect time to contribute to charitable, public service, and arts organizations. It's the holiday season, and for those who are on vacation, there is time to focus. I ask all of you to please tell us about, and preferably link, your favorite non-profits. I'm particularly interested in lesser known, local organizations.

Large and small, and mostly in their own words, these are some of my favorites:

It occurred to me: we never see Mike Gravel diaries.

It's always Edwards, Obama, Edwards, Obama, Edwards, Obama, Hillary, Edwards, Obama, an occassional Kucinich or Dodd, even Ron Paul. But where's the love for Mike Gravel?

One of the last of the living jazz giants has died. There's nothing to say. Just listen.

You Look Good To Me

Noreen's Nocturne