Midday Open Thread

• Kagro X will be on XM radio's POTUS 08 channel (130) to review the Romney speech, starting around 2:20 EST. As in pretty much right now.
• Join us tonight in Second Life at 6 PM PST/9 PM EST for Virtually Speaking with DemFromCT, an interview about public health and pandemic flu preparation from a friendly flu skeptic.
• Also, the ONE campaign is unveiling video interviews with all 15 Presidential candidates on questions about combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and global poverty (R and D alike). You can compare up to three candidates at a time. They're set pieces, but they are also on the record.
• The Monkey Cage asks "Are whites more likely to support the death penalty when they think blacks are being executed?"

  The answer, it seems, is yes. In a 2001 survey conducted by Mark Peffley and Jon Hurwitz, a random subset of whites was asked:

  "Do you favor or oppose the death penalty for persons convicted of murder?"
  Somewhat favor: 29%
  Strongly favor: 36%

  Another random subset of whites was asked:

  "Some people say that the death penalty is unfair because most of the people who are executed are African-Americans. Do you favor or oppose the death penalty for persons convicted of murder?"
  Somewhat favor: 25%
  Strongly favor: 52%

  That is a 12-point increase in overall support.

  The paper that comes from is here.

• If you, too, find yourself arguing with people who think they support Ron Paul but Iraq is all they know about him, here's a handy resource for your counter-arguments.
• Remember, today is your last chance to contribute to Robin Weirauch's campaign in OH-05 and have it help out for Tuesday.
• Phil Nugent's take on Bush's Tuesday press conference:

  Bush, who came into office with less interest in or actual knowledge of the world outside his country's borders than any president in modern memory--hell, even Ronald Reagan thought he'd been to Europe during World War II--is like a married man who still flirts with every woman he meets because, knowing of only one thing that women are good for, he has no other way of communicating with them. There's no evidence that Bush knows of any way to acknowledge another country's existence except by threatening them, or at least telling them who's boss, gosh darn it!

• "Democratic" consultants Chris Lehane and Mark Fabiani are going to work for the AMPTP, trying to help break the WGA strike. I know this is something I'll remember next time a candidate hires either of them.