Looking back, early June was a utopia. Barack Obama, the embodiment of change, a historic candidate, was racking up the delegates. His rival, Hillary Clinton, was about to capitulate. Obama rented out an NBA arena to claim the nomination. Poll after poll showed the Democrats had a great chance to win in November.

This is great, I thought.  I have never voted for a winning candidate for national office in any election in my life. It's going to feel so nice to win one.  

But then it was all taken away from me. I was not only mad, but dejected. For months, politics were simultaneously news, entertainment, a passion, and something to look forward to.

No longer.

I went on a self-imposed diet of no MSNBC...no Politico....no Kos...no Huffington Post.  There was nothing for me there.

But that's not where this story ends. This is a redemption tale. I have found a way to root for Obama again. Come election night, I will be happy. If you were feeling down on Obama, read on, because I have a way for you to get excited about progressive politics again.

First a hat tip to Got Tannins?, one of the many wonderful wine-related sites on the internet. This is the newest entry from:

The NFL has been in the news today, with the $500,000 "Nipplegate" Super Bowl show fine reversed by a Court of Appeals.  But Got Tannins? points us to another NFL story, the League's over-the-top can-you-friggin'-believe-it hypocrisy about alcohol (and who gets to pocket the profits from it).  In a way, it reminds me of States' attitudes toward "illegal gambling" and the lottery.  They don't care about the people, just the competition.

Listen live at 2:30 today, or over at LeftAhead anytime after the show. Here's the promo, from Mike:

Guest Christine Dorchak wants an immediate end to greyhound racing in Massachusetts and the nation. She heads a state and a national organization dedicated to that. She almost got a ban here in 2000. She'll sharpen your reasoning and pluck your heartstrings.

I'm looking forward to this - it should be an excellent show. I'll update the post after to put a few main bullet points of things from the show.

Also, I'll stick around in the comments until 2pm, then I have to get ready for the show.

Finally, read more about why Greyhound racing is so cruel and why it needs to be stopped.

Yesterday there was lots of discussion about McCain's habitual high-stakes craps playing.  That was prompted by the observation McCain is so scrupulous he reports 14 bucks in interest as a line item on his 1040, yet he has NEVER reported any winnings or offsetting losses, even though we know he has been an habitual high-stakes gambler for many years.
 
Most of that conversation concentrated on tax implications, questions of judgment, or moral lapses.  We barely touched on the potential corruption angle.  

I want to focus on the corruption angle now because I found something interesting in the Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act Database.

Remember those marathon gambling sessions in 2005?  We know he was often in the company of Wes Gullett, a former staffer and now a lobbyist.  If you check the client list on the web site for Gullett's firm you find  nothing strange there -- now.  However, look at their former clients and things get more interesting...

Originally I wondered why there was no form W-2G.  You probably are wondering, "What the heck is IRS Form W-2G, and who cares if McCain ever filed one or not?"  

Those are fair  questions.  IRS Form W-2G is similar to the W-2 form we all know and hate.  However, instead of declaring wages, you use the W-2G to declare Gambling Winnings.  

Now why should anyone care to ask John McCain about his W-2G filings?  Answering that is slightly more complicated given his many years of marathon gambling sessions at the craps table and his ties to the gaming industry.  However, let's start with the fact aides say McCain tends to play for a few thousand dollars at a time!  Over the years that adds up to a big chunk of change.  And that has potential tax consequences.   Apparently, I was asking the wrong question.  The real question is why hasn't he ever declared ANY winnings on his 1040, or any losses on his Schedule A?  So....

UPDATE II - note title change... apparently this is the real mystery. (h/t to Mrick for really spelling this out)

I was surprised that Steven R's diary on McCain and craps was the first I'd heard of this, and the only reason I'm writing a new diary is because, as a former craps dealer, I may be able to offer fresh insight.  (I wrote a piece about my career as a casino dealer for GQ in January, 2001.)

The Time article that got this going was kind of a fluff piece -- Barack as a poker player, McCain as a craps player, and what does that mean, exactly -- but it did get me thinking, and searching a little. There was a fair bit to uncover...

Last week was a relatively slow news week, which makes it all the more puzzling that this bombshell of a story wasn't covered more by either the television pundits or the blog-o-sphere... obviously, one reason is because many on the blog-o-sphere now believe the election is in the bag and we don't really have to work much anymore to make it happen (publisher of this dKos included).  I disagree strongly, and I think this story is both relevant and revealing.  Relevant because it should give Christian Fundies serious pause about John "McCraps" and revealing because it illustrates what sort of personal attributes John "McCraps" has.

Here's the original Time Piece

I dont know about you guys, but Im a big poker fan.  There is nothing better than getting a bunch of good friends together on a Thursday night, having a few beers and playing some texas hold-em.  

Thanks to Raed Jarrar's Raed in the Middle for an amazing video interview from Al-Iraqiya, the American "information" TV station in Iraq, rebroadcast (I think) on Link TV's "Mosaic:  World news from the Middle East":  an interview with an American named Martin Eisenstadt, who plans to build a mega 5-star hotel/casino/golf course/massage parlor/backgammon parlor/off-track camel race betting parlor/mosque in the Green Zone to bring peace and prosperity to all.   Hysterically funny, jaw dropping and horrifying at the same time.

from the clip:

"Yes, the pizzazz, the Vegas pizzazz, that American can-do--let's have fun--we're all one attitude, yes, unapologetically, we're going to bring that here, but mixed with local sensibilities.  When you have a jack and a six and you hit, everybody's in it together, that rush transcends your language, your culture, your religion, and that's what's really going to bring people together, whether you're Shia, Sunni, or Kurd, you're going to be wearing the same casino uniform, with the same nameplate, which says "We're all one, we all work for the casino, there are no differences between us!"

more after the jump...

Pete Donaghy, the former NBA referee that admitted to conspiring with gamblers, threw other referees and league officials under the proverbial bus when he suggested that certain refs and league officials pre-determined the outcome of specific playoff series.

Knowledgable sports fans that have engaged in gambling, both illegal and legal, have suggested for years that certain sporting events are fixed. Donaghy's comments, while they may be self-serving in that he might be hoping for a reduced sentence, may be spot on.

We know what's been going on among Israel, Iran, and the United States:  Mostly, the US has been playing the stooge for Israeli interests who have a bug up their butts about Iran.  

With his, "make it about WMD and Americans will get behind a war" line of reasoning, Wolfie taught us to look around and behind the propaganda to discover what the real agenda is.  Israel and the US claim Iran must be forced into bankruptcy because it has or wants or secretly tried to get nuclear weapons.

This diary attempts to show that Israel wants oil pipelines and Persian Gulf gambling wealth; is willing to hold a nation of 70 million under threat of terror and economic destabilization in order to acquire those goals, and is not concerned that US interests may be jeopardized in the process of achieving their goals.

Since you’re busy and I’m not, I try to survey the arcane world of bleeding-edge research and abstract the few key findings worth your attention. The following are sourced from Science, the publication of the National Association for the Advancement of Science, of which I am a member until one of their editors stumbles onto this website.

This is my first diary, so bear with me. Ever wonder exactly how far Hillary Clinton would go to get this nomination?  If you're like me, you haven't been surprised by the lengths she and Bill have gone to thus far.  This morning, however, I awoke to pictures on the front page of Huffington Post that completely sickened me.  

Follow me over the fold for more....

This afternoon on the Randy Rhodes show it was reported that "word came from on high" that casino employees who caucused for Edwards last weekend would lose their jobs.  Upon cooler reflection, this is not a very reliable report and it lacks corroboration.  It did infuriate me enough, for a time, to convince me to pass along a bit of investigation I did on slot machines.  

The post might be a public service anyway, even if the casinos are not, in fact, desirous to bust unions they cannot control.  

More below the fold:

OND: News That Could Only Happen Here. . .today’s peerfearless reporter casts a jaundiced eye on America’s most hap’ning city and environs, the crossroads of four continents, home to everything and everyone under the tropical sun, where, when it’s not some scandal, it’s all Fidel all the time.  If it’s going on, it’s going on here.

WARNING!  What follows is a toxic take on the news; it may be addictive and offensive to some readers, so be sure to get hooked and enjoy the thrill of revulsion.  Schooled as I am by journalists Dave Barry (2008 candidate for president) and Carl Hiassen (author of such novels as Basket Case, Sick Puppy, Tourist Season and Strip Tease), irreverence is the by-word in the following compilation of Important Stuff making headlines along the 25th N x 80th W parallels.

An interesting turn of events. Clinton is now attacking Obama for past statements that gambling can have a devastating effect on poor communities, in an attempt to pet large casino owners and gambling industry executives allied with her campaign:

LAS VEGAS -- Barack Obama has warned about the dangers of gambling -- that it carries a "moral and social cost" that could "devastate" poor communities. As a state senator in Illinois, he at times opposed plans to expand gambling, worrying that it could be especially harmful to low-income people.

Today, those views are posing a problem for Obama in the gambling mecca of Nevada, which holds its presidential nominating caucuses Saturday. While his top rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, also talks often about aiding low-income Americans, she has embraced the gambling industry and its executives, and her campaign has used Obama's past statements in an effort to turn casino workers and other Nevada voters against him.

I find this beyond the pale.

Obviously gambling is not really an issue in Nevada - everyone loves it, look at all the money it brings us, and who cares about how gambling might destroy families.

But this is the political season, and so of course, gambling is an issue in tomorrow's Democratic Nevada caucus - that is, if you believe the Los Angeles Times.  It reports Barack Obama often opposed gambling while he was in the Illinois state legislature, and that Hillary Clinton is making an issue of it.  See Clinton plays gaming card against Obama.

I don't have much analysis on this, but if you want to read further, it's below the fold.

Given that this is supposed to be a free country and all, and this is turning out to be one of the tightest races in recent history, does anyone have any information on how to wager on this damn thing?  Other than driving to Vegas, that is...