Sigh.  Here I was with a full workday ahead of me and I was planning to stay away from this site all day.  Then I read this piece in Slate with this sub-head:

Does the Bush administration have a secret succession order that bypasses Congress?

Oh sure, I thought, they're just trying to grab my attention.  It's probably something minor, but I'm curious anyway.  I'll give it a look.

So I gave it a look and it SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME.  Go read the piece, then follow me below the fold ...

As a Floridian, maybe I should just get used to the idea that my presidential vote isn't going to count.  It's never really counted in a primary, after all, since our primary has traditionally been in March, well after the wiser voters of Iowa and New Hampshire have already chosen our candidate.  And since 2000, I'm pretty sure Democratic votes don't get counted in the general election.

But these days, it's not just an unspoken understanding that my vote won't count, it's the stated policy of the Democratic National Committee.  My primary vote is officially a waste of my time.  Of course, there will be other important issues on the January 29th ballot, but those attract less flash, which means Democrats will stay home in droves that day.  The RNC, it should be noted, has yet to exclude Florida Republicans.

So how did all this happen?  Well, the Republican party made it so.

Wow.  One of the world's largest toy marketers (if not the largest) is recalling another 9 million toys.

On the heels of the recent lead paint fiasco, Mattel admits to having stepped in it again, this time with magnets that freely dislodge, causing choking and intestinal hazards.  No word, as far as I could tell, on the nation of manufacture for these toys, but I'm guessing it's not the US.  Mattel does not seem to have an updated link yet, but when they do it should be here.  This time the toys in question are Barbie Doll and Tanner dolls, Batman Magna series action figures, and Polly Pocket playsets.  

What does this have to do with politics, you ask?  Everything, I answer.  Follow me below the fold for the quote from the top ...

I haven't seen this diaried yet today, but I found it interesting.  Sojourners sponsored what the Post calls an "unprecedented forum" on personal faith.  Of course, there will be those who think the idea entirely inappropriate, but I think any chance we get to hear the candidates answer questions the better off we all are.

Of course some of it was pretty vapid, as I expect from host Soledad O'Brien.  Some highlights ... and (what I think was) a strange statement from Senator Clinton:

Good news!  According to an International Herald Tribune story, less than a third of Americans think there are too many immigrants in our country!  Even more interesting, 13% believe we don't have enough immigration.

What is most interesting about the survey (done by Harris Interactive, who swears they've adjusted for propensity for online usage) is that of the US, France, the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain, only France is less concerned with immigration.  Follow me below the fold to see this in handy graphic form...

No, not DailyKos shirts, "Support the Troops/End the War" shirts.  And bumper stickers too.  Yes, you'll need to send $20 to the Edwards campaign, but if you do so right now you'll have 'em in time to wear for Memorial Day.

Yesterday (Wednesday) the Chapel Hill campaign HQ of John Edwards was shut down by someone who mailed a envelope filled with an undetermined white powder to them.  Everyone, including the staffer who opened the envelope, appears to be healthy, and federal investigators are looking into it.

Now, I watched Olbermann last night, and I listened to a fair chunk of Morning Edition this morning.  I've also checked CNN.com this morning.  The story appears in none of those places.  My question is why the HELL isn't this national news?  

We tend to be a mouthy bunch around here, with all the "my candidate is better than your candidate" diaries and comments.  I like that, which is why I keep hanging out here.  

In potential violation of the rules (ok, not really) I'm calling out every one of you with strong opinions on your favorite candidate right now.  Talk is great, but as EMILY's List has told us, Early Money Is Like Yeast - it helps a campaign rise above the others.  

Earlier today I stopped talking long enough to give my favorite candidate a financial commitment.  I'm asking you to do the same for your candidate right now.

Update II:  TIME has posted a correction to the article, correcting much of the error within.  While I realize this probably had nothing to do with my efforts here, I'm claiming victory anyway.

When I was a college student taking journalism classes (in the dark ages, fifteen years ago), the scariest thing a professor could write on an assignment I turned in was "FACT ERROR."  Any -- and I mean ANY -- innacuracy meant a 50-point hit on the final grade for that assignment.  Because of that experience, I earned a tremendous respect for the journalistic ethic of accuracy.

Apparently TIME writer Massimo Calabresi does not share that respect for accuracy.  The article Bloggers on the Bus, appearing on TIME.com yesterday, is riddled with fact errors.  

The article is TIME's shot at the Edwards blogger controversy, and it's crap (which will be no surprise to many here).  Below the fold you'll see the text of a message I sent the writer this morning containing at least some of the errors.  You'll find more of the errors in this Chris Bowers diary at mydd.com.  

I haven't seen the ad here at DKos yet, but at at least one other favorite site of mine, Senator Clinton has placed an ad headlined "Let the conversation begin ... on the future of our country."

The click through took me to a sign-in for a live online "conversation" with her, the first of which will apparently occur tonight.

Am I the only one who's a bit taken aback that, in her world, the conversation hasn't started yet - and won't until she decides it's time?

Ok, it's a given that, since you're here at DKos, you're a political junkie and there's a good chance that you're an activist.  And you probably have a job, family, friends, etc.  You've probably got a hobby or two and a favorite pastime.  

But what else do you do?  Specifically in your community.  I guess what I'm looking for is a cross-section of what non-political stuff Kossacks might be active in.  It would be great to build some community within this community based on the non-political things we have in common.

So we're all thrilled that Rumsfeld is leaving.  At least I know I am.  But I was having a hard time understanding the timing until I heard John Warner call for confirmation hearings during this lame-duck Congress.  Then it all fell into place for me.  

Dubya knew weeks ago he needed to can Rummy.  He also knew if he couldn't push for confirmation hearings during election season because he didn't want to air dirty Iraq laundry and didn't want to force Senators like Burns and Allen into unpopular votes at a difficult time.  So why yesterday?  Follow me below the fold for my tinfoil-hat theory...

What a happy morning!  Ok, it's a little less happy here in Florida than in most of the Republic, but hey, we're always slow on the uptake.  I, for one, am ready to start working on '08 RIGHT NOW.

The keys to the John Edwards bandwagon are in the ignition and it's time to crank this thing up!!

First of all, let me tell you that I don't have any links to breaking news stories in this diary.  No calls to action, no petitions to sign, no donations to make.  Just some (mostly) rhetorical questions.

At what point will you stop posting to DailyKos and other sites like this?  At what point will you stop reading it on your home or office computer, where your visits can be tracked back to your real identity?  When will you stop talking about politics at the water cooler or on the phone with your friends and family?  When will the bumper stickers come off your car and your campaign yard signs and t-shirts go into the garbage?

Because I can see - and if you're honest with yourself you can too - a day in the not-too-distant future when that Kerry bumper sticker is going to get you a ticket.  And when visiting DailyKos on your office computer is going to get you fired.  And when that comment you made at the water cooler about the Vice-President is going to bring a knock to your door late one night.

Follow me below the fold and let's talk about it...

For the past 24 hours or so, Keith Olbermann has been rightly celebrated here on DKos.  Hundreds of us have sent emails to Keith and his bosses thanking him for his courage and urging him to keep up the good work.  

As we all know (since we live in the reality-based world), Keith Olbermann's job at MSNBC depends pretty much entirely on a.) ratings and by extension b.) ad sales.  Many of us are doing what we can by watching and influencing others to watch, thereby driving up his ratings, but the next step is supporting his advertisers.  

Toward that end, I've compiled below a list of tonight's advertisers on Countdown.  Please join me below the fold and thank these advertisers with your business!

First of all, this is not a political or world affairs diary.  Mea Culpa.  This is about sustenance for a weary traveller in what used to be the greatest food city on the continent, New Orleans.  I'm headed there next week for a conference, and I need to know if it's still the best place to eat anywhere this side of, well, anywhere...

Please use this as an open thread for those with recent knowledge to advise me (and the rest of the world) where to eat (and drink and be merry) in New Orleans these days.  And for those seeking political relevance, think of it as an economic development piece.

Just as a quick follow up to those who read my diary from last week about Jeb Bush trying to commandeer a local sheriff's race in Florida, here's some good news.

The Florida Supreme Court has smacked Jeb down in his bid to appoint a replacement for a sheriff who is resigning to run for a state senate seat.  

Looks like this dictator thing runs in the Bush family.  While big brother Dubya's forays into totalitarianism are well documented here, I haven't seen anything here at DKos about Jeb's latest interference with the Democratic process, so here goes.

As background, here in Florida, we elect our county sheriffs.  They are constitutional officers serving four-year terms (the last election was 11/04), and it's not entirely uncommon for someone to vacate the position to seek higher office during the term, which is just what's happening here in Alachua County (blue, blue, blue Gainesville).  Florida law says that if the position is vacated with 28 or more months left, a special election must be held.  If there are fewer than 28 months left, a special election may be held or an appointment may be made by the Governor.  

There's the backstory, follow the extended entry for Jeb's power grab ...