Last Saturday in my diary I pointed out how some Indiana wing-nuts were in denial about Barack Obama's field offices in the Hoosier State, saying:

The Obama presence in Indiana is a myth.

You will be pleased to know that Obama has opened a few more non-existent offices, including one in populous Lake County, IN.

Thomas at BlueIndiana.net diaried the latest today.

Read more below the fold.

Tired of VP speculation? Bored with Obama smears? Had it with angst over the Clintons? Pooped over polls?

Yeah, me too.

So I thought, "How would I really like to spend a slow Thursday night?

Sharing a foxhole with the beautiful, intelligent, erudite, and completely badass Lara Logan would be tops on my list. Of course it's unlikely that Miss Logan will show up in central Indiana to spend time with a married 56-year old balding school teacher.

So I thought I would post some pics instead.

Enjoy.

Face it. Wing-nuts can be infuriating sometimes, but other times, they are simply laughable.

Recently, the right-wing blog Frugal Hoosiers had this to say:

The Obama campaign has received some great press recently on the investment and presence he supposedly has in Indiana.

(snip)

As proof of Obama's dedication to the Hoosier state, his website lists 14 offices that he currently has opened in Indiana.  Impressive.  One would think that Obama really does care about Indiana, that it's a battleground state, and he's invested considerable resources in office space and staff to compete here.

One would be wrong.

A visual survey of a majority of the Obama offices around the state reveals that they are nothing more than an assortment of vacant spaces, offices for other candidates, and county party headquarters.  In other words, the Obama presence in Indiana is a myth, a campaign of smoke and mirrors designed to give the impression that Indiana is up for grabs and Obama is investing millions to win here.

These guys are unbelievable.

More below the fold:

On the heels of yesterday's news, there's more:

New York (UP URS) - In a new Gallop Poll released today, 37% of Americans admitted that they can't tell their ass from a hole in the ground. The poll's spokeswoman, Ima Troglodyte, noted that another 33% claimed they can't find their ass with both hands.

More surprising statistics below the fold.

"R" and I have been friends since we met in 1970. At the time we were part of a close-knit group of DFHs, and we have kept in touch for all these years. There are few people in this world I consider as close a friend as R.

But politically, we are far apart. He listens to Faux News and Limbaugh. As you will see below, he is a true RW crazy when it comes to politics. But I also know he would do anything for me and for any of our friends.

We exchanged a few political emails this year, with little result except to develop animosity towards one another. For a while, we quit sending them to one another in order to save our friendship.

Then, last week, he copied me on an email claiming Obama was going to raise taxes. I responded by pointing out that Obama would only raise taxes on those making over $250K per year. He sent me the email below in response. And I am posting my reply.

A little background: R is currently retired from a successful career in sales with a large telecom company. He is 58 years old. I am a public high school English teacher who returned to teaching three years ago after a 16-year stint in insurance and financial sales and service. I will be 57 next month.

I apologize in advance for the length of this diary, but stay with me if you can. I would like your input.

"Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown."

I haven't been able to get these words out of my mind lately after reading the two excellent recommended diaries--Ixnay on Letting Bygones Be Bygones by FPer Meteor Blades and ... to his eternal shame and our nation's great discredit by our wise mentor teacherken.

Both diaries addressed the crimes against the Constitution by the Bush Administration and why accountability is crucial to our nation's future. Both diarists and most commenters agree that the Bush Administration should be held accountable. I don't presume to be able to express that viewpoint as well as those two esteemed Kossacks, so I urge you to read the diaries if you haven't already.

The problem I have, and I saw it reflected in many comments as well, is will such an accounting actually take place and how?

Please read on.

In a CBS interview Tuesday in which John McCain told one lie by insisting that the Sunni awakening occurred after the surge and not before, as discussed in rogereaton's dairy, this interesting exchange also occurred between Katie Couric and John McCain:

Couric: You have said, quote, "I know how to win wars." Which war, Sen. McCain, are you referring to?

McCain: Bosnia. Kosovo. First Gulf War. The conflict in Iraq. To name a few. I've been engaged in every single one of them, and in a decision making process as one of the senior members of the Armed Services Committee. And engaged in the debates on the floor of the United States Senate. And involved in the Armed Services Committee. I know those wars. I know conflicts. And I hate war. No one hates war more than the veteran who feels most plainly the loss of a veteran. And I know how to win wars.

Well, John, time for a little "straight talk."

My Friends,

America's educational system is broken, and the ignorance of our young people has risen to crisis proportions. Nowhere is this more evident than in geography. This situation can be blamed on Harvard-educated, latte-drinking, arugula-eating, Prius-driving elitists--like my opponent, Barack Obama.

What America needs is a little straight talk on geography.

In the spirit of two roads recommended diary, I would like to add to the list of purity trolls that need to be called out by name.

So here's some purity troll comments I've culled together, and I'm calling them out by name...
--two roads

Just ran across this at Salon.com and thought you'd like to know.

According to Salon, a New York Daily News article reports Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will appear together at a fundraiser at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. next Thursday, June 26.

More.

It's very much an up-in-the-air thing right now between Obama and McCain for me.  --Mike Butler, Southern Baptist Convention Delegate

The Southern Baptists held their annual convention in Indianapolis this week and some strange noises have been heard from that quarter. Some of the Republican base are actually considering voting for Obama this year.

Even the evangelicals who are sticking with McCain lack enthusiasm.

Barack Obama, meanwhile, is striking at the heart of the GOP by reaching out to people that past Democratic presidential candidates conceded without a second thought.

Read more.

John McCain was called out as the lying, waffling jerk he is in Why McCain is dining at the Waffle House by Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Dick Polman today.

Polman pulls no punches in his put down of McCain.

Read more.

Spam is on the rise. Yes, your email box is full. Yes, Rethug trolls and Hillarybots keep flooding blogs with lies about Obama.

But that's not what I'm talkin' about.

I'm talking Spam. With a capital S.

Read more if your stomach can stand it.

As we wind down in the Democratic nomination process, I just want to note something that might have been overlooked by some of you: MI & FL are not a problem.

Read more.

Corporate America usually gets a bad rap here at DK, and, in most cases, deservedly so. But every once in a while big business gets it right, even if their motives are greed, not altruism.

I ran across this article in the business section of the Indianapolis Star. It seems that mega-mall builder Simon Property Group sees the light in energy savings.

Now I'm no big fan of malls, but they aren't all going to disappear tomorrow. What was intriguing to me was where the credit lies for their conservation success, according to Simon, and what we as Democrats can learn from it.

Read more.

The American media loves them some John McCain.

So says this gem of an article by Peter Hart at Fairness in Accuracy and Reporting (FAIR). The Press Corps’ Unshakeable Crush on McCain, whose title I borrowed for this diary, is the most comprehensive and well-researched piece I have found in exposing the media's unconditional swooning over John McCain, Maverick.

You knew it all the time, but you ain't gonna believe some of the stuff you're about to read below the fold.

I originally began this diary with the notion of praising the Daily Kos community generally for the many insightful comments I have read here in the two-plus months since I arrived.

But a funny thing happened on my way to that diary. Many of the really interesting comments and exchanges kept occurring in diaries written by the same person.

And that person, the man I consider to be "DK's Socrates," happens to be celebrating his 62nd birthday today. You all know him as teacherken.

Much more below the fold.

I know that No Child Left Behind is not a hot topic right now, but I must share with you this wonderful snark that appeared in our Indiana State Teachers Association UniServ District 2F May 8 Newsletter (PDF).

It demonstrates the absurdity of a one-size-fits-all education policy inflicted on schools from the top down.

Snark below the fold.