I gather Hillary gave a rousing speech today, urging her backers to now get behind Barack. Good for her. Now we just have to keep our fingers crossed and hope that those disappointed millions do, in fact, get behind their party's choice. Hills and Bary were never going to be more than the party's representative in the upcoming race. It's a win for the Democratic Party that counts, not a win for Hills or Bary. So, listen to the woman, O.K.?

And more good news - Al Franken will be the Democrat's candidate for senator from Minnesota. Go, Al, go!

So, is Bary going to open the door to the vice-presidency for Hills? Wouldn't you love to be able to listen in on those discussions? Eeyikes. She pretty much tried to kill him during the campaign. And, she showed herself to be, um, less than, oh - ethical? - calling him "elitist" over remarks that, if anyone actually read them, were clearly not. And accusing Democrats who favoured Bary of doing so out of sexism (Hint to Hills - don't call the people you're trying to get to support you stupid.). On the other hand, half the Democrats in the States wanted her as their candidate. Picking her for VP would pretty much force those folks to vote for Bary. Kind of a conundrum, isn't it?

On the other hand, voting for McBush has just gotten harder, even for die-hard Republicans, I would think. After all, aren't these the people who hate government "interference" in any form? Are they really going to be enthused about a candidate who's keen on tapping their phones?

By the way, all credit to Maureen Dowd for the "McBush" moniker.

On the "bad news" front, looks like I'm going to have to close my secret Swiss bank account. Can't wait to see how this one plays out.

Last, but not least (at least, not if you're a photographer), there's this little item. Now, get out there and get snapping! If you don't, the terrorists will have won!

In my files, this picture is labelled, "Waiting". Which, as far as the Democrat's nomination for presidential candidate is concerned, is, mercifully, finally over. Now, all you possibly bitter Hillary supporters? Get over it! Do you really want John McBush running your country for the next four years? Have you seen the type of neo-Nazi christian cretin they want to run as VP?!? Get Bary into the White House, now! Please! Your neighbours are begging you. Hillary's young enough to try again later.

Once a week, whether you need it or not, you've got to run 10k (otherwise known as "just over 6 miles", if you live south of the border). It'd be helpful if you'd run some shorter distance at least once or twice during the week, but... Thank heaven for my bicycle.

David Byrne rides a bicycle. So does Calvin Trillin. Just a couple of location-specific examples. Otherwise known as not-so-subtle nagging.

Meanwhile, there is, as always, more news from Stupidsville. Florida and Michigan Democrats were told not to hold their primaries early. They went ahead anyway. Naturally, the party said, "Well, kids, we told you not to. You were just trying to show off, to look more important than you actually are. Well, your votes don't count. Everyone else was willing to play the game, but, ooooooh no, not you. No, no, no - you're too special. Wrong-o, kiddies." So, in what's really a gesture of conciliation, the Democratic party has said, "O.K., you made a mistake. You acted like a bunch of spoiled children, but - hey - we'll forgive you. But, you don't get full votes. You get half votes." The response? Well, some of these idiots promptly began chanting for McCain! Yep - just what the country needs - more tax breaks for the rich, another 4 years, minimum, in Iraq, an eagerness to tilt the Supreme Court just a little further toward the neo-Nazi right.... Oh, yeah, that's what America needs. Heaven forbid that people should behave like mature adults. "Oh? Hillary lost? Well then, we're gettin' behind Obama, our party's candidate, to get rid of the current right-wingnut and see to it he ain't replaced by another." Who are these people, and why, oh why, do they have any say whatsoever in who might run the country?

I took this photo a looooonnnnngggggg time ago (yep, gettin' to the bottom of the barrel here, too), but, wouldn't you know, it's suddenly relevant. Every day, in every way, it's just becoming more and more obvious that Hilly really, really, really needs to just go home and chill out. Let's face it, would you pick a person who'd commit a gaffe like this for a running mate? Someone who'd slip up this badly in charge of some delicate negotiation? I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to understand what sank the hopes of universal health care for American citizens during the Clinton administration.

And, on the lighter side of terminal (literally) stupidity, we have this story. Surely a nominee for the 2008 Darwin awards, don't you think?

Beginning on the "Good News" front, for those of us who are of advanced chronological status, there's this story. To which all I can say is, phew!

And, of course, there's always the age-old question, "Why do they never, ever learn?" Why do politicians insist on kissing up to the religious right? These are the dumbest of the dumb, the world champions of hypocrisy, and yet politicians (O.K., it's mainly an American phenomenon, but that's only because, for whatever reason, America has more religious loonies per square mile than any other country outside of Iran) keep trying to please them. And then the politician acts all surprised when the raving lunatic whose endorsement he or she was trying to get turns out to be...well.....a raving lunatic. Wow! Who'd'a thunk?

Lastly, on the "Let's Keep the Dream Alive" front, Bill seems to be thinking Bary might pick Hilly as his running mate. Well, maybe. But I wouldn't go puttin' a whole lot of money on the idea. Bary, so far, seems to actually have some class (you have no idea how big a concession that is for me to make regarding a politician). Hilly, on the other hand, has shown herself to be rather severely lacking in that quality. Me? I'd love it if he'd pick Al Franken. Which, I suppose, might be complicated by the fact that Mr. Franken is running for the Senate. Well, whichever - he's a smart, good guy. People in Minnesota ought to vote for him next fall.

Hillary! Quit it! Give up, already! It's got nothing to do with sexism or racism. People just like Bary better than you. Get over it. When you lost the first few times, it was because Barack was "black". Now, in a change of story, it's because you're female. Trust me - this sort of continuing stupidity is what's cost you the nomination. Nobody cares anymore about that kind of thing. Nobody under 40, anyway. Nobody under 40 with an I.Q. higher than that of the average small soil invertebrate. And, to tell you the truth, nobody of any age or race who's got at least the brains of a goose cares. In other words, the only people worrying about whether a woman or a man, a white person or a black person, wins the Democratic nomination are Republicans.

I was on my way to buy coffee, honest. I was not thinking of Hillary Clinton's campaign when I took this picture of the loose lid of a dumpster. I promise. Still...

By accident, this is sort of a photograph for Hillary Clinton. The sign by the door on the left is the entrance to "The Crying Room", and Hilly ought to just - for the love of god! - give it up, and go have a good cry. The Democrats need to win in November and the sooner they can focus on that instead of flogging the dead horse of the Clinton campaign into the ground, the better their chances will be. So, Hilly, what's it gonna be - you and Bary fighting tooth and nail into, what?, October, thereby sinking the hopes of not just the Democrats but those of a lot of us out here in the rest of the world, or will you stop this nonsense, get behind Bary, and send the Republicans packing off into the hinterlands where they belong?