Same as always?

There was real hope that this election would be something different. It is not. It looked like we had two candidates that would run their campaigns above the fray. It has become similar to all the ones before it, with the clear difference that every blow gets an immediate counter blow from the other camp. But all in all it has settled into a general election that is clearly antagonistic.

The McCain candidacy has been run like a regular election. He hammered Romney relentlessly, with fine line distortions of his comments and positions. He was the guy that stood out in congress, willing to hold to his convictions, even when it meant a pounding from his own party.

Obama truly started out different. He was above the fray. Way above for quite some time. Hillary's team moved him back to political earth. On top of that he has been wounded. He will bring to general. His clear rejection of public funding of his election shows that political expediency is more important to him than his convictions. As he moves closer to the center will he continue to move away from what he has articulated?

Time will tell. When it comes to how these will treat each other and the "facts" this is your momma's (generation) campaign.

Bush irrelevant?

Relations with North Korea are headed in the direction of normalization. With the N Koreans turning in their nuke documents to China President Bush has removed significant sanctions. If this brings N Korea to a place where they no longer threaten the world with selling off weapons and nuke technology this will be a huge boon for the president. If it goes south it hurts him.

President Bush, though, appears to have a coup and things appear to benefit his presidency and the world at large.

Judges helping McCain?

The newest judicial decision that affects this presidential race just was handed down yesterday. Conservatives have lost three key decisions: Gay marriage in California, Islamist terrorists getting US citizen rights and now we have the trifecta of Child rapist being removed from list of crimes than states can give the death penalty. Even though Obama came out against the last decision it still puts pressure on him.

Why? Because up to 3 Supreme Court justices appear ready to retire. They are appointed by the president and approved by the Senate. Obama will have a near rubber stamp with a Dem congress, though to radical a choice would invite a filibuster from Senate Repubs.

We expect another big one, which is DC's law on gun control. If that one goes for DC and against guns (it probably won't) you will have a groundswell of support for McCain who rejects activist judges who legislate from the bench. The Dems need those judges to get many of their plans to work. Just look at abortion and ecological decisions. How very different it would be if judges just interpreted the law.

Update: Team Obama just breathed a big sigh of relief, SCOTUS (supreme court) just gave gun control activists a big defeat. DC handgun control is removed in a person's home.