Chicago Daily Observer

The Democratic National Committee recently ran an ad blasting John McCain for saying the country is “better off” than in 2000. Yet, arguably, except as regards the Iraq war, Mr. McCain’s statement is true. In turn, Mr. McCain is blasting Barack Obama for suggesting that international tensions are not as bad as they’ve been made to seem. Yet, arguably, Mr. Obama is right.

Democratic attacks on Mr. McCain and Republican attacks on Mr. Obama both seek to punish impermissibly positive thoughts. At a time when there exists a sense of crisis over the economy, fuel prices and many other issues, this reinforces the odd, two realities of life in the United States today: The way we are, and the way we think we are.

Occasionally, I think it is bats to have maps associated with stories, some of which have nearly no geographic significance (those show up at 307 N. Michigan, the host of the Chicago Daily Observer, by the way). However, there are many stories where the location is a key to the story, such as this one from the Washington Post announcing that the Democratic National Committee Headquarters is moving to Chicago. Chicago is a big place, so drilling down a bit we find that the DNC Headquarters will be somewhere in the Loop.

Politico thinks the headquarters will be somewhere ”near Barack Obama’s Headquarters”. I just called the DNC in Washington DC, where a bored (and boring) phone answerer told me that they only had a P.O. Box, no street address for the DNC Headquarters. Our pals over at Everyblock have 50 Restaurant inspections near ... Read More...

Obama supporters know he can’t win if his real political views become widely known, and they are taking pre-emptive steps to bat down that perception. Blogger John Henke writing at TheNextRight.com noted earlier in the week that one tactic among liberal bloggers will be to pre-emptively deligitimize criticisms of Obama as “racist.”

And Americans should care about his ideology. Teamed up with a Democratic Congress, an Obama administration could usher in the most liberal, special-interest dominated period in American history. Power will shift to Washington as labor lobbyists, trial lawyers and environmental activists will have a heyday pulling all the levers of power.

I pledge to you that reform of the position of Republican National Committeeman of the great State of Illinois starts today,”said Kane County’s Pat Brady to Illinois Republican Party Convention delegates in Decatur Saturday.

“I know a lot about corruption.

“I know a lot about ethics.

“I know the difference between right and wrong.

“There will never be anything (I do) that reflects negatively on the Republican Party,” he continued.

In a formal announcement that was foreshadowed by his low popularity in the Republican primaries, Ron Paul will tell his supporters that his campaign for president is over.

Paul (R-Texas) will instead launch a different kind of campaign that aims to encourage the election of Republicans who show a Libertarian lean to offices across the country.

In a letter to supporters on his new website, “Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty,” Paul says the past 17 months were the most exciting of his life.

“With the primary season now over, the presidential campaign is at an end,” Paul writes. “But the larger campaign for freedom is just getting started.”