The Kicker

This just in on MSNBC: Republican Richard Lugar does not want to be secretary of state… Come again? Was he asked? No matter! The speculation-fest that is CabinetStakes is well under way…

BBC has collected official reactions of assorted world leaders (spokespeople, associates, etc.) to Barack Obama’s victory, including Pres. Bush’s, “What an awesome night for you…” While the President of Kenya, Mwai Kibaki, is: confident that your presidency shall herald a new chapter of dialogue between the American people and the world at large. The spokesman […]

“Analysis: For Obama, now comes the hard part,” Associated Press “For Obama, now comes the hart part,” CBS News “No Time for Laurels; Now the Hart Part,” New York Times “Now: The hard part,” (Detroit) Metro Times “Now comes the hard part,” McClatchy Newspapers “Now comes the hard part,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer “Now, the hard part,” […]

Marc Ambinder offered this “thought” at around 8:30 this morning: In order of likelihood: 1. Obama wins the popular vote and electoral vote, either by large or small margins 2. McCain wins the electoral vote and loses the popular vote. 3. McCain wins the popular vote and the electoral vote. I won’t assign probabilities to […]

“What One Word Describes Your Current State of Mind?” The New York Times asks, via an Election Wordtrain that operates rather like a word cloud. Readers can type in or select a word that describes how they feel, and identify themselves as Obama or McCain supporters, or “Neither.” (Downside: you can only submit one word […]

The Times of London reports on how Barack Obama’s half-brother, Abongo Obama, and other relatives in Kenya are preparing for election results: Abongo, sitting in front of the tin-roofed shack that once belonged to Obama’s father, a government economist who died in a car accident more than two decades ago, said dozens of family members […]

As poll close draws near, and Obama seems positioned to win in enough early-closing states to block McCain’s path to the White House before things get late, it’s worth looking at the obvious question: does calling an election before all the votes have been cast have an effect on states where polls are still open? […]

From CNN’s report on Palin’s time in Wasilla this morning. Asked if she had any regrets about the campaign, Palin bemoaned “the state of journalism today.” “The blogosphere, the two, three hour news cycles, where just too much is reported based on gossip and innuendo and things taken out of context,” she explained, adding that […]

McCain’s closing campaign song seems to be “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake, the 80’s power-balladeers. I can’t embed the video below, but if you like click over to YouTube for some truly amazing hair, guitar moves, and ear-biting. (Bonus points if you spot the wardrobe malfunction, as helpfully flagged by the commenters.) I’d love […]

Per Time‘s Karen Tumulty: I’m sure Steve Schmidt will see this as another sign of an in-the-tank press corps: On the flight from Chicago to Indianapolis, Obama autographed our credentials for tonight’s rally. UPDATE: Another last-day-of-camp ritual. Obama posed for group photos on the tarmac with reporters, the motorcade drivers and the advance staff. As […]

Kevin Drum muses on what might have been had the media not “ignored” the candidates’ cap-and-trade plans (which reporters ignored, Drum guesses, because the candidates “weren’t attacking each other” on this issue). Per Drum: Which is kinda too bad because it had all the elements of an epic battle. It really is true that Obama’s […]

The Philadelphia Daily News‘s Will Bunch joins the most recent “media bias” discussion: [T]he polls are pointing strongly toward a victory by Barack Obama tonight, and that can only mean one thing. The blame game has already begun in Red America. And the spinning arrow is pointing directly at “the media…” …There’ve been more negative […]

And at Politicker, Rob Tornoe is “live-cartooning” Election Day (“covering all of today’s events in real-time with my trusted sketchpad and pencil.”)

Just now on MSNBC: MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Dan Rather… What are the things we may learn out of this election? [Multi-second pause] BRZEZINSKI: Dan? DAN RATHER: Well, I’m just trying to think. Which is something we don’t get to do very often… BRZEZINSKI: We don’t do that on cable. We just go with it. So thank […]

As a long, intensive, work-filled school year comes to a close–as graduation nears, as vacation approaches–the weather isn’t the only thing that tends to warm. Nostalgia takes over. Hatchets are buried. Green Day’s “Time of Your Life” takes on special meaning. And you find yourself, not knowing what’s possessed you, scrawling “Don’t ever change!” in […]