DAY 29 -- 08 August Happiness Challenge

My best friend. He now lives in the Boulder area, and his daughters (esp. the 6th grader) were soooo excited about having the DNC right nearby. He wanted to encourage their interest but naively thought it would be easy to just drive up to the Pepsi Center or Invesco/Mile High. As a campaign veteran, I wasn't surprised that he was shut out. But I also knew how to find celebratory events his family could enjoy without credentials. Last night he took advantage of one -- taking his family to the MSNBC viewing stand outside the Pepsi Center. I was so happy to get the download on their impressions of the historic night that Barack Obama became the Democratic nominee for President. He gave them a memory they will carry throughout their lives … and I helped.

Where's the logic?

John McCain insists that Barack Obama is not ready to be President, and he backs this up by choosing Governor Sarah Palin to be his Vice President. I'm sorry, but I don't get it.

Governor Palin assumed her current office less than two years ago. Before that, she was the mayor of a town with a population of less than 10,000.

John McCain is 72, and today he presented her as qualified to be Commander in Chief if something happens to him during his term. What about her qualifies her to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency during a time of war? Dan Quayle had more experience in public office.

Governor Palin was very gracious today in acknowledging Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Rodham Clinton. I just hope voters who supported HRC don't just assume Governor Palin and the NY Senator have much in common in terms of domestic policy. They don't.

Peggy Noonan continues to annoy me

Ms. N., shown here are BARRACKS. The Democratic Presidential Nominee is named BARACK. Please make a note of it.

She was on MSNBC's Morning Joe, and she insisted on mispronouncing Obama's first name. I wanted to hear how moderate Republicans like Joe Scarborough and Mike Murphy felt about last night's speech, not her petty attempts at maintaining the misperception of Obama's "otherness." To remind "mainstream" America that he is not "one of us."

Peggy (or perhaps I should call her "Pee-Gay") Noonan is a smart woman. She knows Obama's name. This morning's behavior was beneath her.

I, on the other hand, like it

I'm watching Funny Lady. The critics eviscerated this movie, partly because it compares so poorly to Funny Lady. I agree it's not a classic, but I enjoy it. The songs are great, Babs looks positively glam, and as one who has seen Elf a million times, it's amazing to remember that decades ago, James Caan was quite hot.