Quick Hits

A few things that probably deseve wider attention:

• Fair and balanced: ABC decides that both sides are using ugly and personal ads, and although they couldn't name one from the Democratic side, they smugly decided that "as the races tighten in the next couple of weeks, the left will likely unleash its garbage as well." Journalism by assumption: classy job, fellas.

• This was a pretty incredible catch by Steve Young on the Huffington Post:

BUSH: And I told you what the scenario, Dick, could look like, 20 or 30 years from now, if we leave before the job is done. It's a serious business. And that's why I say it's the call of this generation. And I understand how tough it is, see, but I also said in my remarks, just because the enemy has been able to make some progress doesn't mean we should leave.

Quite the contrary; we ought to do everything we can to help prevent them from making progress. And that is what our strategy is. Elaine.

Q What if there is a civil war?

BUSH: You're asking me hypotheticals. Our job is to make sure there's not one, see. You been around here five-and-a-half years, you know I won't answer hypotheticals.

There was literally less than a minute between President Bush using a hypothetical and saying he doesn't answer them. So telling us what might take place 20 or 30 years from now, is not a hypothetical. But asking what this president might do if the very real possibility of a civil war with the horrific ramifications it would present for our soldiers, is.

Do I really need to post a comment on that? It's Bushworld, we just live in it.

• Interesting that the NRSC is putting $5 million into ads in New Jersey, where Bob Menendez has been edging back up in his battle with Republican Tom Kean Jr. That money goes into the New York and Philadelphia TV markets, so that money doesn't even go very far. And New Jersey is historically a heartbreaker state for Republicans no matter the polls, where the Democrats are always able to get their base out. Seems like an odd strategy to me, but then again NRSC chair Liddy Dole hasn't been too good on "strategy" this year (like not being able to field a credible candidate in North Dakota, West Virginia or Nebraska. Ha!). If the Republicans are relying on Blue Jersey, I like our chances in the Senate more than I expected.

• I consider myself fairly well-informed, and until a week or so ago I didn't know about this:

'The Department of Defense Appropriation Act 2007' was passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Bush on September 29, 2006. Jack Carter, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, points with alarm to a provision of the act that gives the President new power to access the National Guard without obtaining permission from the Governor. The specific language was approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee, on which Carter's opponent, Senator John Ensign sits. Ensign is also the chair of the Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee.

"This White House language, enabled by Senator John Ensign, turns the relationship between the federal government and the states upside down," Carter explains. "It means that President Bush and his supporters have wrestled away control of our Nevada National Guard from Governor Kenny Guinn. This is an unconstitutional and dangerous law."

More fun with the imperial executive and the divine right of kings. So when will they send the Guard out on us all?

• Electronic voting? Problems with hacking? How about problems with getting the names right on the ballot?

U.S. Senate candidate James Webb's last name has been cut off on part of the electronic ballot used by voters in Alexandria, Falls Church and Charlottesville because of a computer glitch that also affects other candidates with long names, city officials said yesterday . . . Election officials attribute the mistake to an increase in the type size on the ballot. Although the larger type is easier to read, it also unintentionally shortens the longer names on the summary page of the ballot.

Thus, Democratic candidate Webb will appear with his first name and nickname only -- or "James H. 'Jim' " -- on summary pages in Alexandria, Falls Church and Charlottesville, the only jurisdictions in Virginia that use balloting machines manufactured by Hart InterCivic of Austin.

Webb needs Northern Virginia, where these cities are, to go heavily for him to have a shot to win. This is despicable and unacceptable. See guys, the problem with voting is all about a bunch of time-honored, time-tested theories of suppression and intimidation. This is the butterfly ballot in another guise.

• Shorter Bill O'Reilly on increased violence in Afghanistan: La la la I can't hear you!!!

• I phonebanked for Debra Bowen tonight, and I have to say that most every Democrat I actually talked to (about 1 in 4 or so were home) was very excited about voting this year. Maybe those polls are under-representing intensity of support.

• And finally, I'm going to sound like a Republican here, but seriously, adults need to lighten up. Banning TAG from schools? Like no kid's ever skinned their knee before? Jeez. Let's just stick kids in a plastic bubble, why don't we? Here's a news flash, any time you hear someone say "it's about the children" it's actually about the parents. Kids can handle a lot more than adults think.