Please, No Greek Temple at Invesco

The GOP has been relentless in their attempts to paint Obama as a presumptuous celebrity who believes he has a lock on the presidency. Apart from the pseudo presidential seal introduced and, thankfully, thrown by the wasteside in June, Obama has succeeded in looking presidential without acting as if he is already president.

So let me put this mildly: the temple backdrop that the Obama camp is constructing at Invesco sends the wrong message. The GOP has already begun to call it the "Temple of Obama." Let's not turn it into a headline.

And whoever is responsible for bringing the Air Force One replica to Invesco needs to be fired immediately. Like right now.

Bob Casey With the Zinger!

CNN's talking heads are at the DNC and on pace once again to drown out the evening's speakers and overall message.  However, they did allow us to see and hear from Sen. Bob Casey.  While Casey is not known for his eloquence, he's delivered the best line of the night thus far:

"John McCain calls himself a maverick, but he votes with George Bush 90 percent of the time.  That's not a maverick.  That's a sidekick."

Bill Just Can't Keep Quiet

Today Democrats celebrated a successful first night capped off by unifying messages from Ted Kennedy and Michelle Obama. That is, of course, until Bill Clinton arrived. Just hours before Hillary is set to take the stage, Bill posed a hypothetical question in which he seemed to imply that Democrats were choosing the wrong candidate.

"Suppose you're a voter, and you've got candidate X and candidate Y. Candidate X agrees with you on everything, but you don't think that candidate can deliver on anything at all. Candidate Y you agree with on about half the issues, but he can deliver. Which candidate are you going to vote for?"

Then, the oh-shit moment. And Bill proceeded to backpaddle. "This has nothing to do with what's going on now."

Breaking: Plot to Assassinate Obama Thwarted

CBS4 in Denver reports that at least four people are under arrest in connection with a plot to assassinate Sen. Obama on the night of his acceptance speech.  The men, whom had high-powered, scoped rifles and other equipment in their cars, confessed to federal authorities that they had come to Denver to kill Obama.  At least one of the apprehended men was wearing a ring with a swastika.  

CNN Talks Through First Night of Convention

I've been watching CNN's coverage of the first night of the Democratic Convention and I've been struck by how little of it I've actually been able to see and hear.  CNN's "Best Political Team on Television" won't let us see or hear from any of the speakers.  Instead, we've been served inordinate helpings of weak jokes and empty analysis.  Now, after hours of hearing themselves talk, Anderson Cooper and David Gergen have begun to criticize the first night's program as lacking a message.

Incredible.

Clinton Camp Still Trying to Sink Obama?

We've all heard the theory: sink Obama in 2008, coronate Hillary in 2012. I must confess that it seems all the more credible in light of statements by Clinton's top advisers and confidants; a sort of coordinated tumult that has followed Obama's selection of Biden as his running mate.

One anonymous Clinton adviser expressed "outrage" at the way in which the VP selection process was handled. "They thought her supporters were mad before? They are really mad now." Another suggested that Clinton "was deliberately snubbed." One called Biden's selection "a death wish." A couple of Clintonites went on record.

Within the past twenty-four hours, for example, Paul Begala and James Carville have both accused the Obama camp of "disrespecting" Clinton.

And last, but certainly not least, was Gov. Rendell's temper tantrum last night at a Shorenstein Center-sponsored panel discussion with NBC’s Tom Brokaw, ABC’s George Stephanopoulous and CBS’s Bob Schieffer.

"Ladies and gentleman, the coverage of Barack Obama was embarrassing. It was embarrassing," Rendell whined. Rendell was particularly critical of MSNBC, which he called "the official network of the Obama campaign." Their coverage was "absolutely embarrassing," Rendell said.

No sir, throwing a hissy fit about your candidate's loss on the eve your party's convention is embarrassing. The coverage was fine.

All in all, the evidence thus far seems to suggest that the Clinton camp is doing everything possible to step on Obama's convention message. And we've seen this game before: The principal takes the high road while the surrogates go to town. Can you say Hillary 2012?

Will John Kerry Take Over Foreign Relations Chair?

Sen. Obama's selection of Joe Biden as his running mate raises the question of whether Biden will retain his position as Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The second-ranking Democrat on the committee, Chris Dodd, chairs the Senate Banking Committee and is not likely to resign that post. This brings us to the third-ranking Democrat and most likely candidate: John Kerry.

Although Kerry chairs the Small Business Committee, he would almost certainly give up that job to claim a first-tier assignment. In addition, the word on the street is that Kerry is interested in being Obama's Secretary of State. If that is indeed the case, this is one bulletpoint that is sure to move his resume to top of the stack.

Chet, Not John

The Associated Press reports that Obama's shortlist includes another name: Edwards. And that's Chet, not John. Edwards, a powerful nine-term Congressman from Corpus Christi, is a favorite of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has on multiple occasions touted his "extraordinary credentials" and expressed publicly her hope that he is the veep nominee. His district includes President Bush's hometown of Crawford.

Edwards brings a particularly strong command of military and veterans issues, derived in part from his service as Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. In 2007, he authored the largest increase in veterans' funding in the 77-year history of the VA. In 2008 alone, he's received the American Legion Distinguished Public Service Award, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Congressional Award, and the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans Congressional Award.

House aides on both sides of the aisle tell me that Edwards is immensely popular with colleagues and would be invaluable in helping to shepard Obama's big initiatives through Congress.

Good News for National Journal: Biden Already Ranked Third Most Liberal Senator

It just occurred to me that the National Journal ranked Joe Biden as the third most liberal U.S. Senator in 2007. Bernie Sanders, a self-described socialist, came in fourth. This is clearly good news for the Journal. If Biden is selected, they won't have to revise their formula to achieve their preferred outcome.

Obama Says He's Chosen His Running Mate

Sen. Obama confirmed to Kathy Kiely of USA Today that he has chosen his running mate. He would not reveal whether he's informed that person or say when he would notify supporters.

Obama did say that he sought someone who is "prepared to be president," who would be "a partner ... in strengthening this economy for the middle class and working families," and "somebody who's independent, somebody who can push against my preconceived notions and challenge me so we have got a robust debate in the White House."

McCain Unsure How Many Houses He Owns (Seriously)

Seriously? I didn't believe it at first. I mean confusing Sunnis and Shia is one thing, but not knowing how many houses you own? Holy shit. The question arose during an interview with the Politico, which presumably also included stumpers like "What's your favorite color?" and "Who are you?" In the end, McCain punted to his staff.

"I think — I'll have my staff get to you," McCain said. "It's condominiums where — I'll have them get to you."

As if it could get any worse, McCain's staff had to ballpark it. "At least four." Seven. You own seven houses, Sen. McCain. Naturally, the Obama camp jumped on this, releasing a new ad that is appropriately titled "Seven."

Obama Meets Privately With Kaine and His Staff

Sen. Obama met with Gov. Kaine and his staff this morning for 15 minutes at a Richmond hotel. Sure, the two were scheduled to hit the trail together. And yes, for weeks the media and blogosphere alike have tried in vain to divine a decision out of everything from Obama's scheduled stops to his use of personal pronouns. One more attempt won't kill you.

Here's what we know. First, the VP announcement will come before on or before Saturday, when Obama and his newly minted running mate are scheduled to attend a big rally at the former state capitol of Illinois, where Obama launched his White House bid nearly 19 months ago. And second, according to Howard Fineman the Obama camp has asked one or more of the prospective veeps how to get in touch with them on Thursday. Odds are, Obama's running mate is going to find out today.

One can assume that Obama would prefer to ask his choice to join the ticket in person -- after all, that's how its been done in the past. And the fact that Kaine's staff were also in on the meeting would make sense as they would undoubtedly have a hand in the rollout and/or Kaine's transition from the Governor's office to the campaign trail.

Is it Kaine? Your guess is as good as mine.