Lets look at the differences here...Barack Obama was running on the premise of change...and then picked Joseph Biden, a Washington insider with 36 years of experience, more than that of John McCain, who was tied to the "same old politics." By selecting Governor Sarah Palin, McCain has presented the real change in the campaign. The Obama camp and those on the left are quick to counter with the talking points stating how she is younger than Obama and doesn't have the experience. Palin however, has more experience in politics than Barack Obama, which presents a challenge to the Democrats. She has a total of 16 years of political experience, with the last twelve years being in an executive position, and has been governor the last two. Barack Obama has a total of 11 years of political experience, with none of those being at an executive level. No, the Democrats feel that the President isn't required to have experience, but the Vice President is. Because that makes sense... Palin isn't my first choice, but she brings some interesting things to the table. First, the obvious - Palin is a woman and will help to bring the female vote into the GOP camp. I've met many women who said they would vote for woman no matter what, just based on principle, even if that isn't my preferred way of voting, since issues are my source of narrowing down my choices. A recent statistic I saw was that 24% of women are still undecided, while only 7% of men are. This is a huge boon for the McCain-Palin ticket, and the Obama camp is probably kicking themselves for choosing someone other than Hillary. Palin also has a near 90% approval rating in Alaska - while only offering 3 electoral votes - may help to influence energy issues with her positions on drilling in ANWR, even if contrary to that of McCain. She also has a "real" blue collar background, unlike the supposed one being touted for Joe Biden. Biden has been receiving the salary of a senator for the last 30 years, automatically putting him leaps and bounds above the common folk. He also takes the Amtrak train each day to work - Have you even seen how much that costs? It costs more than an average person can afford...As Obama claimed:

“Instead, night after night, week after week, year after year, he returned home to Wilmington on a lonely Amtrak train.”

Well, as an average person, I'm sure I could afford that. The cost from Wilmington to Washington DC only has a low, low price range of $83 to $97 for a round trip, daily. So...$400 to $500 per week - that sounds like the average "working class" American to me! Palin is closer to the average worker than any other candidate in history - if that isn't a change in politics as usual, I don't know what is. Let's face it - The left is terrified of this choice (as they should be) due to the unpredictability of losing more of Hillary's voters, while rallying the conservatives with a breath of fresh air. The election just got more interesting. Oh and by the way, with all of the talk regarding McCain's VP I forget...was there a speech last night or something?

With the recent headline on Drudge that McCain has decided on his running mate, some analysis on who that person will be is in order. Common thoughts are either former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, or current Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. Other names such as Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Bobby Jindal, Tom Ridge and Sarah Palin have been mentioned, among many more, but I find all of them to be a reach. Tim Pawlenty is a safe choice, but I don't think he would be able to hold his own against Joe Biden in any comparisons or debates. In addition, Minnesota looks like a solid Democrat state in the 2008 election, so there would be no electoral help. Pawlenty has around a 55% approval rating, which probably isn't enough to swing the state to the GOP. Mitt Romney, the other front runner for the selection, also wouldn't win his home state of Massachusetts. However, the wildcard effect from Romney is his backing in my home state of Michigan, an interesting swing state. Michigan is in a unique position for the GOP in this election. While much of the country is upset with Republicans and the Bush administration, Michigan is much worse off than other states and is controlled by a flawed Democratic leadership: Governor Jennifer Granholm has a lower approval rating than George W. Bush and only won the 2006 election due to a poorly managed campaign by Dick DeVos and by drilling into folks minds that he was just the same as Bush - sound familiar? Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is lucky to not be rotting in jail as we speak. He's facing jail time for assaulting a Sheriff's detective among other things and has an approval rating of 2%. Senator Debbie Stabenow has received bad PR lately with her husband getting busted in a prostitution sting. Unlike Obama's Vice Presidential choice of Joe Biden, McCain's choice could actually flip a state, and in the case of Michigan, a 17 electoral vote swing would be immensely helpful. Should John McCain select Mitt Romney, the ticket will receive my full support. If McCain decided to go in a different direction, my support would be lukewarm at best, with the exception of Mike Huckabee - for whom my support would be non-existant. The recent press tour Romney has been on, along with the never-ending praise he gives McCain leads me to believe that he will, in fact, be the selection. I believe he will select Romney, and look forward to the announcement after the Democratic Convention.

"Barack Obama has chose Senator Joseph Biden to be his Vice Presidential running mate. Biden has thirty-five years of experience in Washington. So between the two of them? That's almost thirty-six years of experience."

Trick question, because it isn't a question. The answer is the large, obtrusive, non-hd "Sound from the Floor" picture used on CNN HD during the Democratic convention.

Anyone notice how the sound doesn't even match up. Either time delayed or messed up, which is stupid no matter how you look at it. Thanks for reminding me of this Sean.

As mentioned previously, the Obama camp can't be too happy about polling the day after the Biden selection. In the past, Vice Presidential selections have given roughly a five point bump in the polls. Now, with the three day rolling poll taking the three days after the selection, the news looks even worse for the Democrats.

So, while there was no bump for Obama immediately after the selection, it appears he has lost traction to McCain, which simply shows that choosing a Washington insider with more experience than McCain is not the change that America hopes for. It also doesn't hurt that the most liberal member of the Senate decided upon the third most liberal member of the Senate as his running mate. Those are the values needed to unite the country, right? Obama really didn't have many choices though. He couldn't pick Clinton due to the power struggles and Michelle's disdain for Hillary. Kaine would have highlighted the inexperience of the ticket, and Sebelius would have alienated the Hillary supporters for choosing a woman other than HRC. Rumors that he passed on Bayh and Kaine for not being pro-choice enough are equally disturbing. While the White House isn't won based on a VP selection, it is telling to a candidate's core values and character.

I ran across this story on ESPN... 9-Year Old Boy Told He's Too Good To Pitch

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Nine-year-old Jericho Scott is a good baseball player -- too good, it turns out. The right-hander has a fastball that tops out at about 40 mph. He throws so hard that the Youth Baseball League of New Haven told his coach that the boy could not pitch any more. When Jericho took the mound anyway last week, the opposing team forfeited the game, packed its gear and left, his coach said.

	Officials with the Youth Baseball League of New Haven say they will disband Jericho Scott's team because his coach won't stop him from pitching.

Officials for the three-year-old league, which has eight teams and about 100 players, said they will disband Jericho's team, redistributing its players among other squads, and offered to refund $50 sign-up fees to anyone who asks for it. They say Jericho's coach, Wilfred Vidro, has resigned. But Vidro says he didn't quit and the team refuses to disband. Players and parents held a protest at the league's field on Saturday urging the league to let Jericho pitch. "He's never hurt any one," Vidro said. "He's on target all the time. How can you punish a kid for being too good?" The controversy bothers Jericho, who says he misses pitching. "I feel sad," he said. "I feel like it's all my fault nobody could play." Jericho's coach and parents say the boy is being unfairly targeted because he turned down an invitation to join the defending league champion, which is sponsored by an employer of one of the league's administrators. Jericho instead joined a team sponsored by Will Power Fitness. The team was 8-0 and on its way to the playoffs when Jericho was banned from pitching. "I think it's discouraging when you're telling a 9-year-old you're too good at something," said his mother, Nicole Scott. "The whole objective in life is to find something you're good at and stick with it. I'd rather he spend all his time on the baseball field than idolizing someone standing on the street corner." League attorney Peter Noble says the only factor in banning Jericho from the mound is his pitches are just too fast. "He is a very skilled player, a very hard thrower," Noble said. "There are a lot of beginners. This is not a high-powered league. This is a developmental league whose main purpose is to promote the sport." Noble acknowledged that Jericho had not beaned any batters in the co-ed league of 8- to 10-year-olds, but say parents expressed safety concerns. "Facing that kind of speed" is frightening for beginning players, Noble said. League officials say they first told Vidro that the boy could not pitch after a game on Aug. 13. Jericho played second base the next game on Aug. 16. But when he took the mound Wednesday, the other team walked off and a forfeit was called. League officials say Jericho's mother became irate, threatening them and vowing to get the league shut down. "I have never seen behavior of a parent like the behavior Jericho's mother exhibited Wednesday night," Noble said. Scott denies threatening any one, but said she did call the police. League officials suggested that Jericho play other positions, or pitch against older players or in a different league. Local attorney John Williams was planning to meet with Jericho's parents Monday to discuss legal options. "You don't have to be learned in the law to know in your heart that it's wrong," he said. "Now you have to be punished because you excel at something?"

So basically, instead of praising someone for performing well, we are supposed to limit their potential so that nobody has hurt feelings. Instead of having the other players improve themselves to compete with a better player, they are given the lesson that if you can't beat someone, quit. By the logic presented here, LeBron James should not have been allowed to play high school basketball, because he was too good. Michael Phelps should not have been allowed to swim in the Olympics because the other swimmers didn't have a chance. What a bunch of horseshit. I hope when my son is old enough to play sports, I can find leagues that aren't giving out 13th place trophies and refusing to keep score. The only way to succeed in life is to learn from past mistakes. By not letting our kids make mistakes, our society has no chance of progressing and becoming better.

I'm currently testing a new tablet PC for my work (first thoughts - it's freaking awesome, although how could they NOT include OneNote? That's basically *the* program to have for a tablet...) and saw that Microsoft had a tool to analyze handwriting. Here's my handwriting sample:

Now, here is the analysis provided...

Handwriting Analysis Tool for Tablet PC Results Attitude You are optimistic and enthusiastic about your future. You are impatient and may consequentially ignore details. You enjoy physical and hands-on activities. Mental Abilty You rely heavily on intuition, and make decisions carefully. Communication You keep your inner-most thoughts to yourself. However, you enjoy discussions and are receptive to other opinions. You can be deceitful to yourself. Goals You set ambitious, long term goals, though sometimes vague. Fortunately, you have strong will-power, enthusiasm, endurance, and self-confidence, helping you to achieve those goals. Self Image You are confident and self-assured, and resultantly set ambitious, long-term goals. However, you are also sensitive to criticism and need approval. Emotional You are a cautious person who thinks carefully before acting. You keep feelings inside and do not express them openly, in order to protect yourself. However, you can be empathetic and sympathetic, and forgive and forget quickly. Social Skills You enjoy having a variety of friends, but sometimes you are frustrated with them. At times you feel isolated.

I thought it was pretty accurate...anyone else with a tablet try this?

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A few weeks after the 9/11 attacks...

America needs to show the Arab world that we're not bent on its destruction. "Seems to me this would be a good time to send, no strings attached, a check for $200 million to Iran," Biden declares. He surveys the table with raised eyebrows, a How do ya like that? look on his face.

Yup, that'll solve all the problems...and where will the money for things like this come from? Oh, with the tax raises proposed? I see... Hat tip to TJenikins over @ Neowin...

The Obama camp can't be too happy about this...

Typically, presidential candidates have gotten a bump in the polls after naming their vice presidential running mate. Obama apparently received no immediate benefit in the polls from naming Biden as Gallup Poll Daily tracking interviews conducted during the day on Saturday still showed Obama and McCain closely matched in voter preferences for president.

While the partisans have followed the talking poins with a unified sense of support for Biden, the historical polling data is showing the average voter doesn't feel the same way. The conservatives won't like any choice, for the same reasons as the partisan liberals, but the moderate and independent voters don't seem to be too impressed. Tuesday's poll which will be the first daily poll with all three days after the Biden selection will be one to watch...