FOURNIER IS AT IT AGAIN.... The latest piece from Ron Fournier, the AP's Washington bureau chief and the man responsible for directing the wire service's coverage of the presidential campaign, on Joe Biden joining the Democratic ticket, is drawing a fair amount of attention this morning.

RACISM IS THE ONLY REASON MCCAIN MIGHT BEAT HIM.  —  What with the Bush legacy of reckless war and economic mismanagement, 2008 is a year that favors the generic Democratic candidate over the generic Republican one.  Yet Barack Obama, with every natural and structural advantage in the presidential race …

The 3:00 AM Thing, Cont'd  —  I still think it's unlikely it was deliberate.  Why I'm giving Obama the benefit of the doubt here is something I'll have to ponder.  Anyway a tech-savvy friend writes: … You know what?  Even if it was a mistake, some grownup over there should have said “3:00 AM?

Looks Like The Obama Campaign Laid An Egg  —  By way of the Ace we see this image hosted at the Obama website (I am not the most computer-savvy guy going, but I am satisfied this is no spoof.)  —  Coupled as it is with the Biden announcement, I can only infer that the Obamaites think they laid an egg (no dissent here).

Biden on McCain  —  Kudos to the McCain campaign for having the Biden ad—posted below by Karen—ready to go.  But it probably won't have a very long shelf-life because Biden's opinion of his old friend John McCain has changed significantly—for the worse—during the course of this campaign.

What Does This Really Tell Us?  —  Leaving aside all the necessary gaming of how this affects the election, what does the selection of Biden tell us about Obama's potential decision-making as president?  This is the second big decision of the national campaign (the first was opting out of public financing).

Did Obama Just Lose The Election?  —  It's lost in the Veep hype for now.  Down the stretch that won't be the case.  After he is softened up and a growing number of Americans are given reasons for concern over Obama's Leftism - there's this and some pertinent facts on China below.

Biden  —  The clip above explains the rationale, I'd say.  The biggest emerging problem with the Obama campaign is Obama's reluctance, lack of talent and lack of will to get into lively, feisty, pissing matches with his opponent.  This was brought home in the Saddleback forum.

McCain Goes There  —  John McCain largely has avoided hot button social issues to the consternation of some in the conservative base.  He has ignored the brewing controversy over Barack Obama's Born Alive Infants legislative voting record and he hasn't made much comment on the highly successful (for him) Rick Warren forum.

AP's Ron Fournier may command speaking fees of up to $10,000  —  The Washington Bureau Chief of the Associated Press, Ron Fournier, may command speaker's fees of up to $10,000 per appearance.  —  As of this writing, Fournier appears to be available for booking through the All American Talent & Celebrity Network's website.