From the Sept. 28, 2008 Neatorama.com post:

Death

On October 3, 1849, Poe was found wandering the streets of Baltimore, an absolute mess and completely delirious.
It would appear that he was wildly drunk, and he was definitely wearing someone else’s clothes. He was taken to the hospital, but never came to enough to explain what had happened, and his death certificate is missing so we don’t even know what the official cause is, but newspapers reported “congestion of the brain” and “cerebral inflammation”. So what really happened?..

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For the first time in 100 years, and contrary to a long-standing legal prohibition, an active duty military unit is permanently assigned inside the U.S.

From the Sept. 24, 2008 Salon.com post, by Glenn Greenwald:

For more than 100 years — since the end of the Civil War — deployment of the U.S. military inside the U.S. has been prohibited under The Posse Comitatus Act (the only exceptions being that the National Guard and Coast Guard are exempted, and use of the military on an emergency ad hoc basis is permitted, such as what happened after Hurricane Katrina). Though there have been some erosions of this prohibition over the last several decades (most perniciously to allow the use of the military to work with law enforcement agencies in the “War on Drugs”), the bright line ban on using the U.S. military as a standing law enforcement force inside the U.S. has been more or less honored — until now…

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The popular historian/documentary film maker describes McCain’s running mate selection as “cynical.”

Like many political addicts/observers, I was shocked when John McCain hastily selected Sarah Palin as his running mate.  I totally lost sleep the night the Alaskan Governor gave her acceptance address at this year’s RNC in Minneapolis.  Between her naming and acceptance it was already clear that Palin’s resume was -putting it kindly – thin.  The speech was pure political theater, packed with crap designed to rally the base, and it was delivered in a – again, kindly – sarcastic tone. (continued below Daily Show clip)

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I’m sleeping better now that the Palin/convention bump in the polls has faded, and while the McCain team has effectively sheltered her from MSM scrutiny, the top of the ticket is keeping the campaign compettitive, they are only doing so by spouting half-truths and outrigt lies.  It is not a sustainable strategy.

Now my sleep will improve further thanks, mostly, to the below article (excerpt below).  Paul Gough describes Burns, whose comments were solicited at panel discussion associated with this week’s Emmy Awards, as appearing firm in his assessment.  I don’t always buy in to historian commentary when present or future events are at issue, but in this case, I believe Burns is spot on.  Historians - or any astute observers willing to focus beyond the MSM lens – are perfectly qualified to recognize that Sarah Palin is not the caricature presented and protected by the GOP.

From the hollywoodreporter.com September 22, 2008 post by, Paul J. Gough:

“He (McCain) selected someone who is so supremely unqualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency and he has turned the selection process into a high school popularity contest and an ‘American Idol’ competition,” Burns said. He said that McCain made a “cynical” pick in what he said was the most important decision of his presidential candidacy.

Burns, whose lifelong work is in American history, said that “in the whole history of the Republic there has been no one with as thin a credential” as Palin. He said it was, for McCain, a “Hail Mary pass” that will be decided in November…

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Related Video:  If you have 12 minutes to spare, view the below clip.  In it, Lawrence Lesig compares Palin’s experience to every American Vice President.

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148 YEARS LATER – Dem leads in most states that swept Abe in — key is toss-up regions.

From the suntimes.com, September 22, 2008 post by, Abdon M. Pallasch:

The map hasn’t changed all that much in 148 years. But the political parties have switched places. The northeast part of the country, from Illinois to Maine — along with California and Oregon — likes the tall, skinny lawyer from Illinois.

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The economic events of the last couple of weeks has led many to darkly reminisce about Depression Era history.

Jon Hilsenrath, Serena Ng and Damian Paletta, authored an excellent piece regarding the present financial fiasco. In it, the authors describe the US financial system as undergoing treatment for a cancer that has already metastasized.

From the September 18, 2008, WSJ.com post - Worst Crisis Since ’30s, With No End Yet in Sight:

The body is trying to fight off a disease that is spreading, and as it does so, the body convulses, settles for a time and then convulses again. The illness seems to be overwhelming the self-healing tendencies of markets. The doctors in charge are resorting to ever-more invasive treatment, and are now experimenting with remedies that have never before been applied. Fed Chairman Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, walking into a hastily arranged meeting with congressional leaders Tuesday night to brief them on the government’s unprecedented rescue of AIG, looked like exhausted surgeons delivering grim news to the family.

[snip]

Debt-driven financial traumas have a long history, from the Great Depression to the S&L crisis to the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. Neither economists nor policymakers have easy solutions. Cutting interest rates and writing stimulus checks to families can help — and may have prevented or delayed a deep recession. But, at least in this instance, they don’t suffice.

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The above article also touches on how the US & others have dealt with such financial crises.  Follow the above ‘read more’ link for the entire post.

For anyone interested in reading a quality history of the Great Depression, this is a must read:  The Great Depression – America, 1929-1941, by Robert S. McElvaine.  Three Rivers Press, New York, 1984, 1993.  Also check out Professor McElvaine’s blog at huffingtonpost.com.

From the rawstory.com September 8, 2008 post by Nick Juliano:

…A lawsuit filed Monday would force Cheney to comply with the 1978 Presidential Records Act, one of an array of post-Watergate reforms meant to redress Nixon’s abuse of the office.

The act requires outgoing administrations to hand over executive branch documents to the National Archives, where the records are preserved for future historians. Problem is, Cheney’s crafty lawyers have argued he is not a member of the executive branch, and President Bush early in his tenure amended what could amount to a giant loophole to the act that would allow Cheney to simply toss his papers into the fireplace on his way out the door…

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See also:

From the LA Times online, Suit seeks to save Cheney files.  8 Sept. 2008.

From ThinkProgress, Historians:  Stop Bush/Cheney from destroying Presidential Records.  8 Sept. 2008.

From the post: “Thirty-two of the nation’s leading historians have sent letters to congressional leaders calling on them to strengthen the Presidential Records Act …”  The post also links to the correspondence sent to both houses of Congress.

From the September 3, 2008 Colbert Report on Comedy Central:

Author of Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Colbert discuss past political conventions while touching upon this week’s Republican National Convention.

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