Don't look now, but the Broward County Democrats down here in the Sunshine state has just fired the first broadside of the general election and saying they scored a direct hit is an understatement.  Led by their fiery Chair Mitch Ceasar, they have put together a video that crystallizes the issues of state GOP voter suppression and irregularities that defines their brand and takes advantage of the new election law mandating statewide ballot paper trails.

I know there have been a couple of diaries about this but their is no doubt the anti-gay marriage amendment here in Florida is in trouble due to the lack of proper signatures to make the ballot.  But what hasn't been dicussed to date is just how short thay are.

According to the Miami Herald it has come down to the number of petition signatures that were "double counted."  The Miami Dade elections office having problems counting petitions shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone at this point.  In any event the exact number they are short is 22,000 in which they have one week to make it up.

There is a famous photo of a victorious Harry Truman grinning from ear to ear holding up a copy of the Chicago Tribune proclaiming "Dewey Defeats Truman" that could not be more relevant than this morning.  Last night in a moment of inspiraton I took that photo and doctored it by taking out the famous headline and replacing it with "Obama Defeats Hillary" in preparation to post it on my blog.  

I found myself as an Edwards supporter taking great joy in this little exercise even though Hillary was not even close to being my third choice.  Once I finished posting it I just sat back and looked at it enjoying my little moment of fun and wishing I could share it with others.  

For those that might be interested, I'll be live blogging an appearance in Jacksonville, FL by former Sen. John Edwards this evening on my blog Truman's Conscience.  Please stop on by and join us.

TrumanDem
Truman's Conscience
Northeast Florida's Premier Liberal/Progressive Blog

There is a great piece by Ezra Klein in the latest online edition of The American Prospect[http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?sect ion=root&name=ViewPrint&articleI d=11299]about the latest events regarding Al Gore. It is an excellent read even if you are not a supporter or fan. As a lead up to the article it will first be necessary to revisit a moment in 2000 during the run up of the election that was very revealing. George Will did an article about Gore and Bush for Newsweek in his syndicated column once both conventions had finished their business. In the piece Mr. Will attempted to crystallize the thinking process of the two candidates into one single question that would not only put that that process into context but give the reader an insight into each man's perspective on the world. I doubt even today he realizes how successful he truly was.

Tonight watching all hell break loose as more hand wringing begins a new chapter of examination regarding the incompetence that underpins this WH over the post Katrina inaction I could not help thinking about poor Michael Dukakis riding in that tank.  Yeah, that's right, THAT tank.  All evening I haven't been able to get that vision out of my mind.  There's something else I can't get out of my mind as well.  Thinking back to that night watching then Gov. Michael Dukakis deliver his nomination speech before the 1988 Democartic National Convention he said what I think must be one of the most profound rhetorical flourishes a Presidential candidate could ever utter:

Now that the pyramid of powder kegs Bush's Iraqi adventure has built (symbolizing nicely the Sunni Triange) is sitting with their fuses fully exposed ready to be lit, the American electorate is left to wonder what the final act will be to ignite them precipitating the civil war most students of Iraqi history knew would be likely as the outcome of our subsequent invasion/occupation. As Daily Kos' SusanG points out this morning, the Pentagon has downgraded all Iraqi battalions to non-ready status leaving the entire mess in the lap of the American military.

A new blog is among us. Please stop in and give us a look.  My inauguarl post is below:  http://trumansconsciencel.blogspt.com

Turman's Conscience

As of this inaugural post, it has been fifty-three years, three weeks, two days and four hours since Harry S. Truman's official term of office expired. As each decade passes since that moment it only serves to underline the flourishing legacy he left behind that is still with us today. With the exception of Abraham Lincoln, it is doubtful a better representative of the common man with an evolving progressive mind could be found. At first, our 33rd President came out of Missouri with a parochial outlook couched in the southern prejudices of the time. With a progressive mind and a conscience that always strived for fairness one can only marvel at the evolving ideals and a sense of justice he would harness as the arc of his ascension in public life spiraled upward growing beyond his humble origins.