The Politics of Divorce

I think that is a sleeper issue as well.

"Something that millions of Americans think they know about Obama--that he is a Muslim--is injurious. When they are disabused of this idea, he will rise. McCain might think Obama cannot rise high enough to win because he, McCain, can get the support of white, blue-collar, culturally conservative Democrats who decisively preferred Clinton to Obama in the primaries.

"But there are fewer of these 'Reagan Democrats' than there were when that category was identified 28 years ago . . . War-weary Americans are preoccupied with domestic discontents, but McCain sounds at best perfunctory when talking about things other than those that really interest him, things that fly or explode--the sinews of national security."

Continuing our series on slamming potential veeps, Politico's David Mark says Jim Webb practically disqualifies himself through his "affinity for the cause of the Confederacy."

"Webb is no mere student of the Civil War era. He's an author, too, and he's left a trail of writings and statements about one of the rawest and most sensitive topics in American history.

"He has suggested many times that while the Confederacy is a symbol to many of the racist legacy of slavery and segregation, for others it simply reflects Southern pride. In a June 1990 speech in front of the Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, posted on his personal website, he lauded the rebels' 'gallantry,' which he said 'is still misunderstood by most Americans.'

"Webb, a descendant of Confederate officers, also voiced sympathy for the notion of state sovereignty as it was understood in the early 1860s, and seemed to suggest that states were justified in trying to secede."

Jonathan Capehart targets Sam Nunn, he of the don't-ask-don't-tell compromise:

"If Obama taps Nunn, he could end up adding gay men and lesbians to the list of disgruntled Democrats. They might not vote for McCain, but they might very well stay home."

The new McCain blog gets a thumbs-up from Newsweek:

"Obama's blog is about as interesting as a Club Med brochure . . .

"The McCain Report, on the other hand, is actually readable. Written by new hire Michael Goldfarb (formerly a blogger at the Weekly Standard), the Report wouldn't seem out of place on any number of smart, substantive conservative websites; it just happens to be an official production. Since launching the blog on Friday, Goldfarb has advanced an interesting (if debatable) argument about how increased taxes won't lead to increased government revenue; characterized Obama's early opposition to the Iraq war as a matter of political convenience rather than bold leadership; and reminded readers that Obama wasn't always opposed to the Bear Stearns bailout. He's even tried a little--gasp!--humor.

"In an item titled 'Take a Chance on McCain,' Goldfarb informed 'disaffected Hillary supporters' that 'John McCain is a huge ABBA fan,' then posted a vintage YouTube clip of the catchy Swedish quartet . . . Needless to say, this is more self-mockery than the earnest Obama bloggers have mustered up in 17 months online."