The McCain campaign continues to misrepresent Obama's tax plan. From FactCheck.org:

He (McCain) and others in his campaign have been saying for weeks that Obama once voted for a Democratic budget bill that McCain falsely claimed would raise taxes on persons making as little as $32,000 a year. We challenged that false claim

in an article posted July 8. In this ad, McCain says Obama voted to raise taxes on persons making "just $42,000 a year," which is true for some but not all. Yet the ad still misleads.

Sometimes it is known as the "publishing business" but ethics-challenged rightwingers appear to find book sales to be a great source of untraceable cash that they can put to use to defeat candidates they don't like.

Today's NYTimes contains an article describing how Republican operatives Mary Matalin and Jerome Corsi have teamed up to market a smear piece on Barack Obama titled The Obama Nation. (Clever, doncha think?)

Of course, the NYT is only mentioning the book because it it is now on their Best Seller list for nonfiction, as was Corsi's previous work of fiction Unfit for Command which was cowritten with John O'Neill and lent credence to the whole Swiftboat phenomenon that sank John Kerry's campaign in 2004. Even though they provide the evidence, the Times' writers, JIM RUTENBERG and JULIE BOSMAN, fail to draw, or at least mention the possibility of, the conclusion that is obvious to me.

No, not that The Obama Nation is actually fiction, which it is. They actually do a pretty good job of pointing that out:

"Until justice is blind to color, until education is unaware of race, until opportunity is unconcerned with the color of men's skins, emancipation will be a proclamation but not a fact."
- Lyndon B. Johnson (1908 - 1973) 36^th U.S. President (1963 - 1969)

DFA members can express their support for Barbara by visiting her campaign page on democracyforamerica.com.

RE-ELECT Barbara McILVAINE SMITH TRUSTED. TESTED. PROVEN.
Smith156.org
Barbara McIlvaine Smith • State Representative, District 156

This has been an exciting 18 months in Pennsylvania. Our state just participated in a very exciting Primary election, calling attention to the needs of our Commonwealth and our Country. In December 2006, my highly contested race for State Representative decided control of the state legislature. I am proud to report many accomplishments in my freshman year in Harrisburg. I have co-sponsored legislation dealing with healthcare, education and energy. These are the issues I campaigned on in 2006, and I have kept my promise to address them in the legislature.

Statement on judicial nominations by People For the American Way president Kathryn Kolbert:

“In the waning days of President Bush’s unpopular presidency, Senator Arlen Specter and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are throwing temper tantrums over judges. They’ve even repeatedly threatened to shut down the Senate — which would hold up crucial legislation as the economy teeters on the edge of recession — if they don’t get their way.”

“Senators McConnell and Specter conveniently forget that over 300 of President Bush’s judicial nominees have been confirmed — a greater percentage than were confirmed for President Clinton. More importantly, the longstanding and bipartisan Senate practice known as the ‘Thurmond Rule’ dictates that only non-controversial judicial nominees should be processed in the months preceding a presidential election.

“Senator Pat Leahy, who has gone far above and beyond what is required as committee chairman, announced that three additional federal circuit court nominees would be confirmed in short order. But that didn’t suit McConnell and Specter. They’re simply not interested in mainstream nominees that can win bipartisan backing — not when there are political points to be scored. Instead they’re playing to the base by pushing three highly controversial nominees.

“Senator Specter apparently learned a lesson four years ago when he nearly lost a primary to Patrick Toomey, the handpicked candidate of the Religious Right and Club for Growth. Ever since, Specter has been a pit bull for right-wing judges. That’s bad for Pennsylvania and bad for America.

“Senators Specter and McConnell will continue their pressure tactics around judges, but Senate Democrats must stand strong. The clock is ticking for President Bush, but it’s already run out for his controversial nominees.”

People For the American Way has background information on the three controversial nominees being pushed by Specter and McConnell: Peter Keisler for the DC Circuit and Robert Conrad Jr. and Steve Matthews for the Fourth Circuit.

truthout's Matt Renner speaks with DFA Chairman Jim Dean about the Democratic primary election, the strategies of past Democratic campaigns and the rise of a new locally based progressive movement.