Here’s LA Times blogger Andrew Malcolm, who was Laura Bush’s press secretary in 1999-2000, trying to make something out of nothing and playing John McCain’s POW card for him:

As part of its effort to show the 72-year-old Republican Sen. John McCain as old and out of touch, the Democratic Party’s hip campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, which frequently says it honors the former POW’s military service to his country, Friday released a new ad.

As noted Friday by our blogging colleagues over at the Technology blog here, the ad says, among other things: “1982, John McCain goes to Washington. Things have changed in the last 26 years, but McCain hasn’t.

“He admits he doesn’t know how to use a computer, can’t send an e-mail.”

Like many of his generation, McCain does not like to talk details a lot about his wartime experiences, certainly not about any lingering physical symptoms. To be honest, it could sound like complaining and, as he’s ruefully noted, unlike many others, McCain did come home […]

Here’s a passage from a lengthy Boston Globe profile on McCain that was published the last time he ran for president. It was headlined “McCain character loyal to a fault.” It was written by Mary Leonard.

And it was printed more than eight years ago, on March 4, 2000.

It is available online, where Jonah Goldberg of The Corner blog at the National Review found it.

“McCain gets emotional at the mention of military families needing food stamps or veterans lacking health care. The outrage comes from inside: McCain’s severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes. Friends marvel at McCain’s encyclopedic knowledge of sports. He’s an avid fan — Ted Williams is his hero — but he can’t raise his arm above his shoulder to throw a baseball.”

OK, it’s a nice story, but here’s John McCain using a Blackberry.

Here’s an article from HuffPo about his learning to use Internet:

BRZEZINSKI: Does John McCain, does he use the internet? Does he use email? […]

DAVIS: He actually is, he always is grabbing people’s Blackberrys on the bus. In fact, no reporter’s Blackberry is safe from his prying eyes. He loves to tool around on the internet, he especially loves the videos that get produced that usually poke fun at him. I think that’s his most entertaining part of the internet.

Now, maybe his thumbs work and his fingers don’t, but considering that he said in the same article that he’s learning to get on the Internet by himself, I highly doubt the veracity of this.  Oh, and here’s Tucker Bounds claiming he travels with a laptop:

“John McCain travels with a laptop,” said McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds. “This is a senseless tactic from Obama’s campaign because they’re struggling with the realization that the American people understand he is not equipped to deliver change because his record has no bipartisanship or significant legislative accomplishment in it.”

This had the makings of another hissy fit, but it’s transparent nonsense.

I hate the stupid season.

Last night, in one of the most shocking bits of incompetence in Republican National Convention history, John McCain spoke to America in front of what convention organizers must have thought was the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, but was actually Walter Reed MIDDLE SCHOOL in North Hollywood.  TPM has been all over this story today, and now they report that the CDP is stepping up on it.

One other interesting development: The California Democratic Party is actually holding a press conference in front of the school within minutes, where Dems will hit McCain for not knowing the difference between the school and Walter Reed Medical Center, which is believed to be the backdrop the McCain campaign really wanted.

Though multiple news organizations are asking for clarification, the McCain campaign is still refusing to comment on questions about whether it had hoped to use the medical center as a backdrop and accidentally used the school instead. Hard to blame them…

Good for the CDP for calling attention to this embarrassment.  Aren’t the Republicans supposed to be the ones who are good at stagecraft?  Hopefully Matt or someone will give us an update.

• Today we’ll see just how infatuated John McCain is with the policies of our nation’s worst president ever, George W. Bush. If you want to learn more about the man of so many flip-flops and political lives, I’d recommend you check out NYT reporter David Kirpatrick’s interview on Fresh Air this morning. It’s a bit long at 43 minutes, but quite interesting. Get ready to hear Mr. Third Term try to distance himself from Bush, while trying to reassure the Republicans that he’ll be Bush redux.

• I really like Alyson Huber. She’s a great candidate in a district (AD-10) that’s trending our way. And now she’s got a new website.  Sweet!

• Mayor Gavin Newsom put the available to all ID card program on hold pending legal review.  The legislative proponent of the cards, soon to be Asm. Tom Ammiano, says they will still be issued in November.

• Capitol Weekly has their wrap of bills that were passed.

• Despite the fact that T. Boone Pickens sponsored the Big Tent, I still find him an abhorrent person for his Swift Boat attacks against John Kerry. The man has no principles, is a liar and Democrats who get chummy with him should remember that.  That includes you Sen. Obama. And oh yeah, NO on Prop 10! It’s just a scheme to make Pickens even more wealthy and poor public policy. The Consumer Federation has more info on Prop 10.  Vote NO!

• Anything else on your mind? McCain or otherwise?

For the most part, I wasn’t all that prolific during the convention. There are better livebloggers than me, so a special thanks to those who did so here.  What I did accomplish was talking to a lot of people, which really was quite a thrill. It’s always fun to see old friends and meet new ones. So, if nothing else, it was worth the trip for that alone, even with the fact that we still have a few wedding details to wrap up.

Yet, of course, there was more.  Because we had the California “state blogger pool” pass, the four members of our editorial board had the opportunity to sit on the floor with the delegation.  So, for that, thank you to the DNC and the CDP. From a personal perspective, being at Mile High for Barack Obama’s acceptance of the nomination was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and I will treasure the memory. Of course, now it is even more incumbent upon us to make sure Obama wins, because it would sure stink to have that memory tainted with electoral defeat.

Follow me over the flip…

The entire week was a great experience. From the parties to the Big Tent to the Pepsi Center it was a blast.  As Dave has pointed out once or twice, it’s a well managed message that emerges, with little news coming out of the event itself.  However, the message of an energized Democratic Party ready to take back the White House is an important one.  The Big Tent was pulled off exceedingly well, with everything but the air-conditioning and power systems working fantastically.  It was nice to have something of a “home base” to work from. So, thanks to all the groups who helped out with that. (Including California’s own Courage Campaign.)

The parties were, at times lavish, at times trying, but always hopping.  Being at the convention is a lesson in horse-trading.  Negotiation is a valuable skill as you do your best to get into the hot events.  Of course, knowing people works wonders as well.

I hope by now everybody that didn’t watch the ceremonies live, has had the opportunity to watch it. If not, what’s wrong with you? Get to it! No point describing the actual events of the day, because you saw those just as well as me. However, being on the floor you saw the little things, felt the emotion, and yes, saw more than a few people crying.

Last Thursday was historic for obvious reasons.  This was the first non-white major party nomination ever.  That’s a big deal, and coming 45 years after the “I Have a Dream” Speech, we see just how prescient MLK truly was, and just how wrong John McCain is for this country.  After all, it was McCain who prominently and repeatedly opposed honoring MLK, this Titan of the 20th Century who had the foresight and the hope to dream at a time when not everybody had the courage to dream.  After all, hope itself often takes great amounts of courage. From Sen. Obama’s speech on Thursday:

But what the people heard instead – people of every creed and color, from every walk of life – is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one. “We cannot walk alone,” the preacher cried. “And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.”

Yet it is surely backward that McCain-Palin plan to take us.  To the days before Roe v Wade, to the past eight years of a reckless foreign policy and a domestic policy that turns Robin Hood on his head.  I was fortunate enough to be able to say that I was there when Barack Obama plunged head-long into general campaign.  

So, check out the pictures. Sorry they’re not A+ primo photos, but you do what you can do.  After all, I have to be sly when trying to capture pictures of celebrities.  Next time I’ll get Oprah…

By and large the Democratic response to the Palin pick as McCain’s running mate has been strong, especially when you contrast it to the feeble words from the Republicans after Obama’s big speech last night.

Sen. Barbara Boxer just issued this fantastic statement about Gov. Palin, who is a weak pick for McCain and a huge gamble.  Boxer goes right after her.

The Vice President is a heartbeat away from becoming President, so to choose someone with not one hour’s worth of experience on national issues is a dangerous choice.

If John McCain thought that choosing Sarah Palin would attract Hillary Clinton voters, he is badly mistaken.

The only similarity between her and Hillary Clinton is that they are both women.  On the issues, they could not be further apart.

Senator McCain had so many other options if he wanted to put a women on his ticket, such as Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison or Senator Olympia Snowe – they would have been an appropriate choice compared to this dangerous choice.

In addition, Sarah Palin is under investigation by the Alaska state legislature which makes this more incomprehensible.

Interestingly, Hillary’s statement is much weaker, but I think by design.

“We should all be proud of Governor Sarah Palin’s historic nomination, and I congratulate her and Senator McCain.  While their policies would take America in the wrong direction, Governor Palin will add an important new voice to the debate.”

Clinton is going to be all nice and then spend the next several months tearing into her.  This pick guarantees an even bigger role for Hillary Clinton.  She will be the one continuing to make the argument to her supporters that Barack Obama is a much superior choice than the anti-choice, anti-equality, anti-working class ticket of McCain/Palin.

We’re in a long line here, so it’s hard to do full blog posts. So, check out our twitter feeds: Dave Dayen: http://twitter.com/ddayen Brian Leubitz: http://twitter.com/sfbriancl

Joe Biden has just been selected as the Vice Presidential nominee.  There’s a little “BI-DEN, BI-DEN” chant in the room, which I pretty much never thought I’d see.

After a short video we’ll have the speech.

In the video: “When you see the abuse of power, you’ve got to speak.”  This is going to be a solid speech.

…Beau Biden, the Attorney General of Delaware, who is being shipped out to Iraq in a month, is introducing him.  He’s talking about that horrible accident that killed his mother and sister.  Joe Biden sat by his bedside and said “Delaware can get another Senator, but my boys can’t get another father.”  Eventually he was encouraged to serve, and he commuted to work every day while he was a US Senator.  This is a good introduction into Biden the man.

…Biden opens by praising President Clinton, “a man who brought this country so far I pray we can do it again.”  He praises Hillary as well.

“Let me make this pledge to you… no longer will you hear the most dreaded eight words in the English language… “the Vice President’s office is on the phone.”  Unfortunately he mangled the setup slightly.  He’s working into this one.

Biden introduces his mother… Her motto was “failure at some point of your life is inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable.”  He sets up the red meat by saying that when bullies would fight him, he’d send him back out and saying “bloody their nose.”  My mother’s creed is the American creed, everyone is equal, no one is better than you.

…Biden moving on to how the American dream is slipping away.  He’s building a narrative of how Republicans have broken this country.  It’s very accessible to the middle class.  “That’s the America George Bush has left us. And that’s the America we’ll have if Geor- John McCain is made President.  Freudian slip!”

Biden: Barack “is the great American story.”  The measure of a man is what he chooses to do… and he tells the story of Obama moving to the South Side of Chicago to help steelworkers instead of taking a big corporate job.

…Biden has had a few flubs, but this is an emotional speech.  He’s making the case for Obama, and he’s giving testimony of the quality of his character.  “We don’t have to accept a situation we cannot bear, we have the power to change it.”

…the obligatory “John McCain is my friend” part, but now we are into the red meat.  He’s tying McCain to Bush and repeating the “more of the same” refrain.

…I hadn’t heard the “McCain has voted 19 times against the minimum wage” bit of research before.  He then followed up with the “we need a wise leader.”

…I have to say that this is not that great a speech.  The passion was there in the beginning, but he’s now reading lines that it doesn’t seem like he would read.  And this Obama part is a bit too wonky.  The “that’s the change we need” is a bit grating.  I understand that he’s trying to define change, but it’s not the best way to do it, IMO.  Maybe this will improve.

…He’s on stronger ground on foreign policy here.  His foreign policy knowledge is broad and wide, and he’s very blunt about it.  “John McCain was wrong, and Barack Obama was right” on foreign policy.

…He’s bringing into the headlines the recent collapse of the Bush foreign policy and how McCain wants to go down the same path.  With Obama “we’ll be able to lead again.”  This is pretty decent stuff.

OK, so some skinny dude from Illinois showed up.