First of September thoughts.

- For all the talk surrounding Gustav, I'm surprised by how many actually believed that it was going to be a redux of Katrina. The latter made landfall just as it left category 4 classification. Gustav got weaker over the past few days and made landfall earlier as a category 2 storm, just southwest of NOLA. The levees would have been toppled, but it would not have "finished the job that Katrina started."

- As far as the political implications go: Had landfall occurred in NOLA, the GOP would have been in a far more difficult position than what they want you to believe. A successful effort in protecting the region would receive little to no coverage in the American media, while a failed effort would bring back memories of Katrina. Blackwater's services were also employed, which introduces them back into political discourse.

- I like Biden. I admit he wasn't at the top of my VP shortlist (policy differences), but considering the criteria that Obama laid out, he seems to fit the bill perfectly. Vocal, experienced yet somewhat detached from the beltway, has working-class roots, incredibly bright (though he can be prone to gaffes). All things considered, I think the two will do wonders for this nation.

- Can we please shut up and get over the "BabyGate" rumours (about Palin faking her pregnancy, not what Christie wrote about below)? If there's credible evidence for the story, then people are free to report on it then. I draw the line at having state government officials peddling unsubstantiated posts from Kos on the story. After seeing that, I've concluded this has gone too far. We're better than this. Cut it out.

- Oh, and as for Palin overall? The kindergarten teacher that McCain chose to round off the ticket? The purely political play for Hillary supporters that has resulted in the lowest voter confidence since Quayle and left more women than men skeptical of the pick? Well, the GOP would like you to believe that she'll be the future of the party. It's possible, but if that's the case, I'm ditching my neutrality and declaring support for the Democrats.

More likely? The chatter will heighten, she won't pass extensive vetting, she'll fail miserably against Biden, and the ticket will collapse this November. She'll then proceed to fade into relative obscurity alongside Kemp and the rest of the unremarkable lot.

What a wonderful day that will be.

On an anti-Palin roll...

I feel like it's therapeutic to just get everything written down before I implode at the choice of mccain's vp...

Palin said in 2006, while running for Governor of Alaska, that if her 14-year-old daughter were to become pregnant as a result of rape, she would choose life. Granted, I resent those Kitty-Dukakis questions that personalize the issue, but it says a LOT about what kind of political leader she would be.

This is absurd. Abortion in case of rape-related pregnancies is more broadly accepted because it's NOT just a moral/judicial issue. It's also a matter of health, just as if the pregnancy seriously threatened the mother's life. Rape is about a woman not having control over her own body, and a pregnancy resulting from such assault on her individual identity is a daily reminder that her life is now finally out of her hands. The first approach to rape victims is to re-empower them, and to let them feel in control over their lives. This holier-than-thou approach to abortion policy is not only unjust but unethical, from a scientific perspective as well as philosophical.

Mark my words. Ms. Palin, if I ever run for office, you may quote me as I have quoted you above. ANY man or woman who opposes the right to choice for women impregnated from rape are ABETTING and AIDING in the rape of that woman, and in doing so violating her fundamental rights as a human being and endangering her spiritual well-being. So, Ms. Palin, I find you guilty as an accomplice in RAPE.