Ok the VP announcement is out and the predictable has happened. A certain segment is outraged, once again their candidate has supposedly been dissed, snubbed, the democratic process yet once again has been destoyed. In other words the world may well be coming to an end. YIKES!

So here's the deal you've got 24 hrs to get it out of your systems.

If you haven't written a Anti-VP diary yet here are  some guidelines to make it easier.

McCain at a town hall meeting in NM said today that he agrees with bringing back the draft.

From Think Progress

A Questioner said:

If we don't reenact the draft, I don't think we'll have anyone to chase Bin Laden to the gates of hell.

To which McCain responded:

Ma'am, let me say that I don't disagree with anything you said.

There has been a lot of hand wringing, and a few I told you so's about Obama's latest poll numbers and the apparent tightening of the race. Everybody is wondering why, in what would appear to be a very favorable year for the Democrats is it tight at all. Bush's favorably ratings are at around 30%, an unpopular war, high oil  prices and a rotten economy. I mean this should be a cake walk, right?

Well maybe not. Let's face it, the Republican's may have lucked into the  the best candidate to go up against us. McCain's got a 20 year brand as a "maverick" some one who goes against the grain of the the standard Republican. I'm not speaking to the truth of this brand, but the perception and there is a big difference between reality and perception. Perception tends to win in the short term until folks start paying attention. And right now I don't think the majority of the electorate is paying attention.

Next are we really expecting to much. Gallup has an interesting read on this:

OK as we all breathlessly watch the polls for minute swings. Randomly give advice to the Obama campaign about what it should not or should be doing. Because each of us knows for a fact we are all better political strategists, spokes people, operatives than any body the Obama campaign has hired. While we continue to argue the primary wars (Thanks Atlantic ) Let us remember it's August.

As we all fritter away our time here on the blogs either agreeing, flaming or ignoring each other. Let us remember it's August.

Maybe we should all, like Obama, take a little time for ourselves.  A little time away from worry and care. A little time away from prognostication on who the VP pick will or won't be. A little less freaking out about the latet dumb ad out of either camp. A little less care as to why Bill is speaking when he is and/or why Hillary is speaking when she is.

Get outside. Go smell the flowers, they'll be gone soon enough.

And on this note  leave you with this:

As we all know during the Primary wars there was one issue that Clinton supporters held out as the big difference and one of the prime reasons they supported Hillary over Obama - Health Care. It was also one the few issues where there was some real distinction.

I always felt that once the primary was over and Obama and Clinton started to work together their plans would get closer. Well, it seems I wasn't all that wrong.

As some of you may know Hillary held on on line chat recently with her supporters and the Health care issue was raised. The following is the question and the response.

Well once upon a time  John McCain was the NYT favorite Republican. Not so much any more. In fact they seem so displeased they didn't wait for tomorrows dead tree edition to get this out from the editorial board.

It seems the further we get away from the Primary Wars the more we tend to write about  or hear from the folks who are still fighting them. So in an effort, to at least, bring the primaries to a close here a last call is going out for PUMA Diaries.

So if you got something to write either against or in favor of the PUMA 15 you have 24 hours to get it out of your system. After 10:00 AM, July 22, 2008 your diary will be ignored.

If you haven't written a PUMA diary before here are  some guidelines to make it easier.

These are not my words , but those of one Larry Hunter, who's creds as a conservative Republican are lengthy, to say the least. Yesterday he wrote a piece for the Daily News outlining his reasons for why he is voting for Obama.

It's an interesting article some of which, especially on Obama's policies and positions I think he is reading wrong, but so be it.  The money quote  comes in the first three paragraphs.