And now we know why.

A New York Post picture of Charlie Rangel spotted at Famous DC …

So what’s the deal with Sarah Palin and marijuana?

New York Daily News on Saturday:

She admits she tried it - but didn’t like it - when marijuana was still legal in Alaska.

And why is it no longer legal?  You’ll have to thank a Republican for that.

Associated Press, June 3, 2006:

Possessing small amounts of marijuana, even in the privacy of the home, is illegal in Alaska at least for now.

Gov. Frank Murkowski on Friday signed a bill recriminalizing pot possession….

In a press release, Murkowski said the state’s current marijuana laws send the wrong message to Alaska’s youth.

“We believe House Bill 149 will allow the state to successfully defend the outlawing of today’s stronger and more dangerous marijuana in the courts.”

The governor is seeking to overturn the 30-year-old landmark Alaska Supreme Court decision that legalized the use of small amounts of marijuana.

While the court then ruled that the right to privacy was far more important than any harm that could result from use of the drug, Murkowski argues marijuana is a far more potent and dangerous drug than it was in the 1970s.
…

Under the new law, pot possession of 4 ounces or more is a felony. Possession of less than 4 ounces but more than an ounce is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail. Less than one ounce is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail.

Ah, marijuana use in Alaska in the 1970s — now that must have been some serious Baked Alaska.

Monday of course is a special day for Americans, a day when we grill, head to the pool one last time, and mark the end of light summer rush hours — all to recognize the many workers who put together the London Interbank Offered rate, LIBOR.

You see, LIBOR Day is a treasured holiday for most Americans, particularly those about to refinance.  It’s a day when we gather with friends and family and discuss the interest rates at which banks offer to lend unsecured funds to other banks in the London wholesale money market (or interbank market).

It’s a day when hot dogs are tastier when served with forward rate agreements, short-term interest rate futures contracts, interest rate swaps, floating rate notes, syndicated loans, and of course, variable rate mortgages, which are really good with sauerkraut and baked beans.
So enjoy LIBOR Day — exchange gifts, if that’s your weird family tradition; drive safely from the beach, if that’s where you were; and thank the Good Lord that the government soon may bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac without it affecting interest rates.  And please drive only if you are sober.

Happy LIBOR Day.

Here’s a good encapsulation of the anti-Sarah Palin argument.

Go ahead. Make the case why this woman, with no real national security or foreign policy experience, is ready on day one, as John McCain had said earlier, ready to become commander-in-chief.

Who said it?  Wolf Blitzer.

Well this is an interesting turn of events:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday—the day before the Republican National Convention is scheduled to begin—shows Barack Obama ahead of John McCain by three percentage points both with and without leaners. That’s exactly the same edge Obama enjoyed a week ago on the eve of the Democratic National Convention.

No convention bump for Obama — even with Invesco Field pageantry?  If this holds, it would make a second big surprise for Obama this election season, and not in the way he might hope.

The first being, his surprising loss to Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary.

Does Obama have a glass jaw — or at least an Achilles heel?  So much for infallibility.

Our old friend Adam Viener, an expert maven at affiliate marketing and Google ads, has a fascinating post up at Wiseaff. It’s worth running in its entirety:

In November of 2006, I was looking to see who to vote for in our local elections in Virginia, and thought I would see if any of the candidates were doing any PPC advertising. See my post on Goyami in 2006. The post was picked up by noted political blogger Howard Mortman on ExtremeMortman.com

So here we are, 2 years later, coming up on the 2008 presidential election, and how are our candidates doing? Here is the search for presidental election on Google.

Here are the ads I see:

US Elections 2008
Be Informed About US Politics
The Republican National Convention
www.GOPConvention2008.com

Learn About 2008 Election
Who is your candidate?
Watch GenGage Candidate Videos.
www.GenerationEngage.org

The 2008 US Election
Your Source For Political News And
Insightful Opinion - 30 Days Free!
www.WashingtonTimes.com

Reston, VAReal Politics Real People
Debate the issues and run your
campaign at U4prez.com
www.u4prez.com

Presidential Election
Shaping A Generation of Globally
Conscious Leaders For Our World
www.AIDemocracy.org

‘08 Election Podcasts
Unique in-depth election coverage
from the Public Radio Exchange
08c.conversationsnetwork.org

What’s Your Earth Impact?
Reduce your Carbon Footprint
Get Your EarthLab ECP Score Now!
www.EarthLab.com

Get to Know Barack Obama
Learn more about Senator Obama at
campaign events: Register Online
BarackObama.com

It looks like paid search advertising has caught on a bit. The GOP is at the top, and Barack is at the bottom. I wonder if that is how the election results will turn out?

And as of today a search for “president” only pulls up the GOP ad.

Separated at birth?

Sarah Palin …

… and Tina Fey

We learn this about Sarah Palin:

One of Palin’s first official acts as governor was to sell on eBay a gubernatorial jet that Murkowski had bought.

GOP strategist Greg Mueller notes in the Wash Post:

National polls consistently show that almost one-fourth of female voters are undecided.

Looks like Sarah Palin is that change — literally.

Keith Olbermann, previewing Barack Obama’s speech last night at Invesco Field:

“I’m wondering, we`re touching on something really subliminal in culture. I look at this shot now, I guess, based on too many years in sports and it looks like a blimp shot. It looks like an overhead shot at the NBA finals and if anything, it makes the player down in the middle of this case, a soon to be presidential nominee, looked smaller than life, not bigger than life. I mean, are we seeing this from two different — the same cultural phenomenon from two different angles?”