Mistakes were made.....

1) Charlie Black channels his inner Ed Rollins: Or did he? The big news is Black making such a blunder. Not to get too Machiavelli and all but he did manage to get the terror thought back out into the media for about three news cycles. And at what cost to the candidate? None. So...

2) Obama and the FISA fight: For those still waiting for the man to jump into this one for the good of all mankind, here's a name you may have forgotten - Sister Souljah. Ring a bell? Capiche?

3) Whatever's the matter with Ralphie? Dead white man walking here. Make way. Or, as he explained his unending quest to the Washington Post [6-25-08]: "It's the rational approach. If you're locked out of the governmental system, if you can't get a hearing, and I can't, you go to the electoral system. What's my alternative? Should I go to Monterey and watch the whales?" YESSSS!!!! Wonderful idea. Here, we'll help you pack.

4) From the "Counting your chickens" Department: The Great Seal of Obama. We blinked and you were gone. What bothered you more, the forced Latin or the creepy new-agey wave thingy in the eagle's chest? And that was one pissed-off looking eagle.

5) Political Journalism Awards 2008: First nominee is Daniel Libit's piece on Politico.com [6-25-08], "Meet the make-believe strategists of TV." Thank you Daniel. We collectively knew that we had never heard of any of those people strategizing anything in real life. To read them explaining away their labels hurts the eyes.

6) Gordon Smith starts a trend: Endangered GOPers clinging to an association with Barack Obama. Let's call it the "Politics of Oz." Instead of "Don't look behind the curtain," it's "Don't look at that 'R' after my name!" The part of Toto will of course be played by Frank Luntz.

7) What hath Fossella wrought? The sad and untimely death of Francis Powers, the retired Wall Streeter hand picked to serve as the GOP candidate in the race to fill Vito Fossella's Staten Island Congressional seat, has made this contest no longer a laughing matter. In fact, this seat could soon become like that house down the street that never sells because of what happened there a long time ago. Maybe the NRCC should just move on and forget all about this one.

8) Hey Sen. McCain, what's on your Victrola? Enough with "the Lexington Project" and the references to "Imperial Japan" and anything else that happened more than twenty years ago. You're scaring the kids. Or at least leaving them really confused.

9) You may already be a winner: Ever since McCain offered the $300 million prize for the better car battery why do we have visions of guys in top hats lining up outside the White House with their perpetual motion machines tucked under their arms? You know this will turn into some weird Soap Box Derby type competition where there'll be an explolsion in somebody's garage and they'll sue the campaign.

10) Sam Nunn, now and forever: Thanks to NYT's Mark Leibovich [6-22-08] for reminding us just how many times over the past 24 years that former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn's name has been tossed around as a potential vice presidential running mate. And to Ralph Reed for calling the modern day vetting of possible veeps "the equivalent of a total G.I. track exam."