Today’s edition of quick hits.<\/p>\n
* In case his earlier apologies weren’t quite clear enough, John Kerry has apologized again<\/a> for flubbing one word in a joke a couple of days ago.<\/p>\n * Alas, Donald Rumsfeld is apparently staying on through 2008<\/a>, at least as far as the president is concerned.<\/p>\n * I haven’t read the ruling yet, but news reports are suggesting that an appellate court in Maryland has ruled that the state’s rape law doesn’t apply<\/a> if sex has already begun. In other words, if these media accounts are accurate, the court found that a woman can forfeit her right to stop intercourse, which strikes me as the most insane thing I’ve ever heard.<\/p>\n * A law-abiding law student and Marine vet had to be tackled at a George Allen event because he was wearing a backpack<\/a>? The odd things you’ll learn watching CNN….<\/p>\n * Yet another setback for the GOP outreach-to-African-Americans strategy. This time, it’s in South Florida, where a Republican state lawmaker was forced to resign<\/a> from the Legislature after a racist tirade he left on a colleagues’ answering machine. The lawmaker said he was drunk. (If it didn’t work for Mel Gibson….)<\/p>\n * Up until 2000, most Secretaries of State (at the state level, not the chief U.S. diplomat) were largely anonymous. But after Katherine Harris in Florida and Ken Blackwell in Ohio, it’s now considered a key governmental post. For example, check out this great ad<\/a> from the Secretary of State race in Minnesota.<\/p>\n * Barack Obama already has a killer answer<\/a> when asked the “experience” question. * Mark Foley’s 30-day stint in rehab ended yesterday, but he’s not going anywhere<\/a>. (thanks to B.P. for the tip)<\/p>\n * The competition is fierce, but Rep. Jim Gibbons<\/a> (R-Nev.) appears to be making a late run for the award for Most Corrupt House Member (of those who haven’t already resigned in disgrace).<\/p>\n * I don’t know who VoteVets.org hired to do their advertising, but they’re doing a great job<\/a>.<\/p>\n * Wearing a “peace” button on your lapel is illegal in a polling place? Apparently<\/a>. (via reader S.W.)<\/p>\n * Florida is already<\/i> having problems<\/a> with their electronic voting machines. Worse, the problems are benefiting Republicans. Be afraid. (via reader R.M.)<\/p>\n
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\n* I don’t want to belabor the Kerry non-story, but Charles P. Pierce offered a great proposal<\/a> today: “If we’re going to play by Mark Halperin’s rules of mindless balance, then every news item about John Kerry’s hamfisted way with humor should be followed by a sentence something like this: ‘This is not the first time an important politician has been caught in what observers say is an act of disrespect for our troops.’ Which would then be followed by a description (in print) or the actual footage (on TV) of this<\/a>.”<\/p>\n