Watching Joe Biden speaking now… and even more his son who preceded him, I can’t help but feel like this guy is real. His story is a real story, a guy who has served in Washington a long time, sure, but doesn’t pretend otherwise. Someone who has had real sorrow in his life. A man with a real lifetime of experience and a serious figure on the world stage.

Even moreso than Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden’s presence at this convention serves to emphasize just how pretentious and unqualified Barack Obama truly is.

UPDATE: Barack Obama is now on stage, speaking. What? This is highly unorthodox, the nominee coming and talking the night before his speech. Its almost like the campaign realized that all these other speakers were sounding better than he is… and they wanted to remind viewers that he’s still the nominee.

UPDATE: This has got to be backfiring. After Biden, Obama is downright unpresidential…

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Just 152 votes separate incumbent Congressman Don Young and challenger Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell in the GOP primary race for the U.S. House seat.

Young took the lead early this (Wednesday) morning, but a final decision is days away.

But both Young and Parnell today say they believe they will win once all the votes are counted.

KTFV - TV Fairbanks

This is going to drive me insane.

The Directors of RedState collectively penned an article pushing John McCain to pick VA Rep. Eric Cantor as his VP choice.

When “The Directors,” rather than one author, write a piece on RS, it’s a significant sign of agreement of many Republicans of different stripes.

Though currently I am dismayed at the prospect of either McCain or Obama in office (much like Derb at NRO and Mike here), if Cantor were selected as McCain’s VP nominee that would push me to join the bandwagon. Personnel is policy, and picking Cantor would signify a willingness to actually adhere to some conservative principles in office. He’s a regular champion of reform and true limited government in the conservative model.

But I still think McCain will go with someone more like MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty, or even CT Sen. Joe Lieberman. My prediction is Pawlenty. But I would not be disappointed if he instead chose Cantor.

Yes, yes he did. From Hot Air.

Listen at the end for the lady who exclaims, “Oh. My God”. Tonight should be good. Schadenfreude good.

With the abundance of union figures appearing in prominent roles at the Democratic convention, be prepared for a major push on card check next year if the Democrats are victorious this fall.

In his online column for the conservative TownHall.com, Michael Medved argued that McCain should reject the Pawlenty-Portman-Romney types as too safe and take another look at Hutchison.

“OK, she’s not a dynamo of fiery charisma; in fact, as I’ve noted before, she’s a bland and sometimes boring speaker, and a pleasant if unprepossessing television presence. Nevertheless, she is a she — and that fact in itself would allow McCain’s choice to upstage Obama’s,” Medved wrote.

Among other things, having a woman on the ticket could bring in the disenfranchised Hillary Clinton supporters, Medved argued.

Houston Chronicle

I’m indifferent to Hutchison for the most part.  It won’t bother me to have her on the ticket nor will it bother to not have her on it.  I would prefer someone much more charismatic, but Medved does make a point about putting a woman on the ticket to upstage Obama.  Rumors are McCain could announce his pick by Friday.

Aug. 27 (Bloomberg) — U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, whose 39- year congressional career has been imperiled by his indictment last month, won his Alaska Republican primary election.

Representative Don Young’s bid for the Republican nomination for a 19th House term was too close to call with 89 percent of the precincts reporting. Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell led Young by fewer than 200 votes.

Stevens, 84, under indictment for failing to report gifts from an oil-services company, got 58,350 votes, or 63 percent, in a seven-way race with 89 percent of precincts reporting.

Stevens declared victory and predicted he would match up best with Alaska’s voters in the general election.

“I’m a Republican and this is a Republican state,” he told reporters.

Yahoo News

It’s not a Republican state this year thanks to you.  Apparently Stevens hasn’t seen the polls showing him trailing Begich by double digits.  Throw this one in the loss column in November.  The House primary between Young and Parnell is far too close to call, which absolutely pathetic.  Neither of these races should have been close and neither incumbent should have won.  Maybe the cold up there has numbed everyone’s brains.  If Young prevails, then screw Alaska.  They can go back to Russia.