I have my own personal concerns about this topic, many of which match those of others, but I wanted to let some of these conservative bloggers and Twitterers speak out for themselves. 

When frankly-speaking Joe Biden first entered the political race, there were bets about his first gaffe. Well, it's finally here - though much cuter and fuzzier than expected. Jill Biden made good on an election promise and got her husband a long-desired dog, thereby, beating Obama to the puppy finish line. However, Biden's choice of a pure-bred German shepherd puppy from a breeder has upset a number of animal lovers, including PETA.

Depends on who you ask. I've heard from more Democrats than I can count that Barack Obama's numerous appointments of centrist Clinton remnants have them feeling baited and switched; I've heard from multitudes of conservatives who feel disenfranchised that the only Republican in the promised bi-partisan is hold-ever Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates - who is neither a yardstick for Republicans or guaranteed to keep his job for the first year. (It has been said that Chuck Hagel is in the running for an appointment as well.)

Halleluljah! The 2008 election is almost over. It's been exciting, inspiring, historic and incredibly contentious. Soon we won't be hearing anymore about John "Mr. Grumpy Puss" McCain and Barack "Mr. Tax and Spend" Obama or Sarah "We're Mavericks" Palin or Joe "I"m From Scranton" Biden. But before we move on to the next act in this political drama, let's take a look back from a media standpoint. In a campaign year when many Americans got their news from the internet: YouTube, Facebook, campaign websites and hundreds of blogs on the internet that helped shape public opinion and motivate voters, it would be a mistake to forget the power the mainstream media (MSM) still holds over shaping a candidate's image. Here are some Election 2008 MSM highs and lows.

When you say “socialism,” several things come to mind. The first are the most famous socialists of them all, Germany’s National Socialist party of yore, the goose-stepping Nazis who carved a deep wound into the fleshy world psyche. The second is Mussolini. I also think of the current Spanish government. Then I think of my cruel first grade teacher who once caught me with a bag of candy corn that I brought to school as a lunch snack (that I paid for with my own money). She made me distribute it evenly to every kid in my class “to be fair.”

Of all the differences between the two major party tickets for the US presidency, one of the most profound may be their disagreement on the limits on the authority that the Constitution grants to the Vice President. That difference emerged in bold relief during last week's vice-presidential debate when Gov. Sarah Palin said:

When it came to light that I would need to write about energy this week, the idea appealed to me about as much as going forward with the presidential debate tomorrow night seems to appeal to John McCain. But one thing I love about blogging, and BlogHer, is that I expose myself to and others expose me to notions and topics out of my comfort zone. 

I LOVE that Biden is being introduced through his groundbreaking support of VAWA, the violence against women act.PunditMom is live-blogging the speech over at Momocrats. I love Jill Biden right now- how overwhelming this must be for her. I am so touched by Biden the father. I am so touched by Michelle Obama crying her eyes out. I love that we have men on the podium who are openly emotional- who cry and hug and kiss, father and son. And Biden did a wonderful job of setting apart his life as an underdog's, a fighter's.