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.

Democratic Donkeys and Republican Elephants: The political animal imagery has been around so long - at least 180 years - that we no longer question the how or the why. In fact, I'd forgotten about it entirely until Sarah Palin showed up to a rally wearing a red-white-and-blue donkey neck scarf on October 21. Naturally, she got slammed with lots of 'WTF?' blog posts and news headlines and her misplaced accessory might've been overlooked but the darn thing had the word "VOTE" all over it.

I’ve spent the past couple of years “coming out,” as it were, politically. I began blogging in 2001, anonymously, on politics and music for a group website I’d founded (and dismantled when I started Mamalogues). Here I am again, but this time I’m using my name.

I got a political forward from my cousin last week, the first of its kind this election cycle. It was surprising to me because the last time we talked about the candidates, I was shocked by her switch to someone I never dreamed she'd support. It was just coincidentally, also, to a candidate more in line with my own personal views, something that had never happened before.

Former President Bill Clinton said Monday night that the proposed $700 billion rescue plan for troubled commercial banks will fail without a companion proposal that stems the rising tide of foreclosures. He also offered his own analysis of the causes of the current financial crisis as well as proposals for achieving energy independence and kickstarting a green economic recovery. Clinton made the remarks at a private meeting with bloggers on the eve of this week's annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City. Here is my eyewitness report.

Have you seen presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain's education plan? McCain presented his plan in a speech to the NAACP last week. What's most interesting to me about the plan is that it combines federal and very local oversight of schools--and in so doing presents a number of conundrums and possibilities.

Last week, I was pleased to join the BlogHer community in San Francisco for your 2008 conference. It was a great experience and I enjoyed having the opportunity to meet and speak with so many of you about this year’s presidential election and why I am supporting and (literally) working to elect John McCain.

The Chicago Tribune, yesterday morning, couldn't stop beating on Barack Obama. They've been disenfranchised. They've been disappointed. They, as a collective whole, are thinking very seriously about spending the afternoon at home on the couch watching soap operas and eating Ben & Jerry's with a giant spoon. Barack Obama voted to protect telecom immunity, and it hurts. It hurts really really badly.

The Presidential contenders have been chosen; Republican nominee John McCain will face off against Democratic nominee Barack Obama in the November election. This week, I had the honor of speaking with former U.S.

He's baaacck.

Today was the long awaited, and highly controversial Florida primary. In the end McCain would defeat Romney, leaving Giuliani in the Republican dust.

In the analysis and anticipation of the primary votes leading up to Super Tuesday on February 5, one sees consistent references to the "Latino vote." Today's news reports credit Latinos and women with putting Hillary Clinton over the top in Nevada, for example.