John McCain, the Republican Presidential nominee, has chosen Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska to be his running mate. Here’s the email the campaign sent out:

I am honored to announce that I have chosen Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as my choice for the Republican nominee for Vice President. As a father with three daughters, I can’t express how proud I am to choose the first female Republican Vice-Presidential nominee.

Sarah Palin is a trailblazer and a reformer. As the first female governor of Alaska, she challenged a corrupt system and has been a tireless advocate for reform - passing a landmark bill on ethics reform. She has taken on the old politics in Alaska and reformed the state’s energy industry. She rejects wasteful pork barrel spending. She’s fearless - exactly the type of leader I want at my side and the type of leadership we will bring to Washington.

My friends, together Sarah Palin and I make the strongest presidential ticket and I know that she joins me in asking for your support as we head into our Convention week in Minnesota. We’re shaking things up in this campaign - and Governor Palin and I are ready to bring real reform to Washington.

The polls indicate this will be a tight race as we head into the fall campaign against Senators Obama and Biden. I expect the polls to remain close all the way up to Election Day and that is why any help you can give today will go a long way to make history on November 4th.

You can be assured that as President and Vice President, Governor Palin and I will always put country before all else. We are ready to lead and I ask that you join our campaign today. Your support is deeply appreciated.

Sincerely,

John McCain

Here’s a really nice profile of Barack Obama from the DNC 2008

McCain Team -

Today we’re launching a new feature called McCain Nation and we want you to be the first to know. McCain Nation is a powerful online tool, built exclusively for our supporters across the country to plan events to help spread John McCain’s message.

Through the McCain Nation online headquarters you can create events, upload and invite your contacts, send out invitations, get maps and directions, and much more. You can also search for events in your area and ask hosts to attend. Connecting with other McCain supporters on the ground is crucial to our grassroots strategy and will be key to our victory in November.

Please follow this link to join McCain Nation today and host an event for John McCain! Our first national event will be held on Thursday, August 14th at 7pm ET, and we’re asking you to start planning your event right away. McCain Nation events across the country will have the opportunity to interact with a prominent McCain campaign official as part of the first national event day. Event hosts will also receive a host package and have exclusive access to other resources.

If you’re unable to host an event, you can also visit McCain Nation to search for events in your area to attend. And if August 14th doesn’t work out with your schedule, you can plan an event at a date and time that works best for you and your guests through the online headquarters.

Please visit the McCain Nation website today. We look forward to a successful national event day on August 14th.

Thanks for your support!

Rick Davis
Campaign Manager

The Democratic Party announced today that they are making a huge change in their policy. The party is banning all contributions from lobbyists or special interest groups, in order to ensure fairness to the people within the party and the government. “The Democratic Party has to be the Party of ordinary Americans, not Washington lobbyists and special interests,” says an email from Howard Dean of the Democratic party. Indeed, this is a huge step forward in United States government, helping ensure that it by the people, for the people — not just for powerful groups who oftentimes go against the people.

Here’s an email that the Democratic Party sent out:

Dear Friend,

I wanted to drop you a quick note about a major policy change here at the Democratic Party.

As we move toward the general election, the Democratic Party has to be the Party of ordinary Americans, not Washington lobbyists and special interests. So, as of this morning, if you’re a federal lobbyist, or if you control political action committee donations, we won’t be accepting your contribution.

This is an unprecedented move for a political party to make — one that has sent shockwaves through Washington and has turned the debate on clean campaigns upside down. We’ve unilaterally agreed to shut lobbyists out of the process, and are we’re relying on people just like you.

Just imagine what hundreds of thousands of Americans donating $20, $30, or $50 at a time can accomplish together. Imagine the signal that it sends to anyone who looks at John McCain’s political machine and the special interest money it needs to fuel every move it makes.

We have a chance to change the way business is done in this country, and we’re taking the lead. Will you join us and make a contribution right now to help us elect Barack Obama?

http://www.democrats.org/nonlobbyists

I’ve written before about guys like Charlie Black and Rick Davis, lobbyists who are at the highest levels of McCain’s campaign. But they’re just the start — John McCain and the RNC suck up lobbyist money millions of dollars at a time.

In May, McCain had his best fundraising month of the campaign, and it was directly because he refuses to shut special interests out.

But we did, and we need your help. This is an example of the kind of White House Barack Obama would run. Make a contribution to help elect him:

http://www.democrats.org/nonlobbyists

I’ll be in touch later about our plans for the general election, but I wanted to let you know about our policy change right away.

Thanks,

Howard Dean

Barack Obama has clinched the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.
The total number of delegates needed to secure the nomination is 2,118. Right now, Barack has the support of at least 2,179 delegates, which gives him a lock on the nomination.

Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee, but we’ve got huge challenges ahead as we build our organization for the general election.

John McCain has been running his general election campaign for months, and we have some catching up to do.

But one of the benefits of this historic primary season is that we had a chance to build our grassroots organization in all 50 states.

We have an unprecedented opportunity to mobilize volunteers everywhere and compete in places that Democrats have overlooked in the past.

Last night, Barack laid out the vision for where this campaign is headed.

Thank you,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy has a tumor in his brain, doctors say.

He is one of country’s leading democrats and a highly respected member of the U.S. Senate.

He is currently at home recovering from a seizure.

Hillary Clinton has won the Kentucky Democratic primaries, beating rival Barack Obama by a margin of about 35 points. She captured about 65% of the vote, while Obama captured around 30%.

Barack Obama is expected to beat Hillary in the Oregon primaries. Less than 50% of the precincts have been counted, but media agencies have already begun calling Obama the winner.

Obama is leading in both delegates and superdelegates. CNN is currently counting Obama with 1,942 delegates, and Clinton with 1,cu758.

Supporters of John Edwards have begun shifting their support towards Barack Obama. Edwards, the former Democratic presidential candidate, endorsed Barack Obama for President on Wednesday at a rally in Michigan. CNN is saying that at least eight delegates who have pledged their votes to Edwards will be switching to Obama, and more are expected to follow.

Nine house members who previously supported Edwards have also announced their support for Obama, and seven superdelegates have switched their pledge to Obama.

Sources: CNN, Washington Post.

The Obama campaign is saying that John Edwards is preparing to endorse Sen. Barack Obama as the 2008 Democratic nominee and candidate for President.

The endorsement is set to take place at a rally tonight in Michigan.

John Edwards has said time and again that he was not ready to endorse any particular candidate, but he appears ready now to break his silence. Aides to Edwards say he is choosing Obama because he feels he would be best fit for the job, although he did heavily take into account his lack of experience when deciding whether or not to make this public endorsement.

Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have been courting Edwards for his vote in recent months.

More on this story as it develops.

Wind power could provide for 20% of all electricity needs in 20 years from now, an Energy Department report states. The Associated Press points out that this is just as much energy as nuclear power provides us today.

If wind power provides for 20% of energy needs by 2030, that would be because of advancements and expansions of the technology. If nuclear power provides for 20% of today’s energy needs, imagine how much it could provide for in 20 years from now, with technological advancements and expansion. Combined, they could cover around, or possibly more than 50% of the nations energy needs. With major advancements in other renewable technologies such as solar energy, the number could be even greater. This would be a major step forward for the U.S. in breaking away from reliance on foreign oil. The information that the report mentions however, is only what is possible. This could become true if enough people press for expansion of alternative energy sources, and if companies are willing to expand into these fields.

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