Open Thread for Night Owls & Early Birds

In what apparently was not an April Fool's joke, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday:

Responding to Obama's frequent mocking of McCain's suggestion that U.S. troops might remain in Iraq for 100 years, the Republican nominee-in-waiting said the Illinois senator failed to understand that America has kept forces in Korea, Japan, Germany and Kuwait long after wars in each country ended.

"In all due respect, it displays a fundamental misunderstanding of history, of how we've maintained national security, and what we need to do in the future to maintain our security in the face of the transcendent challenge of radical Islamic extremism," McCain told reporters on his campaign plane.

Blue Texan, who regularly blogs at firedoglake, pointed out:

Someone who favorably compares Iraq -- three religiously and culturally distinct countries crammed into one by British after World War I -- with the ethnically, culturally and largely religiously united societies of Germany and Japan, displays a fundamental misunderstanding of history.

Someone who favorably compares the United States' peaceful occupation of Germany and Japan, neither of which were resulting in American casualties 5 years after our arrival, displays a fundamental misunderstanding of history.

Someone who asserts that occupying Iraq for 100 years is the solution to "radical Islamic extremism" displays a fundamental misunderstanding of history.

Days since Mission Accomplished: 1799.

Hours remaining in the Cheney-Bush reign: 7020

The Overnight News Digest has been posted.

Open Thread and Diary Rescue

This evening's Rescue Rangers are grog, Louisiana 1976, srkp23, Painty Kat, hhex65, and joyful, with BentLiberal as editor.

For those of you who know in your hearts that people are the same all over, the first diary below is for you!

• emacd shares crucial insights gained during her extensive travels as an artist, writer and photographer, in The Red Herring of Identity Politics Here and in the Middle East. (srkp23)
• Lib Dem FoP discusses the recent elections and the possibilities for a new future in Zimbabwe, in Stealing the Votes of the Starving Billionaires. (srkp23)
• faithfull delivers today's light bulb moment in Coal Companies Blowing up Mountains to Poison Air and Shatter Climate (graphics heavy) (hhex65)
• markthshark details the terrifying growth of the notorious private military contracting firm, in Blackwater: the Beast is Breeding. (srkp23)
• FireCrow urges action in Stand Down Soldier. Helping our Homeless Vets. (srkp23)
• JohnnyRook suggests the Spanish water crisis is growing in intensity as the media focuses more attention on the shortages. Spanish Water Crisis About to Become a War? (PaintyKat)
• gmoke reports on a meeting concerning Peak Oil at the State House (Massachusetts). (PaintyKat)
• TeamsterPower rocks the numbers in a celebratory No Joke: Almost 19,000 Vote Teamsters in First Quarter. (joyful)
• NeverStopTheProgress follows up on a tragic ending and suggests that Petraeus' Personal Greed a Factor in Army Colonel's Suicide. (joyful)
• Brubs' shattering Please don't hit me - Child Abuse Prevention Month is both informational and a testament to those of us who spent our childhoods simply trying to survive. (joyful)
• 2501 contributes time and energy to both his candidate and homeless wildlife in the photo-rich, adorable Posting for Obama, meeting cute animals, w/pics. (joyful)

Please use as an open thread and promote your own favorite diaries.

Attn: Alaska, Hawaii, West Virginia, American Samoa, Democrats Abroad, and Virgin Islands

Bloggers from every other state and territory have submitted their applications for credentials to the Democratic National Convention in Denver this summer, August 25-28. So all you bloggers from Alaska, Haiwaii, West Virginia, American Samoa, Democrats Abroad, and Virgin Islands, get on the stick! The deadline for applications is April 15, 2008.

The DNCC had a blogger conference call today to update us on where things stand, and at the top of that list was to remind bloggers to apply by the April 15 deadline. As kos mentioned in today's midday open thread, the DNCC is providing a great perk to state bloggers--they will be seated with their state delegations on the floor of the convention, and not relegated to the nosebleed section. Here are the criteria for state blogs:

To qualify as a state blogger, the applicant's blog must have been in existence six months prior to requesting credentials and have at least 120 politically related blog posts. Bloggers must submit their daily audience and list their authority based on Technorati stats. Bloggers may also provide examples of posts that make their blog stand out as an effective online organizing tool and/or agent of change.

The number of and access for the other pool of blogger credentials--the national and niche-type blogs--has yet to be determined, which is a little frustrating, but to the DNC's credit, they want to take care of the state bloggers first. The application deadline for the non-state bloggers is the same, April 15. Check the credentialing page for information on the process.

Important reminders about the state blogger credentials:

1. the credential goes a blog, and not a specific blogger, which means that the credential can be shared among individuals in a group blog, or even across blogs, in a "guest blogging" situation. The state blog that has the strongest application can share that credential with others from their state, if they are able to come to Denver. Share the love, people!

2. The DNC can help coordinate housing requests. They need to hear from bloggers this week at OnlineTeam@demconvention.com for housing requests. Let them know in your e-mail if you want economy, moderate, or the sky's the limit accommodations in Denver. Also let them know which state you're from, and they'll try to find a place for you close to your state's delegation. Note: they need the housing requests now, so if you've applied for credentials and need their assistance with housing, do it now. If you want housing with your state delegation, work that out with your state party chair.

3. If you haven't applied yet, the deadline is April 15.

The DNCC will start notifying blogs about their credentials in May.

The highlight of the call was our own Scout Finch, who previewed the project she's been up to her eyebrows in, setting up the "Big Tent" new media venue, or the place where all the bloggers will hang out during convention week. It will be in downtown Denver, within walking distance of the convention, and will feature all of the wireless capacity and technical gizmos that bloggers probably won't be able to find in the actual convention all. This will include space for video and audio recording, for interviews, and just a place to hang out and eat and drink. Among sponsors and partners already lined up are Google and YouTube, with many more to come. This alone is going to make Denver worth the trip.

A benefit of our never-ending primary

The "glass is half full" side to our prolonged primary:

The state now has 4,119,213 registered Democrats. Since March 24, the last day of eligibility for the primary election, the state has received 33,281 new Democratic registrations and 45,977 party changes to the Democratic Party. The secretary of state’s office is still accepting new registrations and party switches that were postmarked by the deadline [...]

Since the first of the year, the state has received 101,499 new Democratic applications and 132,688 switches to the Democratic Party.

By contrast, the Republican Party in Pennsylvania now stands at 3,197,586 people. Only 32,191 citizens have joined the Republican roles and 13,937 have switched to the GOP since January 1.

Thousands of Oregon voters have been reregistering as Democrats — and more are expected to join them as that party’s Oregon presidential primary approaches [...]

It turns out that many GOP voters were making the switch even before the “Democrat for a Day” — or “dummocrat” as Taft puts it — movement got going.

From Feb. 1 through last Thursday, 7,318 Oregon voters reregistered as Democrats — including 2,644 who had been Republicans. The Oregon Republican Party, meanwhile, picked up just 1,426 party switchers, of which 596 had left the Democratic Party.

But interviews with some of Lane County’s Republican-turned-Democrat voters suggest that sabotaging the other party’s nomination isn’t their goal but voting Democrat is.

Among the 13 Republicans-turned-Democrat interviewed, all said they had already grown weary of the Republican Party, and particularly, its top member.

“I’m just Bushed out,” said John Antone, 68, of Springfield.

Currently, there are 1,941,035 registered voters in Connecticut. Among newly registered voters nearly 9,000 Democrats and 2,600 Republicans registered to vote. Additionally, more than 8,000 unaffiliated voters registered. Of the nearly 20,000 newly registered voters, more than 4,500 are between the ages of 18 and 29. Since February 5th, among newly registered younger voters, Democratic registration has outpaced Republican registration: 2,311 to 469.

Any other states to add to this list?

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