McCain is now ahead of Obama in the national polls, and one of Joe Biden’s new roles — at least judging by his Springfield speech — is to play bad cop to counter McCain’s recent offensive.

Mary, who lives “in a Blue State, in a Red State of mind” and who likes the book Goodnight Moon, called Biden on one of his Springfield attacks:

Did you hear him say that the economy has been wrecked by “four, uh, eight years” of Bush/ McCain?

As a senator, what power did McCain have that Biden didn’t during those eight years?

He should have said, “Bush/ McCain/ Biden.”

What did Biden do during his time in the Senate to help the economy?

For two years, the Dems have been in control of the legislative branch of our government.

What legislation did Biden and his comrades enact?

Some places to start looking for answers: here’s Biden’s recent voting record on issues relevant to the middle class; and here’s the legislation he has sponsored so far in the 110th Congress (2007-2008).

Enrique Guerrero from Buenos Aires in Argentina saw this bright mural in San Francisco. If you don’t get it right away, look again — two people in the photo’s comment thread said they didn’t notice the Obama piece of it at first. (Thanks, Sue Salinger.)

[enrguerrero / Flickr]

The anonymous and quiet blogger at unconquerable gladness would have picked Democratic Senator Chris Dodd as Obama’s VP candidate, but he’s okay with Biden and not entirely surprised. He thinks Obama’s choice fits the Lincoln story:

faithful watchers are aware that obama would not choose a yes man (bayh) nor make the typical electoral gambit (kaine) (nor choose a far lefty); choosing biden is consistent within the lincoln narrative. from obamas consideration of others experience to his consistent magnanimity to the use of springfield illinois, team of rivals continues to be the under-suggested blueprint.

“Team of Rivals” refers to Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book that documents Lincoln’s war cabinet, which included his Republican presidential rivals. Obama has said that he is taken with this style of leadership — and would emulate it if elected president.

The first photo was taken by Raymond Cunningham. He’s from Homer, Illinois, and he likes to “go to strange places and learn about them.”

[Ray Cunningham / Flickr]

This next one is from wife, mother, and designer Katra Knoernschild:

[teenibanini / Flickr]

These people had nice spots near the stage… or nice telephoto lenses.

[John Kannenberg / Flickr]

Do you think Lincoln would recognize it?

[Eyes Azure / Flickr]

Ariana de Chicago recorded a security checkpoint:

[Ariana de Chicago / Flickr]

What do you think is in those long boxes?

[bradjward / Flickr]

To watch that crowd assembling and dispersing, check out this cool time-lapse video (made by the local paper).

[speljamr / Flickr]

Jessica Tanny, a processing archivist from Buffalo, caught them a bit later, all slicked up (thanks, Sue Salinger):

[Jessica Tanny / Flickr]

A commentary, perhaps, on politicians buttering people up? (Ba dum bum.)

Dee is a Christian blogger with dyslexia and dysgraphia who has taught herself to like writing. She’s also a fan of theme parks and Dr. Pepper, especially if it’s bottled in Dublin, Texas. Last month, she got to thinking about assumptions people make about party affiliation. She’s lived in a college town where voting for a Democrat was thought the only intelligent option. She also recognizes that many Christians see a Republican as the only choice. She bristles at both of these ideas (thanks, Ann Raber):

First, I just do not like the idea of being loyal to a particular party. I do not need a political party to tell me how to think or what issues I should value. I am an intelligent human being capable of analyzing the situation and voting for the issues I believe are important. I vote issues not parties. […]

Saying that one party is more “Christian than the other” is really disconcerting. The Democrat and the Republican parties are political organizations neither is particularly religious. Last time I checked we do not live in a theocracy. Both parties have individuals who are devoutly religious as well as those who are non-religious.

Dee laments the fact that she no longer lives in a state with open primaries. It feels “unconstitutional” to her to have to select a party affiliation.

Seth is a member of the Seattle chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War. Not too hard to guess what some of the big election issues are for him.

[miss_glass / Flickr]

Did you notice that the tree is rooted in the outline of America?

This is amusing and at least partly true. Jennifer Killpack-Knutsen, who’s from Salt Lake City and likes green living, makes the case that elections are like dating (thanks, Ann Raber):

Most people see only what they want to see in the candidate or potential partner. Well, they might see a few flaws, but they are pretty certain that once they’ve formed the relationship, they will be able to change the person to fit their idealized view, or that person will change with the change in relationship status. The reality, of course, is that they usally can’t.

After making the commitment or electing the politician, there is an extended period where the glasses are fogged up and a state of denial about the flaws of the partner or politician becomes even more entrenched. After all, you chose the person, they must be wonderful. But after a few years, some of the worst qualities begin to rub away the loving glow.

Sometimes the loving glow fades even before the election.

[johnsadowskiii / Flickr]

How perfect is it that the corners are red and blue? This is probably not news to you, but I just learned it from Charles Lane, referee of Campaign Audio.

Abandoning the boxing metaphor and the campaign for a moment, check out this crazy optical-illusion creation from Sadowski.

[theres no way home / Flickr]

It could be about guns and religion. Or about FISA and campaign finance.

[Si1very / Flickr]

Google claims the feeds allow you to “read what they read, and see what’s on their minds as they share and discuss news.” How cool would it be if the Readers really did show what the candidates were reading (well, McCain perhaps in, er, printout form)? Unsurprisingly that doesn’t seem to be the case. Both feature only positive articles clearly packaged by PR. Bummer. Ha, come to think of it, these Readers may be a better reflection of what the other candidate is actually reading. In other words: McCain is probably dogging the pro-Obama coverage and vice versa.

From stirnaman.photo (hat tip to Sue Salinger), here’s a Bush (and, in smaller print, McCain) supporter:

[stirnaman.photo / Flickr]

Stirnaman.photo also captured this Obama-masked, anti-offshore-drilling, pro-bike activist (thanks again, Sue Salinger):

[stirnaman.photo / Flickr]

Via James Mills, here’s a tattooed anti-(Iran)war protester. (Here he is again in a photo found by Sue Salinger that says he’s Carlos Oceguedo, 22 years old, and a tattoo artist.) The picture was taken by OCPetPhotos (aka Sarah Hunt), who specializes in, yep, pet photos and has seven cats of her own.

[OCPetPhotos / Flickr]

Also from Sarah Hunt via James Mills, this Obama supporter who questions one of the standard tropes of patriotism:

[OCPetPhotos / Flickr]

And, again from Sarah Hunt and found by James Mills, these playful (photoshopped?) red-white-and-blue shadows:

[OCPetPhotos / Flickr]

Damon D’Amato caught these anti-gay-marriage activists (hat tip again to James Mills):

[NoHoDamon / Flickr]

And finally, in a bit of humor, again from Damon D’Amato via James Mills, McCain and Obama as two of the Three Stooges:

[NoHoDamon / Flickr]

Who’s the third?

Click here to see more pictures from the Saddleback rallies and protests.

You remember the Gibson/Stephanopoulos-moderated Democratic debate, right? That may have been on Mike from LeftFielder.org’s mind when he decided Pastor Rick Warren was better at interviewing candidates than most network anchors. Actually, he just plain feels Warren did a great job:

In my mind […] the real winner of the night was Rick Warren. […]

Warren deserves all the credit in the world for […] avoiding the big mistakes of most of the network debate moderators and interviewers. In particular, not once in the two hours did Warren ask the candidates to respond to an attack that the other had made during the previous day. He never asked them a question designed to make them squirm or designed to trip them up. He never asked them about the big scandals of the moment or to comment on a verbal gaffe made by someone involved in one of the two campaigns. The entire interview process was friendly, professional, and fair.

Now Warren wasn’t perfect. A couple times he phrased questions in subtly different ways that may have effected the kinds of answers he got. Also, because of the setting (a moderately conservative church) there were obvious “right” or “popular” answers to several of the questions. It was also an audience that was guaranteed to lean more towards the Republican on stage (although to be fair, the audience was exceptionally polite and respectful to both candidates).

But in general, that was a better forum for getting to know the candidates, and for comparing their responses to real and important questions, than the vast majority of the dozens of debates we had during the primary season. And for that, Rick Warren and Saddleback Church deserve an awful lot of credit.

On a related note, The Huffington Post points out that ABC News (home of Gibson and Stephanopoulos) has so far not been asked to join its colleagues PBS, NBC, and CBS in hosting one of the upcoming presidential debates.

Kate Stone writes an eponymous blog, and, unlike Erica, she was happy to miss the whole Saddleback frenzy while she was camping in New Mexico. She was curious to catch up on it at the end of her trip, though. After meeting a fresh-faced Obama fan, she says she felt “jaded and old” because she couldn’t help seeing “politics as usual” in Obama’s decision to accept Warren’s interview (thanks, Misa Dayson):

Obama […] chose to have a televised discussion with a man of faith who hates homosexuals and is opposed to a woman’s right to make her own decisions about her own pregnancy.

Remember when candidate GW Bush went to speak at Bob Jones University and liberals when balistic? No such fireworks from liberals with Barack Obama spending time with Rick Warren..

What is the difference here?

Democrats want to win. […]

Some liberals are arguing that Christian fundamentalists can no longer be ignored by the Democratic Party. If the Democrats want to win, they say, the DNC must actively reach out to Evangelicals and invite them into the Big Tent.

At what cost?

Howard Dean, who has been a disappointment to gay men and lesbians as head of the DNC, is avidly pursuing the Evangelical vote. Down the road the Dean strategy may result in the Party giving up some of its basic liberal tenets and that could have combustible results for the future.

Chances are Kate won’t feel any less jaded by November.

She notes carefully that after she made the video, some people criticized the news report she’d read about the tickets.

After watching the forum — presumably on TV or YouTube — Erica thought that Obama played it rather safe and McCain was too casual. She was disappointed, overall, that Warren focussed on policy issues rather than probing the leadership qualities of the two candidates (thanks again, James Mills):

Erica is no doubt doing well in school.

What do you think? How would Biden and Romney match up in a debate?