For those of you who habitually decry the mainstream media's shunning of all but the top tier presidential candidates, there is a long and respectful article in Salon today about the long-shot-iest of the long shots on the Democratic side, Mike Gravel. It's an interesting read....

While much has been said about the French elections, the thing that struck me was the fact that 85% of them turned out to vote. In our last presidential election, south of 60% exercised their franchise. Maybe it has something to do with scheduling the voting on a weekend, instead of a Tuesday? Just a thought....

In Congressional news, the Senate tried but failed to pass a bill allowing prescription drugs to be imported from Canada, and last week the House voted on a federal hate crimes bill to protect gays, and the media collectively yawned. Bush has indicated he's likely to veto either of these if they arrive on his desk, but the Democrats in Congress should be given a little credit for attempting bills that, even if vetoed, can be used as campaign fodder next year against Republicans. OK, that's a crass political analysis, but since they likely won't override a veto, I believe it's accurate.

Finally, President Bush shows off his intellect to the Queen of England by forgetting what century our bicentennial was in:

"The American people are proud to welcome Your Majesty back to the United States, a nation you've come to know very well," Bush said. "After all, you've dined with 10 U.S. presidents. You helped our nation celebrate its bicentennial in 17 -- in 1976."

As the audience laughed, Bush paused and glanced at the queen, then ad-libbed, "She gave me a look that only a mother could give a child."