It's quiet here today. Too quiet.

We've got potential for a major hurricane in the Gulf, so I was expecting the various contractors and insurance companies to be gearing up for big action. Perhaps they're too busy thinking about Labor Day.

Or maybe they're all prepared and ready for anything?

No, I don't believe it either.

It's been pointed out that not only is the Republican convention going to start on the anniversary of Katrina, it seems that Mother Nature is conspiring to make a big honking Reminder just before they get started.

I'm sure sorry for anyone in the path of the hurricane, and have my fingers crossed for their safety, but I'm still wryly amused by the timing.

Is Giuliani gonna speak at the Republican convention? 'Cuz then it will be like, "Noun verb 9/11! Noun verb POW!"

Is Obama speaking tonight?

Obama is speaking tonight, and Giuliani is the keynote speaker for the Repubs.

Any guess as to when he's speaking tonight?

My Mother was APPALLED to hear that I'm not watching the convention. I just don't have it in me this time. My state is going blue. 99.99 percent of the people I know are going blue. The few people I know who won't vote for Obama are in blue states as well. I can't take time off the new job and go canvas in a swing state. I feel as if this is so completely out of my hands. I seriously can't take the disappointment again if I get all worked up and optimistic. If its running close, I don't even know if I'll sit up and watch returns.

Healthcare crisis solved by semantics. Whee!

But the numbers are misleading, said John Goodman, president of the National Center for Policy Analysis, a right-leaning Dallas-based think tank. Mr. Goodman, who helped craft Sen. John McCain's health care policy, said anyone with access to an emergency room effectively has insurance, albeit the government acts as the payer of last resort. (Hospital emergency rooms by law cannot turn away a patient in need of immediate care.)

"So I have a solution. And it will cost not one thin dime," Mr. Goodman said. "The next president of the United States should sign an executive order requiring the Census Bureau to cease and desist from describing any American – even illegal aliens – as uninsured. Instead, the bureau should categorize people according to the likely source of payment should they need care.

"So, there you have it. Voila! Problem solved."

Seriously? SERIOUSLY??????????

I can relate, Trudy. I was all set to spend my weekends Obamanating, and then Dad got sick, so I'm spending every weekend handling elder care instead. But all my friends are registered and will be voting Blue, I live in the most liberal town of the southeast, which only goes blue because there isn't a socialist option on the ticket, and it just doesn't feel like there's much I can do about it with the time/energy I have.

I'm mostly clicking over to the convention coverage to feed my Rachel Maddow crush.

Any guess as to when he's speaking tonight?

10:00 pm Eastern.

t edit That's not a guess; that's the scheduled time.

ION: McCain has new "unprecedented" ad ready to run tonight when Obama speaks: [link] "Unprecedented?" Does that mean he's going to burn a cross IN THE AD?

Also: Putin says that the US orchestrated the war in Georgia to benefit one of the presidential candidates (he didn't name which one, but you have to think he means McCain, even if the charges of US orchestration are not true): [link]

McCain has new "unprecedented" ad ready to run tonight when Obama speaks

I suppose it's too much to hope for an ad where McCain says "You know what? I'm a total douchebag, and you should vote for the other guy. In fact, I think he's on another channel right now if you want to hear him speak."