Recapping the last few weeks

So sorry for my absence for the most part over the past few weeks...lack of blogging means increased email when I have the chance to blog--which reminds me that I'll have to change my google alerts when I do go on vacation. Plus, I've seen an increased amount of movies in the first few weeks of July, and some days have been devoted to watching trilogies in one day--I'm waiting til after vacation to watch all six Star Wars films in one day. Blogger has an outage at 4 pacific so I'm blogging as much as I can--which means little or no commentary.

Keeping Red Sox news short, the Sox go into the break with a short lead in the American League's East division. Mark Loretta, David Ortiz, Curt Schilling, Jonathan Papelbon, and Manny Ramirez were selected to the American League roster but Ramirez will not attend due to a "sore knee." This is a problem because no matter how many times the fans vote him in, Ramirez never plays in the mid-season classic. I can't believe I wasted my 24 votes on Manny.

Bradley Braves sophomore center Patrick O'Bryant was selected in the NBA Draft as the ninth pick to the Golden State Warriors. O'Bryant's teammate, Marcellus Sommerville, is playing for the Dallas Mavericks as a member of the 37th Southern California Summer Pro League. UK sophomore guard Rajon Rondo was drafted by the Phoenix Suns and traded to the Boston Celtics.

SNL alumni Will Ferrell and Adam McKay have signed a two-year deal to produce low-budget comedies.

In some sad news to report, NH State Representative Peter Sullivan has pulled out of his congressional campaign.

Last week was Independence Week for Barry Welsh's congressional campaign.

Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin is critical of the plan dealing with the primary calendar.

Harkin has a message for the Democratic National Committee, or DNC, which still must approve the 2008 calendar later this year:

“If something isn’t broke, don’t fix it,” Harkin said. He made the comments at a taping of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press,” which airs this weekend.

This article is only the first as Evan Bayh builds up name recognition. Apparently, the presidential bug is contagious in the U.S. Senate.

Rob Corddry is the latest cast member of The Daily Show to become a father this year. Who knows, if the show is still around in 20 something years, we may see a cast with similar names...

Hmmm, Feingold may want to take a look at this poll for what it's worth.

Wow, this is an interesting piece of news. Hard Rock Cafe is up for sale. Anyone have a billion dollars?!?

Give me til August til decide what I do with regards to Sen. Lieberman but in the meantime, he still has my endorsement for the primary campaign. Speaking of Sen. Lieberman, who is indeed in the race of his life, here's what Sen. Bayh is saying.

- Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh was back in Iowa on Thursday, raising funds for legislative candidates and testing waters for a potential presidential run in 2008.

The Democrat has now visited Iowa five times in the last 12 months, exceeding most other potential candidates also seeking a foothold in the state that launches the presidential nominating season.

Bayh touts his two terms as governor and two terms as senator in overwhelmingly Republican Indiana - a signal he could attract independents and moderate Republicans in a general election.

In his latest swing through Iowa, Bayh told The Associated Press that Democrats have yet to capitalize on voters' waning support of President Bush's handling of the Iraq war. Bayh said the Democratic Party has "a diversity of views ... about what to do in Iraq," which may have muddled the party's stance.

Bayh said he has occasionally been critical of the war, though he opposes setting a timetable to withdraw from Iraq.[...]

Bayh also expressed support for Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., who faces a tough Democratic primary fight against Ned Lamont.

Lieberman is facing his first primary challenge in his 18-year Senate career - largely sparked by his support for the war in Iraq.

"I've raised money for him and I've supported him," Bayh said. "If Joe asks, I absolutely would go up there" to campaign for Lieberman.

Democrats who have supported Lieberman will face a tough choice if he loses in the primary. Lieberman has taken steps to run as an independent if he loses, which would put him against another Democrat in the election.

Bayh would not say what he would do in that case.

"That's a hypothetical question that I think isn't going to happen," Bayh said. "I think that Joe is going to win. He has a good record and a progressive record on many issues."

Oy vey. These Hollywood types need to stop exploiting religion.

Hank Greenberg will soon be on a postage stamp.

Getting back to Lieberman, here's an article from JTA.

“It does present a dilemma,” said Steve Grossman, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

“If you consider yourself first and foremost part of the pro-Israel community, you will stick with Joe Lieberman,” said Grossman, who also is a past president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. “If you’re so overwhelmingly convinced that ending the war as soon as possible is of paramount importance, I could understand why you would find Joe Lieberman a candidate you could no longer support.”[...]

She said Lamont had met with a number of Jewish leaders. Jewish officials, however, say they haven’t sensed any outreach.

“I don’t think he’s spoken out effectively to things the mainstream Jewish voters feel,” said Richard Greenfield, publisher of the Connecticut Jewish Ledger.

On Lamont’s Web site, the single foreign issue addressed is Iraq. Israel merits a passing mention in that context: “Israel is no safer” since the Iraq war, the site says.

If Lieberman does end up losing the primary and running as an independent, it would split Jewish voters, said Steve Rabinowitz, a strategist who advises Democrats and Jewish groups.

“A lot of Jewish Democrats will support the Democratic nominee because they’re Democrats, but there will be support for the icon Joe Lieberman,” he said.

Grossman said he’s supporting Lieberman.

“I don’t criticize those who can’t support Joe Lieberman because he no longer represents the views of progressive Democrats. But there has not been a greater champion of Israel and the well-being of the Jewish people,” Grossman said.

It’s unclear how many Jewish Democrats share that view. Jewish fund-raisers canvassed by JTA said they favored Lieberman — even those who profoundly disagree with him on Iraq.

But an internal Democratic poll of Connecticut Jews sees Lamont leading by 50 percent to 41 percent, JTA has learned. The sample was small, but the results were a dramatic departure from the 90-plus approval rating Lieberman scored among Jews after Al Gore named him as his running mate in 2000.

Barbara Boxer is supporting Lieberman in the primary campaign. So does Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado.

What's happening in Camp Bayh? Click to find out.

Bayh's odds are 13-1 for the nomination in 2008.

Paul Hackett has finally endorsed Sherrod Brown for Senator.

Ernie Fletcher has lost his mind and gone crazy. He now thinks that he should appoint the state attorney general as well as treasurer. Fletcher has lost his mind so much since becoming elected that I don't think he even should earn the title "former governor" in December 2007 when he gets evicted. Locally, Democrats remain patient when it comes to 2007.

Bayh in the C-J.