Graceful. In his acceptance speech, the old McCain shows through. If he had shown more of that during the actual campaign, he might actually have won.

“We never hide from history, we make history.”

Damn, but this guy knows how to turn a phrase:

Way back in the mists of time, Obama voted for a bill in the Illinois legislature that promoted “comprehensive sex education,” including teaching kindergartners how to respond to sexual predators. McCain turns that into “Obama wants to teach your four-year-olds about sex!” Apparently, McCain has no problem pandering to pedophiles and child molesters.

Palin, as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, made sure that rape victims had to foot the $1,200 bill for the “rape kit” used to collect medical and forensic evidence crucial in convicting the perpetrator. In fact, the Alaska legislature had to pass a law banning the practice, specifically aimed at Wasilla.

75,000 people turned out for an Obama rally in Portland, Ore. I can't imagine any politician in the US, regardless of party, drawing that many people. And it's not like Portland's especially populous: in 2000, it had only about half a million people.

Lolcats for Obama.

John "Bomb Iran" McCain and Hillary "Power at Any Price" Clinton:

I don't have much more to add than the words of Mark Kleiman of The Reality-Based Community:

Okay, eloquence isn't everything. But just imagine trying to do this [...] with a Hillary Clinton speech, or a John McCain speech, or (shudder) a George W. Bush speech.

He didn't just win. He didn't just get the majority. He got two votes for every one of Hillary's. 55 to 27, with about 18 for Edwards. And then he makes his victory speech, which is pure Obama:

If you can watch this and not have tears well up in your eyes, you're either dead or you had the sound turned off. Here's another link with the speech written out, if you like to follow along.

Over at the politburo diktat, Stephen (formerly The Commissar) points to a NYT op-ed by Nicholas Kristof about the experience issue. It's a good op-ed piece, and Stephen raises a good point about Hillary's numbers. But what really struck me comes in the first comment by one "markg8," a "51 year old Democratic precinct committeeman":

After what her people pulled in IA trying to disenfranchise college kids, trying to disenfranchise Vegas strip workers in Vegas that as it turns out would have cost her the caucuses, Bill’s disgusting attacks on Obama, her putting America’s misogynist pimp Bob Johnson on stage with her to allude to Obama’s teenage drug dabbling and then lie about it, I’ve had it, that’s just disgusting. I expect that kind of crap from Republicans not Democrats.

Now she says in her ads she’ll be my “voice in Washington”. Nobody speaks for me who campaigns the way she and her people do. If she wins the nomination using those tactics she’ll have to find someone else to turn out the vote for her in my precinct. I won’t do it.

I can't stress this enough: Hillary is incredibly divisive. Not only will Republicans rally against her, she will drive away large numbers of independents and Democrats.

Where Obama gets his 'do done.