I Can't Stand It, I Know You Planned It

Congratulations to Mr. Alan Robertson for correctly naming "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding as the Wednesday Song of the Day.

Big news today in the legal world with President Obama's nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to replace David Souter on the Supreme Court. While everyone else will spend hours poring over Judge Sotomayor's legal opinions, I say that the one true test of her qualifications to serve on the high court is a full breakdown of the high-jump technique of the other "famous" (I use the term loosely) Sotomayor, the current world record-holder in the high-jump, Javier Sotomayor.

Question of the Day:

Justin, can I root for Manchester United instead of Barcelona tomorrow's Champions League Final?

Answer:

Sure, if you would have also supported the Axis in World War II.

Current Reading

American Caesar--Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964 by William Manchester

I Got a Song to Sing, Keep Me Out of the Cold

My favorite 5 minutes and 18 seconds of yesterday's inauguration came courtesy of this man:

A brief transcript:

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around -- (laughter) -- when yellow will be mellow -- (laughter) -- when the red man can get ahead, man -- (laughter) -- and when white will embrace what is right. Let all those who do justice and love mercy say amen.

I know at least one person who is glad President Obama will be looking out for the red man, this guy:

Coming In a Mess, Going Out In Style

Congratulations to Ms. Stacy Villescas for correctly naming "I Am the Walrus" by the Beatles as the Tuesday Song of the Day. Since I've never indulged in recreational drug-use, I don't think I've been able to fully enjoy "I Am the Walrus", but if you have, the following video is my treat to you.

My favorite story of the day?

This one, courtesy of Politico.com:

Ros-Lehtinen Hangs Up on Obama. Twice.

Is Ileana Ros-Lehtinen a little paranoid?

Maybe.

On Wednesday, the Republican congresswoman got a call from President-elect Barack Obama, didn't believe it was him, and hung up on him. Twice.

According to Ros-Lehtinen's flack Alex Cruz, the congresswoman received the call on her cell phone from a Chicago-based number and an aide informed her that Obama wanted to speak to her. When Obama introduced himself, Ros-Lehtinen cut him off and said, "I'm sorry but I think this is a joke from one of the South Florida radio stations known for these pranks." Then she hung up.

Moments later, Obama tried again, this time through his soon-to-be chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.

"Ileana, I cannot believe you hung up on the President-Elect," Emanuel said. And then--yes, you know what's coming--she hung up on Emanuel saying she "didn't believe the call was legitimate."

What was not noted in the story is the striking resemblance Ros-Lehtinen bears to a certain Springfield bartender.

It Ain't Evil Baby If You Ain't Hurting Anybody

Congratulations to Mr. Peter Pope for correctly naming "Landed" by Ben Folds as the Wednesday Song of the Day.

In what will probably be my final post* on the long, strange odyssey that was the 2008 Presidential Election, I offer you my suggested debate format** for the 2012 election: Rap battles!!!!

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Here are the lyrics:
Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

(McCain supporters)
McCain is the man
Fought for us in Vietnam
You know if anyone can
Help our country he can
Taxes droppin low
Dont you know oils gonna flow
Drill it low
I’ll show our economy will grow

McCain’s the best candidate
With Palin as his running mate
They’ll fight for gun rights, pro life,
The conservative right
Our future is bright
Better economy in site
And all the world will feel our military might

(Obama supporters)
But McCain and Bush are real close right
They vote alike and keep it tight
Obama’s new, he’s younger too
The Middle Class he will help you
He’ll bring a change, he’s got the brains
McCain and Bush are just the same
You are to blame, Iraq’s a shame
Four more years would be insane

Lower your Taxes - you know Obama Won’t
PROTECT THE LOWER CLASS - You know McCain won’t!
Have enough experience - you know that they don’t
STOP GLOBAL WARMING - you know that you won’t

I want Obama
FORGET OBAMA
Stick with McCain and you’re going to have some drama
We need it
HE’LL BRING IT
He’ll be it
YOU’LL SEE IT
We’ll do it
GET TO IT
Let’s move it
DO IT!

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

I’m talking big pipe lines, and low gas prices
Below $2.00 that would be nice

But to do it right we gotta start today
Finding renewable ways that are here to stay

I want Obama
FORGET OBAMA,
Stick wit McCain you gone have some drama
MORE WAR IN IRAQ
Iran he will attack
CAN’T BRING OUR TROOPS BACK
We gotta vote Barack!

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

*I unequivocally reserve the right to change this.
**Many thanks to Lance Agan and Cole Griffith for bringing this video into my life.

P.S. God bless the painfully awkward white kid on the top right. His lack of rhythm makes me feel right at home.

'Til I Opened My Eyes and Walked Out the Door

I wrote the following on March 30, 2006 after hearing Yale Law Professor Stephen L. Carter speak on campus at ACU:

One of the strongest points that Carter made during his speech, and one that he has made for many years as the author of numerous books and articles on the topic of civility and integrity in American life, is that a democracy is not defined by the fact that we are able to vote for politician or party that we support, but when we vote, we are willing to lose.

As Carter noted,when Bill Clinton won the 1992 Presidential election, George H.W. Bush did not refuse to leave the White House, but instead participated in the inaugural ceremonies, because one of the hallmarks of democracy is having the explicit knowledge that our side could be defeated in an election and to still operate as a functional society.

...and I still believe that today.

Regardless of whether you voted for Barack Obama or John McCain, one of the things that makes America great is that after the campaigns are over, after one candidate makes a concession speech, and after the other candidate acknowledges victory, our nation is not torn apart by warfare. We undoubtedly still maintain disagreements with those on the other side of the political aisle from ourselves, and it would be foolish to think those would disappear in a day, but in spite of those disagreements, all Americans acknowledge that Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States.
In America, you can support someone that you have vehemently disagreed with, you can pray for guidance and wisdom for your former opponent as he now becomes your leader, and you can remain engaged in the process of continuing this experiment we call America instead of choosing the low road of cynicism, defeatism, and enmity.

Now, excerpts from President-elect Obama and Senator McCain's speeches last night:

Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.

I urge all Americans ... I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.

Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that. It is natural. It's natural, tonight, to feel some disappointment. But tomorrow, we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again.

John McCain's concession speech, November 4, 2008.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity.

Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection."

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

Barack Obama's acceptance speech, November 4, 2008.

She's as Sweet as Tupelo Honey

Congratulations to Ms. Amanda Pierce for correctly naming "Tupelo Honey" by Van Morrison as the Thursday Song of the Day.

Four years later, the writers of “The West Wing” are watching in amazement as the election plays out. The parallels between the final two seasons of the series (it ended its run on NBC in May 2006) and the current political season are unmistakable. Fiction has, once again, foreshadowed reality.

Following the Script: Obama, McCain and 'The West Wing'--Brian Stelter in today's NY Times.

Takes The Wheel When I'm Seeing Double, Pays My Ticket When I Speed

Congratulations once again to Ms. Amanda Pierce for naming "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins as the Tuesday Song of the Day and to Mr. Tim Henderson and Mrs. Katrina Kincaid for naming "Lazy Eye" by Silversun Pickups as the bizarro Tuesday Song of the Day.

Finally, and within the 2008 Presidential campaign's finishing week, Barack Obama has given John McCain the type of bulletin board quote that would make campaign managers salivate.

The blunder, captured by all major media outlets and broadcast live on CNN, occurred when the typically polished Obama fielded a question about his health care policy. Obama answered by saying he would give small business owners a tax credit to help them provide health care for their employees, and then added, "Now, I'm not completely certain that my plan would work because, overall, I think I would make a bad president."

According to sources, before those on hand could fully process what Obama had said, the Illinois senator continued to stumble, claiming that, were he to win the general election, he'd have absolutely no idea what to do.

'I Would Make a Bad President,' Obama Says in Huge Campaign Blunder--The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, The Onion

Senator McCain, the ball is in your court.

You Put Me Back Together Again

Colin Powell, at last, has spoken, and it does not look good for John McCain.

My Love, I Love to Stay Here

Long kept a family secret, the overalls-clad, straw-chewing Kentuckian first entered the public spotlight in July, when he drove his 1982 Ford flatbed pickup through the press corps at an Obama rally in order to inform his brother that he caught the skunk that had been living under his front porch. According to witnesses, Cooter's skunk proceeded to spray Washington Post political reporter Michael D. Shear in the face.

"Obama's Hillbilly Half-Brother Threatening to Derail Campaign" from The Onion.

You Didn't Get to Heaven But You Made It Close

Congratulations to Mr. John Middleton for correctly naming "Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve as the Thursday Song of the Day.

If McCain is going to win this election, it will because he can communicate an essential truth — that people in a great and successful nation do not want change for its own sake. But they do realize that it’s only through careful reform that they can preserve what they and their ancestors have so laboriously built.

David Brooks--"The Coming Activist Age" in yesterday's NY Times.

The World Is In Your Hands or It's At Your Throat

Ladies and gentlemen, I take it as my duty to present to you the great and mighty foe of Baylor Bear football.

Am I talking about the entire Big XII? Possibly.

Am I speaking of those football programs that actually remember football relies on a different scoring standard than golf? Again, possibly.

At this moment, though, I am speaking of the (presumptive) Democratic nominee for the President of these United States in the Year of Our Lord 2008, Mr. Barack Obama.

Now, my faithful readers, I can hear your cries of derision. They rise up to me in a raucous chorus of disbelief, but the facts being what they are, the reality of the impending fallout simply cannot be ignored. As documented on that reputable journalistic outlet known as Deadspin.com, Mr. Obama's fabled acceptance speech at (Insert Corporate Name Here) at Mile High will take place on the same evening as Baylor's opening game of the 2008 football season, an August 28th matchup with the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest.

Are you kidding me, Mr. Obama? Did you hear that nickname Wake Forest is packing? DEMON DEACONS? Sure, we're the Bears and all, but DEMON DEACONS? That, my friends, is what nightmares are made of, pure and simple.

For the foregoing reasons, the editorial board of Running Down a Dream hereby requests that Mr. Obama and the entirety of the Democratic National Committee choose to move Mr. Obama's acceptance to the following night, August 29th, so that the Baylor Bears might have a full measure of support in their opening battle of the 2008 Slaughter Fest, scratch that, season against the fearsome spectre of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Failing that, the editorial board requests that Mr. Obama integrate into his acceptance speech various denigrating remarks directed at the Winston-Salem, North Carolina metropolitan area.

Respectfully Submitted,

The Running Down a Dream Editorial Board

Make Good on All My Back Loans

In a story that you must read simply because it combines references to Fort Thomas, Kentucky, Spartacus, and Harding University, I present to you:

"Obama Supporters Take His Middle Name" by Jodi Kantor in yesterday's New York Times.

Before everyone gets worked up over this, I still remember stories of my grandmother changing her middle name to "Delano" in '32, and my uncle adopting "Milhous" in '68. Truth be told, I'm not sure if he wanted to support the eventual 37th President of the United States or had a premonition on the eventual popularity of Milhouse Van Houten, but I digress. In the words of Ecclesiastes, "There is nothing new under the sun."

P.S. For the McCain supporters out there (coughyourstrulycough), feel free to change your middle name to Mr. McCain's, Sidney.

You Are Not My Typewriter, But You Could Be My Demon

As I was working my way through David Halberstam's The Fifties, I came across Halberstam's description of the 1952 Presidential race. In addition to his depiction of the reluctant candidacy of Eisenhower, I thought Halberstam's description of Democratic nominee Adlai Stevenson's campaign was very applicable to the current Democratic nomination process, or as "The Daily Show" has taken to calling it: "The Long, Flat, Seemingly Endless Bataan Death March to the White House."

In fact, the similarities between Governor Stevenson and Senator Obama are striking. Both hail from the Land of Lincoln, both spent time at Harvard Law School (Stevenson dropped out after a few classes and Obama, well, he did much better than that), and both practiced law in Chicago before entering the political arena.

In fact, I'm going to remove Stevenson's name from the following passage simply to demonstrate how similar the critiques of Obama have been to those that Stevenson received.

[His] distinctive speaking style quickly earned him the reputation of an intellectual and endeared him to many Americans, while simultaneously alienating him from others. Although he employed a number of first-rate speech writers, [He] also wrote many of his own speeches. Although [His] eloquent oratory and thoughtful, stylish demeanor thrilled many intellectuals and members of the nation's academic community, the Republicans and some working-class Democrats ridiculed what they perceived as his indecisive, aristocratic air.

Even though that paragraph attempted to describe the campaign of an Democratic Presidential hopeful from Illinois 56 years ago, it could have been pulled from the pages of any newspaper, magazine, or blog today.

Come On, Come On, You Think You Drive Me Crazy

Is the following scenario, outlined by Slate's Chris Wilson on the "Trailhead" blog, likely to take place? No, in fact, I would place better odds on Larry the Cable Guy winning an Oscar, but that doesn't mean that it's not fun to toss around for a short while.

Obama, on the other hand, is fully capable of it. And if he’s really serious about representing a new kind of politics, now is the time for him to prove it in the only meaningful way left. Moreover, were he to play it right, dropping out now nearly guarantees that he’ll be elected president in 2012.
Here’s the roadmap:

Obama drops out next week, stating that although he could almost certainly win the nomination by fighting it out until the convention in August, he is simply not willing to drag the party through a battle that will cripple its chances against John McCain. He then pledges to help support Sen. Clinton in her bid—with full knowledge that she will not take him up on the offer.

In one stroke, Obama will regain his messiah creds by making the ultimate sacrifice for the good of the party. His followers will be furious. The mere mention of Clinton’s name will provoke unspeakable acts. They will abandon Clinton in numbers sufficient to hand McCain the election in November.

Losing the presidency again after eight years of Bush will ruin the Democratic Party. It will become obvious that Clinton’s decision to stay in the race was the turning point in the election. The base will turn its wrath on party leaders like Howard Dean and Nancy Pelosi, who failed to push Clinton out. Obama, as the de facto head of the party, will broker negotiations to install new leaders loyal to him.

McCain will be eminently more beatable in 2012. Demographics will continue to shift in Obama’s favor as his 14- to 17-year-old supporters come of voting age. Anyone foolish enough to challenge Obama for the nomination—and don’t rule out Clinton—will go nowhere. Obama’s utopian vision for a Democratic party unified around him will be complete.

I'm not sure if I subscribe to the school of thought that says the current Democratic contest has been so contentious that it will cause those who support the losing candidate to "sit out" the general election against John McCain and coughRalphNadercough, but I can tell you this: If the course holds to its current bearings, the 2008 Democratic National Convention will be the first certifiably unpredictable political convention in my lifetime.

Regardless of whether you plan to support McCain, Obama, Clinton, or Nader in the fall, the American political landscape promises to be anything but boring.

So Many People, So Many People Pass

In what is quickly becoming a daily event at Running Down a Dream, I offer my congratulations to Mr. Jeremy Masten for correctly naming "Run" by Snow Patrol as the Wednesday Song of the Day. That's four days in a row, folks. It seems that Jeremy's current run is inversely related to the success of the Rangers (on a current 6 game losing streak). Everyone, for the good of the Rangers, I'm begging you to dethrone Mr. Masten.

It's not often that a national newspaper files a feature story with the dateline "Kokomo, Indiana", but with the never-ending slog that is the current Democratic nomination process, that has changed. My Dad grew up in Tipton, Indiana, which is about 20 miles southeast of Kokomo, and other than possessing the only "sitdown" McDonald's in America, there is nothing remarkable about the city.

With that said, it these "typical" American cities and towns that hold a tremendous amount of responsibility for determining the identity of the Democratic nominee this fall.

As the Democratic presidential hopefuls turned to Indiana as a new battleground in the fight for the nomination, they find themselves facing a different audience in places like Kokomo, a blue-collar city in the middle of endless expanses of farms north of Indianapolis. In some ways, these are voters not so unlike those in other Rust Belt states, like Pennsylvania, but with an added dose of nostalgia and a practical, Midwestern sensibility.

“We are manufacturing workers, farmers, beer drinkers, gun owners, pickup drivers,” said Karen Lasley, 64, who was volunteering on Wednesday morning in Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s field office in Kokomo (one of 28 Mrs. Clinton has opened around the state along with Senator Barack Obama’s 22, including one just down the street). “We are full of pride for this country.”

Politically, though, Indiana is by no means monolithic: its terrain is more of a quilt, as elaborate as its tangled time-zone map, complicating matters for the campaigns as they decide where to devote time and money.

"For Indiana Voters, Talk of Change May Fall Flat" by Monica Davey in the New York Times.

Everybody's Got Their Dues in Life to Pay

Congratulations to Mr. Jeremy Masten for correctly naming "El Scorcho" by Weezer as the Saturday Song of the Day.

So it came to pass last Saturday night, in what is surely the most preposterous photo-op in campaign history, Hillary Rodham Clinton of Wellesley and Yale was pounding down Crown Royal whisky from a shot glass at Bronko's bar in Indiana. A friend emailed that if she really wanted to win Pennsylvania, she would have drunk some of the draft beer in her left hand, dropped the shot glass into the mug and slammed that back. But hey, her heart was in the right place.

"Hillary and Obama in Small Town" by Daniel Henninger of The Wall Street Journal.

Like You Reached Right Into My Head and Turned on the Light Inside

Somehow, simply by posting this article, I'm fulfilling Brian Stelter's prophecy.

No idea what I'm talking about? Keep reading.

According to interviews and recent surveys, younger voters tend to be not just consumers of news and current events but conduits as well — sending out e-mailed links and videos to friends and their social networks. And in turn, they rely on friends and online connections for news to come to them. In essence, they are replacing the professional filter — reading The Washington Post, clicking on CNN.com — with a social one.

“There are lots of times where I’ll read an interesting story online and send the U.R.L. to 10 friends,” said Lauren Wolfe, 25, the president of College Democrats of America. “I’d rather read an e-mail from a friend with an attached story than search through a newspaper to find the story.”

In one sense, this social filter is simply a technological version of the oldest tool in politics: word of mouth. Jane Buckingham, the founder of the Intelligence Group, a market research company, said the “social media generation” was comfortable being in constant communication with others, so recommendations from friends or text messages from a campaign — information that is shared, but not sought — were perceived as natural.

Ms. Buckingham recalled conducting a focus group where one of her subjects, a college student, said, “If the news is that important, it will find me.”

Also, something that is sure to drive my Dad crazy...the Facebook/My Space friend stats for the various candidates (also found in the Stelter piece):

• Barack Obama-1,000,000 (combined)
• Hillary Rodham Clinton- 330,000 (combined)
• John McCain- 140,000 (combined)

Somehow, I think John McCain doesn't give a second thought to websites like Facebook and My Space, and frankly, I think that's a good thing. He's the kind of guy who always seemed more closely suited to the 19th century rather than the 21st. We will see in November if the American electorate thinks that is an asset or a liability.

Whatever's In My Head Won't Go Away

For three more months (maybe more!) the campaign will proceed along in its Verdun-like pattern. There will be a steady rifle fire of character assassination from the underlings, interrupted by the occasional firestorm of artillery when the contest touches upon race, gender or patriotism. The policy debates between the two have been long exhausted, so the only way to get the public really engaged is by poking some raw national wound.

For the sake of that 5 percent, this will be the sourest spring. About a fifth of Clinton and Obama supporters now say they wouldn’t vote for the other candidate in the general election. Meanwhile, on the other side, voters get an unobstructed view of the Republican nominee. John McCain’s approval ratings have soared 11 points. He is now viewed positively by 67 percent of Americans. A month ago, McCain was losing to Obama among independents by double digits in a general election matchup. Now McCain has a lead among this group.

For three more months, Clinton is likely to hurt Obama even more against McCain, without hurting him against herself. And all this is happening so she can preserve that 5 percent chance.

When you step back and think about it, she is amazing. She possesses the audacity of hopelessness.

"The Long Defeat" by David Brooks in tomorrow's New York Times.

With a Love So Hard and Filled With Defeat

Clinton had sounded like a traditional executive, as someone who gathers the experts, forges a policy, fights the opposition, bears the burdens of power, negotiates the deal and, in crisis, makes the decision at 3 o’clock in the morning.

But Obama sounded like a cross between a social activist and a flannel-shirted software C.E.O. — as a nonhierarchical, collaborative leader who can inspire autonomous individuals to cooperate for the sake of common concerns.

Clinton had sounded like Old Politics, but Obama created a vision of New Politics. And the past several months have revolved around the choice he framed there that night. Some people are enthralled by the New Politics, and we see their vapors every day. Others think it is a mirage and a delusion. There’s only one politics, and, tragically, it’s the old kind, filled with conflict and bad choices.

Hillary Clinton has fought on with amazing resilience since then, and Tuesday night may well bring another surprise, but she’s always been the moon to his sun. That night in November, he defined the campaign.

"A Defining Moment" by David Brooks in today's NY Times.

What's going to happen in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont, faithful readers of Running Down a Dream?

Any predictions, prognotistications, or views into the political crystal ball?

Here's my predictions:

For the GOP, I see McCain winning Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont, but narrowly losing out to Huckabee in the Lone Star State. That would not exactly be the vote of confidence that McCain needs heading into the fall against an re-invigorated Democratic party, but it seems to be a result that would reflect the fractured state of the Republican party at the moment.
For the Dems, I see Obama winning by a fairly comfortable margin in Texas, winning by a close margin in Vermont, but losing squeakers in Ohio and Rhode Island. That means Senator Clinton will almost certainly stick around through the summer, even as her margin for error continues to diminish.

Wait a second, while we're in the predicting mood, here's my thoughts on today's second-leg Round of 16 matchups in the Champions League:

• Arsenal-AC Milan: Despite the fact that midfield maestro Clarence Seedorf will likely miss the match for Milan, the return of Kaka, Andrea Pirlo, and Alessandro Nesta bodes very well for the defending champions. Milan will advance with a 2-1 victory at their home ground, the San Siro.
• Barcelona-Celtic: After winning 3-2 at Celtic Park a fortnight ago, Barcelona are the heavy favorites to advance in this tie. Even though Celtic will fight hard to withstand the Barcelona effort at the Nou Camp, the Scottish side simply do not have the ability to hold back weapons like Henry, Messi, Ronaldinho, Eto'o, et. al. Barcelona advances with a rather comfortable 3-1 win.
• Manchester United-Lyon: Karim Benzema's 54th minute goal for Lyon in the first leg of this tie made things interesting, but Carlos Tevez's 87th minute equalizer put the Red Devils in prime position to advance to the Round of 8. Tonight at Old Trafford, I expect Man. U. to continue to push down on the accelerator and bring home a 2-0 victory. I don't like it one bit, but the Red Devils are going to be awfully difficult to stop this year.
• Fenerbahce-Sevilla: After capturing a 3-2 home win in Turkey, Fenerbahce heads into their match with Sevilla with a slight advantage, but the Spanish side always play well at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Despite a noble effort from Fenerbahce, I expect Sevilla to capture a 2-1 win at home to advance to the Round of 8.
  

I'm Stranded Behind the Horizon Line

I must apologize to you, the loyal reader, for neglecting the Running Down a Dream Caption Contest in its infancy, but today it has returned with new vigor, new purpose, and....a new picture!!!

Note: This picture was taken yesterday in Mack Brown's office. No, it really was.

As always, place your submissions in the comments section, and may the best man/woman/other win. The Caption Contest runs through Sunday.

Here's my submission--"Note to self: In the fall, ask John McCain what it was like to actually play with John Heisman."