I will definitely have to pick this one up...

....is fantastic. Between the media coverage of Warner's withdrawal from the presidential race and the attention this race is getting, other parts of the nation are finally realizing that Virginia is becoming a battleground state.

I thought the same thing, actually.

Gets lots of pretty pictures with the Georges.  Trust me, it won't be to Georgy Boy's benefit.

But a friend gave me a copy of the magazine last week.  Lots of loving details to the cartoon, right down to the ham sandwich in Allen's hand and the Bush faced monkey on his back. 

There are lots of interpretations of the song "American Pie", though opinion is coalescing that it's a history of rock and roll.

This is a revisionist interpretation of part of the song.
--------------------------------------------

The players tried for a forward pass

  The "players" are the Republican politicos; players is modern parlance for people who do not act in good faith, but just like to "play the game."  So the politicos hitched their star to a former quarterback.

With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

  This is George Bush.  Usually in an election year the President is flaunting his political power, helping local candidates.  Bush is sneaking into Virginia for a closed affair.  He's useless to Allen because of his unpopularity 

Now the halftime air was sweet perfume

  Early in the race it looked like Allen couldn't lose.

While sergeants played a marching tune

  Jim Webb, military hero, gathering up his troops, then sending them out to the field.

We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance

  This is spoken from the point of view of the Virginia Republicans, who assumed that the campaign was over, and who started a victory dance in the summer.  But just like the groups who picnicked at Bull Run, something unexpected happened to the party - - -

'Cause the players tried to take the field,

  The politicos, with their aging quarterback in the lead, tried to resume what they thought would be an easy game

The marching band refused to yield.

  The marching band?  All of Webb's supporters.  Notice the prophetic reference to a marching band.  A musical band?  No.  "Marching" refers to Webb's military support, and "band" refers to his "bandwith" supporters -- the bloggers.

Signed,
Professor Harold Hill
PhD Gary Indiana University, class of '05

The fact that Jim Webb is on the cover of the uber-liberal rag The Nation really says a lot about the realignment taking place in American politics.

Even a year ago, who woulda thunk it?

...and a point that Jim makes himself often.

no longer apply, as Jim says.  Unfortunately for George Allen, the old labels of "loser" and "winner" still do apply.  And, in 19 days, something tells me that Jim Webb's not the one who's going to be in the "loser" category!  Ha.