3 hours ago, at 8pm, the Iowa Democratic Party wound up their long tour through Iowa at a rally in Iowa City. For guest star Barack Obama, it was the last stop on a three week tour stumping for Democrats all over the country.

Highlights below.

I admire all the work and passion that has gone into arguing for net neutrality. As a long time 'net user myself (I first signed on to ARPANet in '87) it warms the cockles of my heart to see that people still get it. But I have an idea to really drive the point home.

Many people have pointed out that with high bandwidth on sale, the 'free' internet is going to slow down to modem speeds. So, fine. If the law passes, let's go back to modems.

Via Wonkette, this absolute gem of a Q and A with Our Preznit.

First the question:

Q    Mr. President, you had mentioned refining capacity.  I'd like to ask you about an offer from the Kuwaiti oil minister, who has said that he is willing to offer to build a capacity -- a refining capacity in the U.S.; it would be the first time in about 30 years.  Says he's asked for White House assistance -- assistance -- assistance getting permits and fed support and so forth.  What do you think of a proposal like that?

I found out that Dr. Duncan Black (aka Atrios) was speaking at nearby Grinnell College at 8pm last night, so I drove out to see him. I got there a bit late, and walked into a well-attended symposium. The topic was "Trench Warfare: Narratives-Modern Media." I arrived just as he started talking about what prompted him to start a blog.

I noted, wryly, that Judith Miller had given a symposium—"Cooperate/Jail -Journalism Ethic Dilemma"—in the same room at 4:30. Missed it.

The audience was receptive, and there were a lot of questions afterward. Writeup below the fold.

Sorry for the lack of original content in this diary, but a call to action from the University of Iowa just landed in my email box, and the legislation it's protesting is getting slipped through the House quietly, so time is of the essence.

The email (I x'd out addresses to foil spammers) follows below the fold:

A bitter thought has been germinating in my head for some time now, and the current row over Social Security has provided it enough water to push up from the soil.

Basically, some conservatives finally see a chance to dismantle Social Security. Why? Because it's an integral part of what they deride as a "nanny state." But Social Security is not the only major program of its kind. The old pension system was liquidated under Reagan; welfare has long since been lamed, but—what about the Armed Forces?