As we approach the day we sit down and say thanks, we grow closer to another important milestone in the holiday season- Black Friday.

I’ll be back home in Masschusetts possibly waiting in lines at 5 AM, but I wanted to write about something else people may not be waiting in line for.

Last week I was watching TV at work (don’t worry it’s my job) when I saw this crazy ad for the “Barack Obama Limited Edition Coin.” I bet it would go great with “Obama Vitcory Collector’s Plate.”

Shortly after seeing the ads I was disappointed in the lengths people will go to cash in on history. I wouldn’t say I’m surprised however. DC locals are familiar with the vendors that line the streets of The Mall, selling all sorts of knock-off DC apparel. Everything from “Witness Protection Program” to knock-off sweatshirts with the local Alma Maters on them.

Carlos Lee at Politico recently wrote a piece that highlights even more items I didn’t know were out there- did you know that there’s a fake 8 Dollar Obama Bill? I just had to check it out.

Low and behold there was a bill on eBay for sale- the best part of the item is the fine print:

‘THIS NOTE HAS NO MONETARY VALUE BUT IS GOLD IN THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF THOSE WHO SEEK MEANINGFUL CHANGE FOR ALL AMERICANS’

In the words of John Stossel- give me a break!

All sorts of people are joining in the madness- WMATA will be unveiling Obama SmartTrip Cards and Farecards for the special event. I can’t wait to swipe Obama’s face on the Orange line!

The buzz around Obama has risen him to rockstar status - so it makes perfect sense that the merchandising is nothing short of that as well. What does everyone else think? Are you all ready to get your loved ones Obama plates for the holidays?

In three days the National Museum of American History reopens to the general public. I was fortunate to tour the renovated building yesterday.

The first thing I notice as I step through the Mall entrance of the American History Museum is how light it is. A skylight brightens the three story atrium and the artifacts, like a home computer circa 1985, that line the walls in 10 ft. cases. A grand staircase constructed of metal and glass connects the first and second floors.

As I walk into the Selin Welcome Center, videos preview some of the events and special exhibits on the four flat screens as helpful volunteers provide maps and membership information.

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Mike Huckabee has begun a countrywide bus tour to promote his new book, Do The Right Thing: Inside The Movement That’s Bringing Common Sense Back To America. The tour will stop at the Costco in Pentagon City on Wednesday from 12pm-1pm. According to Huckabee’s website:

Do The Right Thing is his amazing story, in his own words-from making commercials with Chuck Norris to meeting a Michigan woman who insisted on donating her wedding ring. But this is more than just a campaign memoir. It’s a vision for a smarter, fairer type of politics–”vertical politics”–that focuses on common-sense solutions for education, health care, the economy, and many other issues. It’s not about right versus left; it’s about taking America up rather than down.

Huckabee also shows how the Republican Party can heal its divisions-between social and fiscal conservatives, the wealthy and the middle class, the religious and the secular-and become a true majority party again.

There are also additional stops in Virginia, which you can find on the tour information page. Let me know if you plan on stopping down. You might just see me there too.

Shadow Senator Paul Strauss

My good buddy Tom Bridge, formerly City Captain here at Metblogs, currently blogging at WeLoveDC, has been going back and forth with me about the issue of Paul Strauss’s DUI. I previously posted about it here and here. Tom’s response is here. I have a response to Tom’s response regarding Paul Strauss’s lack of responsiveness.

1) Says Tom about whether Strauss should talk to the press: “Make a simple statement, and then make your defense in the courtroom where it actually matters. Leave the media out, and let the courts do their job.”

I agree completely, but Strauss has not made a simple statement other than No Comment. On the eve of the election, Strauss owed it to the voters to get them in the loop somehow. I’m not suggesting that he should have addressed the details of the case. That would have been foolish. But he certainly should have apologized to the voters for the distraction and renewed his commitment to honesty and ethical practice in his elected office. He did not, because he is an elected official in DC and can get away with ignoring the issue.

2) Tom suggests that a recall election could be a good legal way to remove Strauss from office if he is convicted.

As far as I’m concerned, even if the 10% of voters in DC could be convinced to sign a recall petition, I don’t think that anyone could realistically expect Strauss to be voted out in a recall election. Even with this election time scandal he was elected with his typical 80% of the vote. At the same time voters continue to elect the previously convicted Michael Brown and Marion Barry.

3) Tom writes: “Does a political figure owe it to the public to explain what’s going on? Well, again, yes & no. Same reasons as in #1. Political figures have their personal liability to think about. Speaking to the press in that situation is highly unwise, and Strauss knows as much as a lawyer. Openness isn’t always your friend.”

Again, although we all seemingly agree that Strauss should not have discussed details of the case prior to his hearing, he certainly does owe it to the public to be open to a certain extent. Especially when the incident occurs the day before the election. Openness would not have been Strauss’s friend in this case, especially politically. Good. That’s how it should have been. Not talking and walking away with his 80% of the vote was a great political move, but ethically lacking at the least if you ask me.

Courtesy of zjbell51

The Nationals made the first big splash of the offseason yesterday by trading second baseman Emilio Bonifacio and two minor leaguers to the Florida Marlins for outfielder Josh Willingham and pitcher Scott Olsen.

My first thought was that Willingham had been acquired as a catcher (he came up to the majors in that position and I had earlier mentioned that Jose Flores could be upgraded during the offseason). Jim Bowden was quick to point out that the Nats had “acquired him as an outfielder.” This means two things in my view. Austin Kearns and Wily Mo Pena need to either be demoted to the minor leagues or traded before spring training. Both guys want and need a full time job, and it will do a lot to help team chamistry if they are out of the way. By the way, why do the Nats have six outfielders?

Tim Dierkes ventured a guess that “maybe the Nats consider Josh Willingham their cleanup hitter acquisition and will back out of the Teixeira derby.” Newsflash: Josh Willingham is not a cleanup hitter, Jim Bowden. A good year will probably yield 30 homeruns and 100 RBI’s, but that is not showstopper material. As for Mark Teixeira, I have a really hard time imagining that the Nationals will be able to compete for his services, especially with the Yankees and Angels (among others) preparing to make offers that will likely make Teixeira a franchise player somewhere. While I would agree that with the bounty of outfielders in Washington this probably puts a damper on Adam Dunn rumors (darn), I would say that the Nationals need a headliner if they want to fill the seats and make a serious run in the NL East.

All in all this is a great trade for the Nationals. Olsen will fill the rotation hole that I had previously reserved for Mets free agent Oliver Perez and I am confident that both players have the similar upside. Willingham is a major upgrade to Kearns, Pena, and Willie Harris as well. At this point, I still want to see the Nationals sign an ace: looking at guys like Freddy Garcia, who are comebackers that can actually be wooed to DC, would be a great idea. Consensus says that the second base hole will be filled by Anderson Hernandez, who finished strong last season.

Where does the power bat fit then? First base is always a possibility, but aside from Teixeira, the only cleanup hitter in the market is Jason Giambi, who would bring nothing new or exciting to the table and is 38 years old. Not a great option for the Nats if you ask me, but if they can sign him for a very cheap two year contract he may be happy and the Nats would get 30 homeruns in return. Assuming that first base is out, that leaves the outfield. I want to see a guy like Adam Dunn or Manny Ramirez in DC. Badly. The Nats need to put themselves on the map with a big name, because let’s face it, the Nats are not the Rays yet and need the kind of boost only a superstar can offer.

More to come on the Nats.

UPDATE [9:04am]: Tim Brown over at Yahoo comments on the Nationals and Manny Ramirez- “After witnessing Manny Ramirez’s impact on the Dodgers and their fans, the Washington Nationals and GM Jim Bowden are promising everyone they’re going to be players in the Manny bidding. So either they will be or they want everyone to think they are.”

MagicDoubleVan!

At long last, Google Street View is live in DC.  When I’ve used this in other cities, I never quite realized the time warp quality of turning around in an intersection and seeing pictures from 2 months ago, 6 months ago, 2 years ago, and then back again. And the perils of parallel parking!  There are classics on my street of some, er, interesting hybrids.  I haven’t quite found anyone with their head pasted on, but I’m sure it’s out there.

Alas, I fear the delay in getting this running in DC means that the pictures were overly examined and there won’t be anything fun or scandalous.  I can predict that surfing DC streets will be a guilty pleasure on my computer for weeks to come!

No, not the book of short stories, edited by DC’s own George Pelecanos, which you may have seen.  Rather, the film festival at AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring.  There’s a festival of Film Noir classics which has been seen in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and now it’s come to DC metro.  (Via DCist.)   The festival, which runs from today through November 5, will include classics like Double Indemnity (trust me, if you’ve only seen Fred MacMurray in The Shaggy Dog or My Three Sons, you’ll want to see this), They Live By Night, and Sunset Boulevard, to name only a few.  I’ve already bought my tickets for next Saturday evening’s showing of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Strangers on a Train, partially set here in the DC of the 1950s.  The Pentagon was new!  The traffic circle round the Lincoln Memorial was open!   Just the anachronistic shots of city life back then, make the film worth watching.  Besides it being, you know, a Hitchcock classic with a great story!  

An added bonus will be that the film’s leading man, Farley Granger, will be making a personal appearance at the Saturday evening showing of Strangers.  Actually, the festival includes several films which star Granger, and I recommend watching at least some of them.  He was gorgeous in a Tyrone Power sort of way, and ended up with many leading roles that would have gone to David Niven had he stayed at MGM.  He’s also the star of my all-time favorite movie, the schmaltzy wartime romance Enchantment.  I’m as giddy as a schoolgirl!

Well I had some fun with a live blog during last week’s live blog of the Presidential Debates- so let’s try it again!

I will be blogging live on DC Metblogs during the final Presidential Debate at Hofstra University. I hope anyone interested will stop by during the debates- leave a comment or question while I continue to throw out my random commentary and running tally on buzzwords.

8:41 PM: Hello internet, I’m back for constantly update you with random thoughts about the final debate! It’s a little more than 15 minutes to go and here are my initial thoughts I have on top of my head coming into this debate:

• Towards the end of the workday I heard my state of Virginia is now apprently leaning towards Obama according to CNN. To me this is the latest in current pulling ahead of Obama in the polls. It’s clear that here in the DC area, as well as across the country, that Obama could not only win this election- but may even win big. I am still a little sketpical of how realistic a landslide could be- and others are as well. For me this debate is McCain’s last effort to stop the growing wave of Obama. I am waiting to see how McCain is going to play this last card in his deck.
• Bob Schieffer will be moderating the action tonight- will we see the candidates play by the rules? Or will this be another sit down message point delivery session?
• Will I pick better buzzwords this time around? I have 10 minutes now to pick some.

8:59 PM: Ok after looking at the C-SPAN Debate Hub (thanks Steve) some of the keywords that have been mentioned so far include President, Taxes, Spending, and Billion. Obvious words that would be said- but I’m looking for the buzzwords that wouldn’t normally be said. On that note I will look for these phrases: “voted with bush 90% of the time”; “just doesn’t understand”; “ready to lead”; “I got the scars to prove it”; and “maverick.”

Read the rest under the more tag…

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“Congratulations to the Washington Nationals for not being the first to lose 100 games this year.” Those are the paraphrased words that can be found in in my colleague Patrick’s recent season wrapup for the Nats. Now the team is faced with an important off-season during which they will have to rebuild. There are some important things I’d like to note about the coming off-season. Please feel free to weigh in.

• The Nationals MUST re-sign Odalis Perez (SP). Though he did not win as many games as was expected (7-12), he is cheap, and most importantly he wants to be here. Not many clubs in the situation of the Nationals can boast a veteran pitcher who wants to stay despite the lack of contention. His influence on young pitchers has been phenomenal. Re-sign him now!

• The Nats must let go of Aaron Boone. As a recent transplant from the New York area, I can sympathize with Boone. He gave me, along with millions of others, one of baseball’s greatest moments. But it is difficult to ignore the fact that he gets hurt an awful lot, and does not regularly make it through the season. His veteran influence will be missed, but there are others who can fill his shoes.

• First draft pick this year goes to the Washington Nationals. Think about how similar the Nats of today are to the Devil Rays of the not-so-distant past. The youth movement is alive and well in DC.

• A look at the Nationals depth chart reveals a strong set of position players, especially when you consider what guys like Lastings Milledge, Elijah Dukes, Emilio Bonifacio, Ryan Zimmerman, and even Nick Johnson will contribute in the near future- they are headed into their prime. There are several faces that need to go, though I’m not sure it will happen in this off-season. Outfielders Willie Harris and Ryan Langerhans are heading into their thirties, and neither have made the transition to the major leagues. The Red Sox ruined Wily Mo Pena by benching him for two years, and he doesn’t fit in DC anyway. Dmitri Young is (unfortunately) locked in through next season, but Nick Johnson is the present and the future. Young’s career is in a nose-dive.

• Pitching is a much more difficult scenario. Though Perez should stay, he is not an ace. Tim Redding is washed up, and he must go. The rest of the staff is very young, and very under-prepared. It is likely that many of them would only be getting spot starts on just about any other major league team. But keep them, and keep them in the majors. They will mature as players, and some may become exceptional. In the meantime, sign two front end pitchers- not necessarily CC Sabathia type aces, but winners.

• I have faith in the Nationals bullpen. They have been shaky, but not horrible as a whole, and the combo of Chad Cordero and Joel Hanrahan promises to be impressive in years to come.

• So here’s my free-agent shopping list for the Washington Nationals this year:

1. Odalis Perez (SP): Resign him.
2. Ivan Rodriguez (C): He is not needed by the Yankees anymore since Jorge Posada will be back. Though Pudge is experiencing a downturn in career numbers, he has a tremendous talent for working with the young pitchers who make up the vast majority of the Nationals staff. He will contribute by getting on base, and he has always performed best on teams outside of the spotlight. He will also come at a bargain price after his mediocre performance in Pinstripes.
3. Adam Dunn (LF): I rarely disagree with Tim Dierkes, but I simply do not believe the Nationals are at the beginning of a “long rebuilding process.” I think that they are nearing the end of one. Nats GM Jim Bowden likes Dunn (they were both Reds at one point) and wants to inject the team with power. That is exactly what the Nationals need. Dunn will drive in a ton of runs, create the kind of adrenaline and fan involvement that only a home-run hitter can, and he will help the Nationals grow into its big market. I don’t really know what there is not to like about Dunn in DC.
4. Freddy Garcia (SP): Now is the perfect time for a club like the Nats to make a move on Garcia. He recently recovered from an injury and pitched fairly well for the Tigers in three games. He will be a major bargain given his time on the DL, but there will be teams after him, especially Detroit. If the Nationals make a bold move and outbid the bargain-hunters, promising Garcia the ace slot, he can be won. Remember, this is a guy with a world series ring who has won between 14 and 18 games five times. Go get him!
5. Oliver Perez (SP): He has not yet mastered consistency, but he is still young- young enough to live up to the tremendous potential that this 180 strikeout season represents, but also old enough to help guide the younger pitchers. Perez will thrive where he can be a leader, as well as a student. He will also have a lot to learn if the Nationals can manage to pair him up with Pudge Rodriguez.

There are very few people who are willing to watch an atrocious baseball team. The Rays, Nats, and Royals can all attest to that. But Washington DC has the potential to be a massive market, particularly with the ease of travel that the Metro system offers. All that is required is some wise money spent along with continuous nurturing of the phenomenal youth movement taking place in the Nationals organization.

And in case anyone is interested, my prediction is Red Sox vs. Dodgers, Dodgers in 6.

Well tonight is the 2nd Presidential Debate at Belmont University. I know the a lot of us in DC will be watching and tonight I will try and blog live from DC Metblogs during the debates- providing the “joe six-pack” view. Maybe I’ll even crack open a six-pack; I’m sure good amount of viewers will have their drinking game sheets in hand.

If things go well I’ll be back before the debates and I encourage those to keep DC Metblogs up during the debates and feel free to comment away during the debates!

8:24 PM: Hi everyone (or maybe just myself)! I just emptied my bladder, grabbed a slice of pie, and I’m

settled down to watch this debate. I’ll be watching the feed from CNN tonight- I don’t know what people think of their use (or overuse) of timers, graphs, and polls. I could definitely feel overwhelmed with information with all that junk up there. However I love it.

Wolf Blitzer just said Al Gore is in the house and so is John King with the magic wall. Who knew that in 2008 we would be analyzing the news using a “magic wall”?

8:39 PM: I won’t be some of the few out there in DC drinking along with the debates but I did decided to track a couple of buzzwords: “Maverick”, “Change”, “Main Street”, and my personal favorite “voted with bush 90% of the time.”

8:50 PM: 10 minutes to go! Listening to talk on the format of tonight’s debate- it will be a town hall format where the candidates will be talking to an audience of undecided voters. Tom Brokaw will moderate and questions will be selected from the audience as well as e-mails that Brokaw selected before hand. CNN just reported that there were over 6 million thousand questions submitted. I didn’t hear that they were looking for questions.

9:00 PM: Here we go, 90 minutes of fierce talking point delivery!

See the rest of the night’s live blog underneath the more tag…

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