THE PRESIDENT: Why would it drive private insurers out of business? If private insurers say that the marketplace provides the best quality health care, if they tell us that they’re offering a good deal, then why is it that the government — which they say can’t run anything — suddenly is going to drive them out of business? That’s not logical.

Zing…

The original photograph of the man making the victory sign is by Farhad Rajabili.

There is no way to embed BBC videos, but here is the link: protest video.

A culture that beats its children is doomed to failure.

One feature of the website is mashups with political webservices such as those provided by Project Vote Smart to show candidates and incumbants for whom the website visitor can vote.

An obvious requirement is to know where the visitor is located, either by a location-aware service such as Google Gears, or through an address entered by the user.

In both cases, a zipcode database is a useful thing.

That’s how I discovered the ZipCodeGuy. Aside from the US Postal Service, Dave Conklin is the ultimate authority on US zipcodes. He offers detailed zipcode maps of US places (states, counties, cities).

In addition to the maps, Dave offers a downloadable zipcode database perfect for my needs. You can buy it for about $25.00. Or you can write a blog post like this one about his business and get access to the database for free. Here’s the Zipcode Guy himself explaining the database:

In fact, Buchanan said McCain’s selection of Palin was “comparable to the 72-year-old ex-fighter pilot knocking back two shots and flying his F-16 under the Golden Gate Bridge.” An exciting image, to say the least.

Buchanan’s theory is that Palin, “with her youth, charisma and vitality”, will acquire her own power base within the Republican right. He suggests the possibility of an all female election in 2012: Sarah vs. Hillary.

More from Buchanan:

“As Thomas Jefferson said, from time to time, a little rebellion in the political world is as necessary as storms in the physical.

“The Palin nomination could backfire, but it is hard to see how. She has passed her first test, her introduction to the nation, with wit and grace. And the Obama-Biden ticket, having already alienated millions of women with the disrespecting of Hillary, is unlikely to start attacking another woman whose sole offense is that she had just been given the chance to break the glass ceiling at the national level.

“Her nomination, which will bring the Republican right home, also frees up McCain to appeal to moderates and liberals, which has long been his stock in trade.

“With his selection of Sarah Palin, John McCain has not only shaken up this election, he may have helped shape the future of the United States — and much for the better.”

Buchanan’s column is worth reading and considering. With the speeches at last night’s convention (which I finally switched off in disgust as the anti-Obama statement became more strident and hateful), McCain’s campaign has begun in earnest. McCain’s advisers, in the modern Republican tradition, are pushing a vigorous attack on the personalities rather than the issues of the election.

I guess only a Republican would ridicule a person who would choose to help unemployed factory workers instead of pursuing a lucrative legal career.

I wanted to give Gov. Palen the same opportunity to talk to me as the Democrats had last week.

But the inspiration was missing. The tone, at first silly (such as “eloping as a sign of fiscal restraint”), became strident, then mean, and finally just irritating. I clicked the browser closed.

Zero.

Sorry, Gov. Palin. I’ll catch you some other time when you are able to speak for yourself.