The High Street odds here make it better to bet on Sarah Palin becoming VP (17/12) than John McCain becoming President (11/8). Which I don't really get. I'm tempted to put a bet on, just so that I have something to feel happy about if the Republicans win!

When all the various troubles came out, the rumour was floated that Palin was chosen just to firm up conservative support, knowing that all these troubling details were in her background, so that McCain could then remove her. So people are still thinking that she could be off the ticket and not make it to November.

They are wrong. Palin is intended to create divisive arguments that favor the R ticket in reverse. It's a cynical political operative ploy.

it really is. i have to admit it's the first thing the McCain camp has done well. Up until this point I couldn't believe how utterly rutterless the campaign was.

It has really worked. The left sounds disengenuous arguing that she can't be a Mom and have a job, while the right wing nutters get their raw meat. Obama answered with school choice but that lacks sex appeal. He needs to hit the middle hard before the left alienates his potential voters.

Clearly, Radar thinks diebold is not in McCain's camp as it was in Bush's.
[/foilhat]

No tinfoil hat needed. That was proven.

Well I believe it, but then I have my reasons.
Do you think that oil is passe and ADM's backing of Obama signals where the new money is headed, i.e. food? Especially in light of the honey bee collapse? I'd bet on food for the next decade, but will diebold get in line and allow Obama to be elected?

But not "really really proven", right? Because you'd never gamble $3000 on an outcome that can be fixed. That would be completely moronic, would it not?

Feel that feeling of cognitive dissonance? Embrace it. That's where the truth lives.

I believe they used the voting machines to slightly skew the election in favor of Bush. I don't believe they can skew it enough for McCain to win without getting caught. Obama will win by a landslide.

Oh well then, bulk up the bet! Really great prices on intrade today. You can now more than double your money.

My wife is already pissed that I've got $3,000 on the line.

$3005

Food is the new energy.

I'm with you on that. As we reach peak oil (if we haven't) some people will be forced to change their lifestyles, many have already around here. A lot of folks are going back to wood, a lot of folks are insulating, whatever. We'll go more nuclear power, wind, water. All thsoe condos built in old mill towns will be gutted and revert to water powered mills again. Who knows? Energy production and use will sort itself out.

But an army or a nation for that matter travels on its belly. When folks get hungry, things will heat up. The ironic thing is honey bees , which pollinate something like 14 billion (figure pulled directly from my hinder) in crops, aren't even native to the US. But their introduction allowed the massive scale of agriculture we employ for that type of crop.

Still, I wouldn't bet a dime on this or any election in the US.

Just checked the national honey board's website www.honey.com and they say in 1999 the value of crops was 14.6 Billion (That might have just been the bees compensating for Y2K

I think you're wrong.

Water is the new Energy.