Teaser -- good point. With a few exceptions relating to interstate trafficking of weapons, the president has very little to do with gun laws. And Obama has long made it clear that (a) he believes the 2nd Amendment creates an individual right to own weapons regardless of whether one belongs to a militia, and (b) he will not touch hunters' rights to own hunting weapons. But, should we take reasonable efforts to keep guns out of the hands of felons and crazy people? I would think so.

Mikegino stated (after his racist shot at Johnevegas), "Have you ever produced food for others to eat, or basic products for others to use as a necessary part of their daily life?" Uh, what does that have to do with anything? And, for what it's worth, McCain's gainful employment has been to (a) drop napalm on people, (b) be a toady for the Navy with congresspeople, (c) marry into megawealth, and (d) sit around in Congress and create only one significant piece of legislation, a campaign reform law that he now tries to circumvent.

NVMakz: "List a tax-hike proposal / bill Barry has NOT voted for? That is, when he shows up to vote, lol!"

Uh, McCain has a poorer voting attendance record than Obama, nitwit. In fact, McCain is the only senator who's attendance is worse that SD Senator Johnson, who suffered from s serious stroke.

And remember that it was McCain who said the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy -- the ones he NOW wants to keep -- were "irresponsible". Nothing like a need to pander to the rich and powerful (including their 29 lobbyists on his campaign staff) to make you see taxes in a different light, eh?

Why is it that SBNative and Johnevegas have to try to hijack every thread here that remotely relates to the election with their robo-falsity. Let it go guys -- we know where your heads are at about Obama, okay?

And, yes, while the people who knock on your doors are a little annoying, I think there's something terrific about people being willing to travel hundreds or thousands of miles to spend days and days for no pay just to try to get people to vote. I got a call from my neighbor yesterday -- he announced he was calling from Columbus, Ohio, where's he out there for two weeks to help make sure that there's no intimidation at the polls to keep people from voting. (The Republicans in various areas are hiring uniformed security guards to hang around polling places to make it uncomfortable for anyone with an outstanding traffic warrant to hang around the polls.) He's trying to get others of us to come out and help. I know another fellow -- African-American -- who's going back to his home town of Gary, Indiana to do the same thing, and be there when (knock, knock, knock) the election night celebration begins.

But, if you don't like 'em talking to you, please just go out and vote early. It's actually easier than on election day -- you can vote anywhere in the County rather than at your own precinct.

Geez, NVMakz and JFN, you guys have nothing better to do than to spout Obama-hate that shows a complete absence of any analysis of what Obama actually proposes. Let's see: "The systematic rape of ALL Americans by the Obamunists goes on in order to satisfy the FEW for "fairness"." Uh, I don't think this or any of his past tax proposals called for raising the taxes on all Americans. In fact, it's been confirmed that he'll raise the taxes only on the top 5% -- and then only to Clinton-Gore levels. Gee, since America ran a surplus during the end of that administration, do you think that your venomous attacks are maybe (a) baseless, and (b) not particularly helpful in helping to bring out country to all pull together to try to resolve our current crises? Hate is fun, isn't it?

NVMakz, could you please provide a citation to some proof for your statement that "I have many State AGs and SOSs backing me"??? And while there no doubt will be some people affiliated with ACORN (among the hundreds of thousands who work for them) who cross the line (a small proportion as compared to percentage of Congressional Republicans connected to Jack Abramoff, for example) the small number of uncoordinated and individually undertaken improper votes that result from registrations that ACORN unwittingly passed on, Republicans like Sue Lowden are trying to essentially disenfranchise thousands of voters on a wholesale basis. So, who's the greater threat to democracy here?

Ahem, for all of you namecallers, the "redistribution of wealth" is just a rollback of the tax cuts that Bush gave to the wealthy and a return to the tax structure in effect during most of the Clinton-Gore years -- you know, the ones where we ran a surplus and grew the economy drastically. I don't recall anyone claiming that that prosperity was "socialistic". Why are all of you Republicans carrying the water for the rich folks? I hope they at least have the courtesy to pass along to you a "thanks, suckers".

Very nicely reasoned endorsement, eerily echoing that of Gov. Powell. Since the Republican'ts are condemning Powell's endorsement as being made solely because he, like Obama, is black, I can only assume that your editorial board is comprised entirely of African-Americans who may have served our nation for decades but are incapable of making a reasoned assessment of the two candidates. ;-}

And thanks for highlighting the differences between the candidates' positions on Yucca Mountain. Nevadans -- perhaps more so than residents of other states -- have reason to really scrutinize McCain's promise to immediately commence construction of 45 nuclear power plants. How could you possible put together enough experts to safely construct and operate such plants when none have been built in the pat 30 years? I can just see the accidents as new "rookies" try to rush to build so many at once. Bad idea. Sure, we can develop them, but let's show some sense in rolling them out.

It's funny -- just this morning, I was sitting at a baseball game with a woman who mentioned that she was at a game last spring sitting with an older gentleman who was in her line of work -- education. They talk spiritedly for almost two hours about educational issues while watching the game and, at the end, she asked him for his card in case they were to run into each other at some professional event. It was only when she glanced at the card two hours later that she realized that she'd spent two hours with William Ayers! And, you know what, she's spent more time talking with Ayers than Barack Obama has. In fact, I'd venture that thousands of students, professionals, educators, and common citizens -- Republicans and Democrats alike -- have spent more time with William Ayers than Barack Obama has. This is how silly this issue is.

They are not friends and never were. People in public life get thrown together -- as these two were; should people have to abandon good causes because someone who committed bad acts long ago (and apparently is repentant) is involved? What McCainites never point out is that the quoted "I wish we could have done more" comment disclosing that Ayers apparently was not repentant was made YEARS AFTER Obama and Ayers were asked to serve these foundations. Don't reward this dishonesty, unless you want a White House as duplicitous as the one we've suffered through the last eight years.

Jon, a nicely balanced article that tries to cut through the attempts by the parties to deal with it on a soundbite, partisan brush. The fact is that the Republicans had this complaint sitting in a can ready to pull out to justify demanding voter ID and confirmations/cross-checking, but -- by bringing the issue up so late (as in the Ohio case just decided) -- they've guaranteed that many new voters' backup check won't be completed and they'll at best get to cast provisional ballots. The Republicans get a "two-fer", as by attacking ACORN, they can again pull out the "Obama is a community organizer pandering to ((whisper)) black people" subtext. Studies show that registration fraud -- and there's no showing any concentrated effort was done here -- rarely leads to any significant voting shenanigans. If you're registered 70 times at one address, your registrations will get flagged and precinct workers are likely to catch you on your 51st or 52nd visit to the same polling place, don'tcha think? People -- just recognize it for the politics that it is and go back and pick a candidate on the basis of how we'll he'll dig our country out of this mess, please??

I'm not sure who I feel more sorry for -- Lingle, who traveled all this way to talk to 60 people, or the 60 people who actually did listen to her. I've heard her interviewed many times and have yet to hear anything out of her mouth other than campaign talking points. And I guess her native son doesn't get any love because he hasn't bothered to pick up the phone and call her. Now that's a mature way to decide upon a candidate to endorse. But, I think Nevadans are sharp enough to read the writing on the wall and see no point in rallying around a candidate who's floundering. If McCain manages to squeak out wins in the East Coast, a quick and clean Nevada decision for Obama could be the vote that puts Obama over the top. Go for it, Nevadans!