In 2004 there was an election year Democrats thought they were sure to win.

Late in the season, a story was breaking in the news that Democrats thought would totally put them (us) over the top. TANG.

George Bush's failure to show up for National Guard duty. The only problem was, there was no proof anywhere as so many records had been scrubbed. In late August we heard word that proof had been found and the story was going to be featured on an upcoming 60 Minutes. That story aired, put together by Dan Rather and Mary Mapes, September 8th 2004.

Democrats and Bush-loathing independents rejoiced! Hallelujah, the truth was out and there was no way the American people would re-elect him.

And that very same night, websites with very close ties to the Republican campaign denounced Rathers' and Mapes' evidence and called the documents forgery. Whether or not they actually were forgeries is still up for debate in some quarters but the only thing that mattered in 2004 was that Republicans wrote the story that the media used forged evidence against George W. Bush, and the people who wrote the story seemed to have had advance information about what to do and when.

Now it's 2008 and we're at it all over again. Instead of relying on a great campaign, there's a contingent of people who are determined to use an internet rumor against John McCain's running mate. A rumor that has almost no relationship to her performance or abilities as a back-up commander in chief, but whether or not she has a white trash family.

Today is the last day of August.

You aren't really going to do this all over again, are you?

Oh, and by the way: Barack Obama's opponent is John McCain. Palin is red meat for RW fundies, a distraction for us. That's it.