The US electoral map is going to look very much like it has the past two elections. With the new-found enthusiasm in the Republican base, I think it is extremely unlikely that John McCain will lose much in the south. Barack Obama, on the other hand, will win the overwhelming majority of the northeast, and the Pacific coast.

As intense as the anticipation over Barack Obama’s choice is, it pales next to the hubbub over whether John McCain is going to tap Joe Lieberman, who was Al Gore’s running mate in 2000. This would give Lieberman a unique niche in American history — one politician who was the vice-presidential nominee for both parties. We would speak of it with awe, like that story about the two-headed turtle in Brooklyn.

The prevailing view is that US President George W. Bush was, and is, a fool of the highest order who fell arse-backwards into the Oval office. The president is a soft target; more a sitting duck than a lame one, but the overwhelming condemnation of his eight years in office does not bear the mark of genuine historical inquiry.

Since the meltdown in Florida in 2000, a large, nonpartisan coalition called Election Protection — made up of civil rights groups, good-government organizations and major law firms — has been doing critical work in standing up for voters. It is an effort that anyone who cares about democracy should get behind.