The "conventions are over and Obama v. Palin enters the home stretch" edition of the intermittently weekly roundup of what progressive Tennessee blogs are talking about.

SPECIAL NOTE: Our condolences to Katie Allison Granju, whose father passed away unexpectedly.

• 55-40 Memphis: 55-40 Memphis: Failin' Palin: Some are betting that McCain's current VP pick, Sarah "Failin'" Palin, won't last through Friday. Others are not so sure.

• Aunt B: Palin Thoughts: Okay, America, let’s have a brief talk about whether it’s wise for Palin to continue to harp on her "small town" roots. Those of us who grew up in small towns, who are watching her, know her. We recognize her. PLUS: Stacey Campfield, Put Up or Shut Up: This stuff Campfield claims? That the children of illegal immigrants are allowed to go to school without proper immunizations? It’s utter bullshit. Nowhere in the state law that I could find is that allowed.

• Carole Borges: A Republican star is born! But wait! Isn't celebrity vapid?: It is exactly the same old same, same old, only now it's wearing high heels and a skirt. As a feminist Sarah worries me.

• The Crone Speaks: Mortgage Delinquencies Rise, Health Care Costs Rise: The one thing I need to note is that all of these things that have seriously impacted people’s lives all come from the GOP’s mismanagement, and the deluded notion that free markets promote competition. As these reports show under GOP leadership, more people are hurt. PLUS: TN R. Delegates Vote for "George S. McCain" « The Crone Speaks: Why a Freudian slip? Because McCain, no matter how much he tries to distance himself, is so much like Bush, it keeps slapping him in the face. AND: Palin summed up here and here.

• Joe Powell: Political Mother: I did learn some reasons why Sen. McCain picked Gov. Plain to be his running mate. She's George W. Bush in heels, all hat and no cattle, and she did what McCain could not do - unify their party behind his campaign. PLUS: US Media FAIL says Brit Media: Meanwhile, England's Guardian newspaper says the best thing about American bloggers is they resemble Brit media in general.

• Don Williams: McCain’s heroic story isn’t the whole story, questions need asking: It won’t be easy to challenge this man who is rapidly becoming a living icon of military heroism. Still, here are a baker’s dozen pertinent questions -- plus corollaries -- that should be asked before it’s too late for our nation and the world...

• TNDP: Sarah Palin’s Speech Under Scrutiny: That bastion of liberal media bias, Comedy Central, no wait, the Associate Press, today reports that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was lying in her Wednesday night Republican National Convention speech.

• Enclave: Revenge of the Community Organizers: So the question bears repeating: who is more worthy of scorn? Community organizers or the lobbyists who help Sarah Palin stay in office?

• Fletch: Angry

• KnoxViews (Rocketsquirrel): How Far the GOP Has Fallen: How far the GOP has fallen...Just as Eisenhower warned of the emerging military industrial complex, so too did Goldwater warn of religious extremists thinking they could control our public discourse and political decisions. PLUS: (Rikki): dunced around: This flagrant violation of Constitutional checks and balances persisted for months as Congressmen sent letters of protest and disgust to the White House. Finally, the House of Representatives voted to hold Bolton and Miers in contempt. Karl Rove was declared in contempt by a House subcommittee. Contempt was appealed, rejected and a stay denied. Miers is scheduled to appear before Congress Thursday. AND: Convention coverage archive.

• Lean Left: Why Does John McCain Hate America?: It’s not just Sarah Palin who’s the darling of the anti-government fringe. McCain himself is seeking lists of supporters and pledged delegates from a person who is simultaneously a flagship leader of an extremely radical fringe party and also a member of McCain’s own party. [..] Not only are McCain and Palin both on record as courting secessionist and anti-government groups, but the GOP is fine with having two of that group’s presidential nominees in its own ranks, and McCain’s platform is apparently close enough to the anti-government party’s platform to enable an endorsement.

• Left of the Dial: Meet Sarah Palin

• Left Wing Cracker: Heh. Think THIS may be how Palin was vetted?

• Liberadio(!): Misconceptions: A Reflection of Values: I’ll be glad to grant the Palins their privacy. But the circumstances they wish to keep private, they, and others like them, keep foisting on the public through cynical public policy that fails.

• Newscoma: Tennessee Soybean Festival ‘08: So, I’m guessing this is a Hooterville Exclusive.

• Pesky Fly: A Question for the Candidate, plus: Future Leader of the Republican Party

• Progressive Nashville: Judgement call: The McSame campaign wants us to believe this election is about the experience to make good decisions, but we've seen nothing but horrible decisions come out of the campaign and the GOP leadership. Even if we forgive McSame's role in the Keating 5 scandal, we still have to deal with the fact that he thinks George Bush is doing a swell job and that it might be good for us to remain in Iraq for 100 years.

• Resonance: The American Oil Refinery Shortage Myth: According to rightists, the second-most common response to energy crisis, behind "Drill! Drill! Drill!", is that gas prices are high because environmentalists have prevented America from building any new oil refineries in 30 years (or whatever duration it is). How does this claim square with marketplace reality?

• RoaneViews: Governor Bredesen Endorses Ruppe for State Senate PLUS: The Governor Campaigns for Becky Ruppe, with photos. (Ed. note: This one is a must-win, folks!)

• Russ McBee: McCain imitates Caligula: The nomination of Palin for the office of vice president sends exactly the same message to the American people and to the US Senate (in which Palin would be the presiding officer and tie-breaking vote): he thinks so little of them that he believes any random fundamentalist wingnut plucked off the street would be qualified to lead them. PLUS: Labor Day scorecard: American workers not doing well: That's the "ownership society" for you: workers get shafted, while one of the two main presidential candidates doesn't even know how many houses he owns.

• Sean Braisted: Kissinger Most Expensive Baby Sitter Ever: I'm sure Palin has at least basic knowledge of the national issues at stake (just like most Republican politicians), and so the "soft bigotry of low expectations," can only help her in the coming weeks. Given that Republican ideas are generally formulated by a select group of pre-schoolers high on glue, its not that hard to remember GOP talking points. Taxes bad, spending bad, liberals bad. PLUS: More Republican Comedy: Of course, its perfectly plausible that a 50+ year old man from Georgia has never heard that phrase used in a negative light towards black people...just as its perfectly plausible that David Duke didn't know what the Klan was all about...or its perfectly plausible that Sarah Palin was McCain's first choice for VP.

• Sharon Cobb: A Wrap Up Of Sarah Palin's Speech At The Republican Convention Wednesday Night.: Still half asleep, I rolled over and opened one eye and asked, "Why is Sally Fields speaking at the republican convention?" PLUS: Senator John McCain: A Hero, Yes. But A Maverick, No. The Republican Convention Speech Last Night: According to CNN, McCain had 169 lobbyists in the front of the auditorium during his acceptance speech. You simply cannot sell yourself as an agent for change when you've been a U.S. Senator for decades.

• GoldnI: Things I Learned Today: I was vetted more thoroughly by Wash U Law than Sarah Palin was by John McCain. PLUS: Republicans -- Make Up Your Minds: How is she going to handle foreign leaders if she can't handle "Meet The Press"?

• Southern Beale: Permission Not Granted: Should be the new slogan of the McCain-Palin ticket. The funniest is this statement from the principal of Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood, California... PLUS: Return Of The Wedge Issue: But really what Sarah Palin has done is bring the evangelical base back into the voting booth. And along with them come those rancorous, divisive social issues. Karl Rove is ecstatic.

• Vibinc: Joementum to Educate Palin: Palin will also not be available to the media for an undetermined time while she gets her affairs in order back in Alaska. I guess they’re going to use some of that time to get her up to speed on their Cold War era worldview of foreign policy. Personally, I don’t think she needs it.

• WhitesCreek: What are we changing here?: I thought I had seen the nastiest lies ever in the past two presidential elections, and somehow, I though John McCain would be slightly better at sticking with the truth. WRONG! PLUS: Moose and Snow: McCain's Veep pick seems to be up to her miniskirt in the rankest form of good old boy and girl corruption and cronyism.

• Women's Health News: Just a Thought on Palin: Sure, campaigning and being VP may be demanding. However, if, with all of the resources at Palin’s fingertips, the situation still seems inadequate for providing for a child, if the deck still seems stacked against working mothers, imagine how women without the luxury of these choices must feel.