You can say one thing about Joe Lieberman: He's no political opportunist. With Democrats poised to increase their power in Washington next year, most lawmakers  -- even a couple of Republicans -- are eager to ingratiate themselves with the leadership. But Joe's just doing what he's always done, marching to the beat of his conscience. 

 

It's pretty hard to look at the state of the U.S. government these days and not have that line from the old late night commercial pop into your head: "Help. I've fallen and I can't get up!"

Massive regulatory failures involving drugs, food and consumer products, cover-ups of mistakes in air traffic control centers, applying ideological litmus tests in hiring, repeated defense procurement scandals and countless other lapses in judgment, ethics or simple competence have become so commonplace that abuses and screw-ups that used to inspire public outrage are generally greeted with weary shrugs. Even worse, there's little evidence that the two men fighting to be in charge of this mess have noticed.

Independent political activist groups, known as 527s for the tax code provision that governs them, are gaining ground. They're more numerous, wealthier, more organized and electronically savvier. And they are about to pounce on the body politic, unleashing a torrent of mostly negative ads to influence the presidential election. Keep your mute button near.

When a Newsweek poll last weekend showed Barack Obama leading John McCain by 15 points, twice the average of other polls, it seemed to be an aberration. But now another poll out today has the same result, suggesting McCain is in very serious trouble.

The SEIU, which represents workers in the service industries, today announced it will spend $85 million this year -- about $42 per union member -- to help elect Barack Obama and pro-labor members of Congress. That's $20 million more than the union spent four years ago and $1 million more than John McCain will get from the federal government to run his fall campaign. And the money is only the beginning.