CNN bid to tie Palin to secessionists is a stretch, LA Times.

The anchorman's serious tone and dancing eyebrows -- not to mention a "The Palins and the Fringe" banner across the bottom of the screen -- suggested big surprises. Must-see TV! And all of it coming "right after the break."

So I holstered the remote for a couple of minutes and waited to see what CNN was up to.

The answer: no good.

FCC Chair Wants to Go Forward With Use of White Spaces, The Washington Post Blog.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said he wants to allow portable devices to use the airwaves between TV channels for wireless broadband service.

After months of testing and over a year of lobbying by tech firms Google, Microsoft, HP, Dell and others, the FCC's engineering office is releasing a report today that spells out the standards devices must meet in order to use the empty airwaves.

 

Earlier tonight I had the opportunity to participate in a CNN.com/live debate within the debate -- or more like a conversation -- with Ana Marie Cox.

Our task was to watch the debate, read incoming Tweets, IMs, emails, scan the blogosphere for reactions to what the candidates were saying, and of course, comment throughout for the live-stream.

The task-at-hand to juggle loads of information was difficult but fun. I've gotten a little feedback from the more than 100K viewers that checked in to our stream that it was an interesting experiment but that a delay in the feed wasn't syncing our comments directly with what folks were saying.

A big thanks to the CNN.com for the opportunity, to the crew in DC for ensuring that our Internets worked well, and to anchor Nicole Lapin for breaking up our squabbles. And, I'd be remiss not to thank Ana Marie Cox for so eloquently and artfully disagreeing with me throughout our 3.5 hour tour. I enjoyed it.

I found one clip of our post-debate analysis in the CNN.com clip bin in case you missed it.

Tune into CNN.com/live tonight from 8-11 PM EST to see me and Ana Marie Cox discuss the debate.

You'll remember Ana Marie as the former Wonkette, then editor of Time Magazine Online, and now editor of Radar.

The format will be similar to "Mystery Science Theater 3000" so it should be worth a peek.

Go ahead and Twitter me or email me your feedback and questions and I'll try and get them on the "air."

We'll be on for three hours so it'll be great to hear your Tweet.

Today, one of the Republican Party's fastest rising stars, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, joined New Orleans Democratic Mayor Ray Nagin to announce that they are working with YouTube and Google to "bring American voices into a forum with Presidential nominees."

Along with the New Orleans Consortium, Jindal and Nagin plan to host the forum on September 18, 2008 at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

Appropriately, here's the YouTube announcement:

Let's hope all of the candidates decide to participate.

Two things worth thinking on:

1. For the past two Presidential events, CNN was the official media sponsor with YouTube. So far, no media carrier has been listed. We shouldn't assume that this means that CNN is out of the running for the gig, but given how CNN handled the Republican debate last fall (see the Save the Debate Coalition statement), I'd be surprised to see them get it.

2. As Dan Manatt blogged last December, the Commission on Presidential Forums has already made it clear that to increase participation, the "Internet" will play a major role in the second commissioned debate - which is a "town hall style" debate:

The second departure from past CPD formats will be the introduction of internet access to the presidential town meeting debate. Questions solicited by Internet will be included with those from citizens on the stage with the candidates.

The second CPD debate is scheduled for Tuesday, October 7 at Belmont University, Nashville, TN. Will YouTube and Google be there? Time will tell.

One thing is clear, I'm heading to both New Orleans and Nashville.

Submit your question to the YouTube debate here.

NRCC Chairman Tom Cole was interviewed by Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters on BlogTalkRadio today.

Here's the snippet of the interview I find most interesting:

Cole is not only a top Republican official but also one of the smartest political minds still in the mix. Hopefully Republicans will listen to his counsel.

I'm hopefully optimistic.

If you haven't already, please make sure you help us SaveTheDebate.

Wisely, Republican Presidential candidates Ron Paul and John McCain have confirmed their participation in the Republican YouTube/CNN debate in Florida on Sept. 17 TBD. And they actually mean it.

In fact, in his statement announcing his participation, McCain praised YouTube and CNN for, "...hosting this historic debate that will increase participation by opening up the political conversation to interested voters across the country via user-generated video."

I've been thinking quite a bit about the GOP debate since I attended the Democratic debate in Charleston, S.C. Specifically, I've been thinking about advice I'd give a Presidential candidate if I were working for him.

You may recall that not a single Republican candidate took me up on my advice of using the Democratic debate as an opportunity to help further their own message. But, of course, their loss.

Instead, RNC Chairman Mike Duncan made a video which was aired incessantly on CNN leading up to the debate.

With the fate of the YouTube/CNN debate in limbo, if I were working for either John McCain or Ron Paul here's what I'd say:

Read more after the jump...

On Monday I went to Charleston, S.C. for the Dems' YouTube/CNN debate. I was planning on live-blogging the debate, and man did I have a great seat, but given the intense level of security at the Citadel (no electronics whatsoever), that wasn't an option.

I did however grab my camera to talk with some of the candidates and Internet strategists after the debate in the "spin room." And thankfully, some of them were willing to give away some free advice for the Republican candidates for the upcoming YouTube/CNN debate in Florida on September 17. (Submit your questions here.)

Below the fold find short vlogs with Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gravel, Joe Trippi (Edwards), Peter Leyden (New Politics Institute), Danny Glover (National Journal), and Steve Peterson (Bivings, YouTube user).

I wasn't able to live-blog the event, but I've got loads of video that I'll be uploading over the next few days. I'll also dig in deep with reaction (to the event and the Google after-party).

Here's a short vid I made from the "spin" room:

On Monday, I'll be catching a mid-morning flight to Charleston, S.C. for a Presidential debate sponsored by YouTube and CNN. There's only one hitch: It's a Democratic debate and I'm a Republican.

A few weeks ago, I received an invitation to the debate from Google/YouTube via email which I've pictured here.

As you might expect, you didn't need to twist my arm for this one. I'm going.

So what am I going to be doing at the debate?

For starters, CNN has given me credentials for the press filing center which means I'll have an Internet connection. In other words, expect some serious live-blogging at TechRepublican.

CNN's credentials also give me access to the "spin room" immediately following the debate. I'll be there with my DomeNation co-host, Jerome Armstrong of MyDD, to interview some of the political heavyweights who will likely be storming the room. My friend Phil de Vellis who created the famous anti-Hillary "1984" spot has agreed to help us out with the filming. Thanks Phil.

I also emailed back and forth with Josh Levy and Micah Sifry of TechPresident to figure out a way that they could participate in the debate from New York. They've found a solution by getting some reaction after the debate from some tech + politics experts like Phil de Vellis, James Kotecki, and others. So look for me there too.

As you can see, I'll be one busy Republican at a Democratic debate.

And just wait until you see what I've got in store for the YouTube/CNN debate on September 17.

Revolution.