“I’ll continue to say I am blessed and very proud that [his late father-in-law] Jim Hensley, a war hero, a man who barely graduated from high school, was able to pass on to his daughter what he struggled for and saved for. That’s the ambition that all of us have for our children and grandchildren. If someone wants to disparage that, they are free to do that.”
– John McCain to Katie Couric

Kathleen Hensley Portalski says her father left her $10,000 in his will, and nothing to her children — his grandchildren.

Oh, you mean Cindy. Never mind.

For McCains, a Public Path but Private Wealth [NYT]

Unless you’re a numismatics groupie, you probably missed the recent story about the new Susan B. Anthony Sacagawea Andrew Jackson dollar coin, minted in honor of his opposition to paper money, or maybe because engravers love his hair.

But keen-eyed Grand Rapids newspaper readers noticed something else engravers love: Satan. The new coins lack the comforting inscription “Render Unto Caesar” “In God We Trust”.

Well, just not on the front or back. God is relegated to the edge, where He may as well be the fine print in a drug commercial.

“That’s dirty pool putting it on the edge,” complained Press reader Ann Holmes. “Who knew it was there? Did they tell us it was there?”

Apparently they didn’t. Ms. Holmes learned of the godless coin from a forwarded email.

Peggy LaPenna doesn’t care whether God is in the details. “Send the U.S. Mint a strong message,” she wrote. “We insist that God stay on ‘the front’ of our money!”

Dollar coins not ‘Godless’ despite urban myth [Grand Rapids Press]

Sources: Obama picks Joe Biden as VP candidate [CNN]

Obama to Name Sen. Joseph Biden As Vice Presidential Running Mate [WSJ]

Breaking: Obama selects Joe Biden as his VP running mate [LAT]

Obama Chooses Biden as Running Mate [NYT]

The ticket: Obama-Biden [Politico]

ABC breaks the shocking news that prostitutes are coming to Denver!

(One… two… three…)

That pause provided by The Committee to Allow You Sufficient Time to Shout “Which Ones?”

Sex Trade Spikes During Conventions [ABC]

It’s Day Three of the Veep Tease Siege, and we know nothing more than we did when the Inner Circle hinted that the announcement would come any time between Wednesday morning and Saturday afternoon. The secret is being closely held by Barry, his iPhone, and Allah.

But the Unthinkable is now on the table, as everyone is considering the JFK-LBJ shotgun wedding of the new millennium. Sure, they hate each other, their supporters hate each other, and Harry Shearer’s drooling over the prospect of running clintonsomething for another four years, but let’s face it: two or three Justices are ready to kick, and the PUMA faith that a Demrat Senate would push back an unsatisfactory Geezer nomination ignores everything we’ve learned the past seven years.

Would it float? Who knows? If nothing else, it would put a new spin on the inevitable recriminations eleven weeks from now.

Obama says he’s chosen his VP — won’t reveal who it is yet [USA Today]

Look, we’re not going to be caught sleeping when the media climaxes over Barry’s veep choice. Well, actually we are, so once again we’re running this morning’s post in antici… PATION! that the Golden Text Message will warm the hearts of millions before we wake up around ten-ish in Sandy Eggo.

Today in the Not Her Spotlite is Evan Bayh, who other than being Birch’s son (twig?), we know absolutely nothing about. Which still probably puts us ahead of most non-Indianans.

Actually, we do know that he scares the shit out of the neighbors when he drags his son’s black lacrosse bag outside his car. But then we now also know his sons play lacrosse. What snooty elite Eastern academy offers that?

Bayh’s Drive-By Gym Bag Drop-Off Incident [ABC]

Or maybe not. Maybe it’s Son of Birch, maybe it’s She Who Is Not Her. But we’re now within the Veep Horizon, and some of us tend to sleep past noon Eastern, so if Barry texts his BFFs with his BVP this morning, we wanted to be on top of the story. We can always change the text later and applaud our mad prognostication skillz.

While we’re waiting on the Barry Tease, why not vote on some Barry Tees? (Plouffle, call us: “I Rock Barack.” The non-voting kids will love it!) We really like the design that makes us look like a hopeless tool. No, wait, that’s all of them.

Obama and veep choice to campaign on Saturday [AP]